Hi John,
The Sharp engineers designed a fail-safe into the VL series to ensure that if there are any of a few dozen or so faults in the tape carrier, power to the carrier drive is disabled and the error type "EJECT THE CASSETTE" is displayed in red. This protects the carrier and tape from any further damage. The causes run the gamut from easy (excess dust on the heads) to complex ( stepper motor speed control). Usually all the consumer can do is clean the tape path and try again with a new tape. The permanent fix is simple though - buy a new digital camcorder.
Larenzo
September 2022