Final Cut Pro not exporting to tape with XH A1

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bentramer81

Well-known member
I tried for over a half hour today with Final Cut Pro Support and another hour on my own to record footage from the computer on to mini dv tape using the XH A1. They said that the XH A1 was not even an approved device, (lovely I know). After trying countless settings to record footage to the camera I finally gave up, and the FCP support guy said there was nothing he could do. Since many film festivals require the entry to be mini dv tape this awful. If I would have known this I would have got a dvx100b, so unless someone knows something FCP support does not, it would be my suggestion to go with the panasonic... I'm wishing I would have. :(
 
If you're trying to export from a 24F timeline (or a 25F timeline) it won't let you. You have to edit your 24F material like you want, then you have to export it to a single file and import it to an interlaced timeline and export it to tape from there. Don't worry, it won't look interlaced.
 
I've exported 24F to HDV tape many times. It's a simple matter of doing a Print to Video command, and letting FCP rebuild GOP's in the "Conform to HDV" process. And when it's done rendering, you stick a blank tape in the A1, (or H1) and hit record, and click "ok" on the export to tape button.

Works fine for me and there's no interlace issues printing back to tape. It's a true 24p export back to tape.
 
bentramer81 said:
it would be my suggestion to go with the panasonic... I'm wishing I would have. :(
Click to expand...

Still wishing that? All you have to d ois ask around here and I'm 99.9% sure somebody will have an answer for you.
 
I appericate the feedback, it makes me wonder why the FCP staff can't help with so many issues. Also Rawfa thanks for the info., but that sounds very confusing.

1. Exporting to a single file. (would this be a quick time file, are there any particular requirements, setting etc.)

2. How would I know an interlaced time line from a regular timeline? I don't know how to import to an interlaced timeline.

3. Last question: I could see the picture on the camcorder, but when I pressed the record button it would never record. So simply printing to video was not working, and I thought since FCP cust. support couldn't help and the guy said it wasn't an approved device that it was hopeless. I am wondering Elton, if you know some info. that has allowed you to print to tape on your xh a1?
 
Step 1: Make sure you're using the HDV 1080 24p Easy setup. Looks like this:
Picture%201.jpg


Step 2: After editing, go to Print to Video :
Picture%202.jpg

No, Edit to tape doesn't work with HDV, but Print to Video with auto recording does. The XH-A1 has the same transport mechanism as the H1 and that's why it works even though FCP support said it was an "unsupported device". To FCP, it's the same as an XL-H1.

Step 3: The PtV window should look like this :
Picture%203.jpg
Just do a simple export with auto recording checked to test if your output works. The camcorder automatically begin recording once the "Conform to HDV" has finished. The conform process on my G5 dual 2.7 took about a minute for a simple one minute edit with cuts, fades, dissolves and some music.

Step 4: Just to reiterate, you should check your sequence settings to see if they match these:
Picture%204.jpg


If your settings are correct, you shouldn't see any render bars until you do a final conform.

HTH
 
Thanks so much Elton for the detailed display! I can not seem today to get the picture from the computer to appear on the camcorder. I am using Easy Set Up HDV 1080 24p, and the camcorder is set to HD as well, but in vcr mode it will not show the movie. However, I tried your instructions above and it looked like it was working on the computers end, just not the camcorder so that was encouraging. Do you know why the movie is not showing on the camcorder, I have checked the fire wire and all is good there.
 
You should see the red record light working on the A1 display if the export is working properly. Check to see if under signal setup in VTR mode (hit the menu button) that recording is set to regen timecode.
 
Elton the image on the A1 is not showing up, but the record red light is on and working on the camera after following your instructions from above so I feel I am close, only problem is it's just a blue screen. I really appericate you helping me. What can I do to get the image to show on the camcorder, not the blue default.
 
Hmmm...did you try checking to see if regen timecode was enabled? I accidentally did an export with the HDV TC clone thing going and my image was intermittent in the LCD.

Try crash recording to tape by hitting record with the A1's remote. You could also check to see if View/All Frames is set to HDV with audio set to HDV output.
 
I really feel like and idiot asking so many questions, so I hope the senior members won't frown upon my lack of knowledge.... but how would I check to see if the regen timecode was enabled. I have check the all frames is set, but it only shows in grey the HDV settings and easy set up is set to HDV180p24 so I don't know why things are not working.

The image from the computer that I am trying to move to tape on the camera will not display. That is the new problem, completely seperate from the issue before. Thanks again for all your help guys!
 
bentramer81 said:
but how would I check to see if the regen timecode was enabled. I have check the all frames is set, but it only shows in grey the HDV settings and easy set up is set to HDV180p24 so I don't know why things are not working.
Click to expand...

In VCR Mode:

--Press the Menu button
--Signal Setup
--Time Code
--Scroll down to "HDV/DV In" and put it on "regen" instead of "copy".

This is about as much as I know. The Easy Setup works fine for me, but I needed to change the timecode settings to regen in order for the Print To Video to work smoothly.

Remember, tape is just one output option. I personally copy/paste entire HDV edits into a custom Sheer codec timeline and render and output into this codec. This way I avoid rebuilding GOP's and preserve the original acquisition quality. I then encode to h.264 from a Sheer QT file.

You can use other codecs too, but Sheer is well worth spending $100 on, in terms of quality preservation and yet not creating overly-humongous uncompressed files.
 
Last edited:
Elton said:
Step 1: Make sure you're using the HDV 1080 24p Easy setup. Looks like this:
Picture%201.jpg


Step 2: After editing, go to Print to Video :
Picture%202.jpg

No, Edit to tape doesn't work with HDV, but Print to Video with auto recording does. The XH-A1 has the same transport mechanism as the H1 and that's why it works even though FCP support said it was an "unsupported device". To FCP, it's the same as an XL-H1.

Step 3: The PtV window should look like this :
Picture%203.jpg
Just do a simple export with auto recording checked to test if your output works. The camcorder automatically begin recording once the "Conform to HDV" has finished. The conform process on my G5 dual 2.7 took about a minute for a simple one minute edit with cuts, fades, dissolves and some music.

Step 4: Just to reiterate, you should check your sequence settings to see if they match these:
Picture%204.jpg


If your settings are correct, you shouldn't see any render bars until you do a final conform.

HTH
Click to expand...

Is it just my connection or browser, or are those images no longer up? Was trying to print to tape was running into problems. :(
 
Elton- this was so long ago but very helpful to me- i wonder what happened with Ben? I am having the sme trouble but just changed the settings on the camera for timecode regen
so we'll see what happens now. Thank you.
 
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