32GB Card "Format Error" in HVX...

H

hvx_germanboy

Well-known member
I just talked back to my friends who have been out for a shoot the last for days.

We got an Pal HVX (back from march 2006) and have just updated the firmware and tested the 32 GB card before.
Everything seemed to be fine.

But 2 serious problems appeared: after downloading the footage (onto a Vista-PC..) and deleting the whole content of the 32GB card, the HVX gave the "Format Error" when card was reinserted.

That gave some confusion to the DP (as we are shooting permanently mostly or with very little breaks only..) and she just formated the card in HVX finally.

Kept shooting, everything was fine, after recording 7 to 8 minutes (in 1080p) the same error appeared!
As the material wasnt too important in that case, and continue shooting was in first place, she just formated in cam again and kept shooting.

We are going to have a 10 days shoot together from the middle of the next week, we will be a 2 person team and off support (as we are shooting in lovely desert of rome-city..) and i really want to exclude any trouble.

Id be pleased if anybody can report back from his experince..!

Ill definitly check the card with the panasonic card checker, as it is a new 32 card from a rental service, i dont think there is any firmwareupdate for the card itself available...!

Thanks for any hint in advance..!
 
Did you delete the card or did you format it on the vista pc? I always let my HVX and nowadays my HPX format the card and never let a pc and definetely never a mac do it. I never had a problem with any of my 8G and 32G cards ever.

Peter
 
hvx_germanboy said:
and deleting the whole content of the 32GB card, the HVX gave the "Format Error" when card was reinserted.
Click to expand...
Of course. So don't do that. Format the card properly; just deleting the contents is NOT a valid workflow with P2. You used to be able to get away with doing that on 4GB and 8GB cards, but ever since the 16's came out this is a big no-no. Format the cards, don't try to just erase the contents!
 
Allright,
thanks for your help,
looks like i dealt with this a little "sloppy" in the past (totally right Barry, the 4GB and 8GB cards were treated like that...!), looks like i have to change my bad behaviour here..!

What do you guys use to format properly in Pc(vista in that case, didnt have the time to install XP properly, as its not my computer..)?
I just downloaded the P2 eraser from Panasonic HP, also formated the card with it and checked in the mean time, looks like the card itself is doing fine..!
(we are going to use the exact same one for the upcoming 10 days of shooting...so i feel better now..!)

Thanks folks..!

p.s. which lovely HPX do you use in switzerland "Augenblick"?
Dont tell me its the HPX 3000, ill becom jealous...!

We were thinking about getting that one for 1 of our last shoots, but there is only 1 place in big berlin that rents it so far..500 € a day...bummer..!
 
Don't be jealous, it's "just" the HPX500 which is a very nice piece of equipment btw.

Formatting the card is always, ALWAYS done in camera never on PC, ever. Period!

Peter
 
You can format on a PC if you use the P2 Format Station software. I format on a Windows laptop all the time; just right-click and choose "format". You can also format through P2 Viewer, but not on the Mac.

The Mac has a separate P2 Formatter utility software you can use.
 
Do it in camera and you'll never have trouble. That's what I meant. Sorry for any misunderstandings.

Peter
 
Barry_Green said:
You can format on a PC if you use the P2 Format Station software. I format on a Windows laptop all the time; just right-click and choose "format". You can also format through P2 Viewer, but not on the Mac.

The Mac has a separate P2 Formatter utility software you can use.
Click to expand...

I see the point in using the P2 format software, have installed it and will use it..but i am not sure if i get you right on the "format" under windows: do you choose the drive(p2card) in the explorer and right click/ format..?
If you do it this way, will it preserve the contents-folder structure on pc?
(i just wanna make sure i dont run into any "format error" message when the DP puts it into the Hvx..!)

"Augenblick": puhhh...happy to hear its "just" the HPX500 everything else would drive me crazy..!

I guess your advice formating in camcorder would normally be the way to go, but we do shoot a lot of documentary, and we mostly have to "hot-swap" the cards, so there is no way to format in camera this way...!

It could be a perfect world in theory...but it never will be like that in reality..!
 
Why don't you do it in camera? It just takes a few seconds. You don't even have to power off the HVX.

I think I'll get an HPX3000, just to make you nervous :-)

Peter
 
Yes, formatting the card in Windows involves right-clicking on the drive's icon and choosing 'format'; it properly formats it in a camera-ready format with all directory structures intact, etc.
 
augenblick said:
Why don't you do it in camera? It just takes a few seconds. You don't even have to power off the HVX.

I think I'll get an HPX3000, just to make you nervous :-)

Peter
Click to expand...

Well...if you read Barrys and mine post, its little difficult to format a card in cam when you are in a permanent shoot, and cant stop shooting...you might not have tried that, but while shooting on one card, you can "hot-swap" the card from the other slot and keep running in the mean time..!

Sometimes theres simply no time for having some seconds in cam..!

If you got the extra 44k € feel free and buy the HPX3000..it would make me damn jealous, but id come to borrow it from you..hehe!
 
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