DVX100B Timecode Syncing: Does it Work?

[Tainted]

Alright, maybe I'm just naive or have somehow missed the threads on this topic, but I'm in the market for a 100A or a 100B. I've been leaning towards the B for a variety of reasons, one of the more important ones being the timecode sync capabailities that are touted through firewire sync of free-run code.

The thing is, I'm not sure I've heard of even one instance where someone has been successful using this feature on the B. In fact, I've heard a bunch of comments of people abandoning the feature and running back to the slate. In Jarred's recent interview of David Theis, the DP of Jamie Kennedy Blowin' Up, David talks about not being able to use the sync -- which they planned on using with all of their new 100B's. They had drift issues.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=57466&highlight=interview

Anyway, has anyone been able to utilize this functionality successfully, or is it useless? Supposedly, you should be able to sync a 100B to a 100A as well. Anyone ever done this successfully? I'm a bit confused about the reliability of this feature, and although I have no information to back it up, it's sounding more and more like a non-feature to me. Hopefully, someone can prove me wrong on that front.

Thanks for sharing your first-hand experiences...

 

[Brentmeister]

I havent tested the sync feature yet...but in worse case scenario, you can set FreeRun and start the TC roll with a remote...that should sync even 100As.

also, just in case youre not aware... FREERUN timecode always has a slight drift...even on HD900s, Digis, Betas etc... on set, we are re-syncing every chance we get...otherwise there is a noticeable drift throught the day.

 

[Tainted]

I havent tested the sync feature yet...but in worse case scenario, you can set FreeRun and start the TC roll with a remote...that should sync even 100As.

also, just in case youre not aware... FREERUN timecode always has a slight drift...even on HD900s, Digis, Betas etc... on set, we are re-syncing every chance we get...otherwise there is a noticeable drift throught the day.

Yeah, I understand all that, so thanks, but I'm looking for real-world experiences using this "new feature" of the 100B. Specifically, is the problem that you can't sync at all, in which case you just use the tried and true one remote trick, or does that part work fine and it's just a drift problem (which tends to happen any time there's more than one word clock in the mix)?

Thansk.