FS7: FS7 File error on XQD card

[Lenilenapi]

FS7 File error on XQD card


I just had a very strange and disturbing problem on my FS7 (previous firmware v2.00) with a 128G Type G XQD card . I recorded XAVC-I 1920x1080 29.97 onto a card that appeared empty . The shoot went fine and I checked playback in the camera by going to thumbnail and playing back the last clip.


I’m not sure if I paused the playback first or just hit thumbnail again to return to live view, but I immediately got an Error message that said something like “Media Error: Playback halted” (don’t recall exact message.) I’m not sure exactly what I did next but I know I did not eject the card or turn off the camera so there wasn’t much I could do except hit the thumbnail button again. At any rate after fiddling for a few moments I got the clips to appear in thumbnail and they played fine.


However in Catalyst Browse (2.0.0.72) the files did not appear. I put the card back in the camera and it said “Restore Media” . I did. Thumbnails appeared and played back fine again so I took out the card. Went back to Catalyst Browse - no files. Went back to camera . Thumbnails fine, playback Ok, except that after playback was paused the thumbnail images would disappear - looked like no shots. Removed card and reinserted and Thumbnails were fine. If I let a shot play to end then I would get an Error Message saying “Media Error: Playback halted” and again the thumbnails would disappear. Again reinsert card and it looks fine.


Now I am getting very worried. So I drag and drop copy the card to the clients hard drive. I next connect the camera to an Odyssey 7Q and use it to record playback from the camera to Odyssey as Pro Res. That seems to work and gives me a big relief - so now I seem to have a back-up.


Good News: Client gets home and says the XDRoot files from drag and drop seem to import fine into Premiere. Yay!


Go home and check a second XQD card in FS7 and it works fine. No problem interrupting playback by hitting thumbnail button while its playing. But the bad cards problem persists. Then on a whim I shoot another shot on the bad card and this seems to fix it! Now all weird behavior is gone. All shots read OK in Catalyst Browse.


So what the hell went wrong here!!!! Could it be a bad card? I had a problem with this card previously but I thought that was some kind of error with drag and drop. Its worked fine since then until now.

 

[Ken Hull]

In chapter 7 of Doug Jensen's online FS7 course, He says the Restore Media message can pop up from time to time... no big deal. It just means the card's internal database manager needs to do a little housekeeping, and that the files should be fine. One possible cause for the message would be if you were uploading the card to a Mac, and pulled the card at the wrong time.
Now, you said you still saw a problem AFTER doing Restore Media. I wonder if a power-off/reboot of the camcorder is needed after a Restore Media? :huh: I don't know... just guessing.

 

[Lenilenapi]

Yes it does seem to be a housekeeping issue as the files were fine. However I didn't pull the card at the wrong time, and restore media did not repair the problem. Apparently shooting another shot is what fixed it. Power down did not help.
I was fortunate in that my client was using Premiere and did not need to go through Catalyst Browse. If it were for a client still using Final Cut 7, I typically make a Pro Res copy in CB as they often can't use XAVC directly. In that case I would have been unable to give them anything until I figured out the trick of shooting another shot.
Frankly whether its the issue or not, I am completely spooked regarding this XQD card and my client will not use it. If I had a problem again and client knew I used a suspect card that would be the end of our relationship. Unless there is a good explanation I want a replacement card. I've never had a media problem before this card since the first camera to record on cards came out - HVX200.

Lenny