HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

Re: HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

I can't fathom how FCP would have caused any difficulty. I just don't think that's in the realm of possibility, just an odd coincidence.

The behavior sounds like dirty heads. That doesn't mean that it *is* dirty heads, although it's certainly possible. If you've got access to a head cleaning tape, I'd suggest trying it.

The DVX is a very reliable camera, I've been using mine for over 250 hours (haven't even checked recently) and I know Jarred's got one over 400 hours. If yours isn't defective from the factory, it should work and work and work. See if you can get a head cleaning tape. Other than that, for the brand new camera, I'd suggest getting an exchange (assuming you bought it from an authorized reseller).
 
Re: HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

I followed your advice Neil R. Here's what happened. I dumped a short little 2 minute movie I had in Final Cut Pro into the camera onto a new tape (I have never used any other tape besides the MQ tapes from EVS). The time code was running and I could see the movie being output in the viewfinder, but that was recording, not play back. After running the movie out I re-wound the tape and the time code ran, but all I had was a blue screen and no movie. Then, I took an old tape and it ran fine in playback mode and I thought Neil R., you're a genius! (I still think that and thank you very much!)

Here's where it gets strange, and I don't believe this is a dirty head issue. This is more detail that parallels what indieanajonze experienced.
I went back to the original new tape I dumped my movie to and tried to play it back like I did to my old tape which played fine. I got the FCP countdown, but four evenly spaced, perfectly rectangular horizontal bars across the screen. There was no randomness or movement. The scene started with no audio (does that weigh into the dirty head hypothesis either way?). Then, the blocks disappeared into a random pattern of the usual digital noise I've experienced in dropouts in other digital cameras as the audio suddenly started.

Once things seemed to be going fine I stopped at a scene. I re-wound again and started playing. This time, instead of four black bars, the area previously occupied by those four black horizontal bars contained the video while the five horizontal portions outside the bars were made up of the last scene I stopped at before I re-wound. In essence, the "live video" portion changed places with the bars but instead of bars there was a still of the last clip viewed before rewinding.

Again, what was on there was not the blocky digital noise with which I am quite accustomed. Something was going on with the signal.

I will be trying more tapes tonight and will report back. Neil R.'s advice about getting back into FCP was my break through, but let's see where I go from here because I don't know that things are totally resolved.

This seems like it could be an Apple/Panasonic thing that may need addressing.
 
Re: HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

magicdavek- are you running FCPHD 4.5? are you working with footage shot in 24pa? it is baffling that FCPHD 4.5 has been out for awhile and the two of us are running into this problem right now. that is, if fcp has anything to do with it. while i'm in no way an authority on the subject, in my experience, this doesn't seem like a dirty heads issue. the rectangles are too uniform and the audio is totally absent.

barry- i know the dvx is a good camera, i researched it for months before buying. i bought it from evs. unfortunately, they don't allow refunds, otherwise i would be doing so. i'll be calling rush on monday to possibly exchange it if i haven't resolved the issue by then. the fact that magicdavek has had his for a while and is having the same problem isn't very comforting though.

i don't understand how it will error in playing "TAPE A" and error in playing "TAPE B" but then by magic it will suddenly play "TAPE A" perfectly fine, but refuse to play "TAPE B"...even though it played "TAPE B" perfectly fine yesterday. if you have dirty heads, you have dirty heads.....no matter what tape you are playing, correct?
 
Re: HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

I think I have this under control. I've tried several tapes recorded before this incident last night and they all play just fine. I went back to play my test tape with the 2 minute movie. This time, I got a blue screen until the point where the bars disappeared, and the rest of the movie played fine. Next, I recorded over that test tape (vcr mode with no input), then video taped my wall for a few minutes, and my wall played back perfectly.

indieanajonze,

It is very difficult for me to avoid the conclusion that this is related to FCP. Oddly, I've never had it before. Yes, I'm using 4.5 HD. The problem started using FCP, and the problem was fixed by going back into FCP following Neil R.'s suggestion. EIther it's an FCP/DVX issue or it's got to be the oddest double coincidence going. I can't offer an explanation why.

Neil R.
Any suggestions about protocol with the DVX and FCP, i.e., the order to connect and disconnect? Until last night, I have been pretty lax about following any particular order and have been impressed that it seemed not matter in what order I connected the two or started them up, they always communicated. But now, I wonder. I want to avoid it happening again.

By the way, Indieanajonze had a crash, I did not.

Thanks again, Neil R. for helping me out of this problem!!!

Jan, if you are reading this, is there any way of communicating to the techs at Panasonic and Apple about this?
 
Re: HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

indieanajonze, please alert me via email as to the result of your experiment. Also, please give me the date of purchase and your invoice number. Panny allows us us a certain amount of time to put in an RMA after a sale, so the sooner we report a faulty camera, the better. Let me know at rush@evsonline.com
 
Re: HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

Same thing here- first time last night.
I installed FCP HD
Ran a test with the camera- everything played fine.

Hooked the camera up the my television to view some raw footage. Tape played fine.

Problem- I changed tapes. Tape would not play. television displayed 4 bands of frozen video from the tape in the camera and 4 bands of stuck video from the tape I just took out of the camera. I ejected the tape. Tried several others- no signal.

I used the camera outside the other night. It was a cold, but not that bad. I thought maybe I screwed up the heads- moisture?  dirty?
(I am also using the Master MQ's)

I then rewound a full tape over the heads. It played with minor break up at the start then cleared up.

I have not had this problem. Could it be because I used the camera with FCP? Does FCP HD mess with the output signal? Doesn't make sense. Why are we seeing this problem now?

I just don't think it's a head issue because I was seeing an image from a tape that wasn't in the camera. For some reason the camera had retained the last image from the previous tape while trying to play the tape on the heads
Was it trying to output both signals?

This is a frist for me and very strange. I love this camera and would hate to have to send it in for service.

Also, head cleaner tape was mentioned. Has anyone used? Is a head cleaning tape safe? I have heard they can do more damage to the heads than good.
 
Re: HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

..i dont know what to say. I dont use FCP or a mac. i was just speculating on what may have happend, and drew my conclusion from information i had at the time. but so many people use FCP and the DVX together that as barry said, its hard for me to think that it would be the sole cause of something like this. only, in this given situation, it was all i could see to try to make sense of it. I wouldnt really worry about it if its working ok now..just because theres no sense in worrying your life away, but i would be somewhat wary if too many other users installing that version of FCPHD start to report the same strange issue..
 
Re: HELP! Won't playback - time code stuck

[quote author=Bokes link=board=Events;num=1101580919;start=15#25 date=12/01/04 at 05:50:53]Same thing here- first time last night.

I just don't think it's a head issue because I was seeing an image from a tape that wasn't in the camera. For some reason the camera had retained the last image from the previous tape while trying to play the tape on the heads
Was it trying to output both signals?
[/quote]

I had the same thing where a previous image was kept. But there were lines (described above) superimposed on that image, and even the current video was playing with that frozen imaging in the lines.

Neil,

Just think, you're a genius because you figured out the solution even though you don't use FCP or a Mac! Well, now, I have both the camera and program running before I connect the firewire cord. Then I disconnect the cord before shutting down either the program or the camera. This, so far, had worked fine.
 
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