Playback Function not working on DVX100A

R

Roshd Ghalleb

Member
I would really appreciate any help with this. It seems as I m experiencing a playback malfunction, for the first time, on my DVX100A. I've just shot a scene on 24P, and was able to see what I was shooting through the LCD screen, as usual. The red "REC" icon was displayedon the LCD and worked the whole time. Nothing new from the way I've been using this camera for the past year and a half, every time I've shot something with it. However, this time after recording some footage, I wanted to look at it and switched to VCR mode. The screen was blue. Nothing came out. I rewinded the tape. Nothing was there and I know I've just shot something with it. I thought that maybe the tape had a problem (although it was brand new), so I proceeded to replace it with another brand new panasonic mini DV tape fresh out of the package. Recorder something for a minute or so, then switched back to VCR mode (green light indicator was on as usual). Still Nothing ! I was really embarassed because I was shooting a promotional material yesterday for an actress friend of mine. The girl was ready to do her acting, and I had no idea how to fix this. Could it be the weather ? it was freezing cold outside that evening in New York. Which made my frustration even bigger, because of all the time it took us to set up the scene in these conditions. Also, I noticed that for some reason the Time code never starts at 0 at the beginning of the tape. But it happened before and never bothered me or caused this playback malfunction. So I doubt this would be the problem. Here's what I read on my LCD screen, after inserting a brand new tape into the camera recorder and start recording:

REC 24P

TC 06:28:44:15

SP
24P

Z28

AF40

Macro

Ach

F2.0

0db

1/24
ALC
48K

60min


When I go the the Menu, on VCR mode, under Playback Functions, this is what it reads:

END SEARCH: set to REC END

32K (12 bit) AUDIO: set to ST1

AUDIO OUT: set to CH1


And finally this is what it reads under the Recording Setup:

REC SPEED: SP

AUDIO REC: 48K (16bit)

1394 TC REGEN: OFF

TC MODE: DF

TCG: REC RUN

FIRST REC TC: PRESET

TC PRESET: --------- (This means Blank)

1394 UB REGEN: OFF

UB MODE: USER

UB PRESET: ---------(This means Blank)



Anyone sees anything wrong so far ?

Thanks a lot.
 
The timecode not resetting to zero is because you have FIRST REC TEC set to PRESET. If you want it to automatically go back to zero, just change that menu item to REGEN.

As for no playback -- that's a problem. Don't know how big of a problem it is, but it would seem to be a problem with either the record head or the playback head. Maybe the footage is there on the tape, but the playback head won't play it? Did you try running a cleaning tape through the camera? Have you tried playing the tape back on any other DV camera?
 
Barry,

Thank you so much for your quick response. I was able to reset the Time code back to zero by following your advise. Then I ran the mini DV tape with another vodeo camera, other than the DVX. The footage was there. So it was recording the whole time. Pfiiuuu !!! I can't tell you how releived I felt. Thanks for the tip. Afterwards, I ran a cleaning tape into the DVX, but the problem was still the same. Playback still not working. Usually, the cleaning tape is suggested to run for at least 10 seconds. Then again that amount if it's still unsuccessful after verifying the tape's content. So I ran the cleaning tape for about 10 seconds at first . Then I took it out and placed in the same normal tape containing the footage I've just shot with the DVX and veryfied on another mini DV camera recorder. Still nothing. So I ran the cleaning tape back on. Oddly enough, this time the cleaning tape won't play more than 5 seconds inside the recorder. It just stopped running right after 5 seconds. I did the usual swap and the footage is still not seen on the LCD screen. Put back the cleaning tape for the third and last time. It ran for about 5 seconds again and it stopped by itself just like before. I called a Repair service center and now I am on my way to visit them. We'll find out soon what's wrong hopefully :-) Thanks again Barry.
 
Okay, so I took the camera to a repair service center. At first glance the technician was kind of perplexed. He told me that he never encountered a problem like that before. Then he wanted to try a test, so he popped in a Sony mini DV tape and played it. Surprizingly enough IT WORKED !!!! I was able to see the footage played from his tape. The guy raises his eyebrow and looks at me with that victorious look that makes anyone feels like sorry idiots. Then he took out his Sony tape and tried one of my Panasonic mini DV tapes. You guessed it right: IT DIDN'T WORK !!!! I must admit that it made me feel good at that particular point. Which is really lame because there's really nothing funny about this whole thing. The DVX's Playback continues to be an unsolved puzzle. I usually use the same exact Panasonic Tapes and nothing else. The guy had to keep the camera in store to look more into it. I feel the shape of a big hole taking effect already in my wallet :-(

To be continued...

-R-
 
I was right: the amount that I had to advance to the service repair shop was about $775.00. Good thing it is still under warranty:-) I am supposed to pick it up sometimes this week. Then I'll know more about the reasons the head didn't work. Meanwhile, and just so we can make this topic informative for whoever is interested, I suspect the problem occured because I very often use the DVX to capture video footage into Final Cut Pro. I've heard rumors stating that one should always use other alternatives to do so, instead of making the same camera do a double job of recording and uploading. I don't own a mini DV deck, but of course I could've used a cheap camera strictly for the VCR function. However, being that I often shoot on 24P mode with the DVX, should that alternative camera (the uploading device) be also a 24P camera, or it really doesn't matter ?

Here's something I've read earlier on this forum:

On 01-20-2007, 01:34 AM, danhaney1118 asked this question, under the topic "is it true that capturing is bad for the DVX? "

" I told my friend about the S reel problem. he said its probably because i use my camera to transfer all my footage. is that bad for it, more than the obvious amount of wear and tear.?:???? also how much is it to get that S reel lock problem fixed. do i just need to get it serviced, help please."

On 01-20-2007, 03:21 AM, GenJerDan answered:

"It's not "bad" for the camera as such. You could add hundreds of hours to the heads playing back tapes...nothing wrong with that. BUT, why use up those hours on playback, when you can be using them up on recording?

Get it serviced, though. Not much else you can do."


That leaves me a little perplexed folks...and I will certainly think twice now before using my DVX to transfer footage into my NLE.

Hope this helped someone, somewhat.

-R-
 
Roshd,

Yeah i would say stay away from using your camera as a playback device. I know It's a bit pricey, but i recommend the Sony DSR-11 - you can actually output to DVCAM if you are looking to output a higher standard that mini DV. The deck runs about over $1,500 if you know where to shop (www.Nextag.com). Good luck with everything.
 
Omar,

Thanks for the tip. SONY DSR-11 seems like a convenient way to do the job. I still think it's a bit pricy for my current budget, but I definitely realize that you can't beat it for the money value, in comparaison to what's out there these days. Nextag is definitely a good source as you mentioned, and also one of the cheapest as of now. I've also found a couple of links to these other two trusted merchants that seem to offer a slightly cheaper deal with brand new product that includes warranty, if anyone's interested:

$1488.00 here: http://www.prestigecamera.com/product.asp?id=sndsr11&l=DigitalSaver&ds_ref_key=EDDGCHIOIOBCDIGG

$1399.00 here: http://www.zoommania.com/dsr11.html

Of course it's always possible to check out ebay or maybe a used article somewhere else. But what I really would like to know is if it is possible to use a regular panasonic mini dv camcorder to transfer 24P footage shot with the DVX, into FCP.

Thanks again.

-Roshd-
 
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