Red "x"

S

swilliams

Active member
I know everyone here probably knows what this means... Unfortunately now, so do I.
I've read plenty of other threads about this subject, but none were really up to date.
Here's what happend. I've had my camera for about 2 or 3 months now. I bought it from the DVX maketplace with 44 hrs.
Since receiving my camera I've made the retarted mistake of pumping different tapes through it. Always panisonic, but the ones that you would buy from best buy.
Recently I've been seeing the Red X appear about 2 or 3 times during a shoot. With no choice I had to run the cleaning tape to keep trucking away.
I plan on taking it to a repair shop tomorrow for a cleaning. After talking with them on the phone it already sounded like they were trying to convince me that the heads need to be replaced.
Thoughts....
 
Take a fresh, blank, unused tape.

Switch your camera to VTR mode. insert the tape and roll it for the full hour in PLAY.

Eject the tape and dispose of it.

If that doesn't clear it up, then get a professional cleaning. Take it to the service center and tell them it's time for a routine head cleaning. Don't give them the opportunity to sell you a head replacement. If they really need to be replaced, they'll find that without being prompted.
 
swilliams....i thought it didnt really matter what tape u use just as long as ur not switching brands. as in it doest matter what panasonics...just as long as its panasnic. no?
 
jambredz said:
swilliams....i thought it didnt really matter what tape u use just as long as ur not switching brands. as in it doest matter what panasonics...just as long as its panasnic. no?
Click to expand...

Theoretically, yeah. And from brand to brand, it's really Sony that disrupts everything except for systems that use Sony exclusively.

The X appears because some dust/clutter has built up on the heads. Cleaning cassettes are okay, but should be used sparingly if at all as they are not so gentle to the heads. Using the blank tape is much gentler on the tape and can be much more effective than a cleaning cassette.
 
i see...thank so for the info. cuz i'm not as yet sure if i'll be able to get mq or amq tapes and i get my dvx 2morrow and was wondering
 
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Thanks guys for all of the help. I like the idea of running a blank tape through for the entire length. I still plan on getting my heads cleaned since I read that it should be done every 50 hrs. But I think running a blank tape every 5 or 10 hrs could make for better performance in the long run.
 
Well I drove a little over an hour today to a camera repair store. They told me that they could clean the heads but not without inspecting the camera for other damage. They were very intent on upselling something else. They wouldn't even give me a price just to get it cleaned. So I didn't leave my camera with them. Now I'm at square one. I guess I'll call Panisonic.
 
Well, you can always say "no" if their inspection finds something they think they don't like. They cannot force you to buy something you don't want. Just beware if they want to charge you for the inspection. in part, they want to make sure that any damage there after cleaning was not caused by them. But if they use that to try and squeeze a few more dollars out of you, forget it.

Did you try running the blank tape through?
 
I've already ran the blank tape through and hoping that will improve the performance. I do understand the inspection part... But most places can at least give you an estimate on how much they usually charge for a cleaning. I somewhat felt that they were trying to take advantage of me.

The blank tape was a great idea and i'm extremely great-full that you passed the idea onto me.
 
swilliams said:
Thanks guys for all of the help. I like the idea of running a blank tape through for the entire length. I still plan on getting my heads cleaned since I read that it should be done every 50 hrs. But I think running a blank tape every 5 or 10 hrs could make for better performance in the long run.
Click to expand...
Every 50 hours is pretty frequent, my DVC30 has over 500 hours and i haven't gotten the heads professionally cleaned. I've only run into the X twice that I can remember, and one time was during the sweltering heat so I think it may have been related to the extreme temperature in some way.
 
I called Specialized Communications a couple of months ago to have my DVX100a serviced. I was told they no longer perform service on the DVX cameras, just P2 and the DVCPro variants. My guess is it was too much hassle for too little money.
 
Well I can't be much help for getting it fixed now, but for the future, I'd recommend sticking with PQ's or MQ's ONLY, using them only ONCE, NEVER using your DVX as a deck, and running a cleaner tape about every 50 hours. Knock on wood, I've stuck to this and had no issues.
 
If you have a Full Compass in your area, they will do a complete cleaning for under $100, in my area they charge $50 to professionally clean the heads.
 
I have this red x too that flashes in the top left cornor, I didnt know what was wrong until now

I only have around 30hours on this camera and I only got it in May. Is it time for a head cleaning.

How much do head cleanings cost at somewhere like B&H?

this red x scares me
 
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