Tascam DR-701D and A7Rii Issues with HDMI Record Trigger and Display Going Blank

C

chrisbernard

Well-known member
Hi,

I'll be the first to admit that I'm very new to audio and I've been trying to up my game a little. But I'm facing a challenge when I try to pair up the Tascam DR-701D and A7Rii.

The main feature of the 701D that appeals to me is the ability to use an HDMI cable to leverage the camera record button to start recording on the 701D. This only works in the movie mode but it also seems to blank the display on the camera when I hit record, essentially making this feature useless for the A7Rii. This seems to be a firmware thing because all the menu date stays, just the image goes away. I've got the latest firmware on both devices.

I'm wondering if there is a work around or if this is a bug. It seems the only real solution would be to hang an HDMI monitor off of the 701D HDMI output but I'm really hoping this is not the case. If I'm just sending time code through the HDMI shouldn't the internal display still work when I hit record?

I realize the 701D is new but I'm wondering if others have seen this problem before.

Otherwise I like the device, it's reasonably well made (Not Sound Devices quality but solid) it let's you record a safety track and the display and pots make it pretty easy to monitor and ride levels. I also like how I can use it as a stand alone recorder for a dedicated sound guy with the Ktec KSTG70 case. It will also take power from a regular micro USB port and battery. All in all it seems like a good value for the money but I'd like to see if I can leverage the HDMI triggering feature.
 
While the A7RII manual doesn't provide much information on HDMI output, my guess is this issue is not a firmware issue or a problem with faulty camera or recorder.

The camera, I believe, sees the HDMI connection as an external video monitor/recorder and is sending out a "clean" feed (i.e. with no on-screen data) while displaying only the on-screen data on its built-in LCD screen. The quickest way to confirm this is to use the 701D's HDMI loop-through to connect to a video monitor. You should have picture there, and if you connect to a monitor/recorder it will record the video with audio embedded from the 701D.

As this is probably more an issue of camera functions and features rather than an audio recorder issue, I'm moving this to the Sony NEX forum where I think you'll get some better insight.
 
Thanks Alex, I suspect you are right. I'll test this when I get home.

PS All of your posts and guidance here have been super helpful to me. Thanks!
 
So just got done doing a test. It is outputting an HDMI signal along with TC. It appears in documentation that I should be able to push TC only but that doesn't seem to be happening. HDMI control only seems possible in movie mode. If I can't figure this out it means you may only be able to use this feature with an external monitor chained in. At least for the A7RII.
 
I've done some more testing and here is what I've determined. There doesn't seem to be a way to disable the video output when you are pushing out TC. It does say in the manual that you may have problems when pushing TC in terms of controlling the display but that doesn't seem to make sense no could I really see any issues with multiple resolutions. Here is where you will have a problem with the A7RII or the A7SII when doing this. When recording at 4k and using HDMI the camera display will only display the overlay information, even if you set the output to 1080p, you'll need an external display to see what you are doing while you are recording. This doesn't appear to be an issue if the camera is recording 1080p. So if you want to use something that takes an HDMI trigger for recording and shoot 4k, like the Tascam 701D you'll want to daisy chain an HDMI monitor. I imagine that I'm an edge case as most folks would use this camera as a trigger for recorder. If other users encounter something different I'd love to learn more about your settings.

I had some points at AMEX and picked up Sony's new external monitor for this camera.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011D7A4NG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

It's far from cheap but it's honestly a nice companion for this camera if you want a true 1080p high quality display. It can account for SLOG 2 and 3 and your gain settings and has excellent peaking and false color filters, really helping you with exposure, especially with some of the picture profiles. Short comings are that even though its a bit cheaper than a SmallHD it's a less flexible too and only takes Sony batteries.

Happy to perform other tests if you want me to.
 
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