I just taped a show yesterday. When I'm capturing my tapes today with Cineform AspectHD. In the middle of the first tape suddenly the software crashed big time and the capture stopped. When I check on the camera LCD it sais 'Mode changing' at the point the capture crashed. It happens at exactly the same point when I rewind back a bit. The timecode contineous further on on the camera LCD display, so I have been recording footage but no image anymore! What the hell is that?!
Is this what you get when you use wrong tapes or so?
I use tapes the JVC dealer sold me to use in the camera. Panasonic AY-DVM63MQ. Does anybody has used these tapes on the HD100?
I'm about freaking out. The whole rest of that tape sais 'Mode changing' on the camera while I have changed no mode or anything during the shoot.
My customer will kill me, it was the best part of the live-show.

Try using Aspect HD HDLink tool in M2T capture mode to gather the data of the bad section of the tape. The M2T data can be converted in a second pass using HDLink. Sorry, I don't what your camera is doing with this 'Mode changing' error. Is the video image still playing when the camera has this error?

I've been using Panasonic AY-DVM63MQ tapes on my HD101 and never had any kind of problems. I also used TDK and JVC tapes and never had drop outs or other issues. There is a report from another user with a similar problem, http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=56428. He is also from Belgium...

Thanks for the quick response.
I have exactly the same thing like described on the other forum. When I rewind a tape for example it also sais 'Mode Changing" all the time. I have not a second camera to compare. It looks like this is not a common message on the camera?
I'll try to capture the M2T first David and let you know.
Hopefully this helps.

No Luck on that tape. From the moment on tape playback 12 min 34 sec were the LCD display sais 'mode changing' (and no image anymore). From then on the HDlink starts making short M2T files between 1.1 and 1.8 Mbyte. When I try to convert such a file, the HDLink craches immediatly.

Sounds like tape errors, and the camera thinks the tape has multiple modes on it because it can't get a good lock.

Did you do any experimenting with different tape stocks prior to all this? Did the tape you're having this problem on have material you were recording over?

If the answer is yes to any of the above, the answer would be to clean heads, and work with fresh tape.

The camera is brand new, and it is the first tape I used in the camera to do some test shots and to get familiar with the camera. I have seen the 'Mode changing' last week, when I did tests in 24P/25P. So I thought it was related to that.

Yesterday I rewinded this tape and did a HEADER REC to make a clean start. I recorded in HDV-25P. and it was the second time I used that tape.
The other tape which I put in for the second part of the show and interviews went OK, exept for 2 very short line dropouts. The more I think about it, the more I get worried now. I will definatly do some extra test tapes and brands before my next job. I can't have this happening again.

Maybe it's a good idea someone makes a new thread were you all give your list of tape brands which work 100% reliable, and to make that post sticky?

Hi,

I have the JVC PROHD DVM63 tapes and I have the same problem.
The "mode changing..." appear ALWAYS when I push "play" to the camera but in 2 or 3 seconds disappear and I can start to capture.
I think is a software bug.

(also the zebra don't function)

Does it happens only when the camera is connected to the computer or it also happens when you play on camera?

My dealler sent me a firmware update to the camera's VTR. I was having other issues, a system error and a break on sound and TC after REC-STAND BY-REC sequence. Now it's 95% fixed, sometimes the system error still happens when I turn the power on, but very rarely. I can send you the update, maybe it fixes that bug.

I haven't try to capture in HDV mode yet, I'm still working in DV but I will test my camera tomorrow to see if that is happening too.

The 'Mode changing' is always displayed on the camera when I press Play in VTR mode. After a sec of Blue the normal image is displayed.
On the bad tape the 'mode changing' pops-up always at the same point. After that TC the whole rest of the tape is unusable. Only the TC keeps running without an image.
The software on the PC doesn't understand it at all and crashes.
Both AspectHD and HDVrack crash and want to send an error report.

Sounds like there's a blip of a different mode recorded on that part of the tape.

Each time you switch modes on the same tape, the camera takes about 5-10 seconds of running time to figure out what's going on. So if you had 2-5 seconds of HDV-SD60p in an otherwise HDV-24p tape, it'd throw the camera off for a good 30 seconds.

You're right. But in my case I rewinded the tape again after doing some tests, did a HEADER REC and shot only in the same HDV-25P mode for the whole tape.

(sorry for my baaaad english)

In my opinion its like a "cache" problem.
(I dont know if exist a cache in the system VTR mode ) but when I put a new tape and I push "play" the "mode changing..." appear and flash for 2 or 3 seconds than disappear.
After that when I push "play" the "mode changing" dont appear anymore.

In all the tapes I have try the first time I push Play the "mode changing" appear.
I dont think is a problem of tape but probabilly a problem of how the system read the "header".Important is to take 10/15 seconds first of all the shots you do to eventually escape the problem.

For Nate: this type of problem appear also in a new tape used only in 24p

That's why it's always good to record 30 min of bars in the beguinning of the tape and every time the mode is changed. I avoid mixing modes on the same tape!

mmm... I think its a misunderstanding . I dont speak about "mixed mode" in the same tape (24p+25p). But a problem with ONLY one mode recorded per tape.

Anyway I try to speak with a jvc tech today.

That's why it's always good to record 30 min of bars
That would be of course 30 seconds... :-)

lol... yes, of course!

JVC tech support confirmed I was using the right type of DV tapes and suggested to clean my heads (new camera???), and then try again.
So far so good now, taped 3 hours without problems.

New cameras may also need a heads cleaning, that is not unusual. By the way, which tapes are you using?

This has been addressed before with other cameras. The FIRST TAPE to stick in your brand new camera should be a head cleaning tape! Then, use whatever the manufacturer recommends and try to stick with the same tape stock.

Sorry you lost that footage. I was fortunate enough on one of my new (SD) cameras to only get a 'clean heads' error during the third tape I put in it but no loss of video. But I did stop recording immediately until running a head cleaner through the camera. Many of the SD cameras from different manufacturers have exhibited this phenomenon. Apparently it's a bigger problem with HDV type footage due to GOP compression, etc.

Please keep us posted on this issue.

regards,

-gb-

Diogo:
I currently use the Panasonic AY-DVM63MQ.

Greg:
Well it did scare the hell out of me. My hart stood still watching the 'mode changing' after 12 min of good footage. I couldn't believe what happened. In 15 years this never happened to me. After using the cleaning tape a few days ago, it seems to be solved yes.
The customer is luckly very satisfied with the edited end result. But he mentioned he missed 1/4th of the show... and in fact it was the best part of the show...
I explained him what happened and showed him the tape, now he felt sorry for me instead...
I good relation with your customer sometimes is worth Gold.