Time Code Beyond 07:59:59:29

[Tim Sheahan]

Has anyone heard of this on the GL2? I had BetaSP tapes transferred to DV for Firewire input on my laptop. My first 7 tapes were fine, but when I got to tape 8 - with timecode hour 08 - the camera wouldn't recognize the time code. We did a test that had the TC change from hour 07 to 08, and sure enough at 07:59:59:29, it stopped! So essentially my GL2 won't recognize any tapes with TC hour 08 or higher.

Why is this? Is there something I'm missing in the menus? Or is this some weird engineering anomaly by Canon?

Thanks.

[Don Palomaki]

FWIW: 05:59:59:29 is the documented design limit on the GL1. Consumner DV camcorders start time code at 0 on each tape, and no MiniDV tapes go beyond 2 hours. Full size consumer DV tapes go up to ~4.5 hours at LP speed. PRobably a decision to save a few bits on counter chips - a penny here and there adds up on millions of units.

It is a bit (no pun intended) like the date/time clock chip in many 1980;s vintage PCs worked over an 8 year period.

[Tim Sheahan]

Thanks Don - makes total sense. I'll just do the normal thing and go get a deck! Tim