GL2/XM2 "REMOVE CASSETTE" problem Workaround
 

Greetings all,

I, like many of you am the proud owner of a Canon XM2 or for our NTSC friends a GL2....and I have also encountered the dreaded REMOVE CASSETTE error several times....I have followed the threads in this and other forums with growing despair as to the possibilities of a fix.

With fellow forum members such as Cosmin Rotaru trying extreme measures to get his camera working properly by dismantling it and the constant and continuing discussion on what I and many of you consider a totally inadequate response from Canon, the search was on to find a way to either fix the problem, or at the least get a workable alternative solution.

I have put up a web page to explain how I got a workaround to these problems, it is NOT a fix, just a workaround...but hey it works and does so exceedingly well, at least for our situation.

You can visit this page at this URL....
New Update 13 Dec 05

http://www.eventx.com.au/avc.htm

I have considered the Direct 2 Disk solution and was very near to going this way, until the EUREKA spell found me.....
It may not suit everyone but it is a lot cheaper and to certain degrees less fragile than hard drive recorders, but hey it works.....and I would rather spend the dollars on a solution that works well and not on a recorder repair that may only last a very short time...

Thanks for your time and I hope it helps some of you...
Marko

Sounds good to me!
 

Sounds like a practical workaround to me! I just hope I never have the problem with my GL2, but will remember it in case I do....I've even got my old D-8 camcorder that I keep as a backup unit! and old TRV-510 that's never given me any trouble....
Len

Len,

Keep those old cameras handy....but in the interim give it a try and see if it works for you...

Marko

Marko- Great idea for a work-around. I haven't tried it yet, but could you run tape in both cameras? This would give some insurance against the potential drop-out.

Well done Marko..... thinking out of the box!

I had a red flashing warning on my screen the other day. My heart sank. But then I read it and it just said "Clean tape heads" or equivalent!

A bit strange though because I'm sure I haven't got 20 hours on mine yet.... hope it's not an omen,

I've got a brand new Sony TRV480 Hi8 digital camcorder that I use for "everyday" shooting and dubbing of my old analog Hi8 tapes. I can't wait to hook it up to my GL2 and see how this works. Thanks for sharing your discovery!

Mike Cavaugh
Yes Mike I have tried it with both cameras and tapes at the same time and it worked fine...

Regards
Marko

Good information Marko. I can confirm that the XL2 can record to a slave device also with no tape in the XL2. I did that very thing this past Saturday. Also in the case of the XL2 and maybe the GL2, when recording to the laptop via Canon's DVPC recorder software, the viewfinder tells me how many minutes of recording time are remaining on the hard drive. Your Sony slave cam may not provide that feedback to your GL2 though.

-gb-

Ok, Marko, my take on this and keeping a customer base . . oh yes!

1/- Back in August this year, when I took the XM2 back to the official Canon Garage, purely for a nasty dead pixel issue, Canon, and without any "prompting" from me, replaced the "Drive gear mechanism" too . . - Got it?

2/- Yes, I already knew about "camera to camera dubbing" and thought, "Hey, so what I got a DV deck! I don't need this!". Uh-huh? really? Well, from now on, I WILL carry around, along with my usual backup XM2, a 4-pin<>4-pin f/w cable too!

3/- WAaaaayy back - my first XM2 - I got a "Warning" and used the cleaning tape. This cured it. I thought. Fast forward the "historic" tape to one month before warranty expire date . . . I got scrambling pixels on movement. Canon got the camera and replaced the drive mechanism.

So, I've had both gears replaced and adjusted, that's 2 cameras in 3 years.

I have been "lucky": 1, the issues occurred outside "paid" work but within the warranty period; 2, Canon appear to know about this issue and would appear to be dealing with it on a "camera" by camera experience?

Am I waiting for a HD XM2 upgrade? You betcha! Do I want native 16:9 with HD - absolutely! Throw in integrated XLR plugs and I'll buy 2 of them, immediately. For the right price it would be a done deal.

Come on Canon - Hit that big RED BUTTON! You have a fan here . . . but, Canon, my head IS being turned . . !

Grazie

According to the Canon documentation, the DVPCR software only works with the XL2. Has anybody tried to use it with the GL2?