What caused this blockiness - dirty heads?
 

http://idisk.mac.com/denis.murphy-Public/viking.jpg

Not a FCP question, but I could do with some opinions. I lent my Canon XH A1 to a friend last week and he shot two hours of video at an event. He's not a pro shooter, and didn't really test the camera beforehand, although he did spend a few hours familiarising himself with the controls. None of the video is usable (see link). I assume this was caused by dirty heads. AFAIK he never got the "dirty heads" warning that the XH A1 is supposed to flash up in the viewfinder (not that you'd depend on that).

I've cleaned the heads since, and can't reproduce the problem. He was shooting DV-Pal anamorphic. The tape brand is Sony DVM60 ME, bought new from a reliable dealer. I've shot test footage at the end of one of his tapes, and there were no problems.

The weird thing is, if I play back the tape on a Sony handycam, the blockiness is not as pronounced, although still unusable. But on the Canon, the footage seems to deteriorate with each play,

My friend captured all his footage to FCP from the Canon and the blockiness on his capture is not as pronounced (similar to when I play back in the handycam).

I know this footage probably can't be saved but can anyone have a look at the link and confirm that this is in fact just a dirty head problem? I don't want this to happen to me on a shoot!

I've had the camera for a couple of years (very lightly used) and never had a problem with dirty heads.

were you previously using the sony tape? i have read that switching from sony to non-sony tape or vice versa will cause head problems and should be avoided.

Hi Denis. Looks like a dirty head to me. What brand of tape do you normally use? As Cynthia says, switching brands can cause head clogging problems.

Richard

Yes, dirty heads. You've done all the right tests though, even recording onto the Sony tapes to ensure they're not the culprit. What a bummer - probably a tiny particle of emulsion from one of the first tapes used caused the blockage, and there it stayed, destroying all subsequent shots.

When using a new tape (always a 'dangerous' thing to do because tape is so cheap and so complex a device) it's always worth shooting something and doing a cue / review for a check before going further. Better (in my view) to use recycled tape on an important shoot - that way you know the tape's good and it's been burnished smooth by your heads. But I always receive stick for suggesting this.

tom.

Denis, because it is from the one side only, it can be a defect of mechanism. I realy recommend take cam to the Canon service.

Hi Pavel. You may be right, but since the problem disappeared after head cleaning, I would say a dirty head is more likely as the cause.

Richard

Yes, I understand. But it is my experience, that this sort of fault can rise in future.

I have heard this as well, and because of it, I avoid using sony tapes altogether. Does anyone know what are the best tapes to use with XH-A1?

I switch between Sony, JVC and Canon tapes alot. Just what ever special I can find that week. I have seen no issues with it ever. Plus, (Don't hate me for this....) I have yet to clea the head on mine and its been about 8 months. (I plan to this Saturday)

If the problem is gone after cleaning, It was definitely a dirty head.