FCP Get Stuck "Locating Time Code"
 

I am very new to FCP Studio. The video is shot with an XH-A1 and the setting is 1080i/30. I'm capturing the footage to an external LaCie. Everything seemed to be working fine and then the frame freezes and I get the "Locating Time Code Break"message. The program eventually starts up again but it seems to be repeating the same footage and giving me the same message over and over. I'm sure this is something easy, easy for you guys. What capture parameter should I have set in my preferences? I don't see anything for 1080i/30?

Thanks!

Jim Wilson

This is a pretty common mistake with dv tapes. The basic issue, if i'm interpreting it correctly is that theres a tiny gap between two takes where you either played it back and played past your footage, or started recording before when there wasn't a time code already written.

The way I avoid this is when I buy new tapes I just record black on them to establish a time code and then rewind back to the beginning. Since I've been doing that I haven't had any time code break issues.

As far as the project you're working on no either sit right at your computer and just hit play again when the dialog box pops up or go back and try to fix the time code gap, but there you risk ruining your footage.

Hope this helps.

How long is it actually capturing before this happens? I was using a USB splitter, and it gave mine lag somehow. So when I switched the external from USB to FW, there were no more problems.

I used to log all the clips and then batch-capture when I worked with DV, and tried the same after I got my XH-A1 and started with HDV... Didn't work out at all for me, timecode and HDV is no match as far as I'm concerned, so I have started using the "Capture Now" instead when I work with HDV.

Anyone actually manageto use the logging function with success with HDV, without getting timecode breaks and errors very frequently..?

In the capture window there is a setting that's ON by default called "Create new clip on start/stop" turn that "off". I had the same problem w/HDV creating new clips left and right until I noticed that setting.


-A

I like that function, at least when the footage I have splits naturally into clips based on start/stop in recording. :)

I was talking about the trouble I had when I tried to log each individual clip based on timecode, and the batch-capture it all afterwards, like I used to do with DV. When I try the same with HDV I get a lot of errors when FCP is trying to locate the timecode during capture.

Hmm. Maybe your camera is just a little dirty and it's having a small problem reading the tape? I've logged and batch captured a lot of HDV footage and only on occasion have I had any problems. On the few "fluky" tapes I get I usually just chalk it up to a dirty camera in the field or something.

-A

Thanks Guys!
 

The camera is clean as a whistle and I'm using 19 buck Sony tapes. I let it run yesterday while I was out and it was on the same clip when I got back three hours later. It had logged about 30 clips but they were the same basic shots over and over. I tried capture now and it ran for a while and then stuck again. I'll try turning that default button off. I appreciate the time you have all taken to lend your expertise to my problem.

Jim

Sounds like a problem on the firewire bus. It shouldn't break time code unless you've played back in camera while shooting and re-started past the end.

You are using FCP 5.12 or later, right? You should use the easy setup for HDV 1080i60 when the Canon is set for 30.

Log and capture works fine, but it defaults to making clips whenever you pressed start/stop, so you end up with the clips you logged plus hordes of random orphan clips if you try to set your in and out points over a start/stop point.

Does it have the problem at the same place every time or is it random? If it's the same place it's probably pilot error. You probably accidentally broke time code while playing back and forth. If you play the tape back in camera is the time code continuous or does it reset?

If it's random, try these things:
1) try a different firewire cable Try a different firewire port.
2) remove all firewire hubs and devices and try capturing straight to internal drive.
3) don't daisy-chain the camera to an external drive -- attach your capture drive to another port (you are using a firewire drive, right? USB won't work.)
4) clean the heads
5) send camera back in for repair
6) send computer back in for repair

Let's hope you don't reach 5 or 6!