HD100 update?
 

Admin Note:This topic is obsolete -- please read the newer version "Free upgrade now official" located at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=63294 -- post any replies there if you still have questions after reading it. Thanks! -- CH

This was posted on the Cinematography Mailing List today:

WTF over...

"Anton Bauer batteries"?
I have not heard of anyone having issues with this or the IDX?

"Having issues with video hard drives"
The HD100 doesn't have an internal hard drive.

Yeah, but I'm sitting here waiting on the optional JVC hard drive I ordered a couple of weeks ago (made by Firestore?) and wondering if it's going to work when it arrives.

I use this camera with AB batteries. It has always shown the voltage way high like 15.6 or something and it slowly counts down and dies around 13.1. I always thought that was kinda wierd but maybe that has something to do with it. Do you think I should send my camera in or something?

Interesting. I just worked on a 3-camera video and one of the HD100 was showing voltage around 16V. This was with the IDX package. I have the AB mount with a Varizoom battery and it's always at 7.3V

--
Paolo

Our Hd100 shows 16v with the IDX system. They have a max voltage of 16.8V according to the site, so that makes sense.

Do you think its a firmware issue or a real hardware problem?
My version info:
SYS CPU C1590 V0117
CAM CPU C1591 V0108
VTR CPU C1594 V0109
ENC CPU L1187 V0105

Package C1615 V0108
FPGA2 C1595 V0108
FPGA3 C1596 V0100
FPGA4 C1597 V0103

I dont know if any of that is relevent to anything but Ive seen other people post that info so I wanted to feel important.

I dont know about IDX but the AB gold mount supposedly converts everything to 7.2v. It doesnt seem like its doing that though.

"Advanced electronics inside the IDX battery bracket converts the 14.8 volts of the ENDURA V-Mount™ battery to the required 7.2 volts."

Who knows.

The thing with the AB mount is that the HD100 is supposed to translate the power in the battery to remaining run time and display it in the VF. I've never seen this with my AB mount, but I'm using SWIT batteries, so that may have something to do with it. I do however get a voltage readout (7.3V on full charge, 6.9V when dead) and my batteries last 5 hours in the cold.

According to the IDX literature, their mount is also supposed to reduce the voltage to 7.2V, but I think most people have reported 14V on the display.

AB voltage
 

The first AB mount I got didn't deliver enough voltage to power the camera with the wide lens. When recording and zooming I'd get a low voltage error message even on a fresh battery. Voltage would drop to 6.9, and while it didn't affect actual performance -- no dropouts -- it was disconcerting and obviously not right.

Anton Bauer sent me a "hotter" mount and it holds at 7.1 volts under all circumstances and through hours of shooting with no low voltage messages. The batteries seem to last the five hours advertized, but you know when shooting the usage is so discontinuous that it's really hard to say how much time I get.

My VF/LCD just displays the reduced voltage sent to the camera, in my case the 7.1v rather than actual battery voltage. The AB Dionic 90's that I use do have the LCD graphic readout of projected life remaining, but it would still be nice to have a battery life display in the VF/LCD.

Tip

I spoke with JVC this morning. According to my source the upgrade to the "A"version tackles two issues. 1st it fixed the AB info displayed in the VF. 2nd it maximizes the compatability with the hard drive recorder that JVC is getting ready to release. There may be some small bug fixes as well. This is a free upgrade to HD100 owners through July 31st. If you're not an AB user or plan on purchasing the JVC hard drive recorder, the upgrade isn't as necessary. I'll wait a month or so then send mine off for the upgrade because I do plan on using the hard drive. As far as battery mounts, I've used both and the IDX is better in my opinion.

Council, did JVC actually mention that this will be an "A" designated model, or simply another firmware update?
It doesn't make sense to me that JVC would designate a firmware update as an "A" model, especially when the current models can be updated.
I'm trying to confirm this from a third source now.

Hey fellas, according to JVC, it confirms Bradshaw's statement, that this is an upgrade for 3rd party compatibilty (VF, HDD, Battery), totally voluntary, not a recall. They are just trying to take care of everyone who wants these upgrades, to be a good manufacturer. They also said they will post more info on their site, in the FAQ section:

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/f...&feature_id=13

You'll have to send the camera out for this? Does it go to an authorized JVC repair place, or to JVC themselves?