Help! Dark Horizontal Bar Near Top of My Screen
 

I am having a bit of a problem with my HD100. I've done some searching around here but have not seen any other mentions of it.

Sometimes I am getting a dark horizontal bar running across about 1/5 of the way down from the top of my screen. The width of it varies a little, but normally it is about the width of an AA battery if you were viewing on a 20 inch screen.

The horizontal bar is dark, but not opaque. It is simply a darker area of the image.

Now for the dreaded SSE part of the story. This horizontal bar often appears during the same conditions that make the SSE appear (lower-light shots, high-gain shots, FAS, etc). But sometimes the horizontal line appears under more favorable (but still not perfect) conditions where there is no trace of the SSE at all.

I am more concerned about this horizontal bar than I am about the SSE because it happens more often, but I must admit as a newbie that this whole SSE thing bothers me too. I bought my camera with total piece of mind; confident that the SSE thing was solved.

I know the whole subject has been done to death and I have read quite a bit of the many threads devoted to it. Before I bought the camera (early September 2006) I sifted through a lot of very helpful information on here. In fact, these forums provided most of the data I used to make the decision to go with the HD100 (especially the Texas Shootout).

In the end, it was neck-and-neck between the HD100 and the Panny. One thing that worried me greatly about the HD100, however, was all this talk about the split screen effect.

But, the more I read, the more I became convinced that JVC was aware of the problem and working diligently to solve it. From what I read here, I believed (perhaps naively and/or incorrectly) that the new "A" upgrade had taken care of the problem and now every thing was A-OK.

So that clinched it, and I went with the JVC.

Well, when I got it and started testing it I saw that I did indeed have the SSE problem (as well as the even worse horizontal bar problem). First I was a little pissed, then a little worried, but then I calmed down and thought "Hey! No problem! I'll just send it to JVC and they'll calibrate it and clear it all up for free!!"

But then I started reading the SSE postings in much greater depth (yes, I should have read them more carefully the first time, but pre-purchase, once I read that the "A' update fixed the SSE problem I thought "hmm... problem solved" and stopped reading the SSE threads)

So on my POST-purchase perusal I started reading things like-- "Well, if you are only seeing the SSE in +6dB or worse then you are doing pretty good. If you send it back to JVC and ask them to fix it they'll just laugh at you, and say 'that's as good as it gets!'"

OK-- I am both paraphrasing and exaggerating there but I was amazed that HD100 owners casually accepted a camera that could not produce an acceptable image in low-light/medium gain situations.

This camera, after all, seems to me to be more of an ENG/news photography camera than any of the other sub $10K HD/HDV cameras. If anything, the HD100 needs to perform BETTER in low light-- not worse. Not everybody with an HD100 is making films with perfectly lit sets.

So, I apologize in advance for being a little snarky. It's just that it cost me a lot of money and I want to be able to occasionally--not even very often at all-- shoot in low light with out big bars and lines on my screen (the grain, of course, is quite normal).

To summarize-- I am really most concerned about this horizontal bar thing that I've never heard anyone else here on DVinfo even mention. As for the SSE, if a calibration could make it al little better, that would be great too.

PS-- I've tried letting the camera warm up for a while before shooting and that does seem to help somewhat with both the SSE and the horizontal thing.

PPS- I've checked, and yes my camera does have the little "A" sticker underneath by the shoulder pad.

This was a very long post, but this issue is very important to me. Thank you all for reading it and I hope you will find it in your blessed little video hearts to help me out here.

In other words…. HELP!

Maat,

Nothing you described is normal. You need to get the camera back in for service immediately. The A update may have been done, but the calibration may not have been completed properly.
The horizontal bar is a mystery.

I have two cameras and when they were returned from the A update, one of them showed extreme SSE. It was a simple oversight on their part with the calibration procedure. JVC took it back, calibrated, and sent it back in under 48 hours and now it is perfect - at all light levels.

Tim-

Thank you for your reply. I was afraid that might be necessary-- not looking forward to the shipping costs. Anyway, do I just ship it to any JVC place? I live in San Francisco-- is their a repair place in driving distance? Or do I have to ship it down to Southern California? Or even New Jersey!

What's the protocol on this? Do I just package it up in the packaging they sent me? Do I have to include everything like the Firewire cord, battery, charger? I expect I ought to send the lens, but I'd love to not have to.

Should I send a tape with an example of the problem? Do I have to pay for return postage too?

I really appreciate your help on this.

Thanks again,
Maat

Hi Maat,

These issues can be resolved. As I said before on this forum, if you are not getting the help you need, then please reach out to your reseller and JVC District Sales Manager for help. But from reading first your post, it does not look like you have talked to your JVC Reseller or JVC District Sales Manager yet, so I will be happy to answer your questions.

1. No, please do not ship it to just "any JVC place." Please ship it to one of 4 the JVC Professional Service centers. They are listed on this webpage:

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/support/index.jsp

The one that serves your area is in Cypress, CA.

2. Remove all accessories, including the lens, and pack the camera in the factory box.

3. Yes, by all means send a tape with a recording of the problem. Any help you can give in showing the problem will help our techs do a better job.

4. Normally on warranty service, you pay freight out, and JVC pays freight back. If this presents a problem, please contact your reseller or JVC District Sales Manager for assistance.

5. A few other notes: Please include with the camera a completed "Factory Service Request Form", which can be downloaded at http://pro.jvc.com/prof/support/fscform.pdf. Also include a copy of your dealer invoice or other proof of purchase. Also make sure to insure the shipment. And, make a copy of any customer scene files that you want to preserve to a SD card and keep the card.

FYI for reference to all: All of this information is available on http://pro.jvc.com/prof/support/index.jsp, or by calling 1-800-JVC-JVC5. This phone number is manned 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern time, Monday thru Friday. This information is also show on a sticky note on the top of this forum.

Regards, Carl

Thanks Carl-- I did indeed make these phone calls and followed those directions. The operator was quite helpful. But I must admit, at the last minute I included everything... just to be sure, Next trime I'll only send trhe parts I need to.

Thanks again,
Maat

I occasionally had the horizontal bar
 

I just sent my A model camera in for repairs 2 days ago. It was suffering from something pretty fierce - the right and left sides of the screens were randomly yellow and purple. My pull out VF displayed only snow. Occasionally after turning it on the right side would experience ghosting from the left side and sometimes, though more rare, i would get a black bar at the top of the screen as if the entire video was shifted down slightly.

My guess would be some wires got crossed and everything went. Of course, i was a bit naive to take the video camera to europe without fully testing it :(

Jon