The data is all there but the tape won't play at DVinfo.net

Steve Siegel · January 14th, 2011, 02:57 PM

I hope this is not a common problem. It sure is going to usher my exit from tape. My Canon XLH1 (mini DV tape) malfunctioned on a recent shoot. Although everything seemed to be working properly, the readout of how many minutes remained on the tape was stuck at 29 minutes. It even read 29 minutes when I loaded a new 63 minute tape. Oh well, I shot anyway. The progress counter ran perfectly and no errors or warnings ever came up. Later I found a little rubber covered spool lying inside the door of the tape drive. Needless to say, the unit is on its way to Canon.

When I got the tape home and ran it using a differnt camcorder, it would display a frame for about 2 seconds, then go on to another frame for 2 seconds, then another and another , etc. The frame numbers that played were always similar. For example I would see 00:10:04:05, 00:10:04:23, 00:10:05:05, 00:10:05:23, 00:10:06:05, 00:10:06:23, etc., the fifth and twenty-third frames in each second of play, each one displaying for a couple of seconds.

The funny thing is that if you advance the tape manually, a frame at a time, everything is there in pristine beauty! I tried capturing the video in Adobe Premiere, hoping for a miracle. No miracle. Capturing this video a frame at a time would be a work worthy of Sisyphus. Any suggestions?

Allan Black · January 14th, 2011, 04:50 PM

Steve I'd say the tape is cactus .. send it on to Canon (with the rubber spool and the cam?) that may help them work out the problem.

You could've tried a cam reset, that's been known to work although that spool is a worry.

Cheers.

Steve Siegel · January 15th, 2011, 08:28 AM

Allan,

Not cactus at all. More like a fine tequila. The solution turned out to be pretty simple. Since the tape would play by advancing one frame at a time, I just played it in slo-mo and captured without device control. Voila.

Andrew Smith · January 15th, 2011, 01:25 PM

Hey ... that's great thinking!

Andrew

Jim Andrada · January 19th, 2011, 12:12 AM

Tape is cactus? It would feel right at home in Tucson.

Which despite all the uproar a few miles from my house last week is a pretty nice place even if it is surrounded by tape - ooops I mean cactus.

Andrew Smith · January 19th, 2011, 01:51 AM

"Cactus tape ... for keeping little fingers at bay."

Yes, I can see this being a great defense against inquisitive children.

Andrew

January 14th, 2011, 02:57 PM	#1
Steve Siegel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Posts: 839	The data is all there but the tape won't play I hope this is not a common problem. It sure is going to usher my exit from tape. My Canon XLH1 (mini DV tape) malfunctioned on a recent shoot. Although everything seemed to be working properly, the readout of how many minutes remained on the tape was stuck at 29 minutes. It even read 29 minutes when I loaded a new 63 minute tape. Oh well, I shot anyway. The progress counter ran perfectly and no errors or warnings ever came up. Later I found a little rubber covered spool lying inside the door of the tape drive. Needless to say, the unit is on its way to Canon. When I got the tape home and ran it using a differnt camcorder, it would display a frame for about 2 seconds, then go on to another frame for 2 seconds, then another and another , etc. The frame numbers that played were always similar. For example I would see 00:10:04:05, 00:10:04:23, 00:10:05:05, 00:10:05:23, 00:10:06:05, 00:10:06:23, etc., the fifth and twenty-third frames in each second of play, each one displaying for a couple of seconds. The funny thing is that if you advance the tape manually, a frame at a time, everything is there in pristine beauty! I tried capturing the video in Adobe Premiere, hoping for a miracle. No miracle. Capturing this video a frame at a time would be a work worthy of Sisyphus. Any suggestions?

January 14th, 2011, 04:50 PM	#2
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Steve I'd say the tape is cactus .. send it on to Canon (with the rubber spool and the cam?) that may help them work out the problem. You could've tried a cam reset, that's been known to work although that spool is a worry. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

January 15th, 2011, 08:28 AM	#3
Steve Siegel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Posts: 839	Allan, Not cactus at all. More like a fine tequila. The solution turned out to be pretty simple. Since the tape would play by advancing one frame at a time, I just played it in slo-mo and captured without device control. Voila.

January 15th, 2011, 01:25 PM	#4
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	Hey ... that's great thinking! Andrew

January 19th, 2011, 12:12 AM	#5
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	Tape is cactus? It would feel right at home in Tucson. Which despite all the uproar a few miles from my house last week is a pretty nice place even if it is surrounded by tape - ooops I mean cactus.

January 19th, 2011, 01:51 AM	#6
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,016	"Cactus tape ... for keeping little fingers at bay." Yes, I can see this being a great defense against inquisitive children. Andrew