A way to reset hour meter?

[Jason Donaldson]

Does anyone know if there is any way to reset the hour meter on an A1U? Just curious. Also, anyone with an A1U finding that the hour meter is way off? I have only filled one DV tape since I got my A1U on May 24th, and already the thing says that operation is 3x10h, drum run is 2x10h tape run is 1x10h and threading is 2x10h. I just don't think I have used the camera for the hours reported by this meter. BY the way, what is the threading meter for?

[Marco Wagner]

Nope, no way to reset it that I know of -I'm sure for good reason.

I am also seeing more time than I have thunk I've used...

[Edward Carlson]

The different times are not just for recording. Threading is how much time the tape has spent on the heads (aka Record or Pause mode.) Tape run is actually how much tape has been recorded. So if you recorded for an entire tape, but left the camera on and NOT recording, the threading would be higher than the tape run.

[Marco Wagner]

I guess sometimes you just don't realize how long the camera is actually powered on. Thanks :-)

[Jason Donaldson]

Am I supposed to be feeling ansy about actually using the camera? These tape heads come across as though they are the most delicate things on earth, and that they wear out extremely fast. There was a post on another forum that mentioned that this particular guy actually went out and bought a cheap HD camcorder for IEEE1394 transfer in order to save his tape heads on his A1U. I mean, are they really that delicate or is this guy just weird about his camcorder heads?

[Edward Carlson]

It's a common practice to have a cheap camcorder just to import tapes. Just think, every time you record something and then import, you are multiplying the time by 2. Don't be afraid to use the camera, but if you can get a cheap camcorder to import with, it can only help.

[Adam Gold]

Originally Posted by Edward Carlson

Just think, every time you record something and then import, you are multiplying the time by 2.

And that's only if you're lucky enough to be able to capture the whole tape at one shot. I do a lot of kids' sports videos and I'd guess I only capture 5-10% of each tape. With all the marking of in and out points, then batch capturing, each tape spends about 3 hours in the capture process, during which time not only are the heads spinning but all the transport mechs are scrolling back and forth, stopping and starting.

I use one HC3 for capture and another for direct to DVD transfers for the coaches to analyze if they're willing to sit through an entire tape. At this point a refurbished HC3 is about one-third the cost of Sony's cheapest HDV deck, plus they have HDMI out, which the deck doesn't. I could burn through five of them before I reach the cost of my FX1. And I use them as backup cams every time I shoot.

All of which probably explains why a dozen baseball games this spring yielded 40 hours of tape and 134 GB of captured files (capturing only a few minutes of each tape) to produce a 15-minute video. This is really getting out of hand...

[Alex Thames]

I thought threading was how many times you put the tape in/out of the tray. Drum run is how long it's been on record and play. Tape run is how much tape was actually recorded.