Problem capturing HDV footage shot with Z1
 

I am a little baffled on this. I had a shoot done in HDV mode recently. When I digitized the one hour footage downconverting from HDV to DV using Final Cut Pro, I have gotten several breaks in the digitizing process.

The NLE stops capturing and tries to locate the next point. I have to manually locate the next point to start capturing. I am not sure if its a time code break but if happens several times at the points where I had stopped the camera at the time of acquisition and resumed the recording. It does not do it all the time at all the points where I had stopped the camera but in several of the points in where I have paused and resume the recording with the Z1. And also, at those points I see for a second or less weird artifacting which ressemble large wavy pointed lines in the footage. Any ideas as to the problem?

Sounds like classic symptoms of a timecode break. But it might also be that the tape drive isn't responding fast enough to locate the end/beginning of the next clip.

You do not have the Quick Rec mode on, do you?

This will cause timecode breaks.

Another thing to mention is that Final Cut Pro will create a new clip at every start and stop, unless you tell it not to. The appropiate setting is discussed at page 21 of this pdf: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/FCP...st_Formats.pdf

I am well aware of the Quick Rec mode and never used it because of its problems. I do not think I have FCP setup to start a new clip at every start and stop because never had a similar issue with any other DV camera. What puzzles me is the strange artifacting for 1/2 second ocurring at the break points where the next clip starts. Looks like large sawing teeth or so.

I think I may have the Time Code set on Regen instead of Preset. I do not know is that is the culprit.

Sounds like something to do with the GOP... generally anything of about the .5 of a second length is GOP related.

Don't forget HDV (and interlaced with a Long GOP structure to boot) is not going to behave anything like DV.

I'm not on Mac, but generally any "buzz-saw" line effects or .5 second breaks are related to either interlacing issues for the former, and GOP for the later.

Hope you solve it...

That's what I was thinking also. The approx. 1/2 second of artifacting happening at the beginning of many of the clips makes me think is somewhat related to the HDV recording. And yes, it is exactly that, "buzz-saw" line effects. By the way, the capture was using the Z1 camera. Not a deck. Don't know if that has anything to do with the problem. Timecode was on Regen after Presetting the timecode to the corresponding hour on the tape. I don't think I previewed the footage at the break points.

I would check that out first. There's nothing you can do in FCP if it's on tape.