Noticing them now on a recent project... every so often, there's some corruption as a small batch of pixels in random parts of the frame are scrambled to primary monochromatic nonsense. The video clips aren't unreadable, just messed up in certain single scattered frames.

Where does this corruption typically happen? On the card end or the camera end?

More Info Kevin. What camera? What cards? How are you viewing? Show a still of the problem. Can you look at the footage with a different program an still see the problem?

Hm, yes.

HVX200 (non-A), 32 and 8gb Pan A-series cards. Problem visible when previewing clips via FCP Log n Xfer, and P2CMS (mac).

Actually dont' have an account handy to dump stills, but I'll get that and will eventually try previewing the problem clips via the camera's comp out on a large-screen TV.

Kevin,
If the data is recorded on the P2 cards with the errors and it is on multiple cards then the problem is most likely in the camera. If the camera can playback the footage without error then you have to look at your computer harddrive system. When you play back a clip is the error always in the same place or is it more random? You should be able to identify on the same clip whether the error is in the recording. Good Luck

Its due to the fact the cards haven't been write protected when downloaded to a mac computer.

write protect your cards before you download them with P2CMS and you should be fine.

the footage you have currently with the issue cannot be saved however.

wow thats a worry?

Is that just with Mac and using P2CMS..(as opposed to say shotput pro),or for all situations..?

its been a known issue for many years now.

Its to do with the fact Mac's write files to external drives when connected.. and a p2 card is effectively an external drive.

write protect it and you'll have no problems..

Ok thanks.. surprised I,d never heard of it.. so you mean pull the write protect tap on the card..?

Yup thats the one! :)

Ok thanks.. good tip..

Interesting...

Now that you mention it, previously I'd been using a cheap windows laptop to offload P2 to a USB HDD, and then transporting to the Mac from that. Probably why I never noticed it before, and a mighty good thing I asked

Can we ignore write-protect when downloading from camera to external hard drive?

Probably... I know the MacOSX tendancy he's talking about. OSX places small "invisible" reference files on any attached drive, which apparently are mungy enough to corrupt P2 data streams. No OSX involved, no need to write-protect.

Come to think of it, perhaps that's why I'm having so much trouble with my MRC1K as well...

But were you not pulling the write protect on the cards after you filled them up..? if you were it would have to be something else ?

No, I'd never flipped the switch.

Tested the theory out, filled a card and write-protected it, mounted and captured on the Mac, and the wee villainous pixels were not summoned, evoking gladness and mirth within my soul.

Certainly the easiest solution. You should try one more card transfer without protecting it to be absolutely sure that is the cause.