I just finished doing some color tests with my hd100 and almost half the tape is corrupt. Half the bottom screen is artifacted during playback but when I saved a frame grab using ppro2.0 (prohd 24p), this is what I got:

http://avistudios.com/hd100grabs/frame223.bmp

I don't know what to make of it but what bothers me is that I sometimes video tape events and this would really be a problem. I use the Sony premium tapes that are cheap but in all my canon years, they have been perfect!

I loaded a new tape from a different package and it had the same problem but it only happened for a minute and the rest of the footage was fine except for this frame with the big black rectangle:

http://avistudios.com/hd100grabs/frame12.bmp

Most of the footage that I have seen from my hd100s have been great except every now and then I see a little artifact. Even in sd there are little blips here and there. I never had this problem before so my stress levels are getting high since I have a wedding shoot this weekend.

Have anybody experienced this before with thier hd100?

If I am a rare case then I will replace my hd100 since I am still under 30 days. I could try different tape but I just can't see why the Sony tapes could be this bad.

I really appreciate your input :)

I don't know what to make of it but what bothers me is that I sometimes video tape events and this would really be a problem. I use the Sony premium tapes that are cheap but in all my canon years, they have been perfect!

If I am a rare case then I will replace my hd100 since I am still under 30 days. I could try different tape but I just can't see why the Sony tapes could be this bad.

I really appreciate your input :)

Jonathan
There are other discussions regarding the same issues you are having, which state that other brands of tape are not guaranteed to work successfully with the HD100.

see: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=70699

I use JVC ProHD tapes and haven't had any problems. Thay are more expensive, but I also shoot weddings and events, so I want to minimise the risks. When someone releases a HD recorder that is not extortionately priced, I'll buy one.

I wonder are other cameras from Sony, Canon and Pannasonic having the same issues?

Andrew

Jonathan
There are other discussions regarding the same issues you are having, which state that other brands of tape are not guaranteed to work successfully with the HD100.

see: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=70699

I use JVC ProHD tapes and haven't had any problems. Thay are more expensive, but I also shoot weddings and events, so I want to minimise the risks. When someone releases a HD recorder that is not extortionately priced, I'll buy one.

I wonder are other cameras from Sony, Canon and Pannasonic having the same issues?

Andrew
My xl2 and gl2 have never had any problems with the sony tape. That is all I have ever used.

I just put in an order for some prohd tapes. Hopefully they will solve my problem but I still can't believe that all these sony tapes are this bad! It happens the same on sd too. I have used these with great success in the past but this hd100 must be a completely different animal, a very picky animal.

I have not had one flawless tape yet.

About the prohd tape: Should I clean the heads using a standard dry cleaning tape before using the prohd tape?

i see little blips here and there with the jvc pro hd tapes as well.

I'm also using the $10 a pop JVC tapes, and I see red... literally. I have at least two clips where the whole frame is solid red for about 9 frames, the fading back to the image. I also have a little of the lower 3rd breaking up as well.

Have you tried calling JVC yet? I called yesterday, and got the recorded message that I was number 0 in the que. After about 10 minutes of crappy muzac and the message that all assistants are busy, I get a fellow who gives me another number to call. So I call it, and get the JVC Pro line, and the message that my wait time will be 1 minute. After another 5-10 minutes of muzac and recorded messages, I get the same guy, who says "In my limited experience, you need to either send the camera to an authorized JVC service center, or send it back to the dealer and get a replacement".

Seeing this post and others, this is annoyingly starting to look like a pattern.

I taped about 20 minutes with a fair amount of panning, and no problem.

Then I taped about an hour in a different location, and it seemed whenever I panned a bit, I had problems.

Next I taped about 25 minutes outside, and I had a problem everytime the camera moved.

Just wondering if anyone else has seen the problem when the camera moved? I'm going to try cleaning the heads to see if that makes a difference... anyone try that?

Anyone using any of the DTE solutions seeing this? Sounds like some people are having a lot of problems, others not having any.

this is annoyingly starting to look like a pattern.
I agree. Let's get to the bottom of this. Can everyone who is having these symptoms please state:

whether your HD100 is an 'A' version or not
what frame rate you shot at
what NLE & codec you used to capture
what brand and type of tape you used


thanks,

whether your HD100 is an 'A' version or not
what NLE & codec you used to capture
what brand and type of tape you used
[/list]

thanks,
I agree with anyone who agrees with me!

I do have the 'A' version
Using Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0, 720p30
JVC ProHD tapes

I'm the same as Dennis, "A" model, JVC HD pro tapes, PP2, 30P. And I've only run the one tape, but no problems with motion.

Dennis and Keith,

That is either a pattern or pure coincidence.

Can you do me a favour and watch the footage straight off of the tape on the camera?

If you both see it on the original tape, then we can disregard PP2 as the problem. However, if you cannot see the defect on the tape, then please try capturing the clip with a different NLE or program (CapDVHS, AspectHD demo) and report back.

Dennis and Keith,

That is either a pattern or pure coincidence.

Can you do me a favour and watch the footage straight off of the tape on the camera?



When I watch on the tape I see little artifacts, but not what I see on the NLE. Seems like a small glitch on the tape is becoming a big problem when I capture?

Also, I was noticing I captured to an external drive over a Firewire 800 connection. Maybe that was OK for standard def, but I'll try recapturing directly to the hard drive.

I see everything the same, whether on the cam or the NLE. Wouldn't it just be ironic, that these $10 JVC Pro HD tapes don't work with the JVC cam?

OK. One last request. Can you please use a program like CapDVHS (http://www.yamabe.org/soft/CapDVHS0306e.zip) to capture a small m2t of the problem area and email it to me? tim@timdashwood.com Please make sure it is under 10MB. thanks.

Tim- there are two threads I have the clips posted in. One is http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=71195 , and the other is in http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=70188

The other issues, I'm way less concerned with. I am really feeling lazy, and don't want to hook up the cam and search for the glitches... please, don't make me?

Tim- there are two threads I have the clips posted in. One is http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=71195 , and the other is in http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=70188

The other issues, I'm way less concerned with. I am really feeling lazy, and don't want to hook up the cam and search for the glitches... please, don't make me?
Sorry Keith,
I can't help you find the problem with an avi or wmv because they've already gone through post-processing. I need to analyze an original m2t and determine

IF there is a dropout
If only PP2 reacts this way to the dropout


Sorry.

Take a look at my clips Tim... that ain't a drop out or a Premiere problem. It is either the tape or the cam... or just bad mojo.

Take a look at my clips Tim... that ain't a drop out or a Premiere problem. It is either the tape or the cam... or just bad mojo.
Exact same here. As you know, you can't review the footage while capture on ppro2.0, so I watch it on the hd100 and it looks pretty much the same. I have noticed that when there is only a slight blip; upon review on ppro2.0, that blip was turned into a nasty frame like the one I posted but it was only on the frame where the blip appeared.

My hd100 is the A version and I bought it about 3 weeks ago from b&h.

Yeah, what happened to the capture in PP? You used to be able to view while capturing in the old, old versions. I think so anyways.

I have noticed that when there is only a slight blip; upon review on ppro2.0, that blip was turned into a nasty frame like the one I posted but it was only on the frame where the blip appeared.


I've noticed the same thing. Slight blip on camera becomes big poop after capture. At least one instance came out to 6 frames... Perhaps a problem in one frame is messing up the GOP? (And I don't mean the Republican Party!)

Anyways, I'll send Tim some raw footage later today. Along with a big message of thanks for da help.

Is it so that everyone here reporting the problem is a Premiere Pro 2.0 user?
I also have AspectHD. I didn't use it for this particular tape, I'll do so today and see what happens.

I have this idea but I am not sure if it would be technically accurate.

I have two hd100s and so I could plug them both together via firewire. Have one setup as a vtr and have them both record the same footage.

The problem is that I don't know if the data coming out of the firewire is the same going to the hd100 deck and so this test might not work. I guess I need do some research to figure this out but I am sure most of you guys know ;)

The other problem is that there is no way of telling if both tapes are identical. I would use two brand new sony tapes that came from the same package but I am thinking that there would still be differences. The only way this test will prove anything is if the flaws occur at the same moments (such as a pan) on both tapes. They don't have to be on the same frame but at least near the instance.

I will post my m2ts of both sets if I do see this occurrence.

Sound like a good idea?

Like I said, I can't blame Premiere for the problems, because they originate from the tape. Now, it might be the camera, and the way it records to the tape, but not the NLE's fault.

How common of a problem is this for the JVC gy-hd100a? Do a lot of people complain about these glitches? I am thinking about buying the JVC gy-hd100a but if it randomly distorts a minute plus on tape that is unacceptable. Has anyone heard if the Canon HL X1 had this problem? Is there a certain DV tape that JVC recommends especially for this camcorder?

How common of a problem is this for the JVC gy-hd100a? Do a lot of people complain about these glitches? I am thinking about buying the JVC gy-hd100a but if it randomly distorts a minute plus on tape that is unacceptable. Has anyone heard if the Canon HL X1 had this problem? Is there a certain DV tape that JVC recommends especially for this camcorder?
I second this question because I remember someone saying that jvc had 12000 of these units all over the world. If everyone had the problems that we are experiencing then I would think there would be 12000 angry individuals with jvc on the top of their hit list.

Honestly, do most of the individuals who extensively use the hd100 have CRONIC tape distortions?

I am sure this is a tape problem, I would bet people using firestores do not see these kind of anomalies. I would be so sad if this turned out to be a widespread problem. I would have to question my jvc faith :(

I have two hd100s and so I could plug them both together via firewire. Have one setup as a vtr and have them both record the same footage.

The problem is that I don't know if the data coming out of the firewire is the same going to the hd100 deck and so this test might not work.

That would work. The same compressed data would be written to both tapes, so if there's any difference whatsoever between the recordings, it would be attributable to the tape itself and no other factor.

That would work. The same compressed data would be written to both tapes, so if there's any difference whatsoever between the recordings, it would be attributable to the tape itself and no other factor.
Thanx Barry for the information.

Well, I am going to go out and shoot some stuff to see if the problem is parallel with my two hd100s or just the one. The issue at hand might not be consistent enough to show any real results but at least I could see if the problem is exists on both my jvcs.

I sent an email off to Tim, but I might as well post it. I got 17 seconds of footage which shows the problem I'm seeing.

www.catzillaproductions.com/Test2.zip (unzipped it's an mpeg file). It's about 35 MB if you're willing to download. I transferred right from the tape (in the camera) over firewire to my c:\ drive.

I didn't use AspectHD, just PP2.0 with the HDV plug in project settings of 720/30p.

Watching it in windows media player you see some small problems, don't know if they are technically dropped frames or artifacts.

But watching them in the PP2.0 timeline they show up as big green blotches, or half the frame is messed up.

If anyone feels like showing their technical analysis expertise, feel free and gracias.

Dennis -

The glitches on your clip look exactly like the problems I have been experiencing. I have 3 HD100's and have seen this on all of them. Although I do use PPro, I can attest that my problem is independent of the software - on all occasions, you can clearly see the hits/drop-outs - whatever you want to call them - on the raw tape - playing back straight from the BR-HD50 to a monitor.

In my case, the footage always captures into PPro exactly how it appears on the raw tapes (the glitches remain exactly the same - they are there but are no worse once in the NLE).

For the record, I have used only JVC ProHD media in all of the cameras - and have experienced at least 1 or 2 of these glitches (sometimes far more) on nearly every tape I have shot with each of the 3 cameras.

All three of my cameras are currently in for the 'A' upgrade - and I included a detailed letter with each camera asking JVC to look into this problem.

Perhaps there is a bad batch of ProHD tapes out there. Do you guys still have the box the tapes came in? Perhaps there's a correlation there.

Does it smell like... lemony to you guys? How many have actually chimed in with this issue on just this board? So far, I'm the only one getting the red screen that I know of. That's about normal ;)

By the way, the numbers on the bottom of my tape box are M2AKDO9.

I'll post the number on my box tapes.... though I have 20 minutes of clean footage on the same tape, shot at a different location at a different time.

So.... people are thinking there's bad tape(s) that are causing a lot of crappy frames?

I just heard back from Jason at Tapeworks Texas. He finally got through to some JVC techs, and the cause of my red flashes is? Survey says- CCD issues! They have a new cam coming my way.

I have never in my life dealt with such dedicated people, like Jason and the gang at TT, and it is so cool! I only wish I had found them sooner! You ROCK guys!

I just heard back from Jason at Tapeworks Texas. He finally got through to some JVC techs, and the cause of my red flashes is? Survey says- CCD issues! They have a new cam coming my way.


So you sent your camera in to them? Or did they recognize from the description of the symptoms?

Apparently, I'm not paranoid, like the wife thinks. THEY are watching me! The salesman that sold me the cam, saw my original thread, and called me to find out what was wrong with it. He forwarded the info to my clips to JVC, and they decided it was the CCDs. He is sending the replacement out today.

Did I mention they ROCK!?!

I also bought from TT. I spoke to Jason and Scott, who advised me to call JVC tech support, which I'll do.

Although it sounds like my problem is more like Jonathan Nelson's.... little problem on tape is big problem on NLE. Though the number of drop outs on the tape seems excessive.

Apparently, I'm not paranoid, like the wife thinks. THEY are watching me! The salesman that sold me the cam, saw my original thread, and called me to find out what was wrong with it. He forwarded the info to my clips to JVC, and they decided it was the CCDs. He is sending the replacement out today.

Did I mention they ROCK!?!
That is awsome!

I tried two or three times to buy my hd100s from them but each time they were either not available or out to lunch. The first time I called them, a person told me that the guy(Scott I think?) that sales the hd100s was out to lunch. I rather had bought my cameras from them but I had to get these things bought soon! No problem, maybe next time.

About the tape issue, something came up that prevented me from doing my test. I am going to try to do it today. My feeling is if the problem is the tape then all the tape brands must be bad. I should get the prohd tapes tomorrow and I will see how those compare to my sonys.

I hope we figure this out because the truth is: I love my hd100 :)

i experienced the same glitches/artifacts. They are problems within those chips. Since I have sent the camera out for the upgrade, the problem has stopped. I think it is just an inherent problem with the 1st gen. JVC's.

I just finished reviewing the footage from today's shoot and I can say that I got my first flawless tape. The hd100 that captured the footage had no glitches that I could see but the hd100 used as a vtr produced one frame that stuck for about a second. This only happened once but this is the first time I have seen a stuck frame like that come out of one of these. The hd100 used as a vtr was also the one that captured the first corrupted footage. The rest of the footage looked great, so I can't exactly say that there is something wrong with the camera. I used the sony premium tapes and using the same settings(hdv24p).

I am now certain that this is a tape problem.

I just don't think they make tape perfect enough for the hd100!

Hmmm... I taped about 15 minutes last night, I did have one minor glitch (though I was fiddling around with the settings, maybe that did it). Then I taped about 2 minutes with no problem.

I'll call JVC and try and at least describe the problem. I'd be very happy if it was just a tape issue.

Well I'm now very anxious to get my upgraded cameras back and see if I can help shed any more light onto this problem. For the time being though - my current box of tapes is labelled 'M2 - WHD02 61' My first box is long gone but was probably from the same batch (they were all purchased together).

OK, the real problem here is I'm just not very bright?

But I called the JVC professional help line (technical, not mental) and hit the option for getting service with a product. I got a menu to find a service center in my area. Nearest one was in New Jersey, so I called them and was told to call the professional line.

When I call the 800-JVC-JVC5 number, what number do I gotta push just to talk to someone??

Good question. I called, waited, got the JVC Proline number, called, waited some more. The same guy answered the phone, and still had no answer. Not the best support help, but I've dealt with worse.

Well, I was able to get to someone, but they said they didn't recognize the symptoms as a known problem. He did suggest trying yet another tape, and see if I could reproduce the problem.

I have some other JVC ProHD tapes.... I also have Panasonic Master Quality tapes around. I might try both (though dare I mix tape brands?)

I think you can mix tape brands as long as you clean the heads before switching. Don't take my word for it because I have never done it before but I have read alot of threads that recommend cleaning the heads before any tape brand switching. Seems to make sence becuase different tape brands use different lubes.

I am going to use two types of tape for a wedding I have this weekend and I will post how it went. I am going to use a sony tape on one hd100 and a prohd tape on the other hd100.

You know, of course, if you use any tape other than the recommended JVC tape, that is what they'll blame it on.

You know, of course, if you use any tape other than the recommended JVC tape, that is what they'll blame it on.
I guess that is expected. I would happily pay $10 for tape if I knew it would yield perfect footage. I bought 5 of the jvcpro tapes and I can't wait to use them this weekend.

If everyone is having problems with the jvcpro tapes, then something needs to be done to correct this problem. I almost wonder if the heads that are writing the info are too sensitive. Like I said before, most of my xp is with canons and they never had this problem - ever. This is totally new to me. I have always looked at tape as a very reliable recording medium.

I have 10 of them, and almost afraid to run another one. Since they think I have bad CCDs, it really doesn't make sense to waste a fresh tape.

Tried another JVC proHD tape and a Panasonic tape. Both have the same problem, in fact, the Panasonic tape had the red frame...

I've attached two captured frames. bad1 is a good frame, then bad2, as you see is just bright red, and it lasts for 6 frames.

That is what happens to me, only mine lasts 9 frames. I was told it was an issue with the CCDs, and they're sending out a fresh cam.

Wow, I wonder if I have the red problem. I have not seen any pure red frames but I was looking threw some footage and found a single frame with a line of red going threw the bottom. I looked everywhere and checked other projects for this red line but couldn't find anything. Hopefully, this was a rare incident.

All,


JVC is anxious to help any customer with their technical issues. In order to help, we often need to talk to you by phone. Since many of you do your work out in the field, (as do I and my colleagues) and do not keep regular office hours, it is often challenging to get you in touch with the right people who can help you with a solution. Please keep these points in mind that will help facilitate help for your issue:

1. Contacting your reseller for support should be your first step. Often, the reseller can provide an answer, or can contact their JVC Pro Rep who can then assist you directly, or put you in toucg with the Regional Sales Engineer for your area.

2. The Pro Customer Care Center Tech support phone number is 1-800-582-5825. This line is manned from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Time. For those of you in other time zones please do the appropriate conversion. And yes, some times it might not be answered as quickly during a heavy call period, or during lunchtime. Overall, our phone log tracking system shows that most calls are answered in just a few minutes.

3. If your issue is not resolved with the above call, then send me a private e-mail from this forum, with your full name, address, daytime phone number and times that you can be called, e-mail address, description of problem, and serial number. I will route your info to someone in support or engineering that can contact you to assist.

The key point here is that if you have an issue, please take the steps needed to get your reseller and possibly JVC involved in finding a solution. Sometimes, it's necessary to take a step beyond just posting the problem on a forum.

Regards, Carl

P.S. The above phone number and e-mail instructions apply only to U.S. customers.