XL2 End Search?
 

Hello, I had a chance to try a XL2 recently and found that the End Search function worked differently than what I'm used to on an AG-DVX100A.

I may have been doing something wrong, but when I press End Search shouldn't the tape be taken to the last recorded seconds just before any blank space?

I liked being able to throw a tape in the Panasonic, pressing End Search, and having my tape cued to the next available blank space, ready for recording.

My first impressions with the XL2 tell me I have to fast forward now to find those blank spaces. Either that or stop rewinding my tapes for storage. Isn't it a good idea to always rewind tape after every shoot?

Thanks for any and all help! Unfortunately, I don't have access to an XL2 right now so I can't test again and was hoping someone could do so for me.

I just wanted to welcome you aboard DVInfo.net Charles! I can't
answer your question, but I'm sure someone else can.

Hi Charles,

There's a note about End Search on page 37 of the XL2 manual. It works the way you want it to, with one major exception: "End search cannot be used once you unload the cassette."

I've noticed this as well. You must manually find the end with the back-looping arrow button if you have removed the tape. Having found the end that way once you can resume shooting and the End Search button will then be working again until you remove the cassette again.

Guess many of us would have liked to have a true end search in Xl2. To overcome the missing feature and to make the end search as easy as possible, before stopping recording and turning off the camera, I always shoot about a 5 second tail to the tape. (In Xl1 I use to store a still photo.) Then if I unload the tape and load it back later on, there is some unimportant material in the end of the recording making it easier to find a new starting point with the arrows A.J. was talking about.

Thanks, Rob, I've been visiting this excellent board for quite some time and decided I should just register and see if I can't learn more by asking questions directly. I'm already learning a lot!

I saw that in the manual, Chris, but wasn't too sure. I think they mention something along the same lines for the AG-DVX100 yet for that camera the End Search worked despite tape changes. Thanks for the clarification.

I'll try the tips Lauri and A. J. suggested the next time I have access to an XL2.

Another option I was thinking of employing was inputing Index signals here and there - what do you think? I have to read more on this in the manual but it may be a quick way to get to the next recording point?

It's always a good practice to start recording a bit earlier (some
people leave the camera on to catch rehearsels as well when the
actors think the camera is off [with disabled tally lights]) and then
shout action and the same goes when stopping. Always good to
have a bit of room both in editing and for things like that, although
I try not to rewind my tape before it is full (or I'm done shooting)
to make sure I do not accidentally record over some of my
previous recorded footage.

That's true, I should remember to do that and make it a habit.

And I was wondering about rewinding a tape after a recording session - is it alright to store the tape like that until its reached the end before rewinding it? Because I remember seeing somewhere in the Panasonic AG-DVX100 manual that it was a good idea to rewind tapes before storing, but perhaps that was for long term storage. I'll have to check. Any thoughts on this?

I can't comment on that, but it is a good practice to a least wind
tapes a bit that have been on the shelf for a while/long time to
make sure the tape is properly tentioned, same goes for new
tapes ofcourse (who knows how long they have been on the
shelf in shops and thrown around and whatnot)!

I didn't do anything special, but when I put a tape back into the XL2, it automatically finds the end for me. It's worked atleast 100 times out of 100.

DBK

Wow! That's great news, Darren.

Darren, I suspected I could have been doing something wrong. What do you do to get yours to work? I'll have a chance to play with an XL2 later today or tomorow and I'll try again. Do you have to be in VCR mode? Something else?

Thanks for the help!

<<<-- Originally posted by Charles Saeger : Darren, I suspected I could have been doing something wrong. What do you do to get yours to work? I'll have a chance to play with an XL2 later today or tomorow and I'll try again. Do you have to be in VCR mode? Something else?

Thanks for the help! -->>>

I hate to telll you it did this out of the box. I have not set anything. I'm tied up on a deadline(like always) or I'd work it out.

Sorry

DBK

<<<-- Originally posted by Darren Kelly : I didn't do anything special, but when I put a tape back into the XL2, it automatically finds the end for me. It's worked atleast 100 times out of 100.
DBK -->>>

Sounds like too good to be true. Darren, you really mean if you prerecord the color bars to a tape (in order to make sure the tape has a continuous time code), then rewinded the tape back to the beginning, and the you unload and load the tape back, your Xl2 will wind the tape to the end?

Or could it be, you mean, when you unload a tape, and then later on you load it back (without doing anything to the tape meanwhile) you hear the Xl2 is winding and rewinding the tape fow a while? But, if that's what you mean, then your Xl2 is not searching the end.

You can easily check this, but writing down on a paper the last time code of your recording. Then unload the tape and load it back, and you'll find the Xl2 will not start the next recording from the end of the tape.

Mine doesn't work that way either. As far as I can tell, the end search function works better on the AG-DVX100.