Canon XL2 recording pixilated, jumpy, and audio jerks in and out. Any suggestions?

[Geotis Alston]

Hello Everyone...

Here's my problem. My Canon XL2 has started giving my problems about a month ago that has left it unreliable to use.

It seems to have trouble recording things. When I play back a tape that I recorded using the XL2, the image is jerky, blocky, the audio jets in and out; almost as though you're trying to watch a show on satellite TV during a sever thunderstorm.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. This is a video I shot early today.
Canon XL2 Test 01.avi - YouTube


Here's what I've tried so far:

Tried multiple fire wire cables. Still plays poorly.

Tried multiple computers. Still plays poorly.

Tried playing the tape on another camcorder. Still plays poorly.

Tried playing a tape I recorded on before the problem started. Plays the tape just fine.

Play the tape just on the camera while listening through head phones. Still plays poorly.

Reset the internal battery. Still plays poorly.

Cleaned the tape deck with a tape deck cleaning tape, Still plays poorly afterwards.

So, from what I've gathered, it's not the fire wire, it's not the DV tape, and it's not the computer. There's no indication during the recording process at indicates a problem. It seems as though there's a problem with the camera encoding the image onto the tape. If that's the case, then I have no clue how to fix it.

I've attempted to see if there is a firmware update on Canon's sight. Not only is there not a firmware update, I can't find any firmware for the XL2 anywhere online.

Right now, I'm at my wits end. This is my last ditch effort before I start looking for a repair shop.

If you have any idea, please help.

Thanking you in advance,

Geotis

[Chris Soucy]

Hmm, well, if running a cleaning tape a couple more times doesn't cure it, and that seems quite likely, the next step is your closest Canon service centre.

As there's no indication on your post as to where you're based, the best I can do is "Planet Earth"!

Sorry I can't be more help.


CS

[Ian Dart]

hi geotis,

you need to have the heads replaced, drop it in to canon and get them replaced.
my original xl1 went through three sets over the time i had it,
i usually got about two years between head changes.
cheers

[Geotis Alston]

Sorry Chris. I'm located in Gulfport, Mississippi, US of A. How should go about finding the best Canon repair location, and how much to you think everything's going to total?

[Chris Soucy]

If I have managed to post the right link:

Canon U.S.A. : Factory Service Center Locations


You should be able to find everything you need there, including a job cost estimate.


CS

[Don Palomaki]

Is this issue with one specific tape, or with many different new tapes?

Have you tried to record on a problem tape in another known good camcorder, recordign over a problem area? (There have been bad batches of tape sold inthe past.) What kind of tape (brand and gradel)?

Are the problems persistent through out the tape, or only at fixed spots on the tape taht do not change position from one playing to the next?

If it was a tape head problem I would expect it to be an issue when playing with previously recorded tapes as well. (Playback tends to be more critical of head wear and other issues than recording.)

If you do send the camcorder to Canon, it helps to include a tape that demonstrats the problem.

[Sherman Bahr]

It doesn't look like a tape problem. We've had a few issues with the VCR mechanism of that camcorder. The mechanism is reliable but over time needs servicing. Here is a video talking about this:

Canon XL2 Repair, Picture Timecode Problems Audio Dropout - YouTube