JVC knows about the problem and will have a fix soon.
 

Hi All,

Good news!
I just received an email back from my JVC dealer.
They are aware of the problem and know how to solve it now.
It will require a firmware upgrade and a hardware modification kit.
It will be available soon. The Belgian service department expects to receive this kit any week now.

Marc

That's great news Marc.

Thanks Marc,

I'm going to take my unit in on Monday anyhow see if I can get some additional info but it doesn't sound like I'm going to get a complete fix. I might ask them to take a quick look at your post and see what there response is.

Greg.

P.S. Tim I've still got that firestore file you wanted. I e-mailed you a while back but maybe you never got it? Unfortunately I had to send the unit back as it was splitting files so they are taking a look at it. However, I still have the file I did for you which should still serve the purpose you wanted it for. If you read this maybe you could let me know either way? Cheers Greg.

So Far... So Good...
 

I opened the my shiny new GY-HD100U yesterday...
Shot 20 minutes worth of test footage last night...

The SSE was no problem at all.
The lens CA was no problem at all.

What really got me was when I lost all but the first 3 minutes of my footage due to the now infamous "Mode Changing" / Blue Screen of Death.

I ran a head cleaner, changed tape brands, Panasonic DV Master, then I tried a straight Panasonic Mini DV, then switched to TDK Mini DV...same problem occurred on all tapes. After tinkering with virtually no luck with the settings, I can safely say that I am now the proud owner of a $5,200.00 door stop.

In the end if it is a JVC firmware upgrade that is required or not, I don't know, and at this point I don't care. The camera will be on the first flight back to B&H Monday...

Good luck!

Are you saying that the problem happened on all those tapes? Did the camera record ANYTHING beyond the 3 minutes on the first tape? Did the same problem happen on all tapes (like a few minutes are there, the rest is gone?). I believe that it would be helpful to know more details of your case. I am not saying that you shouldn't send it back - go ahead, send it! But for the rest of us and hopefully JVC (I hope you are listening?) it could be of help... And BTW, are you getting another unit or a different camera altogether?

Marc Colemont
 

Hi Marc,

I'm taking my camera back tomorrow for them to have a look at this issue. Do you have any idea what exactly that hardware modification is? I would love to know as maybe I could prompt the technician in that direction. As it stands they said it would just be a firmware upgrade.

Thanks, Greg

Great Disspointment...
 

THE MAIN PROBLEM:
---------------------------------------------------
To all appearances, the camera will record...the small amount of viewable footage looks beautiful in the VF, LCD, and my 42 inch 1080 Plasma... the problem comes with playback, the camera cannot decode what has been put to tape, the images if I am lucky will be captured for the first 1-3 minutes. Anything after that is completely useless and triggers the "Mode Changing" / Blue Screen. The time code remains accurate and keeps running even though there is no recorded footage.

TAPES USED:
---------------------------------------------------
PANASONIC Mini DV - I managed less than 1 minute. Anything after that would never even play back. I would see a frozen blurred image that looked so bad it reminded me of a bad still photo, shot in low light, from a old camera phone. The camera acted almost like the image was stuck in place. Other times I would get footage, terribly pixilated and visible coding constantly disrupting the footage.

PANASONIC DV MASTER - This didn't work much better than the regular DV tape. I managed maybe two minutes of footage.

TDK Mini DV - This tape worked well up until the 3 minute mark and then I would get trapped with the blue screen & "Mode Changing"

JVC Mini DV - No luck either. Same problems.

HEAD CLEANERS USED:
---------------------------------------------------
I tried a SONY head cleaner and a PANASONIC head cleaner...they made no difference.

SETTINGS:
---------------------------------------------------
HDV 24p - Output 1080i - Worked the most frequently...but failed.
HDV 24p - Output 720p - Never worked, would trigger the problem immediately.
HVD 25p - Output 720p (also: NATIVE) - Worked for around 2 minutes.
HDV 30p - Output 720p - Never worked, same problems.

All the same problems occurred with the SD footage as well, but not as frequently.

FINAL THOUGHTS (As I box my JVC for shipping):
---------------------------------------------------
This is NOT a tape brand/quality issue or an issue with clogged heads as some have already posted. This is a problem with the internal firmware and software system and how the camera interprets the MPEG compression and coding put out to tape, as well as the internal switching between resolution, format and frame rate.

Based on my experience this weekend and what I have read on this board, JVC is sending a large percentage of units into the market that really have no business on the streets yet. I'm sorry but at five grand, this is completely unacceptable. I would urge all of you to demand that JVC issue a recall of model GY-HD100U and overhaul the system. After extensive real world R&D, JVC should re launch the "new and improved" camera, and give you guys (and girls) the first new models! They owe you that for your loyalty.

I on the other hand will not be exchanging or purchasing another JVC.

I'm going to get a $5,200 credit from B&H on Monday, then I'm going to weep as I shell out another $3,800 above that and buy the Canon XL-H1. After surfing that message board and seeing all the happy users, it makes me glad to know that someone got it right the first time. I own an XL1 that has never failed since I bought it new in 1999... so going back to a new Canon HD with all the inherent quirks of the XL series won't be much of a challenge. I suspect I should have just done that in the first place. I'll be posting my clips, stills and feedback over on the XL-H1 user board in the coming weeks.

Before some of you inevitably cry: "He's a Canon guy!" I also shoot with the following cameras regularly:

* Panasonic: DVX100, DVC Pro, and P2:HVX200
* Sony: VX series, FX1, Z
* Canon: XL1, XL2, GL2

Seriously, all of you who have the JVC, if your camera works and you're happy, consider yourself lucky and enjoy it. All I see is what could have been a great camera, that turned into a great dissapointment. I wish you all the best and hope your cameras operate better (and longer) than mine did. I look forward to seeing the results of your effort. Happy shooting!

My first reaction to this is that I would never put 3 different brands of tape in my machine and switch between them repeatedly. Just doing that once with two tapes, in my experience, has always been asking for trouble.

Greg,
No they didn't tell me what the kit would be.

Wade,
The camera is a great tool. Only a few of us have this problem, and a fix is coming soon. If your camera does it constantly, then you need it to be replaced immediaty yes.

In the weekend at a job I seemed to triggered it by putting the camera on and wait until the tape mechanism went to stand-by. My first shot when I pressed REC was Mode changing... monster when I looked back. I constantly checked my footage with the RET button. So I turned off and on the camera, recorded a piece and it was fine again.

Tapes
 

Nate: Normally I would agree, but at that point I was looking for ANY possible solution. The good, the bad, and the crazy...

No SSE, no mode change
 

Hi.

I don't mean to rub this in the face of all the people having these problems. Just wanted to say that there are cameras out there that don't manifest this problem. I never had any SSE on my model and initially I even switched mode while using the same tape and record at 30p or 24p without thinking that that was an issue. I captured the footage using HDVxDV and it was OK.
Now, I would post my firmware settings if anybody who knows how to get the to the advanced menu emails me the button sequence.
I'm a software engineer so I know to not mess around with this stuff.
I'l post my configuration as soon as I get the instructions.

Good luck to everybody.

--
Paolo

Right. My hunch is that you had the expected "dirty head" shakeout with your new camera, and then made it worse by trying 3 different tape stocks afterwards. I've only gotten the mode changing problem twice: Once when I switched back and forth between two modes on tape within a minute or two (the camera can't switch fast enough and that causes problems), or...another circumstance in which I was losing blocks in the picture already which indicated a high tape error rate (which is usually a head clog problem). The latter happened on my second day with the camera.

Try one more thing for me before you send back...

1-Run the head cleaner for the prescribed time

2-Choose your favorite brand of tape. Play it back (even if it's blank) in the camera for 5-10 minutes

3-Run head cleaner again

3-Play some more on same tape as above.

4-Switch tape to another, but same brand/type. Try recording.

The idea here is to get the head clear of any other lubricant and/or particles. My hunch is that after trying this, you'll see the problem get better or clear up completely. If it merely gets better, repeat the cycle and see if it improves more. I'm thinking it will.

Of course, your heads could just be misaligned and be causing a high error rate also...in which case sending back is the only solution.

I've been away since last week shooting some commercials with a loaner HD-100. (looks awesome BTW) Tomorrow I'll be shipping my camera to JVC for the upgrade to fix the "mode changing" issue. They assured me it would be a three to four day turn around. Once I get the updated/repaired camera back I'll post firmware versions etc. On a positive note the footage from the commercial shoot turned out incredible. The client was blown away. I'll post some footage on a seperate thread. Bottom line is I'm very happy with this camera.... well once this "mode changing" issue is fixed.

???
 

I know this is turning into a kind of tape issue thing but to be honest I really think its something to do with the hardware software config. Just the fact that there is no set pattern seems to suggest its something that the camera is doing incorrectly. I agree tape stock change is an issue but I have a funny feeling this is not the cause of the 'mode changing'. Furthermoree myself and others have used only JVC prohd tapes and we still have these problems. I imagine it IS fixable though and it's just a case of JVC getting there heads round it and finding a solution.

Greg

interesting
 

Tomorrow I'll be shipping my camera to JVC for the upgrade to fix the "mode changing" issue. They assured me it would be a three to four day turn around. Once I get the updated/repaired camera back I'll post firmware versions etc.

Hi Council,

What exactly did JVC say they were going to do to your camera mate? I'd love to know as I could relay this to the british end.

Thanks Greg

P.S. Hate to sound like the pompous Brit but is 'Council' your christain name it's just I've never come across it before. Also. look forward to seeing some of your shoot footage. G

Nate, I am sorry but I disagree with you on this. Changing tape is sometimes what happens in the real world. I agree in principle that it's not a good idea, particularly the switch between 'wet' and 'dry' lubricants but from what I am reading, Wade only used tapes with 'dry' lubrications and that should not have triggered such a disasterous response. It looks like his cam is a real lemon while the issue is real for quite a few of us and HAS to be addresse by JVC.

Hi Council,

What exactly did JVC say they were going to do to your camera mate? I'd love to know as I could relay this to the british end.
Greg,
I was told it is a software issue that developed when they were trying to address the SSE. When I learn more I'll share. I hope thats all it is and we can get this fixed and move on to making great pictures. The camera really is awesome.
I'm pretty positive that his is not a tape brand issue. I only used one brand of tape(JVC ProHD) and it happened within the first 10min. I cleaned the heads and it worked for maybe another twenty. When it happened the second time, it never came back. I lost a all the footage from my production the next day. Thats when I started to freak out.

P.S. Hate to sound like the pompous Brit but is 'Council' your christain name it's just I've never come across it before. Also. look forward to seeing some of your shoot footage. G

Council is a family name... yes its rare as a first name. Usually hear it as a last. However in my family its used several times as a first.

Amazing Loyalty
 

You guys are all very loyal, I'll give you that.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but my ranking here may say "New boot" but I've been shooting film and video here in sunny Arizona for nearly 15 years. Do you really think I didn't run the head cleaner?

In fact that was the first thing I did when the problem started, as a matter of fact I ran it Friday night and again mid afternoon on Saturday when the problem continued... Also all tapes I used were "dry" tape stock, so clogged heads really shouldn't even be an issue.

While I agree that changing tape brands frequently isn't a great idea, in the real world, especially News ENG it does tend to happen from time to time, but it has never been an issue with my XL1 or XL2 which have run every brand of tape flawlessly, for that matter so has my beat up little Panasonic...which is the most heavily abused camera I have ever touched.

I don't want this to degenerate into some lame "Ford vs. Chevy" or "PC vs. Mac" debate, but what I don't understand is the continuing and unwavering support for an obviously flawed piece of equipment. Based on the stuff posted here and elsewhere the JVC cameras that are working correctly seem to be the minority and not the other way around.

Doesn't it bother you guys that you are spending more time on the phone with a JVC rep trying to solve your latest problem with the unit instead of being out in the field shooting with it? Doesn't it bother you that you will have to send your camera to JVC for 3-4 days to get an upgrade to fix a problem that should have been addressed before the unit ever shipped? By the way since it's a "known issue" are they paying the shipping costs?

The simple truth where I come from is either it works or it doesn't...and if it doesn't you either fix it ASAP or replace it with something that will do the job right.

The problem began the first time I turned the camera on and never stopped...period. The camera that I was shipped was simply a bad apple. I don't get paid enough, nor do I have enough free time to be an unsuspecting beta tester for JVC, I'm certainly not going to PAY THEM $5,200.00 to troubleshoot their equipment everytime something goes wrong.

All I know is that my JVC is going back and my shiny new XL-H1 should be on my doorstep Friday. If past experience with my other XL series cameras is any indication, I should have some beautiful footage in no time...with substantially less grief than this JVC has caused.

As before I wish you all good luck with your cameras, and Happy shooting!

Wade, we get all types in here. Most of the time we have to assume the worst when it comes to a posters experience level.

Sorry you had a bad experience with the cam. My post in particular came from my belief that the issue stems from two issues...one, firmware not being too quick on the draw for real mode changes on tape, and two, high error rates on tape. High error rates, as you probably already know, usually come from clogged heads of some sort.

My theory would go that once the error rate jumps too high, the firmware starts over trying to figure out what mode is on tape...when it should do something like assume the mode hasn't changed, and try to suss out the bitstream based on the last known stream type that it worked with.

Regardless, it's just a theory, and means nothing. Good luck with the Canon. It's a great camera...

so far
 

okay,

well JVC said they would turn it around in a day and it's actually going to take a day and a half. What is more interesting however is that there is only a firmware update and some realiigning no hardware upgrade as Marc mentioned so we shall have to wait and see. I took in an example tape to show them and they assure me that this firmware upgrade will fix the problem. for some reason I'm a little sceptical I hope it is unjustified. I still think this cameras great even with the little bugs. I wish JVC could just iron out these little niggles then this camera in my opinion is the best all rounder currently on the market, fingers crossed.

Greg

...hmm, you mean MAJOR bugs...right? :-)

I so agree with you, man... Let's hope!

To Blue or not to Blue
 

I dont know if I am experimenting the same issues as you guys but one of my DOP came back with 3 tapes TOTALLY BLUE, we could hear audio from time to time but no images whatsoever. That guy been shooting with the GY since November and never experienced a problem like that. Except for the pesky timecode breaks all the time, but this is probably another thread.

PS: I am just starting to dig up for info with this matter.

Huzzahhhh..... :(

camera is back
 

I recieved my camera back from the JVC shop in NJ.
Last night I reassemble and did a few test. Everything seems to be working. No more blue screen/mode changing errors. When I sent the camera off I left the tape I had recorded the blue screen onto in the camera. I checked that tape last night and it had footage shot from the JVC workbench as they tested it out. So I know it was looked over and repaired. Just thought that was interesting and reassuring. I have a shoot this morning and I plan on giving it a go with the repaired HD100. Wish me luck.

Thanks, keep us posted. Can't wait to bring in my camera.

Mode
 

Well, I understand that there has been a substantial amount of response to this problem as well as pertinent feedback on this issue. I have experienced problems with this camera. Most recently, mode changing. My shot was static, in an indoor enviroment that had no consequential variables that could cause malfunction. The difference in my circumstance is that after the mode change and about a minute and a half of footage, the frame becomes pixelated and actually freezes at the last bit of captured footage. Literally there is nearly an hour of the same frame. I don't understand how a single image can be trapped in a compression cycle and repeated for that amount of time. It did this for two tapes, with the exception of five minutes of footage that it actually captured, they had compression errors as well.

One question for the people who have posted here, what kind of power source are you using? Are you using jvc batteries, are you ac direct, are you using idx or anton? If so are you maintaining a stable current through out your shoot? I ask this because with a problem that I had in the past, and issues that i've seen posted on this site as well as others. There have been issues with stablizing power on some third party power sources. I know that unstable current cause a multitude of problems.

The mode changing problem has nothing to do with the power source you are using.
Next Tuesday my camera goes to service. They say the next day I can pick it up again.

Camera back from update @ JVC
 

I've been testing the camera today after I got it back from JVC.
It had a firmware update, the hardware update kit and the CCD CPU's have been re-calibrated:
- Mode Changing problem GONE
- SSE GONE.

My firmware went from --> to:
SYS CPU C1590 V0202 --> V0301
CAM CPU C1591 V0202 --> V0203
VRT CPU C1594 V0114 --> V0116
ENC CPU C1187 V0105 --> V0107
*
PACKAGE C1615 V0201
FPGA2 C1595 V0201
FPGA3 C1596 V0101
FPGA4 C1597 V0104

As a new customer, JVC did take my issues serious from the beginning and fixed it promptly when they had the solution ready. JVC Belgium thanks for the support.

Great! Just great! My camera is going to JVC for the same thing today! Hope I'll get the same results!

POW! Just hit with the mode changing devilment
 

Just checked some location B-roll for a television pilot I was asked to shoot yesterday and yikes!

I hope the 4 minutes of footage I managed to get has what they want. I'm really lucky this didn't happen to the 2 hours of footage I took at a big corporate event last week.

I was really hoping that the JVC flaky firmware was a thing of the past. I have had several JVC items that had some sort of strange firmware problem over the past 20 years. I also have had some JVC equipment that performed flawlessly. At least this time they are trying to confront the problem.

Off this goes to JVC on Monday.

no footage blue screen
 

man am i glad im using the DRHD 100. I dont need these headaches in the middle of production :)

You said it Tim - It's happened to me now, and it frustrating as hell - but this is (hopefully) a nice way to approach the problem. For now.

john

evilgeniusentertainment.com

Here's the thing - I've this problem and I've barely shot an hour's worth of footage to tape - And I should use head cleaner twice already? Everything I know about using head cleaners told me that they were a thing to be used in moderation. I wouldn't want to be using a $20 3 use head cleaner after every 60 minutes of use.

Heads misaligned? I sure hope not - this tech had been around now for years now, but there are still many reported problems. No, I'm sure firmware is the bugg-a-boo here. As to why, well I'm, just a customer who is not all that happy w/ this problem right now.

john

evilgeniusentertainment.com

Just to confirm, John; you have the "A" upgrade, right? If yes, please, let us know what JVC says about this.

Pre "A" version
 

Jiri -

No, I recieved my camera from EVS shortly before the 'A' upgrade was announced.

Up until recently, I had zero problems with the camera, so I figured if it broke don't fix it.

Now it appears I should send it in - but, call me paranoid, it's not something I look forward to doing.

But, no panic in Detroit yet. Still have great hope for this camera.

john
evilgeniusentertainment.com

return camera
 

John,
The same thing happened to me. JVC is aware there is a batch of cameras with this problem. After the first time I got screwed by the blue screen of death i sent the camera off to JVC for repair (firmware upgrade to "A" version). It came back and worked on one shoot, then the very next day it happened again. I called my JVC contact and they replaced the camera with no hesitation. Now the camera I have works every time I pull the trigger. So I suggest you return the camera now and get the head ache over with, then get you new camera and start taking some awesome pictures. Again JVC was very helpful and they stood behind their product without question.

I wouldn't mind if one of our JVC guys here could shine some light on the problem. I had it and for any shooter it's very scary and unnerving. Hence, I would like to hear from someone in JVC whether the "A" upgrade specifically dealt with it and if not, what needs to happen to the camera to be reliable 100% (in regard to the "mode changing" issue).

I've seen the mode changing message on my camera with an initial blue screen for a few seconds while the camera detects what mode it's in but then it plays the footage back without issue. I've finally had the time to drive my camera over to JVC for the "A" upgrade so I'll report my findings when I get it back.

Much bigger problem than SSE
 

You said it Jiri - the SSE problem doesn't scare me anywhere near as much as this does. Went out to shoot a trailer for my upcomming movie this past weekend and BAM, a frozen frame recorded for several minutes, with apparently all the footage I shot up to that point gone.

I'm still not sure if it's really gone, or if the camera just can't 'see' it on the tape - but I'm pretty sure the footage is dead. This, of course, is far worse the SSE, because w/ that problem you could, with effort, color correct the two sides. Here, the footage is just gone.

This is a very upsetting development. As I mentioned above, I really don't want to have to ship out a brand new camera just so it will record to tape - you'd think that be the one thing the camera could do no matter what.

The cost, time, and fact that the problem might still remain are big, big negatives. I too would like a response about this problem - because, really, why send in camera if the "A" fix doesn't fix the problem?

Perhaps it does - but it does not indicate so on the JVC website.

I'm supposed to start shooting my film in 2 weeks. Do I risk shooting, or send it in? What a bummer, huh?

john
evilgeniusentertainment.com

Hi John and Jiri,

The blue screen issue is very intermittant, and only appears in some cameras. The "A" upgrade addresses this, so please don't hesitate to get your cameras upgraded.

As a precaution, you can use the "return video" button on the lens after each shot to verifiy that the video was recorded. You will then know right away if the video is there or not.

Regards, Carl