Trouble with my GYHD-100UA
 

I have had my camera for almost 3 months and since I have owned it I have had numerous problems. I am wondering if I should send it back due to the fact that it might be defective. Please I would love to hear input from other owners to see if they experiance the same problems I do. First off I love the picture this camera produces, but I have been experiancing issues I have never experianced with my previous camera which was a Sony. I have experianced drop out in just about every tape I have used all some brand and top quality tape Sony Digital Master the same tape Andrew Young used in his madagascare footage. That being said, I just shot a some footage in Yosemite National Park and not only did I have some dropouts in only 20 minutes of footage, but I also experianced disruption between 35 percent of the video in my shots and then thiers the audio in almost every scene say about 80 percent, when I shoot a scene and start the next scene the audio takes about 1 second to show up with the scene I am shooting I very seldom get a smooth transition of video and especially audio in the scenes I shoot. What up with this, is this camera defective or what? Is anyone else having this kind of trouble? The pictures are awsome but this other stuff I have never experianced with any other camera I have owned and let me say before any of the feed back starts to come in, I have run a tape cleaner through my camera same brand Sony and I still get the same problems. I have even previewed each scene before the next to see if that would help, it dosen't. I love the pictures this camera produces and I don't want to send it back, but this can't be the norm for this camera so if anyone can help or give me some advise before I make a discission on what to due I would greatly appriciate it. Thanks in advance Gary Williams Vision Quest Productions

Have you tried different tape stock?

Only sony tape and I would think that if Andrew Young can film 200 hrs of footage on the same tape that I am using and only have one dropout, then there has got to be something wrong with my camera wouldn't you think?

Hi Gary,

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Are you saying there is no audio for the first second of many takes? It would also be great if you could describe what you mean when you say the transition is not smooth. In any case, it sounds to me like you should contact JVC.

Hi! Andrew, what I mean is when I shoot a scene and later shoot another one I turn the camera on set my settings for the scene put the camera in standby and shoot when ready. What I get is a scene that starts with noticeable audio missing just for a second or so then its fine, the audio is not immediate with the picture. I also get glitches between allot of the screen like lines of missing information accross the scene or an interuption in the picture usually at the start of a new scene, but have also seen it happen at the middle of a scene in addition to what I would call abnormal dropout blocks of missing information.

I have never had this kind of problem on any camera I have used in the past audio and video between clips were always together or matching, but not with this camera between my clips their are usually problems. I have also heard that if you fast forward a new tape and then rewind it that it may help but I never did that with any of my other cameras and sure I got drop outs once in a great while, but with this camera these things happen quite often. You didn't experiance any of this on your shoots did you?

Hi Gary,

I believe that what you are describing is the slight break in audio due to the GOP structure of the HDV recording. I think (and people, correct me if I am wrong) that it is quite normal and it happens because the stop happens in the middle of the GOP. I have it quite frequently too, it's a short delay in audio catching up to video. Not really a big deal because it's usually shorter than a second.

As for general dropouts, I am still watching it but I am experiencing more that I have ever had with other cameras. I also used to use SONY tapes exclusively but with this camera I started using the AMQ Panasonic tapes and there are still dropouts on every tape.

Service instructions
 

Hi Gary & Jim,

We highly recommend that the GY-HD100UA be used with the tape that was designed for it, the JVC MDV63PROHD tape. I have many customers using this tape with very reliable and high quality results. There are those who have had good results with other tapes as well, and there are those who have not. If you do change tape types, the camera should be cleaned well before starting with the new one. The JVC Pro HDV tapes, by the way, cost a good bit less than the Sony HDV tapes.

I recommend that you send your camera into JVC Pro service for evaluation/cleaning, and repair if needed. There may be some tape residue that's partially clogging a head. Or, maybe an alignment adjustment is needed. There are several things the techs will check.

Also: Very Important - Please send a sample tape with your camera, with note telling by time code, where some of the problems are. It's very important that our techs be able to see the problem as you are seeing it.

This link will show you the locations for the factory service centers. Choose the one for your area.

http://pro.jvc.com/prof/support/index.jsp

On this page, be sure to click on the link for the "Factory Service Request Form" and complete this form and send it in with your unit, along with your bill of sale.

Regards, Carl

I use Panasonic tapes for SD and the JVC tapes for HDV and had no problems.
I did noticed serous drop out when I played it back on my dvd player. That problem was solved by purchasing a new dvd player. Are you burning clips on a dvd to view on a TV?

Thanks Carl I will take your advise and yes I have cleaned the heads and still the same problem not only with the picture but with the sound to. I know JVC would like everyone to use their tapes, but I only have about 3hr on this camera should not have needed to clean it yet. I did not mix tape brand either I use one brand and thats it. I know of several people using Sony tape with this camera even on this forum that get great results. If the camera is functioning properly it should not matter what tape I use as long as I stay with the same tape stock. Andrew Young or anyone else for that matter I would like to know if any of the problems I have experianced have been experianced by anyone else. If so did you solve the problem and how if not then I will assume it is a problem with my camera soley and send it in to get it fixed. Thanks again Carl for you input.

Sorry I hit the save twice.

Ok! if thats the case with the audio and yes it probably is less then a second, but still noticeable than I am OK with that I can always adjust or fix that in post, but I cant fix drop outs or disruptions in recording in the middle of a clip. So this may need to be fixed on my camera I dont think the kind of tape you use should matter as long as you stay with the same tape stock. I know that people have experianced tape problems with just about every tape out their even JVC Pro tape. The question remains is it once in a great while which I can live with or is it 5 or 6 times on one tape?

No I am viewing my footage right out of the camera on a High Def LCD

I have 3 HD-100s and have experienced dropouts with almost every tape I have shot with all three. Sometimes 1 or 2 and sometimes more than 20 per tape. I have only ever used JVCs pro HDV tapestock and clean the heads religiously... then again, have had the same thing with my DV500 (using exclusively Panasonic pro tapestock) for 6 years.

Definitely more noticeable than back in my analog Betacam/Sony metal tape days... thought maybe more frequent hits might be due in part to the compression schemes used in DV & HDV. Never been happy about it but figured it came with the territory & have gotten used to getting multiples takes of anything crucial.

Hi Dave,

This is not normal. Have you had the cameras checked out by a JVC Factory service facility? (Not a dealer service shop)

Not yet Carl - but I am about to send all of them in for the "A" version upgrade and will be including detailed notes about this and SSE issues I've been having with all 3 as well. Thanks.

Andrew Young used the same tape I use when filming madagascar if I remember right he told me that he only had a few dropouts out of 200 hours of footage I am sure he will correct me if I am wrong but I think thats what he said. In my case its not just dropouts I also get disruption in the picture some times in the middle of the scene, lines and multiple blocks of information missing on the screen. I am getting ready to send my camera back their must be a problem. Today I ran the tape forward to the end, then rewound it. In 12 minutes of footage I had picture disruption 3 times. I am sending this tape in with my camera. Thats a far cry from the kind of results that I have heard about from other people on this forum like Jonathan, Andrew Young ect... I love this camera and I just want it to work right. I shoot nature videos and I cant afford to come back from a 15-20 mile trip to find out a good percentage of my shots are messed up.

Well I just sent my GYHD-100UA to JVC per Carl Hicks, one of the people at the JVC service center said that they think my problem might be a sensor. I will keep everyone updated as to the progress of my camera.

Is the warranty for this camera just one year? Man, this camera seems to be plagued by sooooooo many issues. Cracking viewfinders, battery promos that don't materialize, split screen, dropouts, synch issues, software problems, superfluous PCM audio. How will our cameras perform when they're over a year old? will they even turn on? Will they start melting?

I really love this camera but I must admit these are things I have thought about too. The camera's I have owned in the past have been virtualy problem free. The step to go with JVC, who I have never bought from in the past was because of forums like this and JVC's commitment to customer service which so far seems to be above average.The promo problems they have had, IDX ect.. have for the most part been second party and the internal problem sse ect.. have been addressed and delt with, so with that said I just hope I did not buy a camera that will be plaged with problems and hopefuly if it dose have problems JVC will find fixe's and offer them to their customers at no charge! I trusted them against all odds with my money I waited almost a year to make this decision and so far I think JVC has done everything they have claimed they wanted to due to build a good customer base and have a #1 Camera. Now lets just hope they dont drop the ball and continue to put their customers first and what I mean by that is they continue to do what they say. When your camera dose have a problem it get's fixed when it gose in. As they continue to improve this camera they offer the upgrades at no charge to their customers. I trusted them in the purchase of new technology as have many and as long as their attitude stays the same I will not think my trust has been misplaced and will continue to purchase products from them in the future. JVC has the opportunity to due what no other company in their competition has done in the past stay complete'ly loyal to their customers and continue to listen to their wants and needs, continue to do this JVC and your on the path to greatness. Start to drift away and your customers will leave you as quick as they came.

Update on status of my HD-100
 

Friday June 2 got a call from JVC saying that they did a test on the Sony tape I sent them with my camera that showed the drop out on it and the lines of disruption in picture, they said that the tape was not a good tape. My response was really, than why am I experiancing the problem on every tape I have used which have been purchased from several different sources. I told the JVC rep I was talking to that I would send them several more tapes purhcased by different companies all with the same problem he said no thats OK, then he said we will try to video some pictures on a JVC tape, I said no I don't think it would be wise to do that as I have only had sony tape in my camera and putting a diferent tape brand in it would probably not be a good Idea, I said I would send him a new Sony tape if he liked and he could use it, he said no thats ok but is it ok if we tape over the footage on the tape we already have, I said sure but puzzeled of course as to why they would want to tape over a tape they said was defective? The conversation ended with we will redue the A version update and shoot some more video with the camera to see if we can find out what the problem is. I sure hope they don't send me back a camera with the same problems it had when I sent it in. I will keep every one updated as things progress lets hope JVC gets this problem fixed or gives me a new camera.