Taking a poll on a dropout problem at DVinfo.net

David Morgan · March 21st, 2009, 12:53 PM

Listen to the dropouts on this short clip. The second one has a chirp associated with it.

PLAY IT LOUD AND CHIRP ALONG.

trying to determine if it's indeed a tape issue. This kind of stuff is killer. I've experienced this with different cameras and when using expensive tape stock.
I made a firewire recording to a DVD-R recorder at the same time and the dropouts are not present.
Sony PD-170 camera

Chirp video by dcvideo - Photobucket

John Miller · March 21st, 2009, 02:27 PM

So you mean that the FireWire to DVD-R is OK but FireWire to your computer isn't? If that's the case then the problem lies with your computer.

I don't hear chirps - just momentary silence. It's hard to tell from the .flv file (it can't be scrubbed) but the video seems to stop/stutter momentarily at the same points. i.e., it looks like dropped frames. Check the continuity of the timecode and scrub the original file in your NLE to see if you have duplicated frames.

If the problem is persistent, I'd look for interfering software, hardware conflicts with your FireWire card or harddrive issues (lack of space, fragmentation, sharing the FireWire inferface etc).

David Morgan · March 21st, 2009, 02:43 PM

Here, try this "can of worms"?
You might have a point here that I didn't consider. Force of habit and for years now, I don't use my camera as the playback deck since I have a Sony DSR-25 deck which is built for the job. I capture via firewire from the deck to Final Cut Pro.

I was referring to a parallel recording that I made while taping. I use the camera firewire out to a firewire equipped DVD recorder. That recording was clean, no dropouts. So I know that the mic to the takeoff point in the camera is OK.

David Morgan · March 21st, 2009, 03:01 PM

John,
Looking at my captured footage (before editing) in the viewer, there's 1 frame of audio missing where a pop is. Somehow, I'm not seeing this when I zoom in to frame level when looking at the timeline footage (even though the dropout is audible). This warrants further investigation. i'll post back.
thx for the help
dm

March 21st, 2009, 12:53 PM	#1
David Morgan Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burbank CA Posts: 466	Taking a poll on a dropout problem Listen to the dropouts on this short clip. The second one has a chirp associated with it. PLAY IT LOUD AND CHIRP ALONG. trying to determine if it's indeed a tape issue. This kind of stuff is killer. I've experienced this with different cameras and when using expensive tape stock. I made a firewire recording to a DVD-R recorder at the same time and the dropouts are not present. Sony PD-170 camera Chirp video by dcvideo - Photobucket

March 21st, 2009, 02:27 PM	#2
John Miller Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hillsborough, NC, USA Posts: 968	So you mean that the FireWire to DVD-R is OK but FireWire to your computer isn't? If that's the case then the problem lies with your computer. I don't hear chirps - just momentary silence. It's hard to tell from the .flv file (it can't be scrubbed) but the video seems to stop/stutter momentarily at the same points. i.e., it looks like dropped frames. Check the continuity of the timecode and scrub the original file in your NLE to see if you have duplicated frames. If the problem is persistent, I'd look for interfering software, hardware conflicts with your FireWire card or harddrive issues (lack of space, fragmentation, sharing the FireWire inferface etc).

March 21st, 2009, 02:43 PM	#3
David Morgan Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burbank CA Posts: 466	Here, try this "can of worms"? You might have a point here that I didn't consider. Force of habit and for years now, I don't use my camera as the playback deck since I have a Sony DSR-25 deck which is built for the job. I capture via firewire from the deck to Final Cut Pro. I was referring to a parallel recording that I made while taping. I use the camera firewire out to a firewire equipped DVD recorder. That recording was clean, no dropouts. So I know that the mic to the takeoff point in the camera is OK.

March 21st, 2009, 03:01 PM	#4
David Morgan Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Burbank CA Posts: 466	John, Looking at my captured footage (before editing) in the viewer, there's 1 frame of audio missing where a pop is. Somehow, I'm not seeing this when I zoom in to frame level when looking at the timeline footage (even though the dropout is audible). This warrants further investigation. i'll post back. thx for the help dm