NX5U Buffer Error w/ Camera & FMU128 | Solution for Firmware Update
 

I'll keep it short and to the point:

Good news - Sony has the updated firmware as of last week and it apparently fixes the buffer issues when recording to both SDHC/MemoryStick and the FMU128 unit.

Other news - You must complete a RMA form and send in your cameras to Sony in Teaneck, NJ. Call Sony support for complete details and the required form. You pay for the shipping to them, they pay it when going back to your location.

Turn-Around Time - Often quite fast, same week, 2-3 days in most cases - DEPENDING on in-flux of units to be fixed. It could easily go to a few weeks with this issue.

Questions - Call Sony or let me know!

I was hoping for a downloadable firmware update, but I guess so as to minimize users bricking their cameras, sending them in really does make the most sense I suppose. I do find it interesting how it's the camera and not the FMU128 unit.....hmm.

Yes, good news they've found a solution to the problem.But shipping the cam back to them is annoying.. And it seems like the fix is more than a simple firmware update. Otherwise it would be a lot easier and cheaper via downloadable update.

And what about the cameras that are in stores now? Will they be fixed?

Thanks so much for doing the leg work on this and keeping us informed Marshall.

As for Sony, that is one major slap in the face to make us PAY to ship these brand new faulty products back to them. That is unbelievable!

I won't vent like I'd like to here because this thread is good news and we appreciate your help Marshall.

Information hasn't got to Canada yet as the rep I talked to this afternoon told me they were still collecting information on the problem and would get back to me when there was any other news.

Ron Evans

Thank you for your information Marshall.
I agree, having us pay to ship back a brand new product that has been found to be faulty is a crime in my book. Happy about the solution, annoyed by the solution process.

I ordered a NX5U from B&H Friday and it shipped today. I'll post back here if the firmware was updated or not.

Joe

yup, sony canada has no clue at this point in time. the word i got from my rep at vistek was that "sony canada hasn't heard anything about new firmware". i'm sure they'll come around though...

between that and the lower rebate amount on the fmu you gotta wonder! :)

g

I would be absolutely shocked if you lucked out with that. Let me know when you receive the camera. Sony-US just got the firmware last week and from the time the cameras ship from Japan and get to the US, the time of that will be much earlier than receipt of the firmware...so my only guess is that it's got to be from the same initial batches.

You have to add in the cost of a full version of Vegas Pro 9 in Canada that I do not think is part of the US package. It actually may be a better deal. I hadn't upgraded to Pro 9 from Pro8 so it saved me a reasonable amount of money. More than the $100 difference in the rebate.

Ron Evans

I just spoke to Sony and was told that the fix would provide a solution to BOTH the Buffer Overflow and the "Error writing to external memory" that a couple of us have experienced.

i forgot about that, you're right! i totally need to sell that on ebay! :)

When will Sony make this announcement official?

I've called a Sony rep yesterday in Canada and they are saying this problem can only occur if you are not using at minimum a class 6 SDHC card. In other word, if you are using a class 4 or beyond this is the fault of the user not the camera.

Also, they only recommand to use brand known SDHC name card. A Panasonic, Sandis, Sony is OK, but a Patriot they've never heard (the Sony rep I've talked) of that brand. Therefore, you have more chance to have a problem. As anybody read this or saw the contrary? If the case, please let me know where it is documented, I will sure send this enformation to the Sony rep I've talked to. I've read the user manual (again) last night, an could not find anything mentioning brand and class type SDHC card to use with the NX5U camera.

What I am trying to say here, the message may not be the same for everybody, end even worsed, it sure is not the same in all the countries.

Then, where can we get an official note stating the problem (buffer overflow, data error...) has been recognized by Sony and that there is a fix for it. Along, with clear instructions on how to proceed for getting the camera fixed.

I've read on other site that people heard from the DVINFO site there was a fix. However, it is required to see something official.

Best regards!

I am not sure whether to use just the FMU or just a card now. I think I will use cards. I have no immediate need for a backup at the moment as I always have at least two other cameras running. I don't think Sony Canada are up to date so we will have to wait until the news is distributed throughout Sony . I don't think it is anything to do with the make of cards used it is clearly a firmware issue with the timing and buffer memories not being managed to take account of the differing throughput's.

Ron Evans

I received my NX5U yesterday. I can't say I've tested it extensively but I have recorded at the settings others have said cause problems and I'm relived to say I have not had any buffer problems yet. I'm using the Panasonic 16GB Gold Class 10 SD cards.

The problem that I am having is I can't seem to get SD footage off either the card or the Flash drive into FCP 7. HD is fine.

Joe

FCP does not read the SD files in the Log and Transfer window. You have to find them manually on your card/FMU and then just copy to your computer.

Ron, I would definetely just write to the card for now. I was just writing to the FMU when I had my "Data Error" problem.

I had tested both of my cams for about 15 hours each before I had my first (and only so far) Buffer Overflow. So I really don't think anyone should feel safe. This is clearly a design flaw and not some sort of random problem. And that's why I'm so upset with Sony...they are treating this like a normal warranty issue where we pay to ship it to them. They sold us professional cameras with a design flaws that put our livelyhoods at risk and they should be bending over backwards to make up for it...not telling me I have to pay roughly $60 to ship two cameras back to them to fix. That is nonsense! Canon never treated me that way.

Also, my Sony guy called today after talking to the product manager and told me to send the cams back for the repair....so I guess that's "official".

You were given VERY incorrect information. They will naturally suggest MemoryStick media as it's Sony's product, as well as Sandisk as they have some sort of agreement with them. Other than that, any reliable Class4+ card will work just fine with this camera. Most of the flash media is only made by a few companies and just resold, rebranded, etc.

Class6 is better suited from extensive testing, but that's about it as far as comparing Class4, Class6, and so forth.

The buffer issues are corrected ONLY via a firmware upgrade as it pertains to the sustainable transfer rate of recording when using both the SDHC/MemoryStick media AND the FMU128, in HD/HD mode.

I do not believe of any 'known' statement regarding having the cameras fixed, or a recall for that matter. Just call Sony, send the cameras in, write-off the shipping cost, and move on...that's all anyone can do at this point, but at least it's working.

Marshall could you send me an email with the coordinates of your USA Sony rep? I will give this information to a Canada Sony rep.

Unfortunately, before doing anything, i.e sending the camera, I have to ensure Sony Canada believe there is a problem.

As per the type of SDHC card to use for this camera, I did not see anywhere in the documentation where recommended cards have been explicitly listed. As anyone, seen such a recommendations?

Many thanks for helping on this issue!

Firmware number
 

Hi, Joe...I recently got my camera a few days ago. Do you know how to search in the menu to find the firmware version number for our cameras. It would be interesting to compare version numbers as these firmware issues get sorted out. So far, no backfocus issues, image quality is stunning on a 42" HD screen, and I ran my battery down to EIGHT minutes remaining without a premature shutdown at 30 minutes that some earlier users were experiencing.

Thanks, John

Hi John,

I searched the menus and online and can't figure out how to find the firmware ver.

Joe

1) The brand of your SDHC / MemoryStick makes no difference to reliability in my experience. I've had buffer overflows with top-speed SanDisk and Sony cards. In fact, my class 4 Kingston cards have been better than my other, faster, cards.

2) My info is that this repair for the buffer overflow issue might have a hardware element -- anyway, that was the implication of the emails Sony sent me.

Now, we need to start pressuring Apple to make Final Cut Pro's Log & Transfer work with footage from this cam... what a low-grade product that is right now!!! Crashes continually.

Adam

As per the timecode in FCP.

Today, I've used markers to signal where yo start and to finish the tranfer. Surprise, surprise, it looks like the timecode was than carried over.

I''ve got to do more test. I will try later on with inserting markers right at the beginning (time 0 + 1 sec) and at the end (time x -1 sec) of the shot.

If the solution to the problem is so easy, I can't understand why Apple nor Sony never mentioned it !

Looking forward to hearing a more detailed explanation of this possible timecode workaround you mention, Daniel.

FCP 6 and timecode
 

Daniel, I have FCP 6 and I experimented today with Log and Transfer and marking a clip with an in point several seconds in after the start of the clip and an out point several seconds before the clip ends. When I inserted the in and out, it did NOT reveal camera timecode in the L & T window....and when I transferred the clip over to Pro Res, it did NOT preserve original camera timecode.

Please let me know if you have FCP 7 and if your results are different or the same. It would be nice if FCP 7 did have the ability to preserve camera timecode even if you had to tag every clip with an in and out point in the L & T window.

Thanks, John

Hello John,

I have FC 7 and did not have the chance to do more test yet.

What I had done was I've inserted some video sequence right in the middle of the entire clip into FCP via log and transfer. The selection of was done using marker in and out.

What I had as result was a clip with the timecode not starting at 0 but from where the timecode of the "IN marker".

As I said I did it only once but would like to look at it when time permits.

Hope it helps!

clarification of timecode
 

Hi, Daniel...

Just to clarify that I am referring to the preservation of the original camera timecode. Right now the timecode of every clip when you bring it into FCP 6 or 7 will be reset to a start time of zero...as indicated in the Log and Transfer window. That of course is not the camera timecode. And when you say you insert an IN marker, yes, it shows an incremental advance of timecode (as I saw in FCP 6), but unless you prove me wrong with FCP 7, the timecode you are then seeing from the IN marker is only showing an incremental advance from that clip's zero start point...which again is not the original camera timecode.

The value of original camera timecode is high up on the scale for those of us trying to use this camera for documentary work. It may not be of such great importance for those doing other kinds of videography. But Sony marketed the timecode as a selling point...and I hope there will soon be a workaround or a fix for it...I found that I can go back into each imported FCP clip and reset the timecode to match the original camera source timecode...which is a pain...but that will be my workaround for the moment as I need it....John

John, how do you know what the original timecode is for each clip? Does a Sony utility tell you this? That sounds quite time consuming to "fix" each clip this way. Also, how do you "set" the timecode on a clip to the correct timecode once you know what it is?

reading camera timecode
 

Hi, Alan...

Inside the NX5U camera menu it gives you the ability to start the timecode at any number you want...for example, if you were doing a two card shoot...you could assign the first card timecode starting at the 01 hour and for the second card you could assign it timecode starting at 02. In order to do this you would have to have finished shooting card 1 and go in and change the timecode setting to hour 2 before continuing on with card 2.

Later, when you put the camera into PLAY mode you can see all the thumbnails of your clips on the LCD screen along with the first frame of the camera timecode with each clip. Also, when you playback the clip through the camera you can see the visible timecode running in the frame by toggling on the datacode display option.

Let's say you imported a clip into Final Cut Pro via Log & Transfer and now that clip's TC starts at zero. You park the playhead at the first frame of your clip in the timeline, select the clip, go to Modify>Timecode from the FCP dropdown menu, and you can insert any timecode number you wish. In this case as a "temporary workaround" I would give it the same camera source timecode number that was originally associated with it.

I don't want to regularly work this way, but for projects of short duration or where you are working off of fewer clips, it could be a viable workaround until FCP or a third party encoder like Cineform gets the TC recognized and carried over into Pro Res.

Hope this helps...John

That makes perfect sense, thanks John. Sounds like a real pain of a workflow though.

any new updates with this firmware upgrade?

As far as I can tell from searching, nein!

more on firmware upgrade...
 

I spoke with the Sony repair facility in Teaneck, N.J. and they said that the West Coast Sony repair facility in LA (where I live) can also handle the firmware upgrade. I will be calling the LA office tomorrow to confirm this...as it would obviously save me from shipping the NX5U from coast to coast. They also confirmed that this firmware addresses only the buffer overrun situation...so it's a fix just for that with no other enhancements.

I'll report back on what the LA facility tells me. I would like to see if I could make an appointment to bring it in and pick back up same day, but I'm pretty sure that's not how they would want to work it. It'll probably be drop it off, we'll get to it when we can, etc.

I'll share more on what I learn in the next day or two...

John