I posted this down in the FC forum, but maybe it's really more of a hardware issue:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=781794&posted=1#post781794

What am I not doing properly? I start and stop the camera often. Time code looks like it's intact (except for one spot more than 30 mins into the tape), but Final Cut says it can't log and capture because it can't find the code. Yet it's right there in the time code window and I can drive the camera by inputting time into FC.

Is this unique to HV 20? Is there a technique I should be using while shooting to eliminate this issue?

Why would there be time code break 30 mins into the tape and not at all the other times I started and stopped including filming over multiple days?

Thank you
Bob

Time code breaks usually result from starting recording over a blank section of tape. This may arise if you remove the tapes from the camcorder than reinsert it, or if you previewed the last shot, and did not queue the tape over previously recorded material bef ore starting to record more material.

Can't speak to Final Cut, but many NLEs will complain if they sense detect duplicate time codes or significant gaps on a tape.

Bob - I've heard that the best way is to place a new tape in the camera, turn off the volume, close the lens cap (can you close it on HV20?) and record the entire tape.

This places unbroken timecode on the tape.

Or, better yet, buy tape for a bit more with the timecode already there, which is what I wish I had done.

Don't black the whole tape just make sure you overlap the last take on the tape.

RH