I've been through the entire XL-2 owner's manual and cannot find anything indicating what this means. A small graphic depicting a side view of the battery pack in a charger, accompanied by the number 2, flashes continuously when the XL2 runs in record mode -- even on fully charged Canon packs.

I'm sure the display is familiar to many, but the explanation curiously absent.

David, you have to replace the Backup battery (see page 16 in your manual). It's located to the right of the cassette compartment (tape-device).

Thanks, but I don't think that's the problem. The symbol that flashes is clearly different than that for the backup battery. The best way to describe it is a representation of the BATTERY PACK from the side, along with a profile of what looks like a charger. The number 2 flashes along with it.