What are you sending the signal from?

When exporting out of Premiere 2.0 there is really no trick: you connect the cable, put the camera in paused-playback mode, and hit export to tape from within the NLE.

I had the HC1 connected by firewire to an FX1 set to downsample from HDV to DV for output. But no matter what I did the HC1 thought it was sending a signal out instead of receiving a signal in, so I had to use the HC1 as the player and FX1 as recorder.

1. Can the HC1 playback tapes shot on DV or DVCAM or Canons Frame Movie mode. I've got tapes shot on all different type of cameras and modes.

2. Can the A1U's XLR mic adapter be used on the HC1 and if so where could I buy just one of these?

3. What about these first two questions applied to the HC3?

thank you

>> 1. Can the HC1 playback tapes shot on DV or DVCAM or Canons Frame Movie mode. I've got tapes shot on all different type of cameras and modes. <<

The HC1 can play tapes shot in DV or HDV 1080i. The HC1 can not play DVCAM tapes although the A1U can. The HC1 (and for that matter, any other Sony Camcorder or Deck) can not play tapes recorded in Canon's 24F and 30F modes. These modes are proprietary to Canon and can only be played back on the Canon XL-H1 (and possibly other Canon HDV camcorders released in the future), just as the Canon can not play back tapes recorded in Sony's proprietary Cineframe 24 and 30 modes recorded using Sony Camcorders and Decks.

>> 2. Can the A1U's XLR mic adapter be used on the HC1 and if so where could I buy just one of these? <<

The A1U's XLR mic adaptor can not be used on the HC1. However you could purchase a Beach Box with similar capabilities. Service parts for the Sony HVR-A1U and all Sony Professional Products are available from Sony.

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/index.shtml

>> 3. What about these first two questions applied to the HC3? <<

All of the above answers apply to the HC3 also. Furthermore, the HC3 has no mic inputs at all, so you could not add a Beach Box, or any external mic or line input.

I hope this helps.

--Dave

I'm looking for a second battery for my HC1 and was curious if anybody has used a battery other than Sony.

I saw some on Ebay and the price was definetely right but you get what you pay for.

Hi,

I have the Sony A1, which is the pro equivalent of the HC1. You have to be careful when ordering a clone type battery. Sony are too crafty for words when they put a chip in their Lithium Ion batteries which is detected when you put in on the camera.

I purchased a battery which said it was the same as the IQ-71. It worked for 10 seconds before a warning from the camera "told me off" and said I had to use a genuine battery.

I then bought a Hahnel battery from: https://www.digitalmediastore.co.uk/. They had mimiced the chip in the Sony battery. It works just fine at half the price. I see you are in the U.S. but you should be able to source the same type, just beware the above!.

I had the same experience John had.

I ordered 2 batteries off eBay, a 2800mAH and a 4200mAH bettery.

the 4200mAH works fine in the A1U (same type as the HC1) but the 2800mAH battery does not. About 5 secs after turning on the cam, it says: "Use only Sony InfoLithium batteries!!" then it turns off.

I wasn't super mad though, because I just use the 2nd battery for my HVL-20DMA camera light.

Recently bought a HC1 and am very impressed. Now this might be a case of running before I can walk but I want to record my daughters dance show in HDV over three nights then use Final Cut Pro 5 and its multiclip facility to create a master copy using footage from all three nights.

What I can't quite get my head around is how to capture the footage or rather the best way to capture the footage for editing.

I've seen reference to using iMovie for capture then importing into FCP as Apple Intermediate Codec files?

I also know that FCP5 will import the HDV footage directly using one of its presets.

So whats the best option?

I want something that will be easy to edit and my mac should be up to the job (Dual 2.3ghz Powermac with 2.5GB RAM)

Any pointers will be gratefully received.

Thanks
Don

This might help:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=489529

Thanks Darren, Lots of useful tips in this link!

I'm presuming the workflow using iMovie was mooted before FCP5 was introduced and I should be OK using FCP5 for all capture and editing of HDV content?

Don

Hi Don,
Glad they helped.
With any luck I'll get some time to try it out myself this weekend :)

I bought a slightly used camera from a Japanese guy, it didn´t have english menues, so I figured there must be a way around it, I mailed Sony and asked if it was possible to pay a fee to get them to update the firmware, and that way get the english menues and possible PAL instead of NTSC.

...and I then got the number to one of thiere servicecenters and I called them an got another number to a place doing work for sony (not sony itself) and they are now going to change the module in the camera so I have PAL and english menues for about 300$, not to much money considering that the camera was alot, alot, alot cheaper than over here.

I don´t know if this is against thiere policies here or in the states or in other places, but it´s worth a shot for you other people who I read about here in the forum with the same problem.

Hi everybody. I picked up an HC1 in March and have used it to shoot a few hours worth of family & school event videos. No heavy workload or anything like that, but I have had quite a few dropouts in my videos. Usually the dropouts occur within the first 30 seconds or so of each tape, so I have learned to shoot a minute of "warmup" on every new tape since, but there are at least a few dropouts occuring all over the tape in every tape I've shot so far. Previously I didn't notice them very much because they usually occured during unimportant parts of my home videos. Unfortunately, today I filmed a school speech contest and a big 1-second dropout occured during the pinnacle point of the 1st place speech. :(

I've been using only Sony Premium DV 60min tapes since the my first DV camera back in '98 or so and never had a problem with them. I think I've had more dropouts in my few hours worth of HDV tapes from the HC1 than in my whole closet full of DV tapes, even the LP mode ones. Plus, the DV dropouts tend to only affect the video or cause a brief audio glitch, while the HDV dropouts completely destroy both video and audio for 15-30 frames. Are Sony Premium tapes just junk for HDV? Or do you think I should send my HC1 in for service?

Also, does anyone have any advice for recovering from the dropouts that have already occured? I tried capturing with HDV Split .75, Premiere Pro 2, and Edius (demo versions), but all of them completely lose both the video and audio for the duration of the dropout, both in HDV and in DV-downconvert modes. I even tried using a Sony cleaning tape and replaying the affected moment several times, but its always the same. :( This is going to be a very difficult glitch to try to coverup or edit around, and I already promised the students that I'd have the speeches ready on DVD before the summer vacation starts.

Any ideas or advice? Thanks!

Sony Premium tapes should be absolutely fine. Many people use them for HDV, i use them for DV a lot and they're quality tapes.

Sounds like you've got a dud camera and i would definitely take it in for service or replcement or whatever. Its no good at all if you are getting that many dropouts.

Before you take it in, try using the sony cleaning tape, DVM-12CLE i think it's called. It could just be a stubborn chunk of debris on the heads and that could fix it.

Dropouts tend to occur more often when camcorders are NEW but no way there should be as many as you have.

Summary to try:
1) Cleaning tape (use just once or twice)
2) POSSIBLY a bad match of tapes, try going to buy a couple new Sony Premiums or just try differrent tape brand.
3) If above does not work, then for sure take it in and INSIST upon service. They'll probably try to fob you off with 'long dropouts are inherent occasional problem of HDV' but thats not the point, - you're getting FAR too many by the sounds of it.

Jason,
I bought a five pack of the new Sony HD 63 mini-DV tapes (white and brown) and have had no problems whatsoever in 4 tapes, here's what they look like/info:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BNUDXK/002-4641457-6395224?v=glance&n=172282

-I think they are even higher quality than the Premium ones.


Nick.

I have been using standard Mini-DV tapes with the HC1 and have no dropouts like you describe. I have the occasional dropped frame when transferring to my computer but that is due usually to some other program I forgot to disable. So no problems from this end.

The HD versions seem really expensive and I am wondering if in fact it is even necessary....

Just came back from the family vacation at Wildwood Beach, NJ.
I
brought the camera and monopole kit along. This time, I simply used it in full auto, point and shoot. I wanted to see the consumer side of this. (Most of the stuff was handheld, with exception of the monopole that was needed for the Dolphin watch). Check the link below for a few frame grabs:

http://www.dvinfo.net/gallery/browseimages.php?c=46

Well my HC1 is in the mail so to speak.

I don't have anything to say really, just excited I suppose. : )


Seriously though thanks to this forum I was able to decide between the HC1 and HC3... and chose the HC1!

Anyone here see any down rezzed DVD (720x480) samples - any aliasing or jaggy's? Any recommendations for process with best results? I've heard some talk about Virtualdub and wondering if that's the way to go.

Cheers everyone!

I`m sorry I don`t have the HC1 to compare but have the hc3. I video`d my stepdaughters ballet in low light conditions. I used a pd170 which is great for low light and the hc3 as a backup and to experement with. The hc3 did admirably well infact I used all the footage from the hc3 and none from the pd170. The hc3 did quiet well in the lighting and the detail and resolution blew me away. I did a little fixing of the black and some noise reduction and down rezzed post. I captured ful rez with cineform hdlink, deinterlaced then downrezzed in Sony Vegas 6 to a 9500kps dvd with motion menu. It looked better than if I would have used the pd170 clips.

I can tell you from first hand experience shooting hidef the n downrezzing is better than shooting straight dv. In fact I was so impressed with the footage I sold my pd170 last week on ebay. I`ve had that for one year now, bought for $2500 and sold for $2600. I also sold my vx2000. I have no reason ever to shoot straight 720X480 again.

My dvd looks almost as good as the original. I have an upconverting LG dvd player with hdmi cable to 37" HD lcd tv. Sharp !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your hc1 will make you very happy.
By the way with the money I made from selling my SD cams I bought a Z1U that looks like new with operation hours 3X10hr , drum 1X10hr, tape 1X10hr
and threading 3X10. It came with original box all accessories and it looks and so far seems to perform as if I bought it new. I paid $3650, almost a grand less than new. So basically I used ebay to trade my old vx2000 and pd170 for a lightly used, almost new HVR-Z1U. The next time the hc3 will be truly the B camera.

Thanks for the inspiration, will definitely give it a whirl once I get my cam!

Capture highest possible rez (1080i). Edit, then downconvert in software to DV. It's better quality than letting the camera do the down convert in hardware.

Until I get HD-DVD or Blueray, I'm rendering out back to cineform M2T and running a master back to tape via Cineform HDlink.

Hey everyone, for the first time I need to connect 2 mics to my HC1. I'm going to be doing interviews in a potentially noisy environment and I need a mic on both the interviewer and interviewee. I already bought a 2x mono L/R->stereo minijack adapter, so I can physically connect both mics no problem.

My question is what should I do about audio levels? The two mics put out very different sound levels. If I leave the HC1 in AGC, will it seperately adjust the L/R gain, or will it adjust until one of the channels is right and the other will be too low? If I use manual gain then I can't adjust the channels independantly, so I'm not sure what I should do... any advice? Thanks!

Jason,

I would suggest that if you are going to use the camera for taping things other than the "home video" type that you get one of these....

A Beachtek DXA-2s

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=335809&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

It works wonderfully for me when I want more than 1 mic and want to be able to control the levels individually!

Plus it gives you the great feature of having XLR inputs!!

It was worth every penny even though I don't use my camera as often as I'd like to....

There are other models from Beachtek out there that have more features but for me and my HC1!

Check out my camera here:
http://blog.helpcharliegetwell.com/

Note: (I made a cold shoe adapter for my Rode VideoMic), The Beachtek adapter is the black box on the bottom of my camera.


I hope that helps!


Charlie

Hi Charlie

good suggestion on that Beachtek unit.

does it supply phantom power? if not then aren't you a little restricted to using XLR-connection mics that have internal battery power? Whats the equivalent Beachtek box (fairly small for fitting to something like HC1) with phantom power?

thanks

Hello everyone. This weekend I am going to record a drag racing event for my cousin who is racing his car. It is expected to be a bright and sunny Fall day. What settings should I use as a starting point to get the most out of my HC1?

I want to know if I should use manual white balance or the preset WB. Also, Should I change the shutter speed at all? Lastly, can I and/or should I use infinite focus so that I don't have any issues video taping from the starting line all the way to the finish line (1/4 mile)?

Anyway, thanks in advance for all the great help everyone provides on this awesome site.

-Jose

Were it me...
Manual white balance (always)
Autofocus off
No problem being set to infinity, particularly if you're on a sunny day.
You might consider a UV filter, and potentially a circular polarizer if it's really hot on the track.

Douglas,

Thank you for the prompt response. I will try your suggestions this weekend. Once I have the footage I will post a small portion of it.

Again, thank you for your timely response.

-Jose

hc1 footage

http://www.camuser.co.kr/cam_vm/VID_HDV_MOV/2006/10/1004_ahyunHD_720p_001.wmv

Very nice footage.

What settings did you use? What did you do in post-production? What program did you use?

Hi All,

I am looking for an HC-1, either used or new. Anybody know any dealers who still sell it?

Regards,


Jack Hubbard

Jack, the only dealers which we discuss in the DVinfo forums are our sponsors. You will find the full list here: http://www.dvinfo.net/sponsors/

If someone wants to recommend a non-sponsor, please do so by sending an e-mail. Thanks for your understanding.

Got a HC1 about 6 months ago and it's great-except just recently the LCD screen stopped working except when the screen is rotated to just one position. I think the wire (ribbon) is bad. Any suggestions on the problem or where I can get parts?

Looks like someone else had a similar problem not too long ago.
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=78647
You might want to look into sending it in for repairs.

Thanks Chris Harris for showing that old post. My camera has the exact same problem. Not quite sure what to do-that is why I thought this forum might help. Whatever I do, I will post the results.

Hi Boyd,

Thanks for the info. For the most part, I have discovered the HC-1 is out of production and hard to find. No new ones anywhere. I finally got one on eBay, used. This is for a relative who is getting started in the business and who is on a budget. The HC-1 has been a great camera for me; I have used it or had other people shoot for me in DC, London, Turkey, and Guatemala. It is a great camera for a rookie, and brings back good usable video if you hold the camera still. There are no deals on the HC-1 that I can see on web sites. Broadway camera, for example says it is in stock; but when you go to the site it is out of stock and the want to sell you the HC-3. (My first choice, B & H is out of stock). But for basics, the HC-1 does better work and is more user friendly. It has headphone inputs, manual focus, etc. I originally asked the question because I could not find it through the sponsor channels.

Regards,

Jack

I am thinking of buying a used HC1, but I would like to know the price range they are going for. Ebay is not much help because most of the HC1 I saw were days away from being sold. Has anyone done some research on the HC1 used? What is a good price for it?

I got one for $1174 on eBay after drawing a blank everywhere else. No dealers I know of have them. Broadway Camera advertises it on the web, and when you go to the site, they say the HC-1 is discontinued and want to sell you and H3. I have seen them sell for up to $1300 on eBay.

I didn't get a manual or a lens shade, but the camera is pristine and did come with small and medium battery. Downloaded the manual and got it bound at Kinko's for $5. Bought the camera for my son in law as a starter, and I had a lot of the extras on hand. Got an A1U lens shade from Sony for $78.

Dave

Dave Campbell has an HC-1 for sale in the Private Classifieds. Posted yesterday at $1,300.

Has anyone determined the Sony HC1 or HC3's effective ASA?

I need this information and can't find it anywhere - likely no one has bothered to figure it out yet.

If you need help knowing how to measure here's a link,

http://www.spectracine.com/Spectra_Pro_4_artical_2.html

where did you guys send your hc1 back too to have red problems fixed. is there a site or a phone # to call.. Also got a problem on playback only when using compnent or composite outputs that every so often a scrolling horizontal line will go from the top of the screen to the bottom. it has no color is very thin and just effects the picture. but when i transfer to hard drive it is fine...any one have this problem..very strange...

I have a Sony HC1E HDV (Pal)
Captured with HDVsplit0,75 to harddrive and got m2t file.
Open Canopus Edius 4.
When i use HDV 1080 50i nothing worked to my m2t file.
If i use output format HDV 1080 25p it worked fine. HC1 is interlaced 50i, or?
Who do I know what to use?

hc1 clip

http://www.camuser.co.kr/cam_vm/VID_HDV_MOV/2006/05/kungHD_720p_3000k.wmv

You have to check the capture settings in your capture program to see how the footage is being captured. iMovie, for example captures my HD footage in 30p instead of 60i.

Can you control the apperature/exposure on the Hc1? I remember reading in camcorderinfo that you could not, or is that a mistake?

You can control them, but it's not in the standard f stops.
There is a chart here that gives a table matching the aperture and amount of gain for each exposure setting.


http://hdvforever.com/hdv/exposure/

Note: There are only half as many HC1 settings as with the A1U, so if the chart says 16 that is the equivalent of 8 on the HC1 exposure scale.

I won't vouch for this link either way, though my subjective experience seems to concur with his assessment... about 100-125 ISO is effective speed of my a1u. (Hc1's big brother)
But shoot, HDV for under $2k... still a deal IMO.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=82097

A review at camcorderinfo.net claims that:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Sony-HCR-HC1-Review.htm

"Analog to Digital Pass-Through The HDR-HC1 can convert an analog signal to a digital one, though it can only do this in DV. It can't convert an analog signal to an HDV one".

To me it seems the HC has no analog capture capability; which is why I am trying to convert my old Video8 films using a PC and canopus ADVC 110.

Did I miss out somethingon the HC1's analog capture abilities??

Yours,

. Are

It's true, there is no such feature on this camcorder unfortunately.
I ran into this problem as well.
http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=72638

I am noticing a hollow sound when moving the HC1 around in manual audio mode. Has anyone else noticed this? It is almost like when you move a hollow tube around quickly is the closest approximation I can come to what the noise is like.

When I go through my menu system for the HC1, I hit DISP Guide. It asks me for a position for the guide. I click on the screen and it always says : NO GUIDE. What is going on with it?