Samurai Problem at DVinfo.net

Eric A Robinson · March 24th, 2012, 05:52 AM

I've had my Samurai for two months and apart from some ignorance on my part I've found it a great piece of equipment.... that was until yesterday!

I was filming in the morning and broke for a five minute break. Samurai was mounted on the front shoe of my EX3 and the camera on a tripod waiting to be used for an interview. I had just checked all the footage I had short that morning which looked great, and off I went.

On my return I went to get ready and noticed the play and record options on the display were in the 'off' state. Alarm bells rung. I got my laptop, took out the disc unit from the Samurai and popped it in the drive....
"this disc is unreadable by this computer" was the message.

Some how the disc had become corrupted and was unreadable....panic then part relief as I had been shooting with cards as backups.

I am now looking for an answer to the problem as you have to be totally confident in the recording media you are using. If anyone out there can shed any light on this I, and I am sure all other users and prospective users would like to know about any pitfalls or problems working with this unit.

I have contacted the help desk at Atomos which looked like a good system and am now awaiting a reply. I will post what they say.

I want to make it clear I really like the Samurai and its workflow and I realise that problems do happen but when you are in a situation where a second take is not an option you really have to have a 100% confidence in your kit. Thats why I want to get to the bottom of this problem.

Eric A Robinson · March 24th, 2012, 09:23 AM

For those interested I managed to recover all the files using a little nifty £6.99 app from the App Store called Disk Drill. Now thats what I call value for money. Now I've only used it once but it might be an app that if you use Disk based recording systems you might want to consider having just in case.

James Kuhn · March 24th, 2012, 10:02 AM

Eric...was this a 'Samurai' issue or a HDD or SSD issue? I don't know if it matters too much, but where you using an Atomos 'approved' HDD or SSD?

I'm not throwing rocks, jus' asking.

J.

Eric A Robinson · March 26th, 2012, 04:57 AM

Hi
Im not sure what caused the problem, thats why Im posting on the forum as potentially loosing a whole mornings footage is nothing short of a disaster.

The drive is a WD on the recommended list though Im going to switch to Hitachi from now on just to factor the drive issue out as far as I can.

Normally when I'm shooting with the Samurai I format the drive before I start the days filming, on Friday however I was a bit rushed and forgot! Now was that was a factor? Im not sure.

As I previously stated the whole unit was just sitting there quite happy when the problem arose. I have since upgraded the firmware to 2.8, as I was right in the middle of a shoot when I became aware of the update and I did not want to take that risk.

Just to reiterate, my reasons for posting here is to see if other users users have had a similar problem to help find out what the solution is. Im in no way knocking the Samurai as I think it is a really great product.

It may well work out to be a drive problem, but at this stage its up in the air.

Buba Kastorski · March 26th, 2012, 08:37 AM

never mind

James Kuhn · March 26th, 2012, 12:03 PM

Eric...I understand. I certainly don't want to cast aspersions, however, did 'someone' (AD? ) maybe mess with when you weren't looking. Jus' say'in. I'm sure no one would 'fess-up'.

Regards,

J.

Eric A Robinson · March 27th, 2012, 05:23 AM

Hi There
I was on my own at the time waiting on a couple of people I was about to interview, so its still a bit of a mystery. The upshot is Atomos have taken the decision to replace the unit. They recon they would like to run some tests to rule out a hardware/firmware problem which to me sounds a good move. From my point of view and other users its great when a company like Atomos puts the interests of their customers uppermost. It really gives one confidence.

James Kuhn · March 27th, 2012, 09:52 AM

Eric...Roger-That! I've said it before, I'm pretty impressed with Atomos' whole attitude towards the 'user' community. They are listening to the working professionals with whom they have a vested relationship.

If you don't mind, please keep the 'group' informed as to any updates with your issue. I know we're all interested.

Thanks,

J.

Gary Brun · March 30th, 2012, 03:59 AM

I have just recently purchased the system and have a big shoot coming up soon so will be putting its through its paces.

I am PC based and my partners are Mac.
Anyone any prefernces on the Avid or Apple Codecs??

Eric A Robinson · March 30th, 2012, 04:06 AM

Hi
Well as I am mac based and the Samurai records in ProRes I alway shoot and edit in ProResHq, which makes for such an easy workflow with no need for any transcoding. I suppose to answer your question, it may depend upon how you intend to edit, using FCP or Avid.

Gary Brun · March 30th, 2012, 04:55 AM

Thanks for the reply Eric.
I am a Adobe Prem user myself,

I just wanted to know if their is any difference between the Apple or Avid Codecs

Frank Glencairn · March 30th, 2012, 05:46 AM

Nah, they are basically the same and you will be hard pressed to see any differences in quality or NLE performance at similar data rates

Sadly there is no news, when DNXhD will be available on the Samurai.

Eric A Robinson · May 10th, 2012, 09:39 AM

The latest up date on my Samurai problem tells a fairly frustrating story. I still have the original unit and while the initial problem of the disc not being recognised has not been repeated, there have been other very glitchy problems that include; the unit freezing when selecting the play review option, while recording in monitor mode the screen flashing rapidly, the unit not responding to either the off button or the play button. As I have previously said when the unit works its fantastic and a real time saver, but working with a piece of kit that you don't have 100% confidence and is pretty glitchy is not great. I was promised a replacement a few weeks ago but the whole issue has become bogged down in red tape in that as well as involving Atomos it now involves the supplier and an intermediary who both want to have some kind of input. I have to say Im finding it a bit frustrating, for at the end of the day the unit I purchased in good faith is not performing as advertised. For those interested i'll let you know the eventual outcome. Just to clarify the unit has the most up to date firmware, and is using discs and cables as recommended. The camera its being used with is a Sony EX3.

James Kuhn · May 10th, 2012, 05:56 PM

Eric...what 'Firmware' version are you using?

Regards,

J.

Eric A Robinson · May 11th, 2012, 08:13 AM

I am using the most up to date V2.8 I have now entered the wrangling stage... I say there is a problem with the unit..... they say after testing it...its fine, so we shall see. I in the mean time are trying to earn a living using a piece of equipment I don't fully trust. I plan with my second camera to film any incidences where faults occur and post them on Vimeo for comment.

March 24th, 2012, 05:52 AM	#1
Eric A Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 82	Samurai Problem I've had my Samurai for two months and apart from some ignorance on my part I've found it a great piece of equipment.... that was until yesterday! I was filming in the morning and broke for a five minute break. Samurai was mounted on the front shoe of my EX3 and the camera on a tripod waiting to be used for an interview. I had just checked all the footage I had short that morning which looked great, and off I went. On my return I went to get ready and noticed the play and record options on the display were in the 'off' state. Alarm bells rung. I got my laptop, took out the disc unit from the Samurai and popped it in the drive.... "this disc is unreadable by this computer" was the message. Some how the disc had become corrupted and was unreadable....panic then part relief as I had been shooting with cards as backups. I am now looking for an answer to the problem as you have to be totally confident in the recording media you are using. If anyone out there can shed any light on this I, and I am sure all other users and prospective users would like to know about any pitfalls or problems working with this unit. I have contacted the help desk at Atomos which looked like a good system and am now awaiting a reply. I will post what they say. I want to make it clear I really like the Samurai and its workflow and I realise that problems do happen but when you are in a situation where a second take is not an option you really have to have a 100% confidence in your kit. Thats why I want to get to the bottom of this problem.

March 24th, 2012, 09:23 AM	#2
Eric A Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 82	update For those interested I managed to recover all the files using a little nifty £6.99 app from the App Store called Disk Drill. Now thats what I call value for money. Now I've only used it once but it might be an app that if you use Disk based recording systems you might want to consider having just in case.

March 24th, 2012, 10:02 AM	#3
James Kuhn Major Player Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Merritt Island, Florida Posts: 865	Re: Samurai Problem Eric...was this a 'Samurai' issue or a HDD or SSD issue? I don't know if it matters too much, but where you using an Atomos 'approved' HDD or SSD? I'm not throwing rocks, jus' asking. J.

March 26th, 2012, 04:57 AM	#4
Eric A Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 82	Re: Samurai Problem Hi Im not sure what caused the problem, thats why Im posting on the forum as potentially loosing a whole mornings footage is nothing short of a disaster. The drive is a WD on the recommended list though Im going to switch to Hitachi from now on just to factor the drive issue out as far as I can. Normally when I'm shooting with the Samurai I format the drive before I start the days filming, on Friday however I was a bit rushed and forgot! Now was that was a factor? Im not sure. As I previously stated the whole unit was just sitting there quite happy when the problem arose. I have since upgraded the firmware to 2.8, as I was right in the middle of a shoot when I became aware of the update and I did not want to take that risk. Just to reiterate, my reasons for posting here is to see if other users users have had a similar problem to help find out what the solution is. Im in no way knocking the Samurai as I think it is a really great product. It may well work out to be a drive problem, but at this stage its up in the air.

March 26th, 2012, 08:37 AM	#5
Buba Kastorski Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,414	Re: Samurai Problem never mind __________________ I love this place! Last edited by Buba Kastorski; March 27th, 2012 at 07:08 AM.

March 26th, 2012, 12:03 PM	#6
James Kuhn Major Player Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Merritt Island, Florida Posts: 865	Re: Samurai Problem Eric...I understand. I certainly don't want to cast aspersions, however, did 'someone' (AD? ) maybe mess with when you weren't looking. Jus' say'in. I'm sure no one would 'fess-up'. Regards, J.

March 27th, 2012, 05:23 AM	#7
Eric A Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 82	Re: Samurai Problem Hi There I was on my own at the time waiting on a couple of people I was about to interview, so its still a bit of a mystery. The upshot is Atomos have taken the decision to replace the unit. They recon they would like to run some tests to rule out a hardware/firmware problem which to me sounds a good move. From my point of view and other users its great when a company like Atomos puts the interests of their customers uppermost. It really gives one confidence.

March 27th, 2012, 09:52 AM	#8
James Kuhn Major Player Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Merritt Island, Florida Posts: 865	Re: Samurai Problem Eric...Roger-That! I've said it before, I'm pretty impressed with Atomos' whole attitude towards the 'user' community. They are listening to the working professionals with whom they have a vested relationship. If you don't mind, please keep the 'group' informed as to any updates with your issue. I know we're all interested. Thanks, J.

March 30th, 2012, 03:59 AM	#9
Gary Brun Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kråkstad Norway. Posts: 229	Re: Samurai Problem I have just recently purchased the system and have a big shoot coming up soon so will be putting its through its paces. I am PC based and my partners are Mac. Anyone any prefernces on the Avid or Apple Codecs?? __________________ http://www.mlotv.com

March 30th, 2012, 04:06 AM	#10
Eric A Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 82	Re: Samurai Problem Hi Well as I am mac based and the Samurai records in ProRes I alway shoot and edit in ProResHq, which makes for such an easy workflow with no need for any transcoding. I suppose to answer your question, it may depend upon how you intend to edit, using FCP or Avid.

March 30th, 2012, 04:55 AM	#11
Gary Brun Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kråkstad Norway. Posts: 229	Re: Samurai Problem Thanks for the reply Eric. I am a Adobe Prem user myself, I just wanted to know if their is any difference between the Apple or Avid Codecs __________________ http://www.mlotv.com

March 30th, 2012, 05:46 AM	#12
Frank Glencairn Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Germany Posts: 176	Re: Samurai Problem Nah, they are basically the same and you will be hard pressed to see any differences in quality or NLE performance at similar data rates Sadly there is no news, when DNXhD will be available on the Samurai.

May 10th, 2012, 09:39 AM	#13
Eric A Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 82	Re: Samurai Problem The latest up date on my Samurai problem tells a fairly frustrating story. I still have the original unit and while the initial problem of the disc not being recognised has not been repeated, there have been other very glitchy problems that include; the unit freezing when selecting the play review option, while recording in monitor mode the screen flashing rapidly, the unit not responding to either the off button or the play button. As I have previously said when the unit works its fantastic and a real time saver, but working with a piece of kit that you don't have 100% confidence and is pretty glitchy is not great. I was promised a replacement a few weeks ago but the whole issue has become bogged down in red tape in that as well as involving Atomos it now involves the supplier and an intermediary who both want to have some kind of input. I have to say Im finding it a bit frustrating, for at the end of the day the unit I purchased in good faith is not performing as advertised. For those interested i'll let you know the eventual outcome. Just to clarify the unit has the most up to date firmware, and is using discs and cables as recommended. The camera its being used with is a Sony EX3.

May 10th, 2012, 05:56 PM	#14
James Kuhn Major Player Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Merritt Island, Florida Posts: 865	Re: Samurai Problem Eric...what 'Firmware' version are you using? Regards, J.

May 11th, 2012, 08:13 AM	#15
Eric A Robinson Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Posts: 82	Re: Samurai Problem I am using the most up to date V2.8 I have now entered the wrangling stage... I say there is a problem with the unit..... they say after testing it...its fine, so we shall see. I in the mean time are trying to earn a living using a piece of equipment I don't fully trust. I plan with my second camera to film any incidences where faults occur and post them on Vimeo for comment.