CONTINUOUS time code setting on GL2

[Mark Daughn]

Is there a setting that will stop the time code from resetting every time I replace the tape.

I am looking for a setting that creates a CONTINUOUS time code.

HELP!!!

Thanks,

Mark

[Ken Tanaka]

Sorry, no, there is no way to do that on the GL2 (or any other Canon DV camera, for that matter).

[Chris Hurd]

This is not possible with the DV format (in other words, no DV camcorder cdan do this). You'll need to get into a DVCAM camcorder (such as the Sony PD150) for user-settable time code.

[Graham Bernard]

Chris, sorry to be a total newbie on this, but... isn't the timecode set as one vids? Or have I got it wrong..again! Doesn't the timcode in DV remain with the piece I've filmed? Whether I remove the tape or not? The timecode remains in tact? Please help me I'm drowning!

I feel like you are going to tell me to go away and read a book.

Regards

Grazie

[Chris Hurd]

Hi Grazie,

No, why don't you stay here with us. ;-)

The DV timecode is indeed written while you're shooting video. If you remove the cassette at some point, upon re-inserting it the timecode will re-set itself to zero. If you don't want that to happen, simply use the "rec search" buttons on the camera body or the remote control to back up a few frames while you're in record pause mode. With the rec search button, backing up frame by frame, you'll pick up the last frames you shot before you removed the tape. The timecode will re-establish itself from that point, making it continuous, without re-sets or breaks.

What the thread is discussing though invloves entering your own values for the timecode. For some folks this is very important. On a shoot covering several cassettes worth of material, you would want to assign the "hour" value yourself, sequentially, 1:00:00:00 (hrs/min/sec/frm) for the first tape, 2:00:00:00 for the second, and so on.

But with a DV camcorder this isn't possible. No way to set the timecode yourself. So you have to physically label your tapes, and when you capture the video into your PC or Mac based editing system, each tape will be at hour 1:00:00:00 regardless. That's a hassle.

The Sony DVCAM format and Panasonic DVCPro format, derivatives of plain vanilla DV, allow you to set your own time code. That's an advantage of DVCAM & DVCPro over DV (the quality of the recorded image, however, is identical across all three formats).

The fact that you can't set your own timecode values on a DV camcorder such as the Canon GL2 or Sony VX2000 is a limitation of the format itself, not the camcorders. Hope this helps,

[Graham Bernard]

Thanks for dealing with me gently - much appreciated. Very clear and understnadable description - phew... I'm and reading on...addicted to this Forum.

Chris, have you seen my post on DV/Av pass thro, and whether anybody has used this on XM2/Gl2? Any thougts? :)

Grazie

There is an easier "foolproof" way to achieve unbroken timecode without having to search for and record over the last frames you recorded every time you stop and start your GL2. An independent filmmaker friend of mine "stripes" or "blackens" all of his tapes before using them to avoid broken timecode. I now follow his recommendation and do the same.

Here's how we do it. Insert a brand new blank tape into your GL2, slide the power switch to "PLAY(VCR)", press the "REC PAUSE" button on the handle controls panel, and then press the "PLAY" button. The camcorder will lay down a solid black on the tape with unbroken timecode from beginning to end. Rewind the tape when it reaches the end. When you record on the tape now, the imbedded timecode will remain intact and unbroken no matter how many times you start and stop recording.

By the way, our footage looks great. The "striping" or "blackening" process does not adversely affect the quality of the image recorded over the black.

Hope this helps.

[Graham Bernard]

Now that's EXACTLY what was in the back of my mind when this issue of continuous timecode came up!

Thanks Steve

[Jeff Donald]

I have posted several responses on striping or blacking tapes. Previously, I considered it a waste of time and unnecessary wear and tear on the camcorder. But on a recent edit for a client it caused considerable problems on the edit. When I captured his footage into his NLE it was reporting dropped frames and other problems. The long and the sort of it, he blacked his tapes. The camera was missing a frame or two when he took the camera out of pause when shooting. The previously stripped timecode was showing up on the tape when it missed the frames. Big problems in capturing. His blacking the tapes cost him hundreds of dollars in the extra time it took me to capture his footage. I still advise fast forwarding and rewinding before recording, but not blacking.

Jeff

[Graham Bernard]

Hmmmm yes. I'll take your "hard-earned" advice. Newbie here, so its good to hear from a professional Jeff. Thanks.

Grazie

Sorry to hear that someone had problems blackening their tapes. We never have up to this point. But, you never know ...

[Chris Hurd]

Well, the important thing here is that there's more than one way to preserve continuous timecode. Whether you pre-black your tapes, or use the rec-search buttons to pick up a previous shot, either way there's no reason why you have to suffer from timecode breaks if you know the tricks.

[Ken Tanaka]

My 2 cents. If I've removed the tape from the camera, or I've otherwise moved the tape from the last record, I use the Rec Search function. To my mind, this is less wear on the record heads and is a good habit to get into when you're forced to use a tape that you haven't had a chance to stripe / black. If you follow good shooting practice, leaving a few seconds of extra footage after each shot you won't lose anything using Rec Search.

[Gregg Sullivan]

This also gives you the opportunity to add a shot slate to the new material, letting you know at a later time that the material on the tape has a new source or a new date.

Very helpful in organizing your capture bins later in NLE of choice!