MiniSD - Toshiba 1Gb no good for HV20E? at DVinfo.net

Mark Joseph · May 24th, 2007, 05:42 AM

Just got a Toshiba 1Gb MiniSD from Ebay and all I get is card error, with card icon flashing in red. Anyone had any luck with Toshiba cards? I don't know if I have a faulty card, as HV20 PAL manual states:

"Camcorder has been tested with MiniSD cards up to 2Gb. Performance cannot be guaranteed for all MiniSD cards."

Tried to "complete initialise" with camera in PLAY mode...the initialise bar flashes up for a second then goes back to menu, doesn't do anything.

Chris Hurd · May 24th, 2007, 07:40 AM

Insure that the card isn't physically locked. There's a little slide switch on the side of the card.

Try formatting the card from your computer using a USB card reader.

Or, try using the card in another device that accepts Mini-SD. If it still doesn't work, then most likely you have a bad card which should be returned and exchanged. Good luck,

Mark Joseph · May 24th, 2007, 08:09 PM

It is unlocked, I also used the SD adaptor with Dell 2405 LCD card reader - nothing comes up on MacOSX. Presume DOA, have sent email to seller, was $11.40 incl postage from Ebay HK seller so no great loss.

Dave Blackhurst · May 25th, 2007, 11:18 AM

I suspect there are some "funky" miniSD cards floating around (especially on flea-bay). I had a "Sandisk" card that read bad or intermittent (it was OK on my computer, strangely enough) in the HV20 - got one at a local store, it was IDENTICAL, but worked just fine...

SO, there may be some counterfeit or defective cards out there... not quite sure which. It's especially strange since the thing was intermittent and I was able to record pix and bring them up on my computer... then they would erase the next time I tried to get the camera to read the card.

The moral here is find a local retail source (which isn't easy, Staples has 'em online and offline, but the place I bought the camera didn't have any) for the card...

DB>)

Mark Joseph · May 27th, 2007, 08:22 AM

Some 'funky' sellers too it would seem...seller of my card just got suspended from ebay. Ebay won't divulge details due to "privacy concerns". However I got an email response privately from seller outlining his return policy with an RTA number. At the risk of throwing good money after bad I guess couple bux overseas postage is worth a try as my MiniSD is presently useless.

These <$20 purchases are easy to write off...but it makes you think twice about buying things like HV20 from overseas budget sellers. Having said that I did get my HV20E from an Australian internet seller (not Ebay) at a great price with courteous and prompt customer service. Swings & Round-abouts.

Colin Gould · May 27th, 2007, 09:05 AM

I was lucky and found a good Sandisk 1gb card at local retailer on sale/rebate for around $20ish... check those, esp. Sunday fliers and big holidays, like today.
CompUSA has them but not on sale this week...
Circuit City has Sandisk and a Panasonic for $30...
BestBuy has sandisk for $27...

so shop around. Better to read sunday flier ads along w/ the funnies, than risk eBay. :)
good luck w/ the return!

May 24th, 2007, 05:42 AM	#1
Mark Joseph Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: ACT Australia Posts: 148	MiniSD - Toshiba 1Gb no good for HV20E? Just got a Toshiba 1Gb MiniSD from Ebay and all I get is card error, with card icon flashing in red. Anyone had any luck with Toshiba cards? I don't know if I have a faulty card, as HV20 PAL manual states: "Camcorder has been tested with MiniSD cards up to 2Gb. Performance cannot be guaranteed for all MiniSD cards." Tried to "complete initialise" with camera in PLAY mode...the initialise bar flashes up for a second then goes back to menu, doesn't do anything.

May 24th, 2007, 07:40 AM	#2
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Insure that the card isn't physically locked. There's a little slide switch on the side of the card. Try formatting the card from your computer using a USB card reader. Or, try using the card in another device that accepts Mini-SD. If it still doesn't work, then most likely you have a bad card which should be returned and exchanged. Good luck, __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

May 24th, 2007, 08:09 PM	#3
Mark Joseph Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: ACT Australia Posts: 148	It is unlocked, I also used the SD adaptor with Dell 2405 LCD card reader - nothing comes up on MacOSX. Presume DOA, have sent email to seller, was $11.40 incl postage from Ebay HK seller so no great loss.

May 25th, 2007, 11:18 AM	#4
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	I suspect there are some "funky" miniSD cards floating around (especially on flea-bay). I had a "Sandisk" card that read bad or intermittent (it was OK on my computer, strangely enough) in the HV20 - got one at a local store, it was IDENTICAL, but worked just fine... SO, there may be some counterfeit or defective cards out there... not quite sure which. It's especially strange since the thing was intermittent and I was able to record pix and bring them up on my computer... then they would erase the next time I tried to get the camera to read the card. The moral here is find a local retail source (which isn't easy, Staples has 'em online and offline, but the place I bought the camera didn't have any) for the card... DB>)

May 27th, 2007, 08:22 AM	#5
Mark Joseph Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: ACT Australia Posts: 148	Some 'funky' sellers too it would seem...seller of my card just got suspended from ebay. Ebay won't divulge details due to "privacy concerns". However I got an email response privately from seller outlining his return policy with an RTA number. At the risk of throwing good money after bad I guess couple bux overseas postage is worth a try as my MiniSD is presently useless. These <$20 purchases are easy to write off...but it makes you think twice about buying things like HV20 from overseas budget sellers. Having said that I did get my HV20E from an Australian internet seller (not Ebay) at a great price with courteous and prompt customer service. Swings & Round-abouts.

May 27th, 2007, 09:05 AM	#6
Colin Gould Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Foster City, CA Posts: 123	I was lucky and found a good Sandisk 1gb card at local retailer on sale/rebate for around $20ish... check those, esp. Sunday fliers and big holidays, like today. CompUSA has them but not on sale this week... Circuit City has Sandisk and a Panasonic for $30... BestBuy has sandisk for $27... so shop around. Better to read sunday flier ads along w/ the funnies, than risk eBay. :) good luck w/ the return!