Task in Progress warning at DVinfo.net

Steve Rosen · September 27th, 2017, 06:58 AM

I asked this in the thread below, but I wanted people to see the issue that might not go there. I know this has been talked about on the internet a lot, but I've never found a satisfying answer. I understand the buffering explanation, but why does it take so long?

On Monday I shot several short test scenics at the beach and in the forest with the G40. Afterwards I went to lunch, leaving the camera off but with the battery attached, then went back to my office. I turned the camera on and then off again to see, and the warning was still there. That's over an hour to buffer about ten minutes worth of clips!

Does that warning ever tho away? If so, how long does it take? And what happens if you remove the card after getting the warning while shutting down?

I can't wait hours to be able to change cards.

Bryan Worsley · September 27th, 2017, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Rosen

I asked this in the thread below, but I wanted people to see the issue that might not go there. I know this has been talked about on the internet a lot, but I've never found a satisfying answer. I understand the buffering explanation, but why does it take so long?

On Monday I shot several short test scenics at the beach and in the forest with the G40. Afterwards I went to lunch, leaving the camera off but with the battery attached, then went back to my office. I turned the camera on and then off again to see, and the warning was still there. That's over an hour to buffer about ten minutes worth of clips!

Does that warning ever tho away? If so, how long does it take?

What you are seeing is the normal shut down operation. It's the same on my HF-G30.

p163 in the HF-G40 User Manual: "Task in progress. Do not disconnect power source. The camcorder is updating the memory card. Wait until the operation ends and do not disconnect the compact power adapter or remove the battery pack"

p20. "IMPORTANT. Turn off the camcorder before connecting or disconnecting the compact power adapter. After you turn off the camcorder, important data is updated on the memory card. Be sure to wait until the Power/CHG light goes out"

So when you slide the switch to OFF, screen goes black with the message "Task in progress. Do not disconnect power source" for about 2 seconds, before CHG/Power light turns off.

And yes it does that every time you power off whether any recordings have been made or not. I'd be concerned if the message persisted for more than a couple of seconds and/or the light didn't go off, but I don't think that's what you are saying.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Rosen

And what happens if you remove the card after getting the warning while shutting down?

If you mean in the split second interval between the message disappearing and the CHG/Power light going off - I don't know and I wouldn't want to try it. I always power off before changing cards.

Bryan Worsley · September 28th, 2017, 09:36 PM

You're welcome.

Steve Rosen · September 29th, 2017, 07:14 AM

Bryan: I just read your message now, and yes, thank you for the information.

What's been concerning is that Canon's own website, and the manual, both say to never disconnect the power source, or even open the card-slot door, if you get that warning. Which would mean you couldn't even change a battery or media card.

It NEVER says what you said above, to expect this warning every time you shut down the camera. Nor does it give any time-frame for how long to wait before you can change a battery.

So I think you can see why I was more than a little concerned. I leave early on Tuesday and need to be able to change batteries and swap cards on the fly, without long periods of waiting.

I truly wish manuals were written by people who had some idea of how their cameras will be used.

Don Palomaki · September 29th, 2017, 07:59 AM

Quote:

And what happens if you remove the card after getting the warning while shutting down?

The camera operating system opens the SD card file system when powered on, and closes it when powered off. Depending on what was done with the camcorder before shutting down, removing the SD card while the warning is displayed (or camcorder is powered on) may corrupt the directory information on the SD card, and possibly corrupt the file of the last bit of recording, rendering the card unreadable by normal means.

I've seen it happen with cards in the past. It is a common enough problem that SanDisk provides a coupon for a free year of free recovery software use with at least some of their SD cards.

At least with current SDHC and SDXC cards, relay recording, and large capacity batteries the need to power down to change is not very often (several hours) , and arguably better than having to changing tapes and battery packs in the old days.

Bryan Worsley · September 29th, 2017, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Rosen

It NEVER says what you said above, to expect this warning every time you shut down the camera. Nor does it give any time-frame for how long to wait before you can change a battery.

True, that IMPORTANT note on p20 of the manual (cited the end of the section on charging the battery pack) only mentions the charger, not the battery pack itself and I agree, in the 'Turning the Camcorder On and Off' section (p25) it should state that this on-screen message is part of the normal shutdown sequence and no cause for alarm. You shouldn't have to go searching in the Troubleshooting section of the Appendix to find out what the message actually means. Even then the description of the message is ambiguous because it also appears if there are no memory cards in the slots i.e. when streaming.

Rainer Listing · September 29th, 2017, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Rosen

how long does it take?

A second or two.

Steve Rosen · September 30th, 2017, 06:30 AM

Thanks everyone for all the help I've received setting up this camera. Being old school, I'm not very comfortable with too many auto options, and tend to get confused by things that should be easier, not more difficult... I was never able to take a decent photograph with a Kodak Instamatic...

I'm packing up and getting ready to go.

Paul R Johnson · October 2nd, 2017, 03:06 PM

Steve did you sort out why it took an hours - because that isn't right!

Dave Baker · October 3rd, 2017, 12:12 AM

That was answered in the other thread Paul. It didn't take over an hour. Due to the somewhat sketchy nature of the manual, it is not mentioned that the Task In Progress warning shows every time the camera is switched off. Steve, quite naturally, thought that the task was still in progress after switching on and off again.

I've had the HF G30 for four years, it has always done this but it is definitely not a fault.

September 27th, 2017, 06:58 AM	#1
Steve Rosen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterey, California Posts: 895	Task in Progress warning I asked this in the thread below, but I wanted people to see the issue that might not go there. I know this has been talked about on the internet a lot, but I've never found a satisfying answer. I understand the buffering explanation, but why does it take so long? On Monday I shot several short test scenics at the beach and in the forest with the G40. Afterwards I went to lunch, leaving the camera off but with the battery attached, then went back to my office. I turned the camera on and then off again to see, and the warning was still there. That's over an hour to buffer about ten minutes worth of clips! Does that warning ever tho away? If so, how long does it take? And what happens if you remove the card after getting the warning while shutting down? I can't wait hours to be able to change cards.

September 28th, 2017, 09:36 PM	#3
Bryan Worsley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 439	Re: Task in Progress warning You're welcome.

September 29th, 2017, 07:14 AM	#4
Steve Rosen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterey, California Posts: 895	Re: Task in Progress warning Bryan: I just read your message now, and yes, thank you for the information. What's been concerning is that Canon's own website, and the manual, both say to never disconnect the power source, or even open the card-slot door, if you get that warning. Which would mean you couldn't even change a battery or media card. It NEVER says what you said above, to expect this warning every time you shut down the camera. Nor does it give any time-frame for how long to wait before you can change a battery. So I think you can see why I was more than a little concerned. I leave early on Tuesday and need to be able to change batteries and swap cards on the fly, without long periods of waiting. I truly wish manuals were written by people who had some idea of how their cameras will be used.

September 30th, 2017, 06:30 AM	#8
Steve Rosen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Monterey, California Posts: 895	Re: Task in Progress warning Thanks everyone for all the help I've received setting up this camera. Being old school, I'm not very comfortable with too many auto options, and tend to get confused by things that should be easier, not more difficult... I was never able to take a decent photograph with a Kodak Instamatic... I'm packing up and getting ready to go.

October 3rd, 2017, 12:12 AM	#10
Dave Baker Major Player Join Date: May 2014 Location: Brandon, England Posts: 459	Re: Task in Progress warning That was answered in the other thread Paul. It didn't take over an hour. Due to the somewhat sketchy nature of the manual, it is not mentioned that the Task In Progress warning shows every time the camera is switched off. Steve, quite naturally, thought that the task was still in progress after switching on and off again. I've had the HF G30 for four years, it has always done this but it is definitely not a fault.

October 2nd, 2017, 03:06 PM	#9
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	Steve did you sort out why it took an hours - because that isn't right!