Problem with the XL2 and Media100. Need help...

[Lucas H. Guerra]

I shot some footage with an XL2 that I bought yesterday. So I came to the office, hokked it up to the media100 through the firewire input on the media100 board (pure DV to DV) and when I tried to digitize I could see flickering red lines appearing ath the top of the frame.

I looked on the camera viewfinder and even connected the XL2 straight into a monitor and I did't see the red lines. So the camera didn't capture them and it's not a dirty heads problem.

Next I took the tape out and put it into an old GL1 that I have through the same Firewire cable and I was able to digitize perfectly. So whatever is happening is between the firewire transfer from the new XL2 to the Media 100 board.

Did they upgrade the firewire on the XL2? Can anyone help?

I'm glad I didn't sell my GL1.....Thanks.

[Julio Laffont]

Hi lucas...I used to worked with media 100 for several years and Gl2. Always was perfect..Now I'm working with Xl2 and Final Cut and work perfect also...In my laptop I have Vegas and no problem at all...Same firewire in 3 diferent computers..Always good...Maybe... you digitize at the same time what you record..That's the new upgrade...Check in the manuals...Good luck..

[Lucas H. Guerra]

Thanks Julio. Let me make sure I understand. You are not currently working with the Media100 and the XL2 right?

I know is a XL2 issue with media 100 and I just want to know if it's happening to someone else. Thanks for answering I was getting a bit nervous...

[Julio Laffont]

Hi Lucas. No I didn't used yet Xl2 with media 100, but I worked with media 100 for 5 years with any kind of camera what exist, and I never heard or saw something like this..Now, I'm making my first steps with this camera in FCP and Vegas, and everything it's great..Why don't you go to the site of media 100 and ask them?..

[Rob Lohman]

In what mode was this XL2 footage? I'm guessing 24p? What
where your capture settings in media 100?

[Lucas H. Guerra]

Hi. I shot in all 3 modes, 24 60i etc. It was doing the same thing in all of them.
Remember the GL1 that I have was able to play them perdectly regardless of mode. Thanks for the interest...

[Roberto Pompili]

Hi there,
I have the same problem; at Media100 said it is a borderline signal level from the XL2, at the limit for the Firewire standard, which is not compatible with the SONY DV interface mounted on the Media100 PCI card. Apparently no solution to our problem is applicable. Do you know of any remedy apart from capturing the footage with a miniDV deck or another camera?
tnx for your attention
Roberto

[Zack Birlew]

Problems like this are common with video hardware and computers in general. If the XL2 uses different algorithms or processes to get its video through firewire, then I would imagine that there is no solution as the problem is clearly XL2 specific. I think it may have to do with the pixel cramming Canon did to give the camera all that extra resolution, thus requiring a few tweaks for firewire output. A seperate deck or camera sounds like the only solution.

[Rob Lohman]

Jack: as far as I know the signal coming from the XL2 is 100% compliant and
within specs, otherwise it would not work with all the OHCI firewire cards and
capture software out there. It must be something specific with the combination
of Media100 & the XL2.

I'm not sure what "pixel cramming" you are talking about, but the output of
the XL2 is 100% DV compatible (that I know for sure). It is plain 720x480
(NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL) DV that is coming out of the camera. Nothing more,
nothing less.


Roberto: did you try to contact the company that makes the Media100 and
ask them if they know anything about these compatability issues? They might
have a fix for this issue or some settings for you to change etc.

[Patrick King]

Originally Posted by Jack Felis

...the XL2 uses different algorithms or processes to get its video through firewire, then I would imagine that there is no solution as the problem is clearly XL2 specific. I think it may have to do with the pixel cramming Canon did to give the camera all that extra resolution...

Jack,
I can't let what you've written go uncontested or someone new to cams will read it here and think it correct.

The XL2 does compress the video using a Digital Signal Processor algorithm uniquely tuned for the CCD arrangement in the XL2. The downstream electronics offer even more tweaks for things like gain, gamma, etc. But when the imagery is joined with the audio and written to tape by the magnetic heads, the XL2 writes exactly the same as every other DV camcorder. That is why I can (and do) take the tapes recorded by my XL2 and replay or download them in my XL1s, or my $300 JVC.

Now occasionaly here you'll read about tapes recorded in an XL1 or some other camera not capable of being played in another camera. This is from head misalignment and not because of the format they are recording to tape.

All the "different algorithms or processes" and the "pixel cramming" is done before its written to tape. Only the DV format written to tape goes down the Firewire to the computer and Canon's DV format is Sony's DV format is everyone's DV format. If only this was true for HD formats.

[Zack Birlew]

Sorry about that, I meant to say that it "might" have something to do with that but, having never owned an XL2 I was going on speculation so I'm not 100% why the tapes wouldn't be compatible. Didn't mean to start a flame or anything. After doing some re-studying on the XL2 I realized I was wrong, thanks for clearing my flub up guys ^_^. My bad.

[Patrick King]

Jack, I was not flaming and apologize to you publicly if you thought that the case. I was just trying to correct an inaccuracy which might lead someone to avoid the XL2 when the problem mentioned here is so obviously a Media100 problem and not an XL2 problem. At the worst it is a problem with the Firewire port on that specific XL2. But it isn't because the XL2 is writing non-standard DV format.