External Sync with different cameras? at DVinfo.net

Jason Olson · June 9th, 2005, 01:21 PM

Our office has a Canon XL2 and a JVC GY-DV550U that they use for capturing footage of numerous dance (think danceline/jazz/tap) performances. We would like to use both cameras and using FCP be able to capture and integrate both into one piece. I know that the time code needs to be the same in ease of "piecing" the footage together but how do I go about it?
From an article (http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article11.php) by Chris Hurd it looks like I could do it with 2 or more XL2's. In the JVC manual it says:
"The DV550 is also fully genlockable meaning it may be synched to another DV550, another camera or camcorder, or to an another external source. All that is required is a stable composite video signal connected to the SYNC IN connector located near the front, non-operator side of the camcorder.
Further, the GY-DV550 has both a TIME CODE IN and a TIME CODE OUT connector (BNC) which allows the camcorder "jam" to the time code from another camcorder or from an external source. Time code, as with the DV500, is SMPTE code with userbits and is user selectable for either Drop Frame (DF) or Non-Drop Frame (NDF) modes."
So i'm not sure if that means I just hook up a video cable from the Canon to the JVC and that will sync the time codes. But then how does it work when you start to record and don't start them at precisely the same millisecond?

Sorry for the long post and the new-B-ism, thanks for reading this.

Jason

Greg Boston · June 9th, 2005, 02:43 PM

Genlock is a different feature than timecode sync. Genlock is what is used in a live switching situation to make sure all cameras have their video sync pulses occuring at the same time. If they weren't, when the director switched from one camera to the other, there might be a 'glitch' in the picture due to different sync pulse timing from one camera to the next.

There is no timecode sync connector on the XL-2. However, there is a company that makes a small box that extracts it from the lanc connector and makes it available to other devices using a standard bnc connection. Do a search here on the XL-2 forum board cause I know I posted the link to that website a while back.

Hope this helps,

=gb=

Jason Olson · June 10th, 2005, 11:48 AM

Thanks for clearing up the Genlock.

Is the box you are talking about: http://www.spcomms.com/ltcexport/

So with this little box I would connect the LANC connector from the box to the XL2. Then the video out (composite) from the XL2 into the BNC into the box. Then the timecode out (RCA) to my SYNC.IN (BNC) connector on the JVC?

June 9th, 2005, 01:21 PM	#1
Jason Olson Tourist Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2	External Sync with different cameras? Our office has a Canon XL2 and a JVC GY-DV550U that they use for capturing footage of numerous dance (think danceline/jazz/tap) performances. We would like to use both cameras and using FCP be able to capture and integrate both into one piece. I know that the time code needs to be the same in ease of "piecing" the footage together but how do I go about it? From an article (http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article11.php) by Chris Hurd it looks like I could do it with 2 or more XL2's. In the JVC manual it says: "The DV550 is also fully genlockable meaning it may be synched to another DV550, another camera or camcorder, or to an another external source. All that is required is a stable composite video signal connected to the SYNC IN connector located near the front, non-operator side of the camcorder. Further, the GY-DV550 has both a TIME CODE IN and a TIME CODE OUT connector (BNC) which allows the camcorder "jam" to the time code from another camcorder or from an external source. Time code, as with the DV500, is SMPTE code with userbits and is user selectable for either Drop Frame (DF) or Non-Drop Frame (NDF) modes." So i'm not sure if that means I just hook up a video cable from the Canon to the JVC and that will sync the time codes. But then how does it work when you start to record and don't start them at precisely the same millisecond? Sorry for the long post and the new-B-ism, thanks for reading this. Jason

June 9th, 2005, 02:43 PM	#2
Greg Boston Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DFW area, TX Posts: 6,117 Images: 1	Genlock is a different feature than timecode sync. Genlock is what is used in a live switching situation to make sure all cameras have their video sync pulses occuring at the same time. If they weren't, when the director switched from one camera to the other, there might be a 'glitch' in the picture due to different sync pulse timing from one camera to the next. There is no timecode sync connector on the XL-2. However, there is a company that makes a small box that extracts it from the lanc connector and makes it available to other devices using a standard bnc connection. Do a search here on the XL-2 forum board cause I know I posted the link to that website a while back. Hope this helps, =gb=

June 10th, 2005, 11:48 AM	#3
Jason Olson Tourist Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2	Thanks for clearing up the Genlock. Is the box you are talking about: http://www.spcomms.com/ltcexport/ So with this little box I would connect the LANC connector from the box to the XL2. Then the video out (composite) from the XL2 into the BNC into the box. Then the timecode out (RCA) to my SYNC.IN (BNC) connector on the JVC?