Time code 22:26:26;18 during DV capture??

[Charlie Wilkinson]

Hi,
Not certain if this is an XL-2 problem, a Sony Vegas problem or somewhere in between. My suspicion is it's something related to the XL-2, hence my post here.

When I do DV capture into Vegas, all goes well, but often the starting time code for the beginning of the tape will come up as 22:26:26;18 in the captured video, rather than the expected 00:00:00;00. The time code displayed on the camera itself is correct. Any captured clips after the first clip will have correct time codes. For example:

Name       Start        End          Length
=============================================
Clip 1  22:26:26;18  22:26:41;21  00:00:15;03
Clip 2  00:00:15;00  00:01:05;18  00:00:50;16
Clip 3  00:01:05;18  00:01:17;02  00:00:11;14
Etc...

This is mostly an annoyance more than anything, so I've been putting up with it for several years, through several different versions of Vegas and even a Windows XP reinstall. Where I get bit by this little problem is when I go to recapture the first clip on the tape and promptly get told that 22:26:26;18 can't be found anywhere on the tape. Fancy that!

FWIW, I use only the default time code settings on this camera. All I want is for the captured video to start at 00:00:00;00, just like the actual time code on the tape. Oh, and world peace too. That would be nice. Proper time codes and world peace.

So... Camera? IEEE-1394 card? Vegas? Gremlins?!? Any clues appreciated!

Thanks,
Charlie

[Jonathan Kirsch]

Charlie...

Couple questions to narrow this down so we can help:

1. Have you played the tape in different decks? What is the starting timecode in those?

2. What are you using to capture the video: the camera? A deck?

3. You've said this has happened for several years. Are you using the same brand/type tapes, or does it happen to any type of tape you use?

4. Try capturing a tape recorded from a different camera (if one's available).

These might narrow down the culprit! (I think).

Jonathan

[John Miller]

Another option is to try a different capture tool that can show you the timecode. If you get the same weird values as with Vegas, it will deflect the finger of suspicion away from Vegas.

You can try our Enosoft DV Processor - the timecode is displayed in a window. You don't even need to capture - you can play the tape in the camcorder and see the video, audio and timecode data straight away. It's simple to use - once installed, hook up and power on your camcorder. Windows will ask you what you want to do - choose our software. It will launch and automatically connect to your camcorder.

See http://www.enosoft.net

John.

[Charlie Wilkinson]

Thanks for the troubleshooting suggestions guys. I was hoping this would be one of those "we see that all the time, here's how to fix it" problems (me and everybody else with a problem, right?), so that's why I posted a quick description here before engaging in heavy duty troubleshooting.

Anyhow, I've dug a bit deeper now and I'll warn you, it gets strange.

Problem only occurs when:

- Tape was recorded on the XL-2 and captured on the XL-2
- Capture starts at very beginning of tape.

It does not occur when:

- Capturing tapes recorded on two other Mini-DV camcorders (a Sony DCR-TRV30 and a Panasonic PV-GS500)
- Capturing any tape (including tapes recorded on the XL-2) on the Sony DCR-TRV30
- If I skip capture of even as little as one second from the beginning of the tape.

Now for the strange part... It's only the time codes displayed for the first captured clip in the Vegas media library after capture is complete that are screwy. The running time code displayed (labeled as "location") by the Vegas capture software during capture is correct. Likewise, the time codes displayed by the Enosoft DV Processor are also correct. It's only after I complete capture and get the list of captured clips that I see the first clip starting at 22:26:26;18.

So... it appears that this is some kind of strange interaction between Sony Video Capture and how it stores time codes, and how the XL-2 records/processes time codes at the beginning of the tape. (All my tapes are Maxell DVM60SE tapes.)

Does that make any sense?

It seems like the only thing I haven't tried is using something besides Sony Video Capture, but I'm not sure what other capture software would even be capable of having the same problem. i.e., something that captures/stores the time codes, not just the video/audio.

-cw-

[Jarrod Whaley]

I have no idea what's causing this problem, but if it doesn't occur when you capture from other cameras, then I'd recommend just doing that. You'll avoid extra wear on the XL2's heads that way anyway.