Picture Artifacts On Playback Off the nanoFlash at DVinfo.net

Ronald Jackson · October 5th, 2010, 01:53 PM

One for Dan. I'm sitting here playing back on a monitor from the HDMI out socket on the nanoFlash. Every so often the picture sort of breaks up momentarily before re-forming and carrying on as normal.
I also occasionally got a "dark screen" effect, as if the picture has blanked out though not as it were instantaneously, as if it were simply switched off. Again the picture re-appears after a moment.

All I can think is that there is a connection between the timecode trigger via the tape in my XLH1, maybe too close between record/pause/record on occasion, but why the two effects?

Ron

Dan Keaton · October 8th, 2010, 02:27 PM

Dear Ronald,

I am sorry it took me so long to respond. I have been traveling since last Friday.

This sounds like a HDMI cable or HDMI connection problem.

Could you try another HDMI cable?

Alan Emery · October 8th, 2010, 02:48 PM

Hi Ronald,

I have an XL H1s and use the tape as a backup and timecode trigger. I find that sometimes when the tape is rewinding to reset itself to start again, and I don't give it enough time to do that before I need to shoot again, the nanoflash will create very short files (sometimes just a frame or two, sometimes a 10 or so). On the very short ones, the image is usually black. I assume this is because the nanoflash is recording the start/stop function of the camera. Now that I know it happens, I watch to make sure the tape is settled before I tell the camera to start recording and thereby before the nanoflash starts recording as well.

If this is the same effect as mine, when you look at your file structure, you will see some very short files where the black hiccups occur. My sense of this is that it is just as you suspected -- the nanoflash tries to record every single time the timecode starts and stops, even when the tape is just resetting itself if you have triggered the record function on the camera too early.

This might be why, if you are playing your files back directly as you took them from the nanoflash (before downloading and working with them) you see the little black flashes and momentarily jerky images.

Hope this helps,
Alan

Dan Keaton · October 9th, 2010, 10:59 PM

Dear Ronald,

In our next release, there will be a menu item that you can select which will help the nanoFlash work better with tape based cameras.

Andrew Stone · October 10th, 2010, 10:30 AM

Hi Dan,

Do you have an idea about when the next firmware release will be issued?

October 5th, 2010, 01:53 PM	#1
Ronald Jackson Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Southport, United Kingdom Posts: 723	Picture Artifacts On Playback Off the nanoFlash One for Dan. I'm sitting here playing back on a monitor from the HDMI out socket on the nanoFlash. Every so often the picture sort of breaks up momentarily before re-forming and carrying on as normal. I also occasionally got a "dark screen" effect, as if the picture has blanked out though not as it were instantaneously, as if it were simply switched off. Again the picture re-appears after a moment. All I can think is that there is a connection between the timecode trigger via the tape in my XLH1, maybe too close between record/pause/record on occasion, but why the two effects? Ron

October 8th, 2010, 02:27 PM	#2
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Ronald, I am sorry it took me so long to respond. I have been traveling since last Friday. This sounds like a HDMI cable or HDMI connection problem. Could you try another HDMI cable? __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

October 9th, 2010, 10:59 PM	#4
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	Dear Ronald, In our next release, there will be a menu item that you can select which will help the nanoFlash work better with tape based cameras. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

October 8th, 2010, 02:48 PM	#3
Alan Emery Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Janetville Ontario Canada Posts: 210	Hi Ronald, I have an XL H1s and use the tape as a backup and timecode trigger. I find that sometimes when the tape is rewinding to reset itself to start again, and I don't give it enough time to do that before I need to shoot again, the nanoflash will create very short files (sometimes just a frame or two, sometimes a 10 or so). On the very short ones, the image is usually black. I assume this is because the nanoflash is recording the start/stop function of the camera. Now that I know it happens, I watch to make sure the tape is settled before I tell the camera to start recording and thereby before the nanoflash starts recording as well. If this is the same effect as mine, when you look at your file structure, you will see some very short files where the black hiccups occur. My sense of this is that it is just as you suspected -- the nanoflash tries to record every single time the timecode starts and stops, even when the tape is just resetting itself if you have triggered the record function on the camera too early. This might be why, if you are playing your files back directly as you took them from the nanoflash (before downloading and working with them) you see the little black flashes and momentarily jerky images. Hope this helps, Alan

October 10th, 2010, 10:30 AM	#5
Andrew Stone Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 975	Hi Dan, Do you have an idea about when the next firmware release will be issued?