BR-HD50U issues again. at DVinfo.net

Craig Meadows · August 3rd, 2006, 12:41 PM

Our first BR-HD50U last month failed less than 30 days old and JVC kindly replaced it within their perfect replacement program. The new unit according to JVC Pro Support supposedly had the latest firmware upgrade when shipped out.

Just started using the new unit and we are getting the "overheat" "default to PAL/50" about every 6 to 10 clips we try to digitize in FCP. Making working in any project, particularly under broadcast deadlines next to impossible. I wouldn't trust this unit to a 20-30 batch capture so we are capturing one clip at a time.

When it "freaks" even with a NTSC/PAL monitor the menu screen is so jittery that it's next to near impossible to see. So working blindly via the manual we have figured out how many menu button strokes to use to set the menu controls under "settings" to return it to factory settings enabling 60i. But, after just a few clips captured it freaks again to overheating/Pal. We were told by JVC Pro Support one way to reset is to unplug the unit and let it sit for 30-45 minutes which is unacceptable in any real production environment. Why the unit does not have a "hard reset" switch doesn't make sense in light of the units fragility.

Yes I've called the JVC Pro Support number and left a message for Dwayne Kersey who helped us with our first deck.

Using FCP, 9-pin serial control, component analog outs, feeding a AJA Kona LHe.

Is anyone else having these issues regularly with this deck?

Mark Silva · August 3rd, 2006, 04:03 PM

craig is it warm in the room its operating in?

how hot is the air coming out of the fan?

Jerad Sloan · August 3rd, 2006, 04:47 PM

i've seen the same issues with the deck...it has randomly power cycled and comes up in PAL/50 mode. i have used 3 different decks and all have seemed to do this at various times with seemingly no rhyme or reason. the room my deck is operating in is about 75 degrees...not sure how hot the air coming out of the deck is...but after resetting back to NTSC/60 mode, it usually works fine for quite awhile...which makes it difficult to believe that the temperature is the issue...it isn't as though the deck has to be powered down or not used for awhile before it works again.

i'm using the analog downconverted component out to capture to a Decklink card via FCP.
-jerad

Craig Meadows · August 3rd, 2006, 08:00 PM

As it turns out I finally got through to the same people at JVC Pro support that helped with the first deck. The new deck was supposed to have had the firmware upgrade prior to shipping but apparently it didn't based on the units serial number. Had to FedEx the deck tonite to the Georgia JVC service center for the firmware upgrade. They said it would be in and out the same day so hopefully we will have it back on monday.

And no, the deck was not warm to the touch and the edit suite it is in is one of our cooler ones. if you search the forum you will find this issue discussed to some length.

With the firmware available from JVC they obiviously know about and have a fix for this problem. From a pure curiosity point of view It would be nice to have one of their guys pipe in here and give us the low down on what exactly the issue really is. Could it be the decks are really not overheating but there is something else going on (voltage spike perhaps) making the deck think it is overheating and forcing it in to PAL50 mode.

Mark Silva · August 4th, 2006, 12:04 AM

yeah I'd like to hear from the JVC guys on this as well.

Seems this deck has had its fair share of issues from day one.

Laszlo Horvath · August 4th, 2006, 06:49 AM

I just want to order this deck today. Now I put on hold. Anybody can tell me which is the new (and hopefuly good) firmware # ?
Or may be just better wait with the order?

Laszlo

Tim Dashwood · August 4th, 2006, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laszlo Horvath

I just want to order this deck today. Now I put on hold. Anybody can tell me which is the new (and hopefuly good) firmware # ?
Or may be just better wait with the order?

Laszlo

The deck will show you the firmware version if you hit STOP and MENU at the same time.

I've been using the BR-HD50 for months without incident and I have version 0102.

Mark Silva · August 4th, 2006, 09:56 AM

Tim you returned the first one you had didn't you?

Craig Meadows · August 4th, 2006, 03:12 PM

Tim, just curious, are you using rs-422/9-pin regularly (for every capture) or 1394?

Thanks!

- Craig

Tim Dashwood · August 4th, 2006, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Silva

Tim you returned the first one you had didn't you?

Nope. You are thinking of my HD100's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Meadows

Tim, just curious, are you using rs-422/9-pin regularly (for every capture) or 1394?

Most of the time I'm using the 9-pin in conjunction with FCP and a Decklink card. However, I have done ingest and output with m2t via firewire.

Dave Beaty · August 7th, 2006, 09:24 PM

The current firmware we have for the BR-HD50 is 1.05. It addesses the overheat - PAL mode crashes caused by RS-422 control. It can be loaded via an SD memory card by the user, so you don't have to send in your deck to JVC. Once updated, those crashes should be a thing of the past. Ken Freed from JVC is the person to talk to.

Check this thread for a discussion of the RS-422 bugs in early firmware.
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...856#post482856

Dave Beaty

Jeff Schaap · September 11th, 2006, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Beaty

The current firmware we have for the BR-HD50 is 1.05. It addesses the overheat - PAL mode crashes caused by RS-422 control. It can be loaded via an SD memory card by the user

WHAT! Really? I was told by JVC that this was a factory-only repair and not something an end user could.

I sent my deck in to have the firmware updated because Premiere Pro 1.5.1 cannot correctly control and batch capture (via IEEE) from our BR-HD50. It can free capture just fine. It can also batch capture from our HD-100u's just fine.

I was told by Cineform tech. reps that the reason Premiere is having an issue is because my deck needed this firmware upgrade. We sent it in and had this done under warranty but when it returned it acted exactly as before. I am wondering if the deck really was updated as it should have been. Is there any easy way to tell what firmware version the deck has?

If anyone can help or point me in the direction of resouces to solve this issue it would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
Jeff Schaap

Tim Dashwood · September 11th, 2006, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Schaap

Is there any easy way to tell what firmware version the deck has?

Press STOP and MENU.

Jeff Schaap · September 12th, 2006, 09:53 AM

That worked, many thanks. It says 1050, which I assume means 1.5. Is this the latest revision to everyone's knowledge?

Thanks,
Jeff Schaap

Antony Michael Wilson · September 12th, 2006, 10:02 AM

Yes, 1.05 is the latest version to the best of my knowledge. Most of the issues (such as inability to control the deck via RS422 in Avid) were cleared up by 1.04. That's as much as I know. However, things weren't spectacularly successful on our Avid even with v.1.05. I've never seen anything like it on ANY RS422-controlled deck. I've also never seen a deck with BITC inconsistency - that must be a GOP thing. Basically, I'm still not sure whether it's the deck, Avid or a combination of both. Frankly, I'm glad I was only renting it and hadn't bought it! The conform is going to be very interesting indeed.

August 3rd, 2006, 12:41 PM	#1
Craig Meadows Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 25	BR-HD50U issues again. Our first BR-HD50U last month failed less than 30 days old and JVC kindly replaced it within their perfect replacement program. The new unit according to JVC Pro Support supposedly had the latest firmware upgrade when shipped out. Just started using the new unit and we are getting the "overheat" "default to PAL/50" about every 6 to 10 clips we try to digitize in FCP. Making working in any project, particularly under broadcast deadlines next to impossible. I wouldn't trust this unit to a 20-30 batch capture so we are capturing one clip at a time. When it "freaks" even with a NTSC/PAL monitor the menu screen is so jittery that it's next to near impossible to see. So working blindly via the manual we have figured out how many menu button strokes to use to set the menu controls under "settings" to return it to factory settings enabling 60i. But, after just a few clips captured it freaks again to overheating/Pal. We were told by JVC Pro Support one way to reset is to unplug the unit and let it sit for 30-45 minutes which is unacceptable in any real production environment. Why the unit does not have a "hard reset" switch doesn't make sense in light of the units fragility. Yes I've called the JVC Pro Support number and left a message for Dwayne Kersey who helped us with our first deck. Using FCP, 9-pin serial control, component analog outs, feeding a AJA Kona LHe. Is anyone else having these issues regularly with this deck?

August 3rd, 2006, 04:47 PM	#3
Jerad Sloan Tourist Join Date: May 2006 Location: Santa Monica, CA Posts: 2	same issues i've seen the same issues with the deck...it has randomly power cycled and comes up in PAL/50 mode. i have used 3 different decks and all have seemed to do this at various times with seemingly no rhyme or reason. the room my deck is operating in is about 75 degrees...not sure how hot the air coming out of the deck is...but after resetting back to NTSC/60 mode, it usually works fine for quite awhile...which makes it difficult to believe that the temperature is the issue...it isn't as though the deck has to be powered down or not used for awhile before it works again. i'm using the analog downconverted component out to capture to a Decklink card via FCP. -jerad

August 4th, 2006, 06:49 AM	#6
Laszlo Horvath Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: LaSalle Ontario Canada Posts: 289 Images: 5	Firmware # ??? I just want to order this deck today. Now I put on hold. Anybody can tell me which is the new (and hopefuly good) firmware # ? Or may be just better wait with the order? Laszlo

August 3rd, 2006, 04:03 PM	#2
Mark Silva Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 431	craig is it warm in the room its operating in? how hot is the air coming out of the fan?

August 3rd, 2006, 08:00 PM	#4
Craig Meadows Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 25	As it turns out I finally got through to the same people at JVC Pro support that helped with the first deck. The new deck was supposed to have had the firmware upgrade prior to shipping but apparently it didn't based on the units serial number. Had to FedEx the deck tonite to the Georgia JVC service center for the firmware upgrade. They said it would be in and out the same day so hopefully we will have it back on monday. And no, the deck was not warm to the touch and the edit suite it is in is one of our cooler ones. if you search the forum you will find this issue discussed to some length. With the firmware available from JVC they obiviously know about and have a fix for this problem. From a pure curiosity point of view It would be nice to have one of their guys pipe in here and give us the low down on what exactly the issue really is. Could it be the decks are really not overheating but there is something else going on (voltage spike perhaps) making the deck think it is overheating and forcing it in to PAL50 mode.

August 4th, 2006, 12:04 AM	#5
Mark Silva Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 431	yeah I'd like to hear from the JVC guys on this as well. Seems this deck has had its fair share of issues from day one.

August 4th, 2006, 09:56 AM	#8
Mark Silva Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pacific NW Posts: 431	Tim you returned the first one you had didn't you?

August 4th, 2006, 03:12 PM	#9
Craig Meadows Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 25	Tim, just curious, are you using rs-422/9-pin regularly (for every capture) or 1394? Thanks! - Craig

August 7th, 2006, 09:24 PM	#11
Dave Beaty Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ft. Myers, FL Posts: 240	The current firmware we have for the BR-HD50 is 1.05. It addesses the overheat - PAL mode crashes caused by RS-422 control. It can be loaded via an SD memory card by the user, so you don't have to send in your deck to JVC. Once updated, those crashes should be a thing of the past. Ken Freed from JVC is the person to talk to. Check this thread for a discussion of the RS-422 bugs in early firmware. http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...856#post482856 Dave Beaty

September 12th, 2006, 09:53 AM	#14
Jeff Schaap New Boot Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Adrian, Michigan Posts: 8	That worked, many thanks. It says 1050, which I assume means 1.5. Is this the latest revision to everyone's knowledge? Thanks, Jeff Schaap

September 12th, 2006, 10:02 AM	#15
Antony Michael Wilson Major Player Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: London, UK Posts: 343	Yes, 1.05 is the latest version to the best of my knowledge. Most of the issues (such as inability to control the deck via RS422 in Avid) were cleared up by 1.04. That's as much as I know. However, things weren't spectacularly successful on our Avid even with v.1.05. I've never seen anything like it on ANY RS422-controlled deck. I've also never seen a deck with BITC inconsistency - that must be a GOP thing. Basically, I'm still not sure whether it's the deck, Avid or a combination of both. Frankly, I'm glad I was only renting it and hadn't bought it! The conform is going to be very interesting indeed.