Can anyone confirm this behavior in FCP with the BR50U?

[Charles Roberts]

5.1.2 appears to have trouble using Batch List imported clips to capture JVC 24P 720 HDV clips. It doesn't have the same problem with good old DV. It doesn't fail to capture, but it captures incorrectly and changes the clip's timecode! If it was a problem with the batch list or the clips, it wouldn't work to capture them from DV tape.

Here's the method:

Using a BR50U and 720HDV24P footage. export a batch list of several logged clips (captured or not makes no difference). Open it in Excel or somesuch. Save it as tab delimited, making no changes. Go back to FCP, import the batch list. Attempt to batch capture it in 720P24; uncheck logged clips settings. It will capture only the first frame of each clip.

Take the HDV tape out. Set the deck for DV output and insert any old DV tape with timecode numbers that will match the ones in the batch list (doesn't have to be 24P or even NDF, FCP will read'em and use'm either way). Change your Easy Setup to DV NTSC (or PAL if that's your bag). Reimport the Batch List (to get the original TC numbers back). Attempt Batch Capture of the clips; uncheck logged clips settings. Capture is flawless.


I've tried this on two different stations now several times. Batch List imports that have been opened in Excel and are subsequently attempted to be captured in 720P24 HDV are captured incorrectly. This is a huge problem if your workflow involves onlining clips from Batch List spreadsheets logged somewhere else. Again, the process for this we've been doing since FCP 1 and it still works here for DV capture. I can't speak to whether or not the same issue exists for Sony or Canon HDV capture, but it would be wise for someone who can to check it.

I have not done the firmware update yet because I just found out about it. Apprecate any of you taking a few minutes out to try it for me. Please try it EXACTLY before replying. Settings are not the issue here.

[Tim Dashwood]

Do the firmware update first and then report back. The firmware is suppose to fix all of your issues.
My understanding is that Apple and JVC have worked closely on this to provide a seamless workflow between FCP v5.1.2 and BR-HD50 firmware v1.06.

[Charles Roberts]

I have updated the firmware to 0106, and Batch List material is still captured incorrectly. Can anyone running FCP 5.1.2 and 24P footage on the BR50U please run the above steps EXACTLY and confirm the behavior? I cannot submit this as a bug without having other users confirm the behavior, and I don't want to either. Seriously, it'll only take you a second!

[Charles Roberts]

ADMIN NOTE: This new thread was merged into the original thread.

This is a continuation of my previous post about Batch Lists, but with a new issue. After updating firmware to 0106, not only is the batch list behavior still there, but in the deck whose firmware I upgraded, I am now getting a Stream Error on every single capture after a randomly short period of capture (average 3-5 seconds). this is capture now, capture clip or batch capture. the error message states that the problem may be the tape, but I have tried it with 3 different tapes, all of which operate normally (albeit with the Batch list problem) on the decks still using firmware 0104! Until I did the firmware update, I have never seen this stream error message. I have preroll set to 10 seconds and post set to 7. Settings identical to what they were yesterday, and using both project from yesterday and new fresh projects.

I am now unable to capture more than 5-6 seconds now through Firewire. This is bad bad bad. When I get a chance later this morning, I'll test 30P footage. I really need some confirmation out there.

[Charles Roberts]

for clarification, each stream error message occurs on a scene break, regardless as to whether scene detection is enabled or not. Needless to say this makes any capture scenario almost impossible.

[Tim Dashwood]

Charles,

I don't have a BR-HD50 in front of me right now to duplicate your issue.

However, I wanted to ask if you had switched your device control to the HDV Firewire 23.98 preset.

Have you adjusted the capture or control presets in any way? (ie. reduced the default preroll time from 6 seconds)

Have you reset and restarted everything, deck included?

What type and speed of processor(s) do you have?

Did you also run the Pro Applications update?

[Charles Roberts]

<However, I wanted to ask if you had switched your device control to the HDV Firewire 23.98 preset>

There is no HDV Firewire 23.98 preset, there is only, by default for the 720 24P HDV Easy Setup, HDV Firewire NDF. But I know what you're thinking, and the first thiing I did when it didn't work as expected was to create a dupe of that one and change the timebase to 23.976. Had the exact same effect. Both of my issues seem (SEEM) independent of frame rate.

<Have you adjusted the capture or control presets in any way? (ie. reduced the default preroll time from 6 seconds)>

No, and in fact, I also boosted the pre-roll and post roll to 10 and 7 respectively in the new preset I made for 23.976. Same result.

<Have you reset and restarted everything, deck included?>

Yep, power cycled everything after firmware update and after finding problems, including the monitor for no good reason.

<What type and speed of processor(s) do you have?>

17" Mac Book Pro dual 2.16 with 2 GB RAM. Also with various dual 1.8 and 2 G5 towers. And with br50U's two have not been updated and one has (as expressed above. Will not be updating them either till I know this isn't the problem, which it seems like it is right now.

<Did you also run the Pro Applications update?>

Yes, there's no other way to get Software update to see the FCP updater for 5.1.2

In another post, someone suggested that the br50U is not approved by Apple, but JVC is certainly suggesting that it works, since the firmware update is posted as specifically correcting issues with FCP 5.1.2. I think you Tim suggested they worked together tightly on it. And it certainly worked fine yesterday (minus the batch list problem). First rule of troubleshooting practice; what changed since the problem showed up. Firmware update.

The ONLY thing I haven't done is used the HD100U as a test unit, which frankly I'm loathe to do; I don't use cameras as decks, especially if I have a deck with older firmware sitting right there that doesn't do this. I have two units with the older firmware that will batch and single clip capture without stream errors on every scene break, and I'm now afraid to update them and lose all ability to capture more than one thing at a time.

Can anyone please confirm using the gear in question that they are not getting stream errors interrupting captures at scene breaks (or otherwise) using the br50U and 24P footage (with the firmware update). Likewise, can someone not experiencing this fresh hell please test the batch list thing I laid out before I committed this firmware. It still happens (since the one frame capture is committed before any possibly scene break to give a stream error).

Thanks for your attention, Tim. I may sound tweaked, but I'm getting a little freaked out here.

[Carlos San Roman]

Hi Charles,

I was having a similar problem when I was trying to capture. I marked in and out about a minute of tape and then tried a batch capture. FCP captured it in four different sections. It cut the clip up into 6 frames, 5 sec, 6 sec, and 21 sec. I was in FireWire HDV NDF because I too did not have 23.98. Tim showed me how to fix that by creating a 23.98 device control preset. I just did another capture test and it seems to be working fine now.

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the help on the 23.98 preset. Just one small problem. When I am in log and capture I can see the footage on my external monitor and hear the audio through my mixer and powered speakers (both are connected to my BR-HD50). But when I play the clip in my time line or viewer it doesn't seem to be going through the BR-HD50 (It did before). I can get audio through the computer speakers but no signal audio or video are coming through the mixer or external monitor. Any ideas what would be causing that? Did I miss a setting?

On a side not: BR-HD50 users don't forget to switch the IEEE switch on the Deck to "HDV" if you want to be able to control it from FCP. That little switch cost my about 5 minutes of, "What the hell is wrong now" pain and suffering!

Thanks again Tim,

Carlos

[Dave Beaty]

From my recall of settings in FCPro prefs. If you have it set to "on TC breaks stop capture" rather than create new clip, you'll get the Stream Error message on each scene break...or even during takes on rare occasions on "A" version camera tapes.

If it's set to create new clip, you'll lose the first few seconds of each scene break as FCPro tries to get the stream back. Setting ins and outs on each scene break and logging for batch seems to work much better, at the expense of having to log every tape. I haven't done extensive testing of this yet and I also can't find any way to use RS-422 with Firewire capture.

Dave Beaty