VTR with timecode

[James Blackburn]

I'm setting up a hidden camera shoot with 3 cameras, I have a locked off Canon XL-H1 and Two Wireless 2.4Ghz cameras, My problem is finding a way to record the output of the two wireless cameras timecode synced with the Canon XL-H1 to make edting easier.
A solution i though of was hiring two decks with LTC Timecode In to record each of the wireless cameras genlocked to the Canon.
I am not sure which deck support this and if anyone knows of an alternative solution to my problem.

Thanks

James

[A. J. deLange]

Keep in mind that the LTC signal is, at normal playback speed, an audio signal so any deck, vcr or camcorder with an audio input should work. I'd be a little wary of what compression would do to the ability to recover time code from the signal so I would prefer a recorder that uses straight PCM. You'll need some way to split the TC signal from the XL-H1. A Y cable will probably do it. Note that "should" means "should", not "will" so it would definitely be wise to check this scheme out well before the occasion.

Also note that the wireless cameras will not be genlocked to the XL-H1 (unless they have genlock inputs connected somehow to the genlock output of the camera i.e. the composite video or component luma outputs) but the snap of a slate should occur at the same timecode on all three recordings.

When capturing the video from the recorders you will need a capture device capable of reading the timecode, converting it and attaching it to the video. Unfortunately it has been demonstrated that the XL-H1 is not responsive to externally applied timecode signals except when in camera record mode so your XL-H1 is not that device.

[Edited to clarify that the source of genlock from the XL-H1 is not the BNC labeled 'Genlock']

[James Blackburn]

Is there no way to generate the timecode from a deck rather than from the cameras as the wireless cameras will definitely not have any means of sending any sort of timecode signal.

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by James Blackburn

Is there no way to generate the timecode from a deck rather than from the cameras as the wireless cameras will definitely not have any means of sending any sort of timecode signal.

You said you were going to have the two wireless cameras genlocked to the Canon. Genlock means one is feeding sync signals into the camera from an external source and that takes a cable, hence no wireless. Besides, the H1's genlock terminal receives sync from an external source and dosn't feed sync out. If you really need genlock, you'll need an external clock source feeding sync to all three cameras at once. That being said, I doubt that's really what you need since you use genlock to sync the sweep on multiple cameras, VTRs, etc when doing live switching. It's not the same thing as jamming timecode between cameras so they are all identical.

Get a timecode capable recorder like the SD702T or 744T and jam sync it off of the Canon, then jam a Denke timecode slate off of it to slate the other two cameras.

[James Blackburn]

Yes genlocking is the wrong term, all i really need is timecode running at the same time, not all the cameras in phase as we will be mixing the feeds in post.

James

[Steve House]

When you say you have wireless cameras for B and C, what are you really referring to? Do you mean wireless control for such things as pans, tilts, focus, record start and stop, etc, do you mean they're transmitting their video wirelessly to an external recorder, or do you mean they're receiving audio wirelessly from a common mixer so the same audio is recorded on tape in each?

[James Blackburn]

the wireless cameras are transmitting video to a deck yes, audio is not a problem because we have a fostex digital audio recorder with a timecode card built in

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by James Blackburn

the wireless cameras are transmitting video to a deck yes, audio is not a problem because we have a fostex digital audio recorder with a timecode card built in

What file format does your recorder produce? Is it an older style DAT recorder or is a file-based recorder outputing WAV or BWF format files?

Where I'm going with the questions is that some things are confusing. Your initial post referred to laying down LTC but that's not what DV or HDV cameras use or produce nor is it what is recorded as the timestamp in BWF audio files.