TRV900 -- various questions

Ieronim Catanescu · May 14th, 2004, 05:58 AM

Hello guys, here's my first post on this board.

I recently bought a TRV900 - the Japanese version! I don't speak any Japanese, so I labelled all controls with English P-Touch stickers. Fine, but what about the menus?

Has any of you guys ever heard about the possibility of flashing TRV900's firmware? If it can be flashed, then it can be flashed with the English firmware too! There's got to be a way to do it. I wouldn't mind opening the TRV900, if need be, but I'm guessing it can be done through LANC or by "booting" from a "rigged" memory card.

I'd greatly appreciate your comments on this.

Boyd Ostroff · May 14th, 2004, 08:01 AM

Have you seen John Beale's website? It is a great resource for this camera. In particular, this section discusses messing around with the firmware: http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/service.html. From what I gather, the RM-95 is no longer available however.

Ieronim Catanescu · May 14th, 2004, 10:05 AM

John Beale's site was the first place where I looked for this, to no avail. I even wrote to John and he isn't aware of anyone flashing the TRV900 firmware, so I ended up on this forum to seek help.

I also have the service manual and I couldn't find any info about flashing the firmware.

I'm sure it can be done. They have to do it at the factory when they put the camera together. Any Sony insiders on this forum?

Boyd Ostroff · May 14th, 2004, 10:24 AM

Last year there was some discussion of hacking the firmware on the TRV-950. One of the sites mentioned was http://lea.hamradio.si/~s51kq/DV-IN.HTM. While it doesn't specifically deal with your question there is an explanation of how to dump and load firmware. So theoretically it seems possible to copy the firmware from an english camera and upload it to yours.

However this all seems like a lot of trouble and more importantly, you stand a good chance of making your camera inoperable.

Joel Iwataki · November 12th, 2004, 03:42 PM

I'n new to all this. Trying to monitor Final Cut Express on TV set thru TRV900. Mac G5 firewire to 'DV in/out' on TRV900 to S-video to Sony TV.

Everything works except Final Cut out to TRV900. I've captured from camera to G5 thru this setup and I can monitor TRV900 playback and camera thru this setup.

TRV Manual says it should say "DV In" on screen, but it doesn't. I can't find setting on TRV for DV input. Can't find setting on Final Cut Express for Firewire output (except in Easy Setup Box - and I've tried "DV-NTSC" and "DV-NTSC Firewire Basic" and "DV converter" but still no luck.

Any ideas? Thanks

Mike Hanlon · November 12th, 2004, 05:42 PM

I have encountered a similar problem many times. The only solution I've found is to trash your FCE/FCP preferences.

Don't forget to reset your scratch disks after trashing the preferences.

Mike.

Joel Iwataki · November 12th, 2004, 05:55 PM

Just found it in Final Cut Express:
View (Menu) - Video - Firewire.
It's all good.
Thanks for being there.

Brad Mitchell · December 17th, 2004, 06:32 AM

hi, i am a new member and came here to get some info on TRV900s

i have pretty much decided on this camera for many reasons but still want to know as much about it s possable before i make a purchase.

how is the audio, lowlight and is there widscreen format?

thanks alot
brad

Boyd Ostroff · December 17th, 2004, 08:41 AM

The TRV-900 is an older camera which is the consumer version of the PD-100, like the TRV-950 is to the PDX-10. With 1/4" chips it won't be as good in low light as the VX-2000 but should be a little better than the TRV-950. It has a widescreen mode but it crops and stretches like the VX-2000 so you lose quality in that process. The TRV-950 has a little better widescreen mode and the PDX-10 is much better at that.

The TRV-900 has a loyal following however. John Beale has extensive TRV-900 resources on his website; have you seen them? http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/index.html

Tom Hardwick · December 18th, 2004, 10:03 AM

I presume you're talking about getting a second-hand TRV900 Brad. They were introduced in 1997 and quite a few of them suffered from internal microphone failure, so do check this out on the camera you have your eye on. Less well documented was the early versions ability to crinkle the tape. This only happened when you had filmed say 55 minutes of the 60 mins and then hit 'rewind', but it's a nasty noise to hear.

Other than those two things it is indeed a fine camera with lots of photographic control. Fully working 6 bladed iris, a switchable ND filter, progressive scan (at a reduced frame rate) and it takes the big NP-F batteries (as the VX2100 does). It's about 1.5 stops less sensitive than the VX2000, but overall it's a mighty fine camera.

tom.

Jeff Toogood · January 26th, 2005, 08:23 AM

I am looking at getting a backup/b-roll camera to my PD170.
My TRV38 just isn't cutting it.
It will mainly be used as a lock down shot for wedding ceromonies.

Will the TRV900 match up reasonably well with the PD170? With what I have seen on ebay, I think I can get a TRV900 for about $1000-1200 less than a VX2000.

Or should I just try and save some more $$$ and get the VX2000?

Thanks

Tommy Haupfear · January 26th, 2005, 11:14 AM

Budget aside I would want a camera that is closer in capabilities to the PD170. The VX2000 with its similar 1/3" 3CCD configuration will more closely match the PD170 in PQ and low light performance (as you know a wedding must).

Also, I believe the TRV900 has been discontinued a lot longer than the VX2000 and you run the risk of higher mileage.

Jeff Toogood · January 26th, 2005, 11:24 AM

Thanks

Unfortunately, budget is a big concern. I just spent all the money I had on the PD170.
I was hoping to sell the TRV38 for a few bucks and then buy a used TRV900 or PD100 to replace it.
I figure they have to be better than the 38 and I can also use one of them as my family camera since they have a similiar form factor as the TRV38.

Tommy Haupfear · January 26th, 2005, 01:17 PM

Budget always stops me dead in my tracks. I don't think you would have a problem matching up footage between the TRV900 and PD170 unless they are both taping the same low light ceremony.

I had trouble using a PDX10 with a wedding last year (along with my VX2000) but I believe the TRV900 handles better in dim lighting. The TRV900 has larger CCDs (1/4" vs 1/4.7") and fewer pixels per CCD (380k vs. 1070k).

Tom Hardwick · January 28th, 2005, 05:41 AM

There's good and bad things associated with your choice of a TRV900 as second back-up cam. First the good things, and this comes from personal experience. The 900 and PD footage will cut together seamlessly, and if you've not gone too far off the norm with the PD's custom preset it'll be hard to tell the footage apart.

The downside is the low light performance, though as Tommy says it's better than the PDX/950. The other thing is the age of the 900, though there are of course many good examples about.

Look out for failing in-built microphones and be aware that some 900's had a nasty habit of crinkling the tape when put into the rewind mode having filmed for 50 minutes plus. You can avoid this by rewinding in the PD or DSR-11, whatever.

But if I were you Jeff I'd go the distance and get a VX2k. It's had a much better reliability record than the 900, it'll see better in the gloom of the church, the presets can be set to match and the optics are exactly the same. Yes, that's the one I'd go for.

tom.

May 14th, 2004, 05:58 AM	#46
Ieronim Catanescu Tourist Join Date: May 2004 Location: Montreal (Canada) Posts: 2	TRV900 - is it possible to flash the firmware? Hello guys, here's my first post on this board. I recently bought a TRV900 - the Japanese version! I don't speak any Japanese, so I labelled all controls with English P-Touch stickers. Fine, but what about the menus? Has any of you guys ever heard about the possibility of flashing TRV900's firmware? If it can be flashed, then it can be flashed with the English firmware too! There's got to be a way to do it. I wouldn't mind opening the TRV900, if need be, but I'm guessing it can be done through LANC or by "booting" from a "rigged" memory card. I'd greatly appreciate your comments on this.

November 12th, 2004, 03:42 PM	#50
Joel Iwataki New Boot Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 13	Final Cut Express to TRV900 to Monitor I'n new to all this. Trying to monitor Final Cut Express on TV set thru TRV900. Mac G5 firewire to 'DV in/out' on TRV900 to S-video to Sony TV. Everything works except Final Cut out to TRV900. I've captured from camera to G5 thru this setup and I can monitor TRV900 playback and camera thru this setup. TRV Manual says it should say "DV In" on screen, but it doesn't. I can't find setting on TRV for DV input. Can't find setting on Final Cut Express for Firewire output (except in Easy Setup Box - and I've tried "DV-NTSC" and "DV-NTSC Firewire Basic" and "DV converter" but still no luck. Any ideas? Thanks

November 12th, 2004, 05:42 PM	#51
Mike Hanlon Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 180	I have encountered a similar problem many times. The only solution I've found is to trash your FCE/FCP preferences. Don't forget to reset your scratch disks after trashing the preferences. Mike. __________________ VM Productions

November 12th, 2004, 05:55 PM	#52
Joel Iwataki New Boot Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 13	"nevermind... found it." Just found it in Final Cut Express: View (Menu) - Video - Firewire. It's all good. Thanks for being there.

December 17th, 2004, 06:32 AM	#53
Brad Mitchell Tourist Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Detroit Michigan Posts: 3	Trv900 hi, i am a new member and came here to get some info on TRV900s i have pretty much decided on this camera for many reasons but still want to know as much about it s possable before i make a purchase. how is the audio, lowlight and is there widscreen format? thanks alot brad __________________ Bikeguide member Terrible4130 i want a TRV900

May 14th, 2004, 08:01 AM	#47
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Have you seen John Beale's website? It is a great resource for this camera. In particular, this section discusses messing around with the firmware: http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/service.html. From what I gather, the RM-95 is no longer available however.

May 14th, 2004, 10:05 AM	#48
Ieronim Catanescu Tourist Join Date: May 2004 Location: Montreal (Canada) Posts: 2	John Beale's site was the first place where I looked for this, to no avail. I even wrote to John and he isn't aware of anyone flashing the TRV900 firmware, so I ended up on this forum to seek help. I also have the service manual and I couldn't find any info about flashing the firmware. I'm sure it can be done. They have to do it at the factory when they put the camera together. Any Sony insiders on this forum?

May 14th, 2004, 10:24 AM	#49
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Last year there was some discussion of hacking the firmware on the TRV-950. One of the sites mentioned was http://lea.hamradio.si/~s51kq/DV-IN.HTM. While it doesn't specifically deal with your question there is an explanation of how to dump and load firmware. So theoretically it seems possible to copy the firmware from an english camera and upload it to yours. However this all seems like a lot of trouble and more importantly, you stand a good chance of making your camera inoperable.

December 17th, 2004, 08:41 AM	#54
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	The TRV-900 is an older camera which is the consumer version of the PD-100, like the TRV-950 is to the PDX-10. With 1/4" chips it won't be as good in low light as the VX-2000 but should be a little better than the TRV-950. It has a widescreen mode but it crops and stretches like the VX-2000 so you lose quality in that process. The TRV-950 has a little better widescreen mode and the PDX-10 is much better at that. The TRV-900 has a loyal following however. John Beale has extensive TRV-900 resources on his website; have you seen them? http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/index.html

December 18th, 2004, 10:03 AM	#55
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	I presume you're talking about getting a second-hand TRV900 Brad. They were introduced in 1997 and quite a few of them suffered from internal microphone failure, so do check this out on the camera you have your eye on. Less well documented was the early versions ability to crinkle the tape. This only happened when you had filmed say 55 minutes of the 60 mins and then hit 'rewind', but it's a nasty noise to hear. Other than those two things it is indeed a fine camera with lots of photographic control. Fully working 6 bladed iris, a switchable ND filter, progressive scan (at a reduced frame rate) and it takes the big NP-F batteries (as the VX2100 does). It's about 1.5 stops less sensitive than the VX2000, but overall it's a mighty fine camera. tom.

January 26th, 2005, 08:23 AM	#56
Jeff Toogood Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: St.Thomas, Ontario, CANADA Posts: 428	TRV900 vs. VX2000 as backup to PD170? I am looking at getting a backup/b-roll camera to my PD170. My TRV38 just isn't cutting it. It will mainly be used as a lock down shot for wedding ceromonies. Will the TRV900 match up reasonably well with the PD170? With what I have seen on ebay, I think I can get a TRV900 for about $1000-1200 less than a VX2000. Or should I just try and save some more $$$ and get the VX2000? Thanks __________________ Toogood Studios

January 26th, 2005, 11:14 AM	#57
Tommy Haupfear Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 1,415	Budget aside I would want a camera that is closer in capabilities to the PD170. The VX2000 with its similar 1/3" 3CCD configuration will more closely match the PD170 in PQ and low light performance (as you know a wedding must). Also, I believe the TRV900 has been discontinued a lot longer than the VX2000 and you run the risk of higher mileage.

January 26th, 2005, 11:24 AM	#58
Jeff Toogood Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: St.Thomas, Ontario, CANADA Posts: 428	Thanks Unfortunately, budget is a big concern. I just spent all the money I had on the PD170. I was hoping to sell the TRV38 for a few bucks and then buy a used TRV900 or PD100 to replace it. I figure they have to be better than the 38 and I can also use one of them as my family camera since they have a similiar form factor as the TRV38. __________________ Toogood Studios

January 26th, 2005, 01:17 PM	#59
Tommy Haupfear Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 1,415	Budget always stops me dead in my tracks. I don't think you would have a problem matching up footage between the TRV900 and PD170 unless they are both taping the same low light ceremony. I had trouble using a PDX10 with a wedding last year (along with my VX2000) but I believe the TRV900 handles better in dim lighting. The TRV900 has larger CCDs (1/4" vs 1/4.7") and fewer pixels per CCD (380k vs. 1070k).

January 28th, 2005, 05:41 AM	#60
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	There's good and bad things associated with your choice of a TRV900 as second back-up cam. First the good things, and this comes from personal experience. The 900 and PD footage will cut together seamlessly, and if you've not gone too far off the norm with the PD's custom preset it'll be hard to tell the footage apart. The downside is the low light performance, though as Tommy says it's better than the PDX/950. The other thing is the age of the 900, though there are of course many good examples about. Look out for failing in-built microphones and be aware that some 900's had a nasty habit of crinkling the tape when put into the rewind mode having filmed for 50 minutes plus. You can avoid this by rewinding in the PD or DSR-11, whatever. But if I were you Jeff I'd go the distance and get a VX2k. It's had a much better reliability record than the 900, it'll see better in the gloom of the church, the presets can be set to match and the optics are exactly the same. Yes, that's the one I'd go for. tom.