Any XH-A1 users here face this issue?

[Steve Rhoden]

Sorry, not much experience from my part. Just try the tape in a
different camera and see the footage is ok.

Steve Rhoden
(Cow Leader)
Film Editor & Compositor.
Filmex Creative Media.
https://www.facebook.com/FilmexCreativeMedia
1-876-461-9019

[Chas Smith]

Thanks for the reply…yeah, I’m trying to find a lead on getting another playback source to see if that helps. Funny thing though is that I took a different tape from a different shoot that I knew to be okay and it playsback fine. After observing it playing back for about 15 minutes… I tried one of the “error tapes” and it goes back to start/freeze/start/freeze…etc.

I observed the playback timecode to start playing approx…every couple of seconds…like 1:10:15, 1:12:27, 1:15:01, 1:18:04, etc. So I’m not sure if the tape is not tracking or guides are off on this tape cassette… ARRGH!

My other “hope” is that maybe theres a video service that can take malfunctioning tapes, correct the error and successfully copy them to another tape? Anyone have any resources along those lines.
Hope to get a different playback source tomorrow to check this out..
it would be great if it worked then.

Here’s hoping !

P.S. Fast-forwarding the tape and the Timecode is reading fine…so the tape did record okay …it’s just some anomaly with some tapes here…yuk! Further in the tape…it plays fine!! What the heck? !!

[Steve Rhoden]

Here’s hoping also.
But i would advise not to further put the error tapes back in that
camera, at the risk of permanent damage or warping. Wait until
you get a good second playback source.

Steve Rhoden
(Cow Leader)
Film Editor & Compositor.
Filmex Creative Media.
https://www.facebook.com/FilmexCreativeMedia
1-876-461-9019

[Chas Smith]

Thanks…yeah I’ve been considering that. Funny thing though, I’ve been running older tapes through the Canon XH-A1 and not a problem.
FFwd-Rwd-play-pause…etc…etc.. flawless.

I observed on one tape with the “start/freeze/start” issue… I had 2 interviews I shot several minutes apart but back-to-back on the tape not play back (start/freeze/start etc.) BUT…the next scenes on the tape were run & gun B-roll and the scenes played-back flawlessly. ???

The interviews were shot on a rock-steady tripod… whereas the run & gun… was handheld and jostled…it would seem that if there were a motion-induced error in recording…that is where it would be more likely to occur.

I did receive a comment on another forum where the owner, a long-time user of Canon XH-A1 and Sony MiniDV tape revealed he has experienced the same anomaly in the recent past and his take is that Sony MiniDV has had a good batch of its tape not perform as in the past. Since MiniDV is falling by the wayside, he surmised that the “Quality Control” isn’t as good and the tapes are inferior to the past tapes. He even admits to doing the unthinkable and re-using “older Sony MiniDV” tape. He says he hasn’t had a single problem or error occur while doing this. But that with newer boxes of Sony MiniDV tapes, maybe 2 out of 5 will “act up” as I’ve described. :\

I wonder if he’s on to something here… because I’ve played a handful of old tapes and they haven’t messed up once…but toss in the newer tapes and they act up. It really is messed up. 🙁

I just wonder if I can get a machine that is more robust to send the signal to a frame buffer and hopefully convert this to useful footage with sync sound. If I can’t… the client is not going to be happy and well… my wallet won’t be either. 🙁

[Steve Rhoden]

I totally agree with him. I think the new tapes are inferior, now that
MiniDV Tapes are getting to be a bit dated, the quality and resources
in developing them, has been reduced.
Quit worrying, im sure when you get a second source you will be
able to capture your footages along with its audio in sync.

Steve Rhoden
(Cow Leader)
Film Editor & Compositor.
Filmex Creative Media.
https://www.facebook.com/FilmexCreativeMedia
1-876-461-9019

[Chas Smith]

Update: not yet had a chance to playback on diff machine but have received some feedback from different sources. Other XHA1 users have reported this playback issue…citing tape quality as the culprit yet no verifiable proof other than recent experiences and trial & error.

One former colleague with a major mkt TV prdn unit sent my e-mail to their in-house tech staff and their concensus is that it sounds like

1. Control Track / Sync issue. This could be caused by tape path issue, excessive audio peaking, dirty heads… etc. But they can’t explain why it would only happen on certain portions of the tape and not on others… The audio peaking would seem suspect as the problem seems to only appear on interviews. BUT the thing is I had AGC on the whole time and unless it’s messed up, I can’t see how it would have “peaked” enough to cause it to foulup every 2 seconds +/-

2. Dirty heads — maybe but I seriously doubt it. I don’t clean it too often but I do keep things clean and use new tape. And again…if this were the case…why only on some scenes and not the whole tape?

SOLUTION: see if it will playback on a more tolerant machine and copy or find a way to ingest it a section at a time and painstakenly reassemble in sync on timeline ARRRGGGHH!! Not sure how to do that since it plays-freezes-plays-freezes every 2 second sec so.

Guess if I can’t plybk on diff machine… I’ll contact a post/trnsfr house and see if they have any legacy machines to handle tape anomalies…Yuk!

Will post status as I learn more.

[Steve Rhoden]

Well, Hoping a post house can help…. Keep us updated.

Steve Rhoden
(Cow Leader)
Film Editor & Compositor.
Filmex Creative Media.
https://www.facebook.com/FilmexCreativeMedia
1-876-461-9019

[August Taconi]

Chas,

I just noticed your post on the xh a1. I used that camera also.
I have also experienced all of the symptoms you’re having.
To keep it short. I sent my xh a1 to Canon Service 4 times 3 months. Each time they said it was dirty heads. It was not. I tried many tests, and produced the same defects. On the fifth try Canon finally replaced the video heads. All is working correctly now. If you are having trouble playing back your tapes in the xh a1, try them in a different Canon camera, another xh-a1 or one the HV series. That worked for me in the beginning, but as the heads got worse nothing worked. Only replacing the head solved the problem. As for solid state recording I too was reluctant. I have finally made the switch to solid state, However, I used my xh a1 with a focus enhancement recorder, but still record to tape as back up. Have not have any corrupt video on any solid state device since I began using them in summer of 2012.

Good luck,
August

[David Martin]

I too am having the same issue RIGHT NOW!! One brand horrible for me, the other brand playing 98% fine. But yes, it appears to be some kind of time code or sync issue.

August Taconi — did replacing the video heads allow you to go back to the problem tapes and play them OK? Or was the footage not salvagable.

Chas Smith — Your problem is my exact nightmare right now. I have hours of home video footage that won’t play smoothly enough to be worth a darn.

Canon told me to ingest all the good tapes that I can. Then send in camera for “adjustments” to see if it’ll play the bum tapes.

Should I put the money into new heads?? I may not have a choice. And I can’t find a robust deck anywhere. Would love to know how you all are doing with this today!

Thanks!

[August Taconi]

Chas,

No, the tapes did not work. I tried them in a Canon HV40, and the xh-a1. Once the video was corrupted I could not recover it. However, replacing the heads did solve the problem, but even with the new heads I do not rely on just tape. I also use a focus solid state recorder to record from the xh-a1 firewire port.

I do not know the cost of head replacment. The Canon Service Center did not charge me for the heads because I had already sent the xh-a1 in for service which was misdiagnosed.

If the head replacement cost is not worth it and you want to continue using your xh-a1. I’d suggest looking into an external solid state recorder. I know of 3 that work with the xh-1. Vitec Focus FS-H200 $495, Sony HVR-MRC1 $749.00, and Datavideo DN6 $539.00. All of these use CF Cards.

Good luck,
August