Canon XL-H1 capture and monitor playback not working

[Shane Ross]

(Cross posted on Canon forum as well…hope you don’t mind)

I have been doing some shooting with the Canon XL-H1. So that I can actually say that I have shot and worked with HDV footage. And so I can test the Matrox MXO with HDV footage. Shooting has been fun, but now it comes to time to capture the stuff…or even play it back on my HD monitor, and for the life of me it isn’t working.

Yes…I read the manual. In fact, that is one of the reasons I am writing.

In the manual, on page 98, it says to play back the footage I need to pres MENU, go to the SIGNAL SETUP option and choose PLAYBACK STD and set it to the format that I have been shooting, DV or HDV. Well, that option is greyed out…I cannot access it. Same thing for capturing, I need to set this to the format I shot to capture it, but it isn’t available. It won’t let me select it.

Any ideas why?

Shane

Littlefrog Post
http://www.lfhd.net

[vince gaffney]

I assume you are in VCR mode. The little mode select button on the handle needs to be set to tape not card. i just checked mine and it seems fine.

vince

[Shane Ross]

Yes, VCR/PLAY mode, and set to tape, not card.

The setting being grey makes me thing that somehow that option is missing, or that I need to set some other setting before that is available, and I cannot find it.

Shane

Littlefrog Post
http://www.lfhd.net

[vince gaffney]

i’ll get back into mine and see if i can replicate the situation. it does sound like one of those weird little setting nishaps.

vince

[Shane Ross]

I got it. SOmeone on the Apple forum figured it out. I need to have the firewire cable NOT plugged in, then that option is available. Now I got a signal out via HD SDI.

Still cannot capture via firewire…I am capturing as DVCPRO HD via my Kona LH.

Shane

Littlefrog Post
http://www.lfhd.net

[Miodrag Ristic]

Shane,

Will you keep us posted please, re your experience with XL-H1 and HDV?

I’ve been observing the HDV and a little Canon for some time,
and got a feeling that things are not as clear as it seems.

Currently still on DV, but geting ready to jump, HDV looks
like most interesting solution, at least cost wise,
minimum hardware upgrades needed.

Would I avoid capture pitfalls by using a Firestore?

Thank you

Mick

[Shane Ross]

If you shoot with this camera, shoot 60i. 24f not only looks stuttery, but costs you resolution:

https://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_XL_H1/4505-6500_7-31556313.html

“…the Canon XL H1 cannot record true progressive video in either HD or SD. That’s a real disadvantage for those going for a cinematic look. The XL H1 does offer a pseudo-progressive shooting option, which Canon calls Frame Mode, in 30- and 24-frame-per-second varieties. Unfortunately, while Frame Mode provides identical motion quality to that of progressive video, it results in a significant loss of vertical resolution.”

I wish I knew this before I shot. But, ah well. I did shoot a lot at 60i, but mostly at 24f. Clouds, flowers, kids playing, city scape of LA from the Griffith Observatory. I could tell the difference AFTER I shot, looking at it on the HD monitor (HD SDI out from the camera).

And I couldn’t for the life of me capture via firewire. I tried every setting under the sun…not one worked. Every HDV easy setup, deck control…nothing. The computer saw the camera. It was in the system profile. But FCP did not. So I captured as DVCPRO HD via my Kona LH (the HD SDI) and it looked great. Well, the 60i stuff did. Heck, even the 24f stuff did too.

Still, that camera goes for $9299. It is front heavy (the lens), a bit touchy when it comes to focusing…and just too expensive for HDV. With that amount of money I can get the HVX200 with two 8GB cards and a P2 Store. Or the Firestore…and it records DVCPRO HD off the bat.

I would like to get my hands on the Sony HDV camera. And see what it does for $5k. And I will NOT shoot any progressive formats with any of those cameras. Unless one shoots true progressive. Do they?

Shane

Littlefrog Post
http://www.lfhd.net

[walter biscardi]

[Shane Ross] “If you shoot with this camera, shoot 60i. 24f not only looks stuttery, but costs you resolution:”

Same is true of the Sony Z1. Looks MUCH better in full 50 or 60i than 24.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Andrew Kimery]

At least in Barry Green’s opinion the vertical resolution hit for using 24f (about 15%) isn’t that big a deal in real world usage.

From Barry’s XHA1 v. HVX200 comparison over at DVXuser.com
https://www.dvxuser.com/articles/xha1/

“This subject has caused much to been written about, discussed, argued about, holy wars instituted over, etc. Here we have a case of

[Shane Ross]

Good points…and I trust Barry. But I have both 24PN footage shot with the Panasonic and 24F footage shot with the Canon and the Canon footage looks very strobey.

Shane

Littlefrog Post
http://www.lfhd.net