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Random pixel flashes finally traced down to…
We’ve got three FCP systems in my department. G5s, editing with AJA IOs, and using Medea raids connected via ATTO SCSI cards. For over a year now (how much over I don’t know, I started last summer), we’ve experienced random pixel flashes on all three machines. If we’re editing in DV, the pixels will be multi-colored blocks which randomly appear on the timeline (if you go back to that place on the timeline it will be clean) during playback, rendering out to a quicktime, or printing to video/editing to tape. If we’re editing Uncompressed, the anomalies will be long horizontal white lines which appear randomly, but don’t appear in the same place twice. We’ve been pulling our hair out for over a year thinking “Surely the Pros wouldn’t put up with this! What are we doing differently?”
Please don’t ask why it took so long to figure out, but today we’ve narrowed down the source of the problem. I’ve discovered that if I use a FW800 My Book drive for my scratch drive, I can lay down 2 1/2 hours of uninterrupted video on tape with not a single glitch. This is unheard of for us. So, this narrows the problem down to either the 1.5TB Medea arrays that we’re all using, or the ATTO PCI-X SCSI cards that we’re all using. Possibly a conflict between the two. We ran a driver update on the SCSI cards to no avail. I wish the Medeas had another hookup besides the SCSI connections, we could use that and decide if it’s the Medeas or the SCSIs causing the problem. Whatever the problem is it’s not a “lemon” card or drive, all three of us have identical issues with identical setups.
Any thoughts on how to narrow this down furthur?
Nick
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8 Replies
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What Medea VideoRaid do you have exactly? (if you do not know send me the serial number and I will look it up.)
What Firmware revision is on the VideoRaid Product? (you can get this from the system profiler)
What Slot is the SCSI Card in? and what slot is the AJA Card in?
Dan DeBruno
Medea Corp. -
I’ll get the info and post back…
Nick
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Alright, here’s the info…
The VideoRaid is a VideoRaid 10/1600 RT3X
The firmware revision is 1.07
The SCSI card is in slot 3
We don’t have an AJA card, we use the exteral IO which just plugs into the FW400 port.I appreciate any help you can give. Thanks!
Nick
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We have had the EXACT same problem as you describe with a Medea RT3X and Atto UL4D card. The array has been back to the US to be checked and firmware updated – it came back with a clear bill of health, but the problem reoccured on a recent job.
I am not in a position to give firmware/driver info as I am at home on paternity leave (second son!) but I will try to find out.
PLEASE post further on this topic – we have been scratching our heads for 18 months. Again, with FW800 or our Huge array, no problems.
Ben (typing with one finger holding a baby…)
Editec Broadcast Editing Ltd
EVS & FCP specialists for live OB operations. FCP systems just used on Sky Sports coverage of the Ryder Cup – live from the K Club.
“The Supercar Run” now available for international distribution from http://www.electricsky.com
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Anyone still looking at this problem?
Ben
Editec Broadcast Editing Ltd
EVS & FCP specialists for live OB operations. FCP systems just used on Sky Sports coverage of the Ryder Cup – live from the K Club.
“The Supercar Run” now available for international distribution from http://www.electricsky.com
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Hey Ben,
I tried to send you an e-mail to the address I got from your company’s website. I sent an e-mail with a copy of this thread to Medea with a request that it be forwarded to Dan DeBruno, inviting him to respond either to my e-mail or this thread. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.
Nick
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I am wondering if y’all ever got this fixed or found out what the problem is we are having the exact same issues! Please let me know if you did:)
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Sonrisa,
Unfortunately, we’re still suffering with this problem. I’m going to be doing some legwork here in the next couple of days on it. We think it’s a conflict between our ATTO SCSI card and the Medea VideoRaid – we’ve updated drivers on the SCSI, and we’re going to update firmware on the Medea here shortly (need to backup the material first – they warn you to do that). If that doesn’t fix anything I’ve got contact info for one of Medea’s support people – I’ll call him and see if we can get any of it resolved, all this in the midst of normal projects of course.
We’re hoping to upgrade out of our Medeas in the next couple of months to the Caldigit HD444 systems. I feel fairly certain our problem will go away then, but all the same, I’d like to fix it anyway.
Nick
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