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Posted by Gary Eickmeier on 06/18/06 18:53
Richard Crowley wrote:
> "Gary Eickmeier" wrote ...
>
>> I have the Sony VX-2000, considered one of the best Mini-DV
>> camcorders. The reliability and compatibility with other Sony cameras
>> is terrific. We can record anything with one of our Sonys, and it will
>> play on all of the others without question. We shoot mostly at LP
>> speed, because many of our jobs are long weddings, dance recitals, or
>> graduations. No problem - usually.
>>
>> My camera developed a sound dropout problem, in which a frame or two
>> of audio, but not the video, would be missing, causing a stuttering of
>> the sound as captured and a visible gap in the timeline audio
>> waveform. It apparently has something to do with each sweep of the
>> head drum, because it is frame based, or sometimes multiple frames.
>>
>> I sent it in to the Sony depot in Connecticut (I forget their name).
>> It came back incompatible with our other Sony cameras. I sent it back
>> again, with a careful note and a tape recorded on another, known good
>> Sony, at both speeds.
>
>
> "Known good" by what method? I'd trust my service
> guy's calibration reference tape more than any of the
> 100s of tapes sitting on my shelves.
You wouldn't trust theirs; my camera wouldn't even play tapes recorded
on it from before the repair. They did not use any standard alignment
tape. They just whammed a new head drum in and sent it back.
>
>> Told them to align it with that tape so it would be compatible once
>> again. They did that, seemingly, but now I am getting this nonsense
>> again. It showed up in spades with an 80 minute tape that we shot at
>> LP speed so that we could do a 2-hour graduation or four.
>
>
> The perils of shooting at LP speed have been discussed
> here many times. Note that professional cameras don't
> even offer the option.
Well, that's why we're using the cameras that do offer it.
>
>> Here is the interesting part: Most of the gaps are not audible in the
>> analog output of the sound track - just when I transfer to the
>> computer with firewire. I listen to the track on headphones, and it is
>> pretty solid. I record the track to a separate audio recorder, a
>> minidisc unit, and it plays fine and transfers back into the computer
>> fine, saving me somewhat. It is as if that one last bit of digital
>> audio information is not getting on tape sometimes, but the audio is
>> still there, or most of it. It just doesn't all make it to the
>> firewire output.
>>
>> Seems like I need a better tape to head alignment, but no one seems to
>> know how to do it. A local shop I took it to (Southern Photo Tech)
>> said they don't have the equipment to work on that camera, and I
>> should be happy with SP speed anyway.
>>
>> I want to know if any of you have a handle on this problem,
>
>
> I never shoot in LP speed. If it isn't worth SP, it isn't
> worth shooting. At the first sign of mis-tracking I take
> my equipment in to be checked against the reference
> calibration tape.
>
>> or know a service center that does, or would be competent to align my
>> heads to factory specs. The Sony centers are pretty much useless,
>> because you can't talk to the technicians, they charge a standard
>> price of about $500 no matter what it needs, and they don't seem to
>> care much about the quality of their work.
>
>
> So find a local shop who does good work. Sony
> "certification" (or whatever it is) is apparently not
> as significant as good, conscientious work. If you
> were in the Pacific northwest, I would highly
> recommend my service shop. (Pro Video & Tape
> in Beaverton, OR)
I am in Lakeland, Florida, population 80,000 or so. Went to St. Pete
this last time, and encountered morons.
>
>> I also wouldn't mind knowing why Mini-DV cameras do not have auto
>> tracking like most good VHS machines had, where they will track a
>> signal no matter what camera or machine it was recorded on.
>
>
> Of course they have "auto-tracking" or they would not
> play back at all. But there is only so much range of
> tracking adjustment. If you have tapes outside the range
> (or if the mechanicals are right at the edge of the spec)
> then you will see/hear the kinds of problems you are
> describing.
See, the tracking isn't necessarily the problem. The video plays just
fine. It is the audio dropouts that I am asking about. How can it play
and track the video without also tracking the audio? Does anyone know
the answer to this?
Thanks for the response. I may call your shop up there and see what they
know.
GAry Eickmeier
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