Odd timecode display

[peter]

Just been trying some sony 80 minute tapes and noticed something I've never seen before. At 75 minutes my project hit a convenient pause, an ideal moment to slide in a new tape. These tapes come already advanced 2 minutes so you don't record over the start of the tape, a sensible option. I slide in the new tape, begin shooting and a short time later into recording I notice that the timecode displays 90 minutes? The camera is maintaining an ongoing timecode from the last tape. I thought that reloading a new tape would automatically reset the camera's timecode. Any comments?
Peter

[acgold7]

What cam are you using? If it's something like the Z5, you have the choice of TC REGENERATE or PRESET.

Consumer cams nearly always reset to zero with each new tape, but higher level cams give you the choice.

It's not likely due to the tape.

[peter]

Thanks for the swift response, it's a Sony HVRV1E, and I've dug out the manual to look at your suggestions. yes there's an option to change how the camera displays the timecode but it's confusing me. if I simply want it to reset to zero upon replacing the cassette what setting should I chose?
Peter

[acgold7]

Page 85. Set TC RUN to REC RUN and TC MAKE to REGENERATE. If this doesn't work go to TC PRESET and select RESET. But before you do that, can you look at what the settings currently are for those things and report back?

The second tape you put in, this was a fresh new unused tape straight from the shrinkwrap, yes? I've never heard of a new tape starting two minutes in but I suppose it's possible, especially with the increased dropout risk of a thinner tape. Makes sense to avoid the first few minutes. But a previously used tape would retain the former timecode.

[Edited to correct settngs info, detailed in post #8]

[peter]

The camera is in my studio at the moment. The tapes are brand new and are definitely shipped having been forwarded by two minutes, I also record 1 further minute of colour bars before storing them before a shoot. Thanks for the advice, I'll make sure to reset the camera as per those instructions.
Peter

[acgold7]

Very good idea to shoot a minute of bars. I do the same.

The question here, of course, is why this has suddenly begun happening if it never happened before. Has someone else had your cam who could have changed the settings? Could you have changed them by mistake?

Or maybe it is the tape after all. Can you do an experiment: Put your cam into VCR/PLAY mode and insert a brand new tape. Rewind to the beginning. Play. Is there timecode running or all dashes? If the former, someone has laid down TC previously -- maybe while advancing the tape -- and the cam is picking up from the existing TC and moving on from there. Implausible, but possible.

Also, when you turn on the cam with no tape in it, what do the TC numbers in the LCD show? Dashes, all zeroes, counting numbers? Colons between numbers included or missing?

[peter]

Well I'll try that tomorrow when I'm in my studio but HDV automatically records new timecode anyway, doesn't it ? which is why we don't need to 'black' tapes anymore like I used to do in the early days of DV
Peter

[acgold7]

Yes, that's correct, but your cam searches for existing TC and then uses that as a start point for laying down new code. If it finds none and it is in REC RUN, it should reset to zero. Which is why I think the culprit is your cam being in FREE RUN (possible) or there already being TC on the tape (very unlikely), or if it is in REC RUN then you might need to reset the TC PRESET or look at the TC MAKE setting and try the opposite -- I believe it should be set to REGEN but not absolutely sure. So knowing what the current settings are will help.

I'll try to recreate this problem on one of my Z5s if I can find a blank tape.

(BTW, DV didn't need blacking or prestriping either -- only analog.)

Okay, tried this on the Z5. TC MAKE needs to be on REGENERATE in order for the TC to reset and begin at zero with each new tape -- I had it backwards before. But you must still be in REC RUN and there must be no TC on the new tape.

[peter]

You're a gent, thanks for doing that, I'll have a closer look at it tomorrow.
AAH, but I've put TC on the tape when I recorded one minute of colour bars, HHMM, what to do then in that circumstance.
BTW You just gave me a shiver, I worked in FHE (Further and higher education) for 11 years and for several of those we were 'blacking' dv tapes as we'd just transitioned from analogue. All that wasted time and needless recording, OH well, water under the bridge.
Peter

[peter]

if you're still following this Adam, here are the settings in my TC menu
TC PRESET 00 00 00 00
TC RUN REC RUN
TC MAKE PRESET
With this I've just loaded a new tape and the TC begins where it left off on the previous tape. I've no idea why a camera would have that option, at a guess you could identify, organise, categorise, capture, log etc and instantly recognize where all the clips fit in a shoot of several hours or days by this continuous TC but i think it would swamp me. Simple bins with individual reels is sufficient for me.
So assuming that I've begun a timecode by recording colour bars what setting do I need? I've a feeling though that putting one minute of colour is making a problem for me. Am I right in thinking I'm going to have to remember to 'backspace' into that one minute before shooting to lay down an accurate 80 minutes of TC.
Peter