External Recorder Megathread (Bypass Tape Deck for VX)

[cosmicgypsies]

Expand Quote

https://shop.orqafpv.com/collections/ghost-irc

Apparently Orqa (?) has taken over ImmserionRC and it's available for pre-order again.

[close]

thanks for the share! but Im a bit concerned with the quality loss of the Immersion RC Powerplay since it doesn´t record via firewire - any slap pals using this thing?

Yes, I'll try and make my thoughts as clear and concise as possible without rambling too much.

It's AV instead of Firewire, so there's definitely quality loss. From what I looked into, the Powerplay handles deinterlacing the footage and also does some artificial sharpening. When it comes to quality loss, the two main things I noticed were obviously detail loss; certain colours tend to get a strange red almost checkerboard/grain quality to them, and also when shooting fisheye it seems pretty jumpy/jittery which I believe comes down to the powerplay's deinterlacing.

It's a lot easier to put into tiers and you can tally it all up against your own criteria.

Positives:

- no more dealing with tapes - glitches, capturing, cold weather etc.
- can watch stuff back instantly.
- more storage.
- no need to deinterlace/convert stuff, just pull .mov files straight off it.
- cheaper than firewire based devices.

Negatives:

- quality loss.
- another thing to charge.
- the button to record is the same one to scroll through menus so it's fiddly to get used to.
- may need to experiment with AV cables/spacers to find one that works. obviously this product was not meant to be used for tapeless, so you either need a specific cable for audio to work properly, or use a spacer which a guy who i can't recall off the top of my head 3d prints and sells.

Realistically, what it comes down to is the convenience of it all, and I will say it's a lot more convenient using the powerplay over tapes. However, my experiences will be considered anecdotal at best and I'm sure a lot of people absolutely despise the powerplay/prefer firewire/etc. a more apt comparison would've been playing back the original tapes and rerecording them with the Powerplay, but here's 5 clips from tape/firewire and 5 from the Powerplay. Canon GL1, Opteka 0.3x, rendered at 720p 50fps.



For me personally just filming my friends and making videos for us to enjoy, I like the powerplay and will continue using it. If I was say filming for "proper" projects, using vx/mk1 etc, I would go for a firewire based solution. Hope this helps somewhat.

[Marsellus Wallace]

Any other DR60 users?
I formatted my HVR-DR60 on my mac (FAT32) and since that I´m not able to record anymore

as soon as I turn my device on a error message "F:12:01" appears. (According to the manual it says "Format the HDD, HDD format error")
then, when I press stop, the device asks me if I wanna format it. After formatting it looks just as normal but it doesn´t record. Also tried formatting it again through the menu. if shut it off and on he whole cycle starts again: Error F:12:01 - formatting - no recording possible

it´s driving me crazy since it worked like a charm before. the folder structure is still the same when pluggin it into the mac.

Edit: fixed the problem. It was the trv´s fault. tried it with another trv and it worked perfectly

[lamfordie]

Has anyone tried these type of recorders? Curious to see if they are any good and what the quality is?
https://www.amazon.com/ClearClick-Converter-2-0-Second-Generation/dp/B07V9JNRZY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=video+to+digital+converter&qid=1654564433&sprefix=video+to+%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-3

[pedro_mayn]

Anyone experienced a CF card failing to record after working for a bit? Mine reached 49 clips and wouldn't record anymore. It was the card not the device, as another card worked.

Might try reformatting it to see if that works

EDIT: Checked back the footy on the second one and somehow that had recorded past a certain point, but the clips didn't show up on the PC. The MRC1 did throw an error at some point, but worked fine after powering it down and back up. Luckily I have a spare to work with.

[pedro_mayn]

Gonna add onto the above and say it was definitely the error A:19:19 IIRC - it was definitely that sequence which is a CompactFlash recognition error. Thankfully not much was lost that day, but a pain none the less.

For next time it's definitely a swap out of the card after that error, take what is usable recorded before the error appeared and look at putting in a new card, then re-format the old one after footy is captured.

[Garth Marenghi]

Cheers to everyone sharing their experiences with these devices. So far they seem to be a bigger hassle than mini-dv tapes, regardless of eliminating dropouts. Transitional video tech can be frustrating.

[pedro_mayn]

Cheers to everyone sharing their experiences with these devices. So far they seem to be a bigger hassle than mini-dv tapes, regardless of eliminating dropouts. Transitional video tech can be frustrating.

I wouldn't necessarily say that, my gripe post was probably the worst thing I had with the device par the batch of Sandisk cards that might've been too 'new' for the MRC1 (which I swapped for Transcend cards). I fixed the issue with a format on the device and it seems to be back to normal now.

Probably had a lot of times coming home to seeing glitches on tapes and/or the VX deciding to shit out on me when I'm out than I've had issues with the MRC1, but that's probably my luck with VX1s haha.

[Garth Marenghi]

Expand Quote

Cheers to everyone sharing their experiences with these devices. So far they seem to be a bigger hassle than mini-dv tapes, regardless of eliminating dropouts. Transitional video tech can be frustrating.

[close]

I wouldn't necessarily say that, my gripe post was probably the worst thing I had with the device par the batch of Sandisk cards that might've been too 'new' for the MRC1 (which I swapped for Transcend cards). I fixed the issue with a format on the device and it seems to be back to normal now.

Probably had a lot of times coming home to seeing glitches on tapes and/or the VX deciding to shit out on me when I'm out than I've had issues with the MRC1, but that's probably my luck with VX1s haha.

Been super lucky with glitches altogether, maybe four distinctive ones in the past ten years. Nothing clip ruining, either.

The not-so-ergonomic placement possibilities of the recorder, fear of scraping the firewire cord (I've managed to scratch the butt of the camera alone several times) and same capture process as with tapes are the biggest cons for me. Doesn't change the fact that tapes are going to run out sooner than later, tho.

[pedro_mayn]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Cheers to everyone sharing their experiences with these devices. So far they seem to be a bigger hassle than mini-dv tapes, regardless of eliminating dropouts. Transitional video tech can be frustrating.

[close]

I wouldn't necessarily say that, my gripe post was probably the worst thing I had with the device par the batch of Sandisk cards that might've been too 'new' for the MRC1 (which I swapped for Transcend cards). I fixed the issue with a format on the device and it seems to be back to normal now.

Probably had a lot of times coming home to seeing glitches on tapes and/or the VX deciding to shit out on me when I'm out than I've had issues with the MRC1, but that's probably my luck with VX1s haha.

[close]

Been super lucky with glitches altogether, maybe four distinctive ones in the past ten years. Nothing clip ruining, either.

The not-so-ergonomic placement possibilities of the recorder, fear of scraping the firewire cord (I've managed to scratch the butt of the camera alone several times) and same capture process as with tapes are the biggest cons for me. Doesn't change the fact that tapes are going to run out sooner than later, tho.

I find this part almost similar, but the idea of just opening Handbrake, opening VLC player so I can quickly scan over clips to check for the mark or half hand, drop the clips over and running it to render is almost half that of logging tapes. Usually a day's worth of footy is captured and rendered in 30 mins.

Yeah I must be unlucky, been a good few times I've also had the issue of the camera asking me to eject the tape mid line or just on a busy session. Annoying. Don't miss using tapes one bit, plus the cost of them now is mental.

To be honest with the placement of the FireWire cord, I just slide it through the hand grip and it's barely at the bottom as opposed to going along the side. I did used to mount it underneath, but I changed it after I slammed onto it. I wish there was a way to mount the device flat on top, but then you lose the shoe mount for using a light. That's my main gripe.

[radcunt]

Can someone just invent a DV Tape that actually records to an SD card pls?

[pedro_mayn]

Can someone just invent a DV Tape that actually records to an SD card pls?

Not the same thing, but I'm pretty sure Mike Crook was developing that integrated D60 recorder into the tape deck. I'm not sure how far he's got, but it was looking really cool.

I'm sure there must be some way to work out a way to have something read onto tape, that directs back to an input i.e CF or SD card. Probably some mad tech behind it, but there's got to be a way? I mean, something like those tape to 3.5mm input cassettes you could get BITD for cars, so you can play off a CD player or MP3 player?

[enrgydrnkr]

Sorry if this same problem has been brought up before in this thread, but I am in a dire situation with my Sony HVR MRCK1.It worked well with my Sony VX1 for about 6 months, and then started to shit out mid session, losing connection with the camera, cutting out mid clip, etc. I even lost a few tricks due to it's inconsistency.

In the past year I've troubleshot basically every compononent; I bought a faster CF card, did the Firmware Update, tried a new Firewire cable, and I have even tried it out with a friends very mint VX2100 to eliminate the idea that my VX1000 had a bad DV input socket; same results with every possible combination. I've wasted money and time, and at this point I just want to sell it.

Problem is, I don't feel right listing it for any more than $100 when it seems like the problem is with the device itself, although I haven´t seen any similair stories online about this. Any words of advice, methods, or problems I haven't considered? Thanks pals and filmer nerds

[Burton Ernie]

Is there any other community besides skateboarding that invests so much effort into continuing to use an SD video camera? Genuinely curious about this.

[mattchew]

Is there any other community besides skateboarding that invests so much effort into continuing to use an SD video camera? Genuinely curious about this.

I think about this frequently and despite not knowing the answer, it’s gotta be extremely few and far between. We skaters are a fickle bunch. I couldn’t keep up with all of the maintenance anymore, but Jah bless all of you still filming the good fight with the GOAT.

That being said, MK1/wooden mic on an HD 4:3 set up and you’re golden.

[donkey]

Sorry if this same problem has been brought up before in this thread, but I am in a dire situation with my Sony HVR MRCK1.It worked well with my Sony VX1 for about 6 months, and then started to shit out mid session, losing connection with the camera, cutting out mid clip, etc. I even lost a few tricks due to it's inconsistency.

In the past year I've troubleshot basically every compononent; I bought a faster CF card, did the Firmware Update, tried a new Firewire cable, and I have even tried it out with a friends very mint VX2100 to eliminate the idea that my VX1000 had a bad DV input socket; same results with every possible combination. I've wasted money and time, and at this point I just want to sell it.

Problem is, I don't feel right listing it for any more than $100 when it seems like the problem is with the device itself, although I haven´t seen any similair stories online about this. Any words of advice, methods, or problems I haven't considered? Thanks pals and filmer nerds

Your post here is one of the main reasons why I've been in a conundrum recently. I've been considering buying an MRC1 but my hesitancy with firewire has been really putting me off. The thing is, with the powerplay and how it connects to the RCA cables, it may lose a bit of quality but I can always guarantee that it's going to work just fine. With firewire however I feel like its more fragile and will eventually screw up on me.

Good luck trying to figure out the issue with yours, I would love to hear any more updates you have with it

[Allen.]

Anyone have any recommendations on how to fix a “format error” for the MRC1 even though it just was formatted

[pedro_mayn]

Anyone have any recommendations on how to fix a “format error” for the MRC1 even though it just was formatted

First of all, what cards are you using? I was having this issue a while back (I might have a post on about it a few pages back). It happened when using the Sandisk Extreme Pro cards, which just kept giving that error to me inbetween spots. I either had to turn it off and on again a few times or simply swap cards, but man it was infuriating. They had the right speed and weren't too fast or anything like that (right UDMA rating), but they just kept giving the format error.

I now use Transcend cards which ironically, had more problems when you look at older forum posts elsewhere about the MRC1 back when it came out. Only one other person I know had the same issues and others have been fine with it, so I'm not sure if there is a difference in the newer versions of the cards or something.

Try a few different cards, record stuff and try to see if it's just the card/s.

[Allen.]

Expand Quote

Anyone have any recommendations on how to fix a “format error” for the MRC1 even though it just was formatted

[close]

First of all, what cards are you using? I was having this issue a while back (I might have a post on about it a few pages back). It happened when using the Sandisk Extreme Pro cards, which just kept giving that error to me inbetween spots. I either had to turn it off and on again a few times or simply swap cards, but man it was infuriating. They had the right speed and weren't too fast or anything like that (right UDMA rating), but they just kept giving the format error.

I now use Transcend cards which ironically, had more problems when you look at older forum posts elsewhere about the MRC1 back when it came out. Only one other person I know had the same issues and others have been fine with it, so I'm not sure if there is a difference in the newer versions of the cards or something.

Try a few different cards, record stuff and try to see if it's just the card/s.

Ha, it’s gotta be something with the sandisks because that’s exactly what I’ve got right now. What is the correct UDMA rating? I feel completely in the dark on this haha

[doyle]

Strange, I've only ever used a (several year old) 32gb SanDisk Extreme III (30 MB/s) with MRC1 and never had any issues whatsoever.

[pedro_mayn]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Anyone have any recommendations on how to fix a “format error” for the MRC1 even though it just was formatted

[close]

First of all, what cards are you using? I was having this issue a while back (I might have a post on about it a few pages back). It happened when using the Sandisk Extreme Pro cards, which just kept giving that error to me inbetween spots. I either had to turn it off and on again a few times or simply swap cards, but man it was infuriating. They had the right speed and weren't too fast or anything like that (right UDMA rating), but they just kept giving the format error.

I now use Transcend cards which ironically, had more problems when you look at older forum posts elsewhere about the MRC1 back when it came out. Only one other person I know had the same issues and others have been fine with it, so I'm not sure if there is a difference in the newer versions of the cards or something.

Try a few different cards, record stuff and try to see if it's just the card/s.

[close]

Ha, it’s gotta be something with the sandisks because that’s exactly what I’ve got right now. What is the correct UDMA rating? I feel completely in the dark on this haha

The correct rating is UDMA 7, that will work on Firmware V3 and I believe below it as well. Try the Transcends and see how you get on. I had a Transcend 133x card originally with my first MRC1 and I just went and looked for them as that one worked seamlessly, plus they're still readily available as the Sandisks. If you find any other brands for cheap it might be worth a punt, too.

Strange, I've only ever used a (several year old) 32gb SanDisk Extreme III (30 MB/s) with MRC1 and never had any issues whatsoever.

The Sandisks should work and do work for a lot of people that I've spoken to over Instagram, but then they didn't work so well for me after a while on a few sessions (even had weird formatting issues on one session where one clip from a previous session remained after a format and the new clip tacked onto the end, very strange). It could potentially be that they're newer and something has slightly changed? I don't know what, though. They're the same spec as the Transcends, but they just never consistently work and kept giving 'FORMAT ERROR' messages between spots. Strange

[slipperywhenwet]

So I've been reading this thread trying to narrow down what's wrong with my vx1/mrc1 set up. It worked fine when I got it however when I press the record buttons now nothing happens. I replaced the cable and the camera say's dv in when in vtr mode. I also updated the mrc1 to version 3.0 hoping that would resolve the issue, but that didn't work either. I haven't tried switching cf cards since the one I was using worked fine before and I don't have another one to test out at the moment. I'm stumped on what can be causing this issue besides the mrc1 being faulty.

[pedro_mayn]

So I've been reading this thread trying to narrow down what's wrong with my vx1/mrc1 set up. It worked fine when I got it however when I press the record buttons now nothing happens. I replaced the cable and the camera say's dv in when in vtr mode. I also updated the mrc1 to version 3.0 hoping that would resolve the issue, but that didn't work either. I haven't tried switching cf cards since the one I was using worked fine before and I don't have another one to test out at the moment. I'm stumped on what can be causing this issue besides the mrc1 being faulty.

The camera must be picking up a connection to have the 'DV IN' display, can you find a cheap card or borrow another one to try it? Have you tried formatting the card in the MRC1 first of all?

[borntoexpire]

Has anyone tried these type of recorders? Curious to see if they are any good and what the quality is?
https://www.amazon.com/ClearClick-Converter-2-0-Second-Generation/dp/B07V9JNRZY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=video+to+digital+converter&qid=1654564433&sprefix=video+to+%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-3

I own one of these. Quality is actually really good and it's super lightweight. I have mine on a shoe mount phone holder with the power running to the camera battery (with a 3rd party lightning port) and a 1ft AV to RCA cable.

[pedro_mayn]

Expand Quote

Has anyone tried these type of recorders? Curious to see if they are any good and what the quality is?
https://www.amazon.com/ClearClick-Converter-2-0-Second-Generation/dp/B07V9JNRZY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=video+to+digital+converter&qid=1654564433&sprefix=video+to+%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-3

[close]

I own one of these. Quality is actually really good and it's super lightweight. I have mine on a shoe mount phone holder with the power running to the camera battery (with a 3rd party lightning port) and a 1ft AV to RCA cable.

My friend has one that must basically be either has this or an identical one with different branding. I know it doesn't display all that bright when using it, but it does the job. Saying that he uses it with his VHS-S cam.

Curious to see your setup with the power running from the battery.

[borntoexpire]

I guess I should've admitted I'm not actually using a VX in the VX thread, but it's a GL2, so it doesn't have the battery door like a vx BUT the vx can transmit power via the mic jack (so run micro USB to 1/8"). Here's my setup.

[pedro_mayn]

I guess I should've admitted I'm not actually using a VX in the VX thread, but it's a GL2, so it doesn't have the battery door like a vx BUT the vx can transmit power via the mic jack (so run micro USB to 1/8"). Here's my setup.

Interesting setup, seen those batteries in the Sony NP form for VX's but never seen anyone use them before. It'd be cool to use this type setup on a VX2/21 since you don't have the battery door to worry about on those cams.

I didn't really know that about the mic jack, but it does make sense given how it originally functions.

[borntoexpire]

Expand Quote

I guess I should've admitted I'm not actually using a VX in the VX thread, but it's a GL2, so it doesn't have the battery door like a vx BUT the vx can transmit power via the mic jack (so run micro USB to 1/8"). Here's my setup.

[close]

Interesting setup, seen those batteries in the Sony NP form for VX's but never seen anyone use them before. It'd be cool to use this type setup on a VX2/21 since you don't have the battery door to worry about on those cams.

I didn't really know that about the mic jack, but it does make sense given how it originally functions.

I guess it's there for phantom power for condenser mic attachments or for a light. I've never investigated whether the shoe mount on the vx is hot or not, but if so, it may be able to power a digital recorder directly with that.

[donkey]

Yo i've been mounting my powerplay on sticky tape on the shoe mount on my vx I cannot believe i never thought to just buy a shoe mount phone holder and do it that way. so sick thank you for the tip @borntoexpire

[cosmicgypsies]

Yo i've been mounting my powerplay on sticky tape on the shoe mount on my vx I cannot believe i never thought to just buy a shoe mount phone holder and do it that way. so sick thank you for the tip @borntoexpire

i did something kind of similar, just unscrewed the shoe mount off an old light then used a screwdriver to p much bore a hole into the grey plastic mount/case that comes with the powerplay, then screwed the shoe mount into it. works solid.

[RoedGroed]

FS-100 help?

I have a MRC1, works perect. Wanted to have another solution as backup and found a cheap FS-100.. Its chunky and not very handy compared to the MRC1, but it does the job.

The problem i have tho, is.. i can record on FS-100 from both vx1000 and vx2000. I import through imovie (should i generally import some other way?), in the capture menu i can see clips here filmed on both cameras BUT i can only capture the ones filmed on VX2000.. Tried multiple cameras. Any idea why this is? Im thinking it might be imovie but i have no other capture solution at hand i know of?

Clips from both cameras play back with audio and everything. Just the capture part.