Sony Hvr-mrc1 Format Error

[Clide Birkner]

HiFolks,

Anybody out there with experience of the above unit.

(For those not familiar with the jargon it's the Sony solid state recording unit which records DV/DVCAM/HDV to Compact Flash cards and is compatible with the Z1/5/7 ranges, though it can apparently also be used as a replacent for an external disc recorder on any cam with an ilink output.)

The reason I ask is that I am thinking of getting one and I have read the specifications thoroughly but can't quite determine if it will do what I want. The specs are quite detailed in some areas but skirt over others.

I'm looking to be able to do the following:

1. Record simultaneously to tape and CF card

2. Record to CF card with no tape in the cam

3. Record to CF card (vid+audio) while changing tapes

I'm pretty sure it will do item one and in fact gives the options of DV/DV, HDV/HDV and HDV/DV to tape and CF card respectively.

However, items 2 and 3 are very important for me and these are the ones where the spec is less clear.

Hence my question, as there is nothing quite like an assurance from someone who has actually got one.

Regards.

What your asking is possible to all three questions but when recording to card and changing tapes I think there is a gap in the audio (could be wrong though) Search here for more info

-hvr-mrc1k-cf-card-recorder/

The DV on the CF cards is avi type one to keep the files within the filesize limit of the FAT32 formatting of the CF cards.

Likewise the HDV files are broken up into 4GB chunks.

Sony provide a utility for stitching the files together on import to the computer.

Yes you can do this. In our experience, however, if you set the MRC1K up in synchro mode so that the camera's record button starts recording on tape and MRC1K simultaneously, then you have to wait until the tape has got to the end and stopped recording until you can eject it and put a new tape in. Then just pushing the camera's record button again starts the tape recording and the CF card carries on, having never stopped.

We have not figured out how, in Synchro mode, to stop the tape at a point of our choosing to change tapes and not also stop the MRC1K from recording. We like synchro mode as you only have to push one button to start / stop recording on both tape and card. You can also treat the camera and MRC1K as independent units, by turning synchro mode off, you just have to remember to push two record buttons when you start recording. Then you can stop the tape and change it at any time while the MRC1K carries on recording.

Then stop the tape and the MRC1K will continue on recording. Once you have the new tape and recording again push cam link "little lightning icon comes back on MRC1K display" Then both the tape deck and the MRC1K will start and stop together.

Hey Guys,

Thanks a bunch for taking the trouble to supply such detailed information.

I'm now convinced it's the one to go for.

I'll have to use the cradle to connect it to my FX1000 but I like the fact that it uses the same battery as the cam and even on a mid-size battery it will run for many hours.

I also looked at the Focus Enhancements Solid State Firestor but it seems much more expensive without much gain.

I also looked at the Datavideo DN-60 suggested by Peter which has the benefit of the NTFS file system and is cheaper, but you don't have the same range of controls and the real downside for me (as a Sony user) is that it works on AA batteries which only last about two hours.

That may sound good at the moment but when 128GB CF cards come out it's going to look pretty paltry.

Anyway, thanks again, and once again DV Doctor proves it's worth more than a tranche of manufacturers and retailers websites.

Best Regards,

Doug.

They're what I use too. I have had problems with mine, though: the first couple I go,t when I formatted them in the MRC1K, it killed them. They wouldn't work and wouldn't reformat in Mac or PC or MRC1K. Amazon replaced them, and since then I've never formatted them again, only deleted files.

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the info on the cards you use.

You say ... "I don't think there's any advantage to faster cards. It's certainly not worth paying extra."

I know the MRC1 can't write any faster but might it not enable a faster transfer to the PC's hard drive?

Out of interest how long does it take to transfer a full card at x133, and do you connect the MRC1 to the PC or take out the CF card and use a seperate reader?

Many thanks,

Doug.

I recently perchased A32 gb card from 7dayshop where i found them to be the cheapest that I could find at the moment I was originally going to by Transend but this make appears to have increased a huge amount in the recent weeks so i investigated and bought a Kingston x 133 which in use i see no difference in capture or downloading to the pc other chips i have are and compare against are the Transend x 300.

The kingston chip has been used since purchase for small 5 second clips to a +40 minute continuous record(x2) where on both occasions the files were automatially split into 3 to cover the time period without and loss of frames from one file to the other and when matched to a secod camera on tape matched perfectly over the period.

This error happens when using a memory card that is not fast enough to record the data being saved by camera. An SDXC Memory Card of Class 10 or faster is required to record using the XAVC S format. An exFAT compatible memory card is required when recording XAVC S.

I've seen compatibility questions raised about a several cameras. I thought I'd just report that FCP X has no problem importing native directly from the HVR-Z7U's tape or its card based recorder, the HVR-MRC1. No transcoding needed, but it might be recommended in some situations.

When I purchased the HVR-Z7U, the MRCI came with it. The package also included a cradle that the MRCI (detached from the camera) clips on to. You clip the HVR-Z7U's battery on to the other side of the cradle, powering the MRCI. The cradle also has a Firewire connector. When you attach a Firewire cable between the cradle and the computer, the MRCI shows up in FCP X as a camera. You just import from there.

I imported footage from the MRC1 again today. When it is attached by the Firewire cable from the cradle, it shows up under "Cameras" in the upper left of the screen. I am not in FCP X now (it is on a separate start-up disk), but it had a name something like "HDV-HDD". Clicking on the "Import" button imports the clips.

I assume that you had no difficulty importing from the unit in FCP Studio (FCP 7). The plug-in I downloaded from SONY seems to work in both FCP 7 and FCP X. In the event you don't have the plug-in, you can download it at:

Also, I have made the mistake before of setting both the camera and MRC1 to synchronous and thought all would be OK. However, when I went to import from the MRC1, the MRC1 would show up in FCP X as something like HDV-HDD, but there would be no files to import. This is because I forgot to press the "Cam Link" button on the MRC1 to turn the linking on. Turning the unit on and setting both units to Syncro isn't enough. You also have to press the Cam Link button on the MRC1 to get a little lightning bolt to display on that practically unreadable postage stamp screen, that turns the sync function on. Even if both are set correctly, you still have to do that to "enable" the settings. If you ever capture with the lightning bolt off, the MRC1 will show "No Files" in its little display window and still show up as an attached "camera" in FCP X, but there will be no files to import.

I apologize if some of this information is basic, but I have occasionally neglected to take a step in the sequence and found myself with nothing to import. Thank goodness for the redundancy of tape and a file based card unit.

Does seem to work... unfortunately, it is in real time. It plays the MR1 as if it were the tape. Also, it did make me proxy media, but it did not do a transcode to ProRes for me. Something I'm missing?

I'm using an HVR-MRC1K memory recording unit and a CF card reader. My card reader can copy the entire contents of the 64GB card onto the Harddrive in about 30 min so to be able to import these files AND edit them while the transferring is happening in the background is important. If X can't do it, Im returning it as that's the only reason I bought it.

Thanks! Great info. I have the Z5U with the MRC1. I was thinking I could use a card reader to get files, but I am okay with real time and going to get a bite of lunch while it is bringing the files in. Thanks again.

FSPJon... I agree. Why those files can't be treated as "camera archives" (which is in fact what they are), is beyond me. I mean if FCP7, Clipwrap, and MPEG Streamclip can handle them, why not integrate the simple feature into FCPX? "Files" are supposed to be what this program does best. I shoot TONS of footage and to load in realtime is a real deal-breaker. Seems a real dumb step backwards in this version - hoping for an update!

Just an update on the Sony HVR-Z5U, the successor to the Z7U, ... I can Import from Camera for the tape only. I also have the MRC1. The Z5U, however, mounts the MRC1 on the back of the camera which was designed to accommodate it. When mounted in it's home, the MRC1 locks out the Firewire connection for a cable so no connection is possible to the computer. Thus, I am stuck with importing from tape only and have to remove the MRC1 to get access to the camera's Firewire connector. If I want to avoid the potential problem of dropped frames from the tape, I have to take the CF card out of the MRC1 and use a card reader to read it into the computer then convert the files. Maybe I could also use the cradle attachment that other cameras use for the MRC1. Then the iLink (Firewire) connector would not be blocked off. Anyway, just some info for Z5U owners.

The Z7U is the successor to the Z5U and comes with a firewire cradle for the MCR1. Just attach the cradle and MCR1 to the computer by a Firewire cable. No card reader is needed. You don't have to import from the tape (and camera) at all, although you can. You can just save the tape as an archive and only use the MRC1 and cradle for importing into FCP X. At least, that is what I do.

3a8082e126