RECORD ERROR: CODEC FAULT at hi con only

[Nir Shelter]

Hi guys
Got off a job a few weeks ago all went quite well. We had the odd corrupt drive or power down but other wise had no major technical problems.
Except on the last day when we tried to shoot up into the top of a tree on a sunny day the A camera stopped recording and returned an error message: "Record error: codec fault" this happened on Reddrives and CF with different power sources. The camera would record fine until tilted up to the tree when it would stop recording and return the same error message. The tree top was quite hi contrast as we were looking up at a clear sunny sky through a tree. I guess it was probably around at least 8 stops difference between the branches and leaves and the patches of sky.

Settings were:
MX
3K 16/9
30FPS
and also on 4KHD 25 FPS
6000k
180deg shutter
500 iso
and also on 800 iso
RC36
and also RC28
Reddrive
and also Red CF
build 30.6.12
on a Cooke S4i 35mm at T4
and also on an 18mm Cooke various T stops.
Weather was dry and cool around 20C shooting hand held split out via output 2.

Wondering if any one else had this problem or know why it happened?

 

[Nir Shelter]

Bump.

 

[Tim Sutherland]

What was the 'odd corrupt drive problem'? Also, did you try redcode 42?

Tim

 

[paulherrin]

i would probably send a camera log and if you have any partial material of those shots to deanan or somebody...

 

[Nir Shelter]

Hi thanks for that.
As I said this was the last day of the shoot and the camera was returned the next day to Panavision... so I doubt they got the log file to be able to send to Red or would have kept it on file if they did. As far as the footage goes there is nothing unusual about it as it is a normal looking shot that ends when tilted up to the tree tops. But may give an indication as to what the conditions were like will try and upload a still.

The corrupt drive was a corrupt drive data was irretrievable which is fare enough all mediums will have something go wrong with them but thanks to good procedures nothing much was lost except a small amount of time which we easily recouped.

Any body ever got this error before?

 

[Deanan]

We made a number of improvements in build 31 to the codec for rare circumstances like that. A bit late for this one but worth trying next time.

 

[paulherrin]

heard of that a long time ago, not lately. and for the record, the log files are always there on the camera, and can be collected anytime. unless i'm mistaken.

 

[Cail Young]

Hi guys
Got off a job a few weeks ago all went quite well. We had the odd corrupt drive or power down but other wise had no major technical problems.

I am completely biased, but it's unacceptable that PV is allowing these things to be seen as not major problems. Power downs are faulty plates, replace them, not hard. Drive issues are also fairly easy to rectify if you bother maintaining your gear.

Sad. Still, the 20 Alexas they have coming in will sort that right out, I'm sure.

 

[Cail Young]

Any body ever got this error before?

As noted, high contrast through treetops has been the Achilles heel of the REDCODE system. Apparently Build 31 has helped...

 

[Nir Shelter]

Thanks guys
Yeah just haven't seen or heard of hi con being a problem for a while now so thought this may have been something new, oh well hope B31 helps.

I am completely biased, but it's unacceptable that PV is allowing these things to be seen as not major problems. Power downs are faulty plates, replace them, not hard. Drive issues are also fairly easy to rectify if you bother maintaining your gear.

Sad. Still, the 20 Alexas they have coming in will sort that right out, I'm sure.

Yup good ol' PV though there was very little to be done about a corrupt drive a HDD will fail at some point with no or little prior warning. This particular one of the pair in the Reddrive just so happen to do so as it was being used on the A cam of a decent budget TV show. I would regularly monitor the performance of and maintain all recording media CF and HDD alike and at the hint of a suspicion I would order in a replacement, not to mention regular reloads at the end of each scene/setup or if possible sooner. So as I said mechanical failure is inherent with all mediums hell I, and I am sure most of us, have seen a 35mm film mag crap itself on a camera just as I have a CF card HDD should be seen as no different in that regard.

As for power shut downs I clearly was not referring to power source related ones if this would have happened batteries and plates would have been replaced. I meant the twice (that I can remember) that there was an unexplained shut down, upon closer inspection there was nothing wrong with the battery, battery plate or camera and it never happened again so no harm done.

Thanks for your replies.
Nir.