The 30K "Fix" - Official Thread - Page 3  

Bill,

I get a great signal from all 3 Networks with the Samsung and never experience any pixellation during watching HD live on Samsung. I recorded Frazier and Jay Leno tonight using some Fuji S-VHS I just got so I will see if my JVC likes these tapes better. I was using JVC D-VHS tapes and doubt if it is the tapes causing the little dropouts. Before I sent JVC in to be fixed in never pixelled up on recordings. Of course I wasn't able to record HD but recorded lots of stuff in LS3 and it always played back just like the original and never had any dropouts of pixellation. Maybe they gave me a downgrade instead of an upgrade :( Again, it is a very small quick dropout or pixellation. I am very picky about the quality of things and although I would like this fixed it does't bother me since it is so minor.


Dave,

I have thought of getting the AVX-1 and I am still think of doing so. I just didn't want to be one of the first to jump in and wait till all of the kinks are worked out. Sounds like it is about there. I have been reading the AVX-1 thread and see some are still having a few dropouts per movie. Do you get any dropouts using the Satellite reciever with firewire to record OTA signals? or Are the dropouts just limited to the AVX-1? My issues still could be the JVC 30k.

Thanks,
Mike

The real question remains: Should someone who has not yet experienced problems send their deck in for an update? If the answer is no (and that likely is the answer since the old adage applies: if it ain't broke, don't fix it) then WHY woul dthat be the case? Why would old software and no firmware updates work as well as ones that have had it? Until someone correctly diagnoses the problem or until JVC comes forward -- we'll never know and will remain in a state of suspended animation.

Mike, the avx-1 has been out for a year now, and with the b3 s/w if works great. I was watching HDnet last night and with them reducing the bit rate, during any fast motion stuff, there were lots of pixels. If I had been recording, it would have been on the tape. So, as I have said, there are LOTS of issues in the digital stream before it hits the avx-1. The avx-1 is 99.99% for the signal. Meaning, garbage in, garbage out.

Dave

Dave: Therefore, can I gain encouragement from your analogy that I should leave my perfectly fine JVC DVHS machine alone? Or, are you saying I should send it in for an update as preventative maintenance in case something goes wrong down the road? I'm not sure which route you recommend.

Mike, based on what happened to me, having 3 working units and having them all get broken, emotionally I say if its not broken, what do you have to fix.

But, I was one of the first to get the update, so I assume its fixed now since no one has said an issue. So, if there is a question about warranty support, etc, I would send mine in again since I never like having stuff that I know doesnt have the latest updates.

Bottom line, is I have no good answer.

Dave

Thanks Dave. My recording of Frasier played back fine without any hitches so the Fuji tapes work great with JVC. At first I thought "These Fuji tapes are crap" look how bad the picture is but then I did a search on here and found that the Frasier HD picture isn't that good. So that relieved me. When Leno came on it looked HD perfect but I didn't get to watch it. So, I still don't know what my problem is. Maybe its like you said and its digital so it can pixel up at anytime.

Thanks,
Mike

I have a deck which has displayed pixelization on almost every tape I've played, and in different places. So...

What does one do to "order" this fix? Who do I call specifically, and what do I actually ask for? Wanna get this started before my 90 days are up on labor.

-Pie

Call 973-317-5000 and ask for Michael Kolickeo (last name spelled how it is pronounced). You need to talk to him. Don't leave a message. Hold for him or at least get his voice mail.

Hi,

everybody happy with the fix ?

This thread hasn't had a new post for 1 1/2 months so it seems everybody is finally satisfied with the 30000's performance ?

Oliver Klohs

Hi Oliver,

Like you, I too am wondering if the fix works. JVC 30000s are selling cheaper and cheaper, which would be great if there was a working fix.

Li On recently suggested that I use one just to digitize the output of the HLD-XO. How good is the 30K's audio input and audio A/D conversion? He then suggests that I may use the JVC to feed the HTPC the digitized laserdisc signal through firewire, then play it through an X-Card using PDI to input the signal to a Holo3D. Is the 15Mbps of the JVC give that much better headroom versus directly feeding the XO's S-VHS to the Holo3D? The reason I ask is that you've had together in your setup an LD-S9, Holo3D and JVC 30K, and I'm sure you played around with it.

Meanwhile, back On Topic, any news of how the FIX works?

Cheers,

I've had my upgraded 30000U back from JVC for several weeks now. Realistically it's still too early to tell, but I've been satisfied so far with its behavior. It's been playing back most recordings consistently well (both its own and recordings made using the Pansonic combo).

Newly-shipping units appear to have had the upgrades applied.

Ron, how do you know or can tell that newly shipping units appear to have had the upgrades applied?

Dave

As I described elsewhere, newly-shipping units come with a DFC-2 head-cleaning tape and a note, on yellow paper, advising (among other things) that the tape should be used if "block noise" appears on playback. These are the same items that JVC provides when an older 30000U is upgraded.

Apart from this evidence, JVC has told me that newly-shipping units have had the fixes applied.

It is of course possible that there are older units sitting on shelves in retail stores that haven't had the fixes applied. The lack of the DFC-2 tape and the yellow slip of paper should be considered a telltale in that case.

Ron,

Does the “fix†solve the audio drop-out problems with respect to playback by the JVC 30k of tapes originally recorded by the panny deck?

Unfortunately no, there's no change in its behavior when playing back tapes originally recorded with the Panasonic combo.

Early reports by owners of the Japanese version of the forthcoming 40000U suggest that the audio dropout problem still occurs (though less frequently) on the newer unit as well.

Hi Brett,

still owe you an answer to your last mail, I feel guilty :)
Regarding the Holo3D I can tell you that it looks very good when you feed it just S-Video.

If only because of the number of laserdiscs I have I never considered the setup Li On suggested but is surely sounds interesting.

Regarding the 30000 it seems that I should look out for that tape - and the yellow strip.

Oliver

Ron, unless JVC puts a serial number on their web site like the first f/w update, I dont believe anyone can say exactly whats going on w/o looking at the f/w revision. This can be done with a service remote which I have done on my units.

Dave

I would like to know why some units fail and others like mine with 3500+ hours are trouble free?

So would I.

I though mine was trouble free, until it developped the dreaded dropouts and had to be fixed at 1200 hours. Will see in another 1000 hours if the fix holds.

Leszek

Folks,
How can you tell how many hours your unit has been in use? Is there a diagnostic screen?
Thanks
Spearse

Spearse,

I just keep track of my recorded and played back tapes. :)

Leszek

Thought I would chime in on the latest 30ks going out and whether they already have had the "fix" since I have followed this thread for some time before buying the 30k about two weeks ago.

Mine too had the cleaning tape with the warning card and when fast forward searching, I get movement instead of one frozen frame, another trait that seems to suggest from what others have said that mine has the upgrade already. It has a serial number that starts with 157 and I got it from One Call.

I so far have only recorded a 6 minutes piece of the PBS loop and when played back, it looked fine with no pixeization.

Very pleased so far although I am now knocking vigorously on the artificial wood grain of my computer desk.

:D

You may have something with that 157 thing. My second deck, which I bought from One Call in Decmeber, starts with 157. My older deck is in for its second repair.

FYI

I had a conversation with a JVC rep who was showing off the new pro models. Boy that password function is sure neat. Heh.

He said that the 'fix' involves the same mechanisms in the 40000. I asked him if I actually had to experience problems, and he said no. He considered it more along the lines of a 'recall.' Now we all know how nasty official recalls can be.

Gravy,

What password function are you referring to? Just curious.

As to the fix, are you referring to the fix already in the current units, or some further upcoming fix/recall?

Bob

Bob,

You can protect your personal DVHS recordings using a password. Once you record something protected with a password on tape, you will need that same password to play it back. (You will get Copy protection error if you try to play it on a deck that does not support the password feature such as the 30k or the Mitsu).

I can see it now. People decide to password protect their tapes because they think it's cool, and then forget the password and can't even play their own tapes.

Sound unlikely? We have a lot of clients who change the administrator password on their servers and then forget it. Then they have to pay us to come in and crack the password for them.

Ouch!

--Jerome

Grrrrr...I have to maintain computers for my family, and my mother absolutely refuses to use decent passwords, because she *knows* she will forget! I cannot for the life of me imagine that this is a suitable *feature* for a consumer product.

Honey,....um, what's that password that I use sometimes, the one I use for my bank account?

Wife: I'm not sure, what'sit for?

*blurts* It's for that new vcr we got.

Wife: Why would you want a password...to get the vcr to work or something? We paid $500 dollars for a vcr that doesn't work anymore?!

*remembers himself* Uhh, no just the tapes are password protected, I thought it'd be good if, you know, nobody but us could watch them...uh never mind...

Wife (with that tone): Why don't we both take a look at that tape then...

No no, honey, that ok, I'm sure I'll remember it, after all I *do* have to remember it to get cash...

Wife: Oooh! your pin number, I know that, we can fix this right now....

No, no, really, that's ok, just something, I was gonna do but...um oh! Look at the time, gotta go!

Wife: (thinking).... I'd better find out just which tapes were protected, and just *what* were on them...

Darius

Hmmm,

In the past I almost never had to clean my JVC's heads. After the "fix" I had to clean the heads after only 50 hours of use!

Leszek