Frequently asked questions, AG-HPX170 series Memory card camera-recorder

How can I…

Q1. Can viewfinder display be turned OFF while using LCD panel?

Viewfinder is always lit during power ON the equipment. LED element is used as the light source of the viewfinder. Thanks to low power consumption of the element, regular drive became possible.

Q2. How can I erase all clips recorded on a P2 card at once? Is deleting one by one only the way?

You can erase (format) all contents in P2 cards at once with the following ways.

NOTE: P2 cards formatted with other methods may cause recording error with P2 equipment.

A. Formatting with P2 equipment (AG-HPX170 series)

   1. Set operation mode to “MCR mode” and then open the ”THUMBNAIL MENU”.

   2. Open menu : ”OPERATION” > “FORMAT”

3. Select the slot number of the card to format.

B. Formatting with Mac or Windows PC

Formatting can be performed with the following applications (free for both).

P2 Viewer Plus (Windows /Mac)

P2 Driver (Mac)

Q3. How can I hide the “time-code” indication on the viewfinder and LCD monitor?

This indication can be disabled with the “COUNTER” button. The COUNTER button can be accessed by opening the LCD panel.

Q4. How can I enable the FOCUS BAR indication? There is no FOCUS BAR item in the menu for the FOCUS ASSIST button.

FOCUS BAR can be enabled with the following menu item, making it possible to be used together with FOCUS ASSIST functions.

[MENU] CAMERA MENU > 7.DISPLAY SETUP > FOCUS BAR: ON

[NOTE: What is the FOCUS BAR?]

The FOCUS BAR is one of the focus assist functions and it displays the current extent of focus with a bar graph.

Adjust the focus ring so that the length of the bar becomes as long as possible.

Troubleshooting

Q5. Clips cannot be played back, what might be the problem?

CASE A: The clip number is colored in Red.

Example: Clip number 46 (recorded at 480/60i) cannot be played back with a different SYSTEM FORMAT setting (720p).

The clip number is colored in Red if the recording format of the clip and the SYSTEM FORMAT setting are different.

The SYSTEM FORMAT can be adjusted quickly to match the clip’s format with the following procedure.

[Tip: Adjusting the system format to match the format of clips]

1.       Move the cursor to a red colored clip with the OPERATION lever.

2.       Press down the operation lever for 2 seconds.

3.       Check that the clip number has turned from black to red.

CASE B: The thumbnail of the clip is colored in gray and  (“X” mark in yellow) appears.

 mark appears on thumbnails which had damage while in recording (example: damaged by accidental power OFF while recording).

In this case, open the thumbnail menu and then select ”OPERATION” > “REPAIR CLIP” to recover the clip.

Example: Repairing a marked clip (clip number 47).

Q6. There is no video and audio signal from the SDI terminal.

You can select the signal out type (component or SDI) with “SDI OUT” menu item. Please check if the SDI terminal correctly outputs the signal after selecting “ON” in this menu item.

[MENU]　CAMERA MENU > 6.AV IN/OUT SETUP > SDI OUT : “ON”

[Parameter of SDI OUT item]

ON: Audio & video signal are output from the SDI terminal, signal is stopped from the component terminal.

OFF: Video signal is output from the component terminal, signal is stopped from the SDI terminal.

Q7. White balance cyclically changes under artificial lights.

This occurs under artificial lights such as fluorescent lamps and mercury-vapor lamps. Their luminance fluctuates in relation to the AC power frequency.

Mutual interference will occur when the camera-recorder’s vertical sync frequency (example 59.94Hz) and the lighting frequency (example 50Hz) is mismatched.

It may cause the cyclical change of the white balance.

Before shooting or adjusting the white balance in such an environment, set the shutter speed as follows.

For AG-HPX170P and AG-HPX171E (System frequency: 59.94Hz)

For AG-HPX171E, AG-HPX172EN, AG-HPX173MC and AG-HPX174ER (System frequency: 50Hz)

Q8. P2 Viewer does not recognize files that have been copied to a computer or external HDD.

Check if the clips were copied with the P2 file structure intact.

Clips may not be able to be recognized by P2 viewer (and some Nonlinear Editing systems) if renamed or missing the contents of the “CONTENTS” folder.

Please refer to the details of the P2 file structure and a guide to its handling.

Accessories

Q9. I want to purchase a spare AC adaptor (battery charger) and battery pack. What are the part numbers for them?

Q10. What is the applicable range for AC voltage of the AC adaptor? I will use it in some foreign countries.

The applicable range is from AC100V to 240V.

Q11. What is the lens size for attachable filters?

72mm diameter, a size commonly used in the broadcast and professional industry.

Q12. How can I obtain, an extra component cable that comes standard with the product?

It is available as a spare part. Part number: K2KZ9DB00004

Q13. How can I obtain, an extra “Wind screen” part that comes with AG-MC200G dynamic microphone?

Wind screen sponge is available as a spare part. Part number: VSQ1121WS