HDR-XR350 Buffer overflow

[pelekanos]

Hello, i need your lights here.

I have a completly new HDR XR350 handycam with few shots only, i notice that after some time of shooting stops recording and pops up the message BUFFER OVERFLOW. The worst is that at that time i loose the last recording session!!!!

Arround the internet i found some tips to avoid this like dissabling the DROP SENSOR.  I am not so sure that drop sensor can triger the message because i get this at steady recording too!!!

Is there a solution or unfortunatly is a bug of that model ?

I am looking forward for you replies !!!!

Thank you

[Mick2011]

Hi pelekanos, welcome to the Sony Forums

Buffer overflows can happen for a number of reasons: overheating, vibration, very high altitudes, even very high audio levels.

If you are shooting in any of those situations, try recording to a memory stick instead. Disabling the drop sensor may also work, but it's not advisable to leave this off permanently as it does protect the hard drive from accidental damage.

Hope something there helps

Mick

[pelekanos]

Hello mick, thank you for your prompt reply !

The "buffer overflow" appears also at a guiet, steady,  indoor shot.... !!!!

The use of a memory stick sounds litle a restriction with a so adnvanced handy cam !!!I

I forgot to mension that the message is not apperaring always under the same shotting contitions....

Message was edited by: pelekanos

Message was edited by: pelekanos

[Mick2011 · Accepted solution]

No problem, glad to help

Just to explain a little further: the camera will use its internal memory (buffer) if there is a problem addressing the hard drive. During this time the camera will briefly 'park' the hard drive heads to prevent damage to the platter. The camera will instead record to the buffer memory until it's safe to re-engage the drive heads and transfer the buffered data to the internal hard drive.

This can happen many times, undetected, during the course of a recording. However if this temproary memory fills up before the drive is able to re-engage, you'll get a 'buffer overflow' error and recording will stop.

As such, there are really only two possibilities for your problem: either there is sufficient vibration etc during recording to 'park' the drive heads and suspend data transfer, or there is a physical problem with the drive itself preventing data transfer. Both situations will produce a buffer overflow eventually.

If this is only an intermittent problem you could try disengaging the drop sensor, but you must take good care to avoid knocks and vibrations which might permanently damage the drive platter. A tripod or similar support would be advisable. With or without the drop sensor, taking care to hold the camera very steady during recording should prevent the overflows. The memory stick method, transferring to the hard drive afterwards, may be a safer bet all round, although I agree this shouldn't be necessary for all shooting.

If the camera always produces a buffer overflow error, every time you use it, it's more likely there is a fault involving the hard drive. In this case you should arrange a repair with Sony Customer Service using the details on this thread: https://www.sony.co.uk/discussions/message/651957#651957

Cheers

Mick

[pelekanos]

Mick make please this clear to me, the memory stick will be used as a "buffer " instead of the internal memory?

Thank you!

[Mick2011]

No, the buffer memory process is automated and happens on-the-fly as you record. It is used to some degree whether you record to the internal hard drive (HDD) or to memory stick, the difference being that a fast memory stick won't rely on buffering so much as it's not prone to stalling due to vibration.

Your handycam is a hybrid recording device, meaning it can record to either the HDD or to the removable memory stick drive. You can copy footage from one to the other; I'm fairly sure this is possible both to and from the internal drive. Have a look at the instruction manual under 'dubbing'.

I was suggesting you use the memory stick instead of the HDD, basically. Your buffer overflow issue is a known potential drawback with all HDD recorders and where it becomes a persistent problem, users often  switch to a high-capacity memory stick to get around the problem.

Cheers

Mick

[pelekanos]

Mick thank you for your enlightenment !

[Mick2011]

You're most welcome

[arikw1]

Hi Mick

I had the same problem (but  only once) with my new axp35.

However the camcorder was set to record to the sd card and not to the internal disk.

Does it make any different?

Thanks

arik