Print to Tape / Deck / Timecode

I'm trying to record some footage onto a tape that has previous footage on it. I want to get back to the first frame on the tape (head of the tape), but I can only get within a few seconds of it. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong or how to get back to the first frame? Is it reachable through the deck or final cut?

Setup/Workflow:
fcp (6.0.6) timeline to panasonic ajhd1400 via firewire.
On the ajhd1400 the TCG is set to EXT and the counter is set to TC. Inputs are set to 1399.

I have a RS422 controller if it'd help.

Thanks.

Sorry I misread the OP. I thought we were talking about capture not output. I pulled out my original, useless response and point to Jude's advice below.

If there is nothing on the tape you need, I'd suggest re-blacking the head for a few minutes with FCP first to remove the old footage, since, as V pointed out, you should never have anything right at the head of the tape because of the need for preroll.

If you black the tape it will also generate fresh timecode to grab.

In any jobs that we send out to tape, there is always 30 seconds of bars and tone before any footage, and preferably, 1 minute of black or bars after.

Also, the first and last 30 seconds of tape are the most likely to be damaged, which is another reason to avoid them.

As Jude mentioned, black and code the tape, then lay bars and tone and dump to tape. You Don't need the first frame of the tape.



www.strypesinpost.com

Did you manage to fix the problem then?

Marcus

Marcus T
iCreate! digital|post
12 Core Mac Pro, Snow Leopard, FCP 7.0.3, 8Gb Memory.

Sorry for the delay. I got pulled to another job. Hopefully I'll get to try this before the days end.

Thanks for the feedback.

In order to use the black and code you need to use the RS-422, right? I was trying to use FireWire...

No. firewire should work, as long as the deck is controllable over firewire.