Topic: Sound Devices 7xx - Firmware Revision 2.10 - 03/06/2007

[baustin]

http://www.sounddevices.com/download/index.html

Notice Concerning Firmware Revision 2.09 for 7-Series

March 05, 2007

Since the release of firmware revision 2.09 for the 7-Series recorders, Sound Devices has received reports of numerous issues, some minor and inconveniencing and some more serious. The more serious issues had the potential to lock up the unit, requiring a hard reset (power removal). The majority of the problems related to FireWire DVD-RAM writing and CL-1 use.

We have identified the cause of these issues, resolved them, and have released 7-Series firmware revision 2.10. Because of the potential seriousness of the failures, we recommend that 7-Series users update their firmware to revision 2.10 at their earliest convenience. Sound Devices continues to place bug resolution as our highest development priority.

Last update March 6, 2007

Sound Devices 744T firmware revision 2.10 provides the following key fixes and features:

    * fixed - intermittent lockup when daily folders are set and new day is generated on power-up
    * fixed - lockup with external DVD-RAM drives in vertical position going off-line; recorder now drops a failed external drive if media goes off line
    * fixed - lockup using the CL-1 when Ctrl-H and Ctrl-C are pressed in a specific setup
    * fixed - lockup when v2.09 changes between FireWire drive and FireWire host mode
    * fixed - take numbers now increment correctly when false takes are generated
    * fixed - an invalid path error during file copying
    * removed - full screen error warnings during recording. Note: media will flash in drive info location if off-line
    * changed - fixed memory issue causing stack warning indications

[jmerin]

updating now! missed you at moe.  the shows rocked

[stober]

Damn I guess I'll update from 2.09 to 2.10 but I'm leaving for Langerado in the morning.Guess I'll take a chance

[MattD]

I've stayed with 2.03 after I heard about all the issues with 2.09. Stober, I think you're taking a chance staying with 2.09. I'd either roll up or back.

[jmerin]

I have had 0 problems with 2.09.  so i updated to 2.10, if i do have a problem can i roll back to lets say 2.03.

thanks

jon

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

Be a long time until I move from 1.46.

  1.37 here.


Did they ever fix the lockup "slow drive" crash when recording to 4G files? 

[ts]

Be a long time until I move from 1.46.

Me too. Although last night my folder/track count went from like 450 down to 1. Wonder what caused that to happen

[F.O.Bean]

updating now.......FWIW, I ran 2.09 a few times flawlessly but.....not risking a HARD power up, fuck that, i think ANYONE should upgrade/downgrade iimediately....I think 2.03 ran alright. mine came with 1.74 but i never saved the prg file so my earliest revision is 1.79

I still think SD kicks ass and im SOOO glad its that simple to update firmware. thats another main reason the 722 kicks major ass and very glad to see SD on the problem.

[baustin]

updating now.......FWIW, I ran 2.09 a few times flawlessly but.....not risking a HARD power up, fuck that, i think ANYONE should upgrade/downgrade iimediately....I think 2.03 ran alright. mine came with 1.74 but i never saved the prg file so my earliest revision is 1.79

I still think SD kicks ass and im SOOO glad its that simple to update firmware. thats another main reason the 722 kicks major ass and very glad to see SD on the problem.

I just realized that I'm still using v2.03! 

If anybody is interested, I still have copies of 1.68 and 1.74 on my computer.

And check this out... if you want to get older firmware revisions, just paste this into your navigator bar and change the '2.10' for the version you want.
Actually this is for the 744t, but I'm sure you could do the same for the other units.
http://www.sounddevices.com/download/7_firmware/744t_2.10.zip

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

since no one answered my question above, let me rephrase:

Is anyone using the newer firmware recording 4GB files consistently without problems?


I saw nothing mentioned when I reviewed the revision history and last time I spoke with SD they claim no knowledge of the issue yet I can't reliably record 4GB stereo files.

[mmedley.]

since no one answered my question above, let me rephrase:

Is anyone using the newer firmware recording 4GB files consistently without problems?


I saw nothing mentioned when I reviewed the revision history and last time I spoke with SD they claim no knowledge of the issue yet I can't reliably record 4GB stereo files.

I have ran 2.10 twice and have had no issues. I will be more than happy to test a 24/96 & 192kHz @ 4GB and see if I have any errors. I'll post back my results.

[ghellquist]

... yet I can't reliably record 4GB stereo files.

Tell us your symptoms. What happens? When? All sample rates and bit depths? Both internal HD and CF-card? How do you see it?

Gunnar

PS: I never record 4GB. Max 2GB to avoid problems in the PC end of things (many apps do not like files larger than 2GB).

[mmedley.]

I had no issues recording 24/192 and 24/96 @ 4GB files in my tests.

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

Its a story documented in another thread somewhere but basicly heres the problem:

I had several instances when the 722 would just stop recording and report slow media.  The media speed test was always fine and I always formatted the drive after taking data off.  It would occasionally just die.  I lost the only source of DAR panic FOB that way.  A buddy who borrowed the deck had the same problem.  I was running 4GB splits then.

I asked and almost everyone said that they were using 2GB files and had not seen the problem.  So I ran this test: I formatted my drive, hit record and let it run until the drive was full or failed.  I did this for both configurations, all other parameters the same and continuous recording tests (unless it died while I was sleeping) for several of weeks while I was working at home. 

When the device was configured for 2GB splits, it would never fail.  My disk holds 38hrs of music at 24/96 (80GB drive) and I ran from empty to fullevery time.

When the devidce was configured for 4GB splits, it would regularly fail.  I cannot recall the details now but I believe that once or twice I filled the drive with 4GB files without any problems.  Every other test I had issues - the recording stopped for "slow media" and the filesystem was corrupted.  It would happen at all different times - 40 minutes, 10minutes, 27hours, there was no recognizable pattern.

I've been running 2GB splits now for 18months without a problem.

I would really like to run 4GB splits because it would clean up my work flow.  But I'm afraid of losing another recording - especially when I'm the only one running or the only one FOB.

I told SD about this way back when and they basically just shrugged and said that they had not seen the problem.  I don't have any reason to doubt what they say but I'm surprised no one else has reported that.  My unit was one of 10 RAW units, so maybe there is an issue with the drive, but still it seems wierd when no other drive I've ever used has trouble with 4GB files.

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

I had no issues recording 24/192 and 24/96 @ 4GB files in my tests.

what sort of test?

I ran in the field lots of times at 4GB and had no problem.  I'd say it happened about 5% of the time so if you run several shows you might not have an issue but eventually it happened and was reproducible when running to fill the drive.

If you don't mind, can you bother to run a 24hr test a few times at 4G and see if it ever fails?  I'd really love to move forward in the firmware revs.  I need to send mine in for the upgrade anyway but shows keep coming up.