HDR-CX116e: buffer overrun

[U_eriksen]

Hi there,

I am the unhappy owner of a HDR-CX116e camcorder. I have owned the camera for a few years, although I haven't used it much; mostly for special occasions and holidays. My problem has always been there, but I haven't really given it much thought, because I thouhgt the problem was caused by 'external' influences.

Anyway, as the title suggests, the camera suffers from Buffer Overrun (or buffer overflow). When this happens the camera locks up completely and I can forget all about using the camera for some time. I can get it started by removing/replacing the battery, but it will lock again within seconds of resuming recording. Only a longish break (at least an hour) will restore normal functionality.

But the thing is, the overrun problem is completely consistent. Any recording that lasts over, say, 3-5 minutes, will lock up.

My camera has internal storage (not a HDD!) as well as SD-card storage. But none of the options work. I could understand that a poor quality SD card might have trouble keeping up with the recording, but the internal storage should definitly not have a problem, am I right? And to make things even worse, the problem does not seem to be related to recording quality/resolution, i.e. I can't even 'postpone' the buffer overflow by recording in a lower quality. Same thing...

The recording quality is fine, but this problem makes the camera next to unusable.

Any hints on this?

And just to clarify, I have no internal HDD and the problem is not related to loud noises. Nor is it overheating caused by a tight grip in a large, warm palm. If I start a recording with the camera standing perfectly still on a table in a cold room, with no background noise, I still get buffer overrun after a few minutes!

I haven't been able to find info on possible firmware solutions; is this not possible with Sony camcorders?

Thanks  :

Message was edited by: U_eriksen

[Mick2011]

Hi there, welcome to the Sony Forums

This is sometimes a fault with the built-in 'drop sensor', which you can deactivate in the settings. If you've already tried this (it sounds as if you may have) have you tried recording to a fast memory stick (Pro-HG Duo or similar)? It could be that the internal memory is corrupted in some way, preventing a proper read-write.

Certainly sounds to me as if the buffer memory is filling up before the camera can write to the internal memory. 

Cheers

Mick

[U_eriksen]

Hi Mick,

Thanks for the answer.

As I understand it, drop sensors are only present in models with HDD storage. There is no setting to deactivate, as far as I can tell.

I just bought a (supposedly) faster SD card, although my old card was also a fast card for HD video recording. What troubles me most is that I don't see any effect by reducing the quality of the recording (thereby reducing the amount of data to be written.

Any knowledge on the firmware part?

Thanks again.

[Mick2011]

Any firmware updates would appear on the support page for the camera. They usually appear within the first year of a product launch, so I don't think it's likely there will be one. However I'd be surprised if this was a firmware issue, as we would be hearing from a lot of CX116e users with a similar problem.

Does the camera record longer with a memory card? If so, I'd say this is a problem with corruption of the internal memory. Reformatting it might help: see page 4 of the User Manual under MEDIA FORMAT.

Cheers

Mick

[Axeman81]

I have the same camera, exact same problems. Tried installing a high grade original Sony 16Gb card, but happens the same as when using internal flash memory. Formatting etc, doesnt help. Need to leave it alone for a good while before it will resume function.

Very disappointed, I wish Sony could provide a firmware update for this.