Mark,

While it is an "issue", it is a totally expected issue. Unless the camcorder and the audio recorder are synchronized by running of the same clock, then there will be drift. It might take a minute or an hour, but they will eventually drift. Guaranteed.

Just because digital devices run off a crystal-referenced timebase doesn't mean that they will run at exactly the same sample rate. Just how much two digital devices will drift and over what period of time will vary from device to device and crystal frequencies can be affected by something as simple as change in ambient temperature. Therefore, there is no "loss of sync" issue that can be fixed with a firmware update, it's the "nature of the beast."

Besides, it's incredibly easy to resync audio in Vegas.

John

Just to throw this in. The Zoom H4 now has memory up to 8GB that is verified for use. Thats an entire day of filming a wedding for me and one less thing to change at a critical moment. It was a Transcend card available from Newegg for around $60. NICE...

Thanks John, my tired old eyes can certainly use the larger font and the time remaining display can save my ass in the future. Yes, I did manage to screw up a live interview by having a memory card of lower capacity than I thought installed in the unit.

Of course, there's no timestamp function for the recordings.... ah, well.....

>>...now has memory up to 8GB ...

Is this a result of the firmware upgrade? I don't recall seeing it in the What's New section. Maybe I missed it.

I was pretty sure that it only supported 2GB or so before.

Terrific device!!

It is the result of a firmware upgrade.

j razz

Yes, being able to use SDHC memory cards is a result of the new firmware, it was previously limited to 2gig cards. SDHC cards currently top out at 8GB.

When you get download the firmware, make sure to also download the new owners manual addendum which explains all the new features.

-------------------------------------------------
Support for SDHC cards over 4GB

Adopted a larger display font to be easier to read

Indicates the battery capacity and recordable time at the top of the screen

Added a File Dividing function to create separate files for each song from a long-hours of live recording

Added a Low-Cut filter to reduce wind noise and breath popping

Added an MP3 post-encoding funciton which can convert recorded WAV files into MP3s

Added a Mono Mix function for the purpose of Electronic News Gathering

Added an Auto Recording function enables you to start recording automatically when the input signal exceeds a certain level

Added a Normalize function lets you increase the audio level of the recorded file at a maximum
-------------------------------------------------

John

Good news. Thanks for sharing this info.

Anyone had a chance to compare the H4 with the new H2?

I know I read the primary difference was the 2 (H4) microphones versus the 2 (H2); seemingly named reverse.

I also read the the newer H2 has a date/time stamp for files created. I was surprisesd that the H4 did not have that basic feature.

The H4 also has balanced inputs on XLR connectors. It is line level and mic level with 48 volt phantom power.

Mom confiscated my H2 and is using it for a hearing aid because you don't have to "jamo-jamo" the earpieces into your ears.. Oh well.
JJK

Pathlight:

If the loss is sync is predictable, then it's the easiest thing in the world to deal with. Figure out how many frames per minute it gains/loses, then any time you throw an audio clip on the timeline, just stretch or shrink the corresponding amount. Takes just a few seconds. I do this all the time with my Minidisc surround audio. It looks like it's almost time to migrate to solid-state.

Frustrating - I still haven't been able to update to the new firmware yet. From the Zoom forum I'm not alone, and I've been in touch with the Zoom tech, and he suggested it may be because I have a "fast" (2Gb 150x) SD card installed. I was able to upgrade from the original firmware to 1.30 with this card a few months ago, but I went out and bought a Sandisk 512Mb card, which is on their compatible list, but still had no luck.

... So, to help eliminate possible causes, could anyone with an H4 tell me what card (Size and speed if poss.) they had installed when they successfully upgraded to 2.0 or 2.1, and what previous firmware they had installed?

Many thanks

Peter

I had v1.40 and upgraded to v2.10 using a Sandisk Ultra II 2GB card.

Thanks John

Peter, in what way does the update fail?

John, here's the routine I have done many dozens of times ....

After downloading the "from 1.20 or later" zip file, I unzip, and copy the new SYSTEM.BIN file to the root directory of the SD card replacing the former file.

I power the H4 with the Mains adapter and hold the Input Menu button "south" whilst switching on. Instead of getting the upgrade screen, it's just boots up with the existing version 1.30.

Some have solved this by holding the input menu button more "gently south" - I have tried gently, very gently, very very gently and even firmly ... There are several others with this same problem at various points of the globe .....

As I said, I have tried with different SD cards without success.

Although I was able to update from the supplied firmware to 1.30 normally many months ago, this same thing happened, or didn't happen, when the 1.40 firmware was released, but that upgrade wasn't particularly significant, so I didn't worry too much, but this version 2.1 is extremely desirable!

The Zoom web site says, "During the version update process, the H4 needs to be powered by a supplied AC adaptor." I assume that you have done this?

Yes - this is what I called a "Mains adapter" above John - thanks for your interest - I need to use it for the next fortnight for some recording, but if nothing changes by then I'll be sending it back to the "experts".

Oops, I glossed right over the statement about you powering it with the mains adapter.

Here's a long shot; Did you copy the system.bin file to the SD card using the H4 in the USB mode or did you copy the file using an external SD card writer? I have had issues with the H4 not reading files written to it using Unicode filenames. The H4 manual states the following:

• Multi-byte character file names and folder names will not be displayed correctly by the H4. These will be shown as "H4_XXX...(.mp3 or
.wav)". File names and folder names containing Unicode characters also cannot be handled by the H4.

• If a file name is changed using a generic SD card reader/writer, it may no longer be recognized correctly by the H4.

Perhaps the H4 just isn't seeing the file because of the filename. I suggest hooking up the H4 in the USB mode and unzipping the system.bin file directly to the root of the SD card instead of unzipping the file to your drive and then copying it to the card. I unzipped directly to the SD card with the H4 hooked up in the USB mode and it worked for me. Come to think of it, that's how I've done all the previous firmware upgrades.

John

Had the same problem until I unzipped direct to the card AFTER formatting the disc in the Zoom.
Good luck :-)
Max

Well thanks for the suggestions John and Max. I tried unzipping direct to the card, but still no luck.

Just checking I did this right - I first copied the H4_2.10E file across from PC to Zoom via USB, then unzipped it on the SD card, then copied the SYSTEM file to the root directory.
Then powered down, held the Input Menu switch whilst switching back on - and it once again loaded as 1.30.

- and I first formatted the card in the Zoom, Max.