Operation Manual

Optimization

In general, video mixing is much heavier in computer resources than audio mixing so certain

optimization may help performance, especially when dealing with full frame rate video (such as

DVD in high definition).

There are several parameters which determine the speed with which VirtualDJ decompresses

and displays video content – the size of memory present on your video card, the speed of the

graphics processor (GPU), the speed of the main central processor (CPU), and the access

speed of the hard disk.

Another parameter which largely influences performance is the type of file. An MPEG1 format

file is much faster to decompress than a VOB format file. In a similar way, a file with a 320x240

resolution is much faster to decompress than a file with a 720x576 resolution.

By default, VirtualDJ decompresses only the content which is visible in the video mix window.

This means that if there are two clips which are playing but only one is visible, VirtualDJ will

only decompress the video which is visible. If both video files are shown in the mix window,

then VirtualDJ will decompress both. This makes the software perform quicker and also allows

it to perform better on slower machines. However, this may result in small jolts at the time of

transitions. If the computer configuration is sufficiently powerful, we recommend checking the

“Decode while hidden” box in the “Video” settings in the “Config” menu to obtain more fluid

transitions.

Also, if using a full-screen output to display the video mix, it is more effective to use a graphics

card which has two outputs, than using two separate cards.

And finally, we recommend the use of an output resolution no greater than the resolution of the

video files. If using higher resolutions, low-resolution content will not look any better but will be

using more computer resources. A resolution of 800x600 should be sufficient if using high-

quality DVD video.