a Avid Xpress® DV Release 3.0 Release Notes for the Windows® 2000 Operating System Important Information Avid recommends that you read all the information in these release notes thoroughly before installing or using any new software release. This document pertains to Release 3.0 of Avid Xpress® DV for the Windows® 2000 Professional operating system.
Linking the Driver to a DV Device Previously Linked to a Different Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Linking DV Devices to a Particular Driver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Warning Regarding Your Application Key (Dongle) . . . . . 10 Avid Storage Manager Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Setting the Paging File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 FireWire Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Uninstalling Previously Loaded Third-Party Applications . . . 22 Avid AVI Codec Uninstall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Preparing Your System for DVD Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Project Sample Rate and a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Create DVD Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Create DVD Requires DirectX 8.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Third-Party Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Symbols and Conventions These release notes use the following special symbols and conventions: n A note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations, and strong suggestions. c A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to your computer or cause you to lose data. w ➤ A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm. Follow the guidelines in the manual or on the unit itself when handling electrical equipment.
New Features For a description of the new features in Avid Xpress DV Release 3.0, see the Avid Xpress DV What’s New for Release 3.0. Hardware and Software Requirements Avid Xpress DV requires the following system configuration: • Windows 2000 Professional operating system with Service Pack 2 • Minimum of 256 MB of RAM To verify the version of the operating system, service pack, and RAM: 1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, and choose Properties. 2. Click the General tab.
DV In/DV Out Cards Avid Xpress DV supports the Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI)-compliant IEEE®-1394 chip (based on Texas Instruments™ technology). For the most up-to-date list, go to www.avid.com. OHCI Chip - TI 1394 Integrated Circuit Device The TI (Texas Instruments) OHCI chip is the only OHCI chip that Avid has qualified to use with the Avid Xpress DV system. Avid will only support, and highly recommends, the use of the TI 1394 Link and PHY chip.
3. The Found New Hardware Wizard and the DV Driver Installed dialog box appear. 4. The dialog box instructs you to turn the DV device off and then on so the proper driver can be installed. 5. Click OK, and turn the DV device off and then on. The Found New Hardware Wizard and the dialog box close. This establishes communication with the DV device via the custom OHCI driver.
The DV Driver Replaced dialog box appears, instructing you to turn the DV device back on. 4. Turn the DV device on, and then click OK. This establishes communication with the DV device via the custom OHCI driver. n If Avid Xpress DV stops communicating with the camera or deck, try turning the DV device off and then on. Linking DV Devices to a Particular Driver You can use the DVSelect utility to link to a driver other than the custom OHCI driver.
Warning Regarding Your Application Key (Dongle) The application key, commonly referred to as a dongle, allows the Avid Xpress DV software to run on your system. Protect your application key from loss or theft because your Avid Xpress DV software does not function without it, and acquiring a new application key from Avid involves a fee. Avid Storage Manager Support Avid Storage Manager (ASM) is a drive diagnostic utility used for testing Avid media drives. In Avid Xpress DV Release 3.
To set the paging file: 1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then select Control Panel. 2. Double-click System. 3. Click the Advanced tab in the System Properties dialog box. 4. Click Performance Options. 5. In the Virtual Memory section, click Change. 6. Select the appropriate drive. 7. Set Initial size and Maximum size to 384 MB. 8. Click OK. FireWire Support At this time, Avid supports the use of only one FireWire® port at a time.
• The Refresh Frequency (in the Monitor tab of the Advanced settings in the Display Properties dialog box) set to 75 Hertz as your screen resolution n Dual-monitor systems also require a minimum Screen area of 1024 by 768 pixels. n Higher screen resolutions can be used. Screen resolutions are limited by the system’s graphics board and the monitor specifications. NTFS and Media Files Avid recommends storing media on an NTFS file system.
Installing the Software For information on installing the Avid Xpress DV software and other applications, see the instructions in Chapter 2 of the Avid Xpress DV Getting Started Guide. Registering Your Avid Xpress DV Release 3.0 Product You must register your product to receive important information about Avid Xpress DV; this also covers the product under its warranty. To register your Avid Xpress DV Release 3.0 product, fill out the Avid Xpress DV Product Registration form.
- n Don’t Register Now – Click this button if you do not want to register your product at this time. You can also obtain the online and printable versions of the Avid Xpress DV Product Registration form from within the Avid Xpress DV application. Choose Product Registration from the Help menu, and then choose either Register Online or Display Registration Form to Print.
Customer Support The Avid Xpress DV system is supported by Avid and your PC vendor. Avid offers a 30-day free support period upon registration. n You must register your Avid Xpress DV system to take advantage of this 30-day support period. For instructions on registering, see “Registering Your Avid Xpress DV Release 3.0 Product” on page 13. If You Need Help If you are having trouble using Avid Xpress DV, you should do the following: 1. Check the documentation.
Support Packages The following customer support services are available: • Avid On-Call per-event telephone support. • Avid CallPak (10-pack), good on any system at a given site. • Avid Assurance annual contract, unlimited telephone support from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., local time in North America. (Part# 0540 03180-01) International time varies by location. Contact your local Avid Reseller for details. To purchase a support package, call 800-949-AVID (2843).
To open the Goodies folder when the icon is not on your desktop: 1. Insert the Avid Xpress DV CD-ROM. 2. Click Browse CD. 3. Double-click the Goodies folder. Cameras, Decks, and Transcoders To access the most up-to-date information on DV devices check the Knowledge Center. n If you have a problem connecting or using your DV device, check the manual that came with your DV device. Black Striping Your Tape Before you perform a digital cut, Avid recommends that you black stripe your tape.
To choose an audio sound card: 1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then select Control Panel. 2. Double-click Sounds and Multimedia. The Sounds and Multimedia Properties dialog box appears. 3. Click the Audio tab. 4. Select “Use only preferred devices.” 5. The Preferred device for Sound Playback and Sound Recording should display the same device. 6. In the Sound Playback section, click Advanced. The Advanced Audio Properties dialog box appears. 7. Click the Performance tab. 8.
Audigy driver installation. Use the following instructions to install your Sound Blaster Audigy card. Installing the Sound Blaster Audigy Card in an Avid Xpress DV System To install the Audigy card: 1. Shut down your system. 2. Install the Sound Blaster Audigy card into an open PCI slot. 3. Start your system. 4. Log in. The Hardware Wizard should have found the new hardware. 5. Insert the Sound Blaster Audigy Installer CD-ROM that came with the Audigy card but do not run the installer application. 6.
Updating Audio Drivers When you start the Avid Xpress DV application and you receive this error message, “Can’t find any audio cards in your system. You will not be able to play audio,” or you get an exception error “WIN32MIXER” when you initialize audio, you will need to update your audio driver to a newer version. If you have a sound card that you use for audio, go to the sound card manufacturer’s Web site and look for the most recent audio driver for Windows 2000 Professional for that card.
Audio Tool Input Slider The Input slider in the Audio tool does not have a scale on it. The unity gain point is correct only for an analog line, not for a CD-ROM, microphone, or the IEEE 1394 standard FireWire. The slider cannot be used to completely silence audio; the hardware does not have enough range to do this. Therefore, the lowest value on the slider is not equal to minus infinity. Avid DV Codec Avid Xpress DV Release 3.0 uses the new Avid DV codec as the default.
Third-Party Software With Avid Xpress DV Release 3.0, Avid has included third-party software to enhance your videos. To run these applications, follow the instructions on the CD-ROM provided to install the software. On some of the third-party CD-ROMs, online documentation might be provided. n For questions or technical support regarding the various third-party software applications, contact the appropriate vendor.
Preparing Your System for DVD Creation The following section describes steps to take when creating a DVD. Project Sample Rate and a DVD Before you choose Create DVD from the File menu, set the project sample rate to 48 kHz. • If you use the DVR-S201 DVD-R Drive, use the 3.95 GB Media. • If you use the DVR-103 DVD-R Drive, use the 4.7 GB Media. Create DVD Commands The Create DVD Volume command on the Create DVD pop-up menu burns sequences directly to a DVD-R burner.
Recommended Workflow for Creating DVDs with Avid Xpress DV Avid Xpress DV offers several options for creating your video sequence on a DVD. The following are recommended workflows for this process. n For more information on creating files for a DVD, see the Avid Xpress DV User’s Guide. One-Step DVD Creation Within Avid Xpress DV This workflow is recommended when you have DVD writing hardware connected to your system and you want to write directly to the DVD.
Workflow for Creating a DVD with an Authoring Tool This workflow is recommended when you want to create a DVD with an interactive menu. It exports your sequence in a format that can be used by an authoring product such as Sonic Solutions DVDit! to add interactive menu capabilities. To use this workflow: 1. Choose an export template in the Settings scroll list that contains MPEG-2 parameters. 2. Select the sequence in a bin. 3. Choose Create DVD from the File menu. The Create DVD dialog box appears. 4.
n The About box in the cleaner EZ 5.0.3 application states the version number incorrectly. To run this application, register your copy of cleaner EZ to get your serial number. To register your copy of cleaner EZ: 1. Go to http://registration.discreet.com. 2. Choose your geographical area. 3. Under “former Media 100 products,” click “Register here for all versions of cleaner EZ.” 4. Fill in the registration form. n Avid Xpress DV supports cleaner 5.0.3 or later. If you have cleaner 5.0.
Sonic Solutions Included with the Avid Xpress DV system is a Sonic Solutions CD-ROM that includes DVDit! LE (DVDit! SE is included when you purchase the Avid Xpress DV PowerPack.) DVDit! is a DVD authoring tool. To use DVDit! with your Avid Xpress DV system, install the DVDit! application from the CD-ROM provided by Avid. To start this application, use the serial number supplied on the label attached to the CD-ROM sleeve. n Sonic Solutions offers other versions of DVDit!.
Web Software The third-party application QuickTime has been installed automatically with Avid Xpress DV. Avid has qualified this QuickTime version installed on the Avid Xpress DV CD-ROM. Downloading newer versions of this application before it is supported by Avid might cause problems. Avid recommends not updating these applications until they are officially supported by Avid. To access the most up-to-date information, check the Knowledge Center.
recording. This might cause underruns or other application problems with Avid Xpress DV. • Do not use large graphics as wallpaper. • Do not allow the Find Fast background process (find.exe) to run. The process will try to update its cache of file and folder locations. Check your Startup folder and delete the file if it is there. • Disable screen savers. • Do not transfer network data during critical operations. • Do not insert a CD-ROM in a CD-ROM drive during time-critical operations.
Documentation for Release 3.0 The following documentation is included with this release: • Avid Xpress DV What’s New for Release 3.0: Describes all the new features for this release. • Avid Xpress DV Release 3.0 Release Notes: This document. • Avid Xpress DV Help: Includes all procedures and new features for this release. • Avid Xpress DV Getting Started Guide: Takes you through a step-by-step tutorial. This document has not been updated since Release 2.0.
The following information has changed in the Avid Xpress DV documentation. Avid Xpress DV Getting Started Guide Change The following information has changed from the Avid Xpress DV Getting Started Guide Release 2.0. Pages 5-2 through 5-5 describe how to open the Avid Xpress DV tutorial project. This feature has changed dramatically with Release 3.0. You no longer have to select or create a user. Follow the steps on page 5-2 and 5-3, but disregard page 5-4 or any steps to select a user.
Track Selector Repositioning The Help incorrectly states that you can “Ctrl+drag the Track Selector button to reposition tracks vertically in the Timeline.” This is not a feature with Avid Xpress DV. Connecting to Both a Transcoder and the Remote Output on a Deck The following information is not included in the Help. When simultaneously connecting your system to a transcoder and the remote output on a deck, make sure that both devices are configured. Each device will need a separate channel.
Refreshing Media Databases Refresh the media directories after you remove media from the media drives (for example, after you have physically moved drives). The Refresh Media Directories command reexamines all the media databases on the system. This command can take a long time to execute on systems that have large amounts of media online. To refresh media databases: t Choose Refresh Media Directories from the File menu.
Additional Notes on Operation n For specific issues with cameras, check the Knowledge Center. Audio ➤ When using the Yamaha® SXG driver, you might experience audio hardware underruns when playing back audio. Workaround: Quit Avid Xpress DV and set the preferred playback device to Sound Max Digital Audio. 1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then select Control Panel. 2. Double-click Sounds and Multimedia. The Sounds and Multimedia Properties dialog box appears. 3. Click the Audio tab. 4.
➤ You might experience excessive noise when connecting your computer headphone output to outboard audio equipment, such as a studio mixer or powered loudspeakers. This is due to the signal grounding arrangement in both the external audio hardware and in the computer, and is especially apparent on some laptop models. Workaround: Use a ground-loop isolator, available at RadioShack (part # 270-054), between the computer headphone output and the outboard audio equipment.
➤ You cannot perform an audio only digital cut longer than 10 minutes. Workaround: Include video in the digital cut. ➤ Inaccurate timecode occurs when using mixed frame rates (non-drop-frame and drop-frame) and DVCAM recording format. ➤ With real-time effect enabled, parking on some AVX plug-in effect causes the effect to display incorrectly. Effects Workaround: Render the effect or disable real-time effects.
➤ When you export a QuickTime DV stream file at 32 kHz, make sure you select “Audio format locked” in the QuickTime Codec Options dialog box. If you don’t, you will have audio dropouts when you play the file in the QuickTime Player. ➤ While logged in as a Power User, limitations occur when you import from a CD with multiple SCSI or IDE CD/DVD drives connected. Power Users will be limited to the drive with the highest bus ID for CD import.
Media Files ➤ If the Media tool opens with a drive selected, it isn’t selected properly; you need to select the drive again. ➤ Media files deleted from the OMFI MediaFiles folder (located outside the application) do not display as “Media Offline” properly. Workaround: Delete the media databases and rebuild them for the offline functionality to work properly: 1. Quit the Avid Xpress DV application. 2. Locate the OMFI MediaFiles folder. 3. Delete the .pmr and .mbd files. 4.
Recording ➤ Driver errors might occur when switching between transmitting to and capturing from the DV device. This problem seems to occur more frequently with certain DV devices. This problem occurs because the OHCI driver can intermittently get into a bad mode when the input and output mode of the driver changes.
➤ If you autosync two clips by IN point (one video clip and one audio clip), but no IN point has been set, the video and audio sync will be off by one frame. Workaround: Go to the head of the clip and set an IN point. ➤ Line levels record very loud when the default of +20 dB Gain is used. Workaround: Select the +20 dB Gain check box in the Audio tool, above the Input slider.
➤ Running more than one application at a time causes errors. Most video applications create a DirectDraw overlay surface, which writes video. DirectDraw allows only a single overlay surface to exist at one time. A video application would have to stop running before a second video applications starts. Workaround: When running both Avid Xpress DV and QuickTime 5.0 at the same time, play the video all the way through to the end in QuickTime.
Timeline ➤ The audio meters in the Timeline do not update when a DV device is connected to the Avid Xpress DV system. Workaround: Use the audio meters in the Audio Tool.
Copyright and Disclaimer Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of that license by visiting Avid’s Web site at www.avid.com. The terms of that license are also available in the product in the same directory as the software.
Apple and FireWire are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Commotion is a trademark of Pinnacle Systems, Inc., Dell and Dell Precision are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation in the United States and other countries. cleaner EZ and Media Cleaner are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. DVDit! and Sonic Solutions are trademarks of Sonic Solutions.
