a Avid Xpress® DV Release 3.5 Release Notes for the Windows® XP 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 3.5 of Avid Xpress® DV for the Windows® XP Professional operating system. This document describes compatibility issues with previous releases, hardware and software requirements, and summary information on system and memory requirements.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Hardware and Software Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Windows XP Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Setting Power Management for Laptops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Setting the Proper Paging File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 System Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 DV In/DV Out Cards . . . . . . . . . .
Recommended Workflow for Installing the Free DV25 Codec and Exporting Media to a Non-Avid System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Third-Party Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Uninstalling Previously Loaded Third-Party Applications. . . . . . . . . 23 Uninstalling the Avid AVI Codec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Suggestions for Optimum Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Release 3.5 Release Notes Symbols and Conventions These release notes use the following special symbols and conventions: n c ➤ A note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations, and strong suggestions. A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to your computer or cause you to lose data. An arrow indicates a known bug or limitation. Where appropriate, a workaround is provided. Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.
New Features New Features The following sections list the major features that were added to Avid Xpress DV Release 3.5. The Windows XP Operating System Avid Xpress DV Release 3.5 is the first Avid Xpress DV release created for the Windows XP operating system. n To upgrade Avid Xpress DV Release 3.0 or earlier to Avid Xpress DV Release 3.5, you must update your Windows operating system to Windows XP.
Release 3.5 Release Notes DV Digital Cut Delay The DV digital cut delay affects the timing of the DV data sent to the recording device for digital cut. Increasing the digital cut delay will cause the sequence stream to be to delayed when it is sent to the DV device when the digital cut begins. DV Capture Offset The DV capture offset allows you to offset the incoming DV stream against the timecode assigned to each frame during recording.
Hardware and Software Requirements Hardware and Software Requirements Avid Xpress DV requires the following system configuration: n • Windows XP Professional operating system • Minimum 750-MHz Pentium® III or Pentium 4 • Minimum of 256 MB of RAM, 384 MB is recommended Avid Xpress DV Release 3.5 is not supported on the Windows 2000 operating system. To verify the version of the operating system and the available RAM: 1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, and then choose Properties.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Consider the following before upgrading you operating system: • Save critical data, including Avid Xpress DV Bins, Projects, and Media. • Make sure you are the system administrator of the system you are updating. • Depending on your platform vendor, you might be able to perform an upgrade to Windows XP instead of a complete operating system installation. • Install Avid Xpress DV Release 3.5 after the system has restarted using the Windows XP operating system.
Hardware and Software Requirements Setting the Proper Paging File When you first install the Windows XP operating system, the paging file is automatically generated based on the amount of memory in the system. If you add more memory, you need to change the paging file. n The paging file size should be at least 768 MB. If you experience underruns while running Avid Xpress DV, try increasing the paging file size to correct the problem. To change the paging file size according to the memory size: 1.
Release 3.5 Release Notes System Configurations To access an updated list of supported system configurations and known issues: 1. Go to the Avid Web site: www.avid.com. 2. Click Products. 3. Choose Avid Xpress DV. DV In/DV Out Cards Avid Xpress DV supports the Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI) compliant IEEE 1394 chip. For the most current list, see www.avid.com. FireWire Support At this time, Avid supports the use of multiple FireWire® ports and multiple devices.
NTFS and Media Files Screen Resolution Avid requires the following for your system to run the Avid Xpress DV application: • The Screen area (in the Display Properties dialog box) set to a minimum of 1024 by 768 pixels • The Colors (in the Display Properties dialog box) set to True Color 32 bit (High Color 16 bit for systems with video cards that don’t have 32 MB of memory) • The Refresh Frequency (in the Monitor tab of the Advanced settings in the Display Properties dialog box) set to 75 Hertz as your
Release 3.5 Release Notes To delete the msmFMID.pmr file: 1. Find the file in the following location: drive:\Program Files\Avid\Avid XpressDV\ SupportingFiles\Avid_MediaFiles 2. Select the msmFMID.pmr file, and delete it. Unmount Disk Warning with IDE System Drives c In the Avid Xpress DV application, do not choose Unmount Disk from the File menu if you have IDE drives. Choosing Unmount Disk causes a system error and might cause you to lose unsaved data. For Release 3.
Installing the Software Registering Your Avid Xpress DV Release 3.5 Product You must register your product to receive important information about Avid Xpress DV; this also covers the product under its warranty. If you register your Avid Xpress DV Release 3.5 product, you will receive the special Pan & Zoom plug-in. The Pan & Zoom plug-in allows you to import any size still image and to create video clips in real time. To register your copy of Avid Xpress DV: 1. Start the Avid Xpress DV application.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Installing the Avid Xpress DV PowerPack CD-ROM If you purchased the Avid Xpress DV PowerPack CD-ROM, install this CD-ROM after you install the Avid Xpress DV application CD-ROM. Included on the Avid Xpress DV PowerPack CD-ROM are: • IllusionFX™ Pack: Includes 30 effect plug-ins and the Region Stabilize effect. Documentation describing this effect is included in the Help and in the Avid Xpress DV Online Publications CD-ROM.
Customer Support Customer Support The Avid Xpress DV system is supported by Avid and your PC vendor. Avid offers 30 days of installation-related phone support 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 3.5 Product” on page 13. If You Need Help If you are having trouble using Avid Xpress DV: 1.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Support delivery is designed to provide the most responsive service possible within the geography by adopting host-country language and customs. In North America, Telephone Technical Phone Support is available on a pay-per-incident basis. For pricing information or to use your credit card, call 800-800-AVID (800-800-2843). You can also have the call billed to your phone by calling 900-555-3782. For more information regarding Avid’s service offerings, visit www.avid.
Cameras, Decks, and Transcoders To open the Goodies folder when the icon is not on your desktop: 1. Insert the Avid Xpress DV CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. 2. Click Browse CD. 3. Double-click the Goodies folder. Cameras, Decks, and Transcoders For the most up-to-date information on DV devices, search for “dv devices” in the Knowledge Center. To access the Knowledge Center, see “Accessing the Avid Web Site and Knowledge Center” on page 4.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Audio For information regarding audio, see the following sections. Audio Sound Cards Avid Xpress DV supports using only one sound card at a time. If your system has multiple sound cards, the system needs to know which sound card to use. To choose an audio sound card: 1. Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. 2. Double-click Sounds and Audio Devices. The Sounds and Audio Devices dialog box appears. 3. Click the Audio tab. 4.
Audio n Consumer audio cards exhibit differences with the phasing and polarity of the audio signal. Tolerances will vary with each brand of card. These limitations are inherent to the hardware and will display in all applications that play audio through the card. Sound Blaster Audigy Card This workaround was supplied for the Avid Xpress DV Windows 2000 Operating system. It has not been tested for the Windows XP operating system. The workaround should still apply.
Release 3.5 Release Notes 9. Log in. The Hardware Wizard might run again, trying to install a driver for the game port. 10. Use the Hardware Wizard to search the Installer CD-ROM for an appropriate game port driver. 11. Use the Hardware Wizard to install the game port driver that is found on the Installer CD-ROM. n The installer that comes with the Audigy card includes many applications and installers. Some of these applications will not run with the driver installation previously described.
Avid DV Codec Other Audio Applications To avoid contention over system audio resources, do not start any other audio application while running the Avid Xpress DV application. If you want to use a CD-ROM player, use the cdplayer.exe file supplied with your system. To start the cdplayer.exe: 1. Click the Start button, and then click Run. 2. Type cdplayer, and then click OK.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Recommended Workflow for Installing the Free DV25 Codec and Exporting Media to a Non-Avid System To share media between Avid Xpress DV and other third-party products, you need to install the QuickTime compatible codec included in the Goodies folder on Avid Xpress DV application CD-ROM. The version installed by default is used to decode only, to allow for a high-performance import of Avid’s media with other products.
Third-Party Software Third-Party Software With Avid Xpress DV Release 3.5, 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.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Suggestions for Optimum Performance Windows is a multitasking operating system. However, background tasks can interrupt time-critical operations, such as recording, playing, or rendering. Make sure that background tasks are not running while you are working in the Avid Xpress DV system. The following list contains suggestions for ensuring optimum performance when working with the Avid Xpress DV system: • Do not leave a Windows Explorer window open.
Documentation for Release 3.5 Most CD-ROM drives and software perform an autoscan or autostart operation. The Avid Xpress DV system is shipped with autostart disabled. • Always use small fonts to avoid missing characters in the application dialog boxes. To review font settings, right-click the desktop and then choose Properties. Click the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog box, and then click Advanced. Choose Small Fonts from the Font Size list.
Release 3.5 Release Notes • Avid Xpress DV Effects Guide (online only): Includes information and procedures about the effects included with Avid Xpress DV. • Avid Color Correction User’s Guide (printed in black and white — the online version is in color): Includes information and procedures about Avid’s color correction tool. • Avid Xpress DV Quick Reference Card for the Windows X Operating System: Keyboard shortcuts for the Avid Xpress DV system on a Windows XP platform.
Documentation for Release 3.5 Viewing QuickTime Movies from the Avid Xpress DV Effects Guide The Avid Xpress DV Effects Guide located on the Avid Xpress DV Online Publications CD-ROM contains QuickTime movies that demonstrate many effects in the “2D Effects Reference” chapter. If you double-click a movie link and the QuickTime Movie Player does not appear, you should install Acrobat Reader version 5.0.5. We’ve included the version 5.0.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Avid Color Correction User’s Guide Changes The following section documents changes to the Avid Color Correction User’s Guide that occurred after the manual went to print. Waveform and Vectorscope Commands On page 86 of the Avid Color Correction User’s Guide, it currently states that “the waveform and vectorscope commands, found in the Source menu, configure the monitor to graphically display color information about your sequence.
Additional Notes on Operation Avid Xpress DV Effects Guide Changes Below are changes to the Avid Xpress DV Effects Guide that occurred after the manual went to print. Real-Time Effects Avid recommends that you always render with real-time effects enabled in the Timeline. Additional Notes on Operation This section describes issues we’ve encountered with Avid Xpress DV. n For specific issues with DV devices, check the Knowledge Center.
Release 3.5 Release Notes 2. Double-click Sounds and Audio Devices. The Sounds and Audio Devices dialog box appears. 3. Click the Audio tab. 4. In the Sound Playback section, choose Sound Max Digital Audio from the Preferred device pop-up menu. 5. Select “Use only default devices.” 6. Click OK. ➤ When you play a calibration tone to both the camera and the consumer audio line (DV OHCI/1394) output, the frequency of the tone heard on the consumer line will change.
Additional Notes on Operation Color Correction ➤ Using the Color Correction tool to add correction to a clip, changes the name of the clip to “Color Correction.” ➤ An exception error occurs when you perform a digital cut with chained FireWire drives. ➤ Most Sony® brand DVCAM™ devices will break the solid timecode on the tape after the tape is used for a digital cut. Digital Cut Workaround: Add black to the beginning and end of the sequence before recording.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Editing ➤ The printed keycap labels supplied with your Avid Xpress DV system display four incorrect labels. The keys Y, U, P, and H are incorrect. The Y, U, and P keys do not have any commands associated with them, and the H key should be Add Edit. ➤ With Real-Time Effects disabled, if you place a transition on a motion effect and then play the sequence, an error message: PGLUE_SAMPLE_NUM_OUT_OF_RANGE occurs.
Additional Notes on Operation Export ➤ An access violation occurs when you export as AVI, DV Stream, or QuickTime Movie format with an unrendered picture-in-picture effect in the sequence. Workaround: Render all effects before exporting. ➤ An OMFI export will fail with a sequence that has an image effect clip at the start of the sequence. This is due to the 2-GB file size limit.
Release 3.5 Release Notes Hardware ➤ The SIIG Cardbus Dual 1394 and the Sony AJ-D250E deck are not compatible with PAL 4:1:1. The SIIG card and the deck run in different power modes. Workaround: Use an ADS 1394 adapter, or install a 1394 hub between the SIIG OHCI board and your AJ-D250E deck. Media Files ➤ If the Media tool opens with a drive selected, it isn’t selected properly. Workaround: You need to select the drive again.
Additional Notes on Operation Workaround: Increase the amount of RAM, and then play the sequence a second time. Make sure that your system is optimized for programs instead of cache. ➤ You can’t use the L key for variable-speed play (3x or 4x) when the Record tool is open. ➤ The Dell® 330 system with an NVIDIA® display card installed plays back a flash of distorted video periodically. ➤ You might encounter a long delay when switching projects.
Release 3.5 Release Notes ➤ 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: In the Audio tool, select the +20 dB Gain check box above the Input slider.
Additional Notes on Operation 6. Click OK. 7. Close the Play Control Panel dialog box. ➤ 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 application starts. Workaround: When running both Avid Xpress DV and QuickTime 5.
Release 3.5 Release Notes User Interface ➤ The contents of windows repainting occurs during a digital cut and recording. This is caused by switching in and out of Avid Xpress DV with certain windows open. Workaround: Disable visual themes in Windows XP. To disable visual themes in Windows XP: 1. Locate drive:\Program Files\Avid\Avid Xpress DV. 2. Right-click the Avid Xpress DV.exe file. The Properties dialog box appears. 3. Click the Compatibility tab. 4. Deselect Disable visual themes. 5. Click OK.
Copyright and Disclaimer 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.
Release 3.5 Release Notes States and/or other countries. Sony is a registered trademark and DVCAM is a trademark of Sony. Sound Blaster is a registered trademark and EAX is a trademark of Creative Technology Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. SoundMAX is a registered trademark of Analog Devices, Inc. Yamaha is a registered trademark of Yamaha Corporation of America. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. Avid Xpress DV Release 3.
