User manual PLEXTOR PX-AV100U

Model PX-AV100U DIGITAL VIDEO CONVERTER FOR USB 2.0 INTERFACE INSTALLATION AND USERS MANUAL MAY 2004 Plextor reserves the right to make improvements in the products described in this manual at any time without prior notice. Plextor makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Plextor Corp. reserves the right to revise this manual and to make changes in its content without obligation to notify any person or organization of such revision or change. This manual is copyrighted, all rights reserved. It may not be copied, photocopied, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form without Plextor's prior permission. Manual copyright ©2004, Plextor Corp. First edition, May 2004. Licenses and Trademarks Plextor, and the Plextor logo are registered trademarks and ConvertX is a trademark of Plextor Corp. InterVideo is a registered trademark, and WinDVD Creator and WinDVD are trademarks of InterVideo, Inc. All other licenses and trademarks are property of their respective owners. Notice This product and software are designed to help you in reproducing materials for which you own the copyright or have obtained permission to copy from the copyright owner. Unless you own the copyright or have permission to copy from the copyright owner, you may be violating copyright laws and may be subject to payment of damages and/or other penalties. If you are uncertain about your rights, you should contact your legal advisor. DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Model Number: PX-AV100U Trade Name: PLEXTOR Responsible Party: PLEXTOR Corp. Address: 48383 Fremont Blvd, Suite 120, Fremont, CA 94538-6509, USA Telephone Number: 510-440-2000 This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION STATEMENT This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment causes harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: · Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. · Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. · Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. · Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. CAUTION: Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. CANADIAN DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS STATEMENT This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme a la norme NMB-003 du Canada. This page intentionally left blank. Table of Contents 1. Getting Started ..............................................................................1 About this Manual...........................................................................1 Meet Your ConvertX.......................................................................2 What You Can Do with the ConvertX.........................................2 Features of the Plextor ConvertX ................................................3 What You Need to Use the ConvertX .............................................4 What's in the Box ............................................................................5 ConvertX Features and Controls .....................................................6 Front Panel ..................................................................................6 Rear Panel ...................................................................................7 Precautions ......................................................................................8 2. Installing Your ConvertX .............................................................9 Install the ConvertX Video Converter.............................................9 Installing the ConvertX Device Driver........................................9 Connect the ConvertX to the PC ...............................................12 Don't Forget to Register! ..........................................................15 About the USB Connection .......................................................15 Turning the ConvertX On and Off ............................................15 If the Installation Failed ............................................................16 Make Sure the ConvertX Is Recognized ...................................16 Troubleshoot Other Devices......................................................18 Changing to Another Computer ................................................18 Connect Video and Audio to Your ConvertX ...............................18 3. Using the ConvertX with WinDVD Creator .............................21 Install the WinDVD Creator 2 Software .......................................21 Startup ...........................................................................................22 Understanding the Task Window ..................................................22 Overview of Creating a Personalized CD or DVD Disc ...............24 Capturing.......................................................................................26 Capturing Video ........................................................................27 Recording Time and Disc Capacity...........................................30 Editing ...........................................................................................31 Adjusting a Video Clip..............................................................33 Adding and Adjusting a Transition ...........................................34 Adding Titles, Audio Effects, and Media Content ....................35 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual v Table of Contents Previewing Your Project........................................................... 35 Viewing File Properties ............................................................ 35 Saving Your Project.................................................................. 35 Creating......................................................................................... 36 Deleting a Chapter Mark........................................................... 37 Adding a Chapter Mark............................................................. 38 Editing a Menu Theme.............................................................. 38 Sharing .......................................................................................... 39 Burning a Disc .......................................................................... 40 Compression Options................................................................ 42 Saving to a File ......................................................................... 42 Disc Manager................................................................................ 43 Capturing Directly to a DVD Disc............................................ 44 Hints for Playing Video ................................................................ 46 Where to Go from Here ................................................................ 46 4. Maintenance and Troubleshooting............................................ 47 Upgrading Your ConvertX............................................................ 47 Troubleshooting Hints .................................................................. 48 Problems with Installation ........................................................ 48 Problems with Capture.............................................................. 48 Appendix A: Specifications ............................................................ 49 Appendix B: Technical Support .................................................... 57 How to Contact Plextor Technical Support................................... 58 Before You E-mail/Log On/FAX/Call.......................................... 58 Returns .......................................................................................... 59 Contacting Plextor's RMA Department.................................... 59 Packing Your ConvertX............................................................ 60 Shipping Your ConvertX to Plextor.......................................... 60 Appendix C: Warranty................................................................... 61 If You're Outside the U.S. or Canada ........................................... 62 Index................................................................................................. 63 vi Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual 1. Getting Started Congratulations! Thank you for purchasing the Plextor® ConvertXTM PX-AV100U Digital Video Converter. We appreciate the confidence you have shown in us. Our goal is to put you--and keep you--on the leading edge of video technology. Figure 1: The ConvertX captures video and compresses it into high quality digital video About this Manual Please read this manual carefully and keep it handy for easy reference. Use the manual for installation, operation and troubleshooting. If your ConvertX needs service, see your dealer or call Plextor's Technical Support Department. (See "Appendix B: Technical Support" for the different ways you can reach us.) Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual 1 Section 1. Getting Started Meet Your ConvertX The Plextor ConvertX is a high-quality digital video converter that takes video from a camcorder, TV, VCR, or DVD player and, utilizing realtime software encoding, converts it into MPEG-1 (Video CD) or MPEG2 (DVD formatted) video. The video you obtain is perfect for playing on a computer, burning to recordable CD or DVD disc, or sharing over the Internet. What You Can Do with the ConvertX Uncompressed full-motion video takes as much as one gigabyte of storage space per minute of video. But with your ConvertX, you can capture large amounts of video to your PC in a highly compressed format, saving you lots of hard disk space. The ConvertX PX-AV100U Digital Video Converter and the bundled InterVideo® WinDVD CreatorTM2 software let you: · Capture: Capture video and sound from analog or digital sources. · Edit: Cut out unwanted scenes and add titles, transitions, and special effects. · Author: Create compelling DVD projects, complete with interactive menus. · Share: Burn your video projects onto recordable DVD and CDs or share them over the Internet. · Direct record: Record video directly to recordable DVD discs in one step. 2 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual Section 1. Getting Started Your ConvertX, using the bundled Intervideo WinDVD Creator software, can capture video directly into both the MPEG-1 (Video CD) and MPEG-2 (DVD video) formats. These video formats allow you to store an hour of digital video on a CD, or 2 hours on a DVD. The software guides you through each step of capturing and editing video, adding effects, and creating a polished video production. You can either burn your video to CD or DVD or convert it into the highly compressed DivX format for sharing on the Internet. You get everything you need for quality digital production--just what you'd expect from Plextor. Features of the Plextor ConvertX · Capture from various sources: Capture video to your PC from a TV, VCR, camcorder or DVD player. · Real-time video compression: Video is automatically compressed into the MPEG-1 (Video CD) or MPEG-2 (DVD) format while it is being recorded to your PC, saving you lots of time and hard disk space. · Hi-Speed USB interface: Connect using your Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port for the highest quality video. · USB bus powered: This ConvertX draws all its power from the USB bus, so there's no need for a bulky AC adapter. · Bundled WinDVD Creator 2 software: For capturing, editing, authoring, and exporting video to CD or DVD. · Easily upgradable: Just download the latest software from the Plextor web site and upgrade quickly. · One year warranty: And unlimited toll-free tech support. Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual 3 Section 1. Getting Started What You Need to Use the ConvertX · Computer: Minimum Pentium® 4, 1.8-GHz CPU. Pentium 4, 2.4GHz CPU or faster suggested. · Minimum memory: At least 256 megabytes of memory. · Hard disk: Minimum 5400 rpm, with 6-10 gigabytes of free space recommended for DVD. 7200 rpm is suggested. · Monitor resolution: 1024 x 768, 24-bit color. · Video graphics card: AGP-4x or faster with minimum 32 megabytes of Video RAM, 24-bit color resolution capability and DirectX support. · Sound card: Windows-compatible sound card with 48-kHz playback. (Using a plug-in PCI sound card is recommended.) · USB interface: USB 2.0 required. · Operating system: Windows XP or 2000. · Windows Media Player: Usually part of your Windows operating system; also available free from Microsoft. · DirectX 9.0b: Provided on the accompanying Plextor CD. · CD-ROM drive: For installation (if you don't have a CD-RW or DVD±RW drive). · CD-RW drive: To burn CDs, Video CDs, or MiniDVDs. · DVD+R/RW or DVD-R/RW drive: To burn DVDs, CDs or Video CDs. Also needed for direct recording to DVD. 4 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual Section 1. Getting Started · Operating system updates: To enhance your experience, Plextor highly recommends that you update your computer's Windows operating system with the following service packs (or later service packs) and all Microsoft critical updates before you install the ConvertX drivers. Suggested service packs include: Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 Windows XP (Home or Professional) Service Pack 1 What's in the Box Check the contents of the box. You should have: · ConvertX PX-AV100U Digital Video Converter · USB cable · Set of audio/video (A/V) cables · Audio cable with mini-plugs at both ends · Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U QuickStart Guide · Plextor CD with: Plextor ConvertX USB device driver InterVideo® WinDVD CreatorTM 2 software Adobe® Reader PDF of English-language users manual PDF of French-language users manual Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual 5 Section 1. Getting Started ConvertX Features and Controls Before proceeding, become familiar with the controls and features of your ConvertX. Front Panel Figure 2: Front panel of the ConvertX PX-AV100U Digital Video Converter Connector or Indicator Audio Function Audio connector: Connect audio input here, using the RCA audio cables. The red connector is the right-hand stereo channel. Video connector: Connect composite video here, using the RCA video cable. S-Video connector: Connect S-Video here (if your video device supports it). S-video supplies higher quality video than using the Video connector 1 2 Video 3 S-Video 6 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual Section 1. Getting Started Rear Panel Figure 3: Rear panel of the ConvertX PX-AV100U Digital Video Converter Connector 1 2 USB AUX Function USB connector: Connect your USB cable here. Auxiliary audio output for Windows 2000 users: If your computer is running Windows 2000, connect the Plextor-supplied cable between the AUX connector port and your computer's sound card. Leave this connector empty if your computer is running Windows XP. Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual 7 Section 1. Getting Started Precautions Like the rest of your computer system, your ConvertX requires reasonable care in its installation and use. · You can operate your ConvertX in a horizontal or a vertical position. · Keep the area around your ConvertX clean from dust, smoke, and other contaminants. The unit is not dustproof. · Do not allow moisture or liquids, including water or cleaning fluids, to touch the ConvertX. The unit is not waterproof. Furthermore, thinner, benzene, or alcohol-based solvents can mar the surface of your ConvertX. · Do not drop or jolt the ConvertX. · Do not attempt to open the ConvertX and service it yourself. Entrust service to Plextor-authorized service personnel only. 8 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual 2. Installing Your ConvertX Here's how to install your ConvertX. Install the ConvertX Video Converter Before installation, Plextor highly recommends that you get the latest updates available for your computer's operating system. Current service packs and critical updates are available from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. If you have a computer with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, use the following procedure to connect your ConvertX USB Digital Video Converter. Installing the ConvertX Device Driver NOTE: Be sure you do this procedure to install the ConvertX Digital Video Converter driver from the CD before connecting the ConvertX to your computer. To install the ConvertX Digital Video Converter Driver: 1. Turn ON your computer system and make sure that all applications are turned off. Do not connect the ConvertX yet. Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual 9 Section 2. Installing Your ConvertX Figure 4: Turn on the computer and insert the ConvertX software disc 2. Insert the ConvertX software disc into your CD or DVD drive. You see the Plextor Application Installer screen. (If you don't see the installer screen right away, use Windows Explorer to navigate to the CD or DVD drive, and double-click the Plextor.exe file.) Figure 5: Plextor Application Installer screen 10 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual Section 2. Installing Your ConvertX 3. Select the ConvertX Device Driver button. You see the wizard appear to install the Plextor ConvertX AV 100U A/V Capture Device Driver. Figure 6: InstallShield Wizard for Device Driver Installation 4. Select Next. The driver is installed. Then you see a window asking if you want to install DirectX 9. (If you don't see this window, you have the correct version of DirectX already installed. Click Finish to continue.) 5. If you see the DirectX installation window, select Yes. You see a window with the Welcome to setup for DirectX and license agreement. 6. Choose I accept the agreement, and click Next. You see the DirectX 9.0 Runtime Install window. 7. Select Next to start the installation. You see the installation of DirectX as it proceeds. When installation is done, you see a window indicating that the DirectX installation is complete. Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual 11 Section 2. Installing Your ConvertX 8. Click Finish to complete the DirectX 9.0 installation. 9. If you have Windows XP: Click Next to install Windows XP KB822603 for enabling USB Audio capture. Connect the ConvertX to the PC IMPORTANT NOTE: In the next steps of this procedure, you will be installing software for the ConvertX. You'll see the "Found New Hardware" window more than once. This is normal. 1. You will use a USB cable to connect the ConvertX to your computer as shown in Figure 7. Begin by making sure your computer is on. 2. Make sure the Plextor disc is in the computer's drive. 3. Connect the USB cable from your ConvertX to the computer. (Your computer's USB connectors may be on the front panel or in the rear.) 12 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual Section 2. Installing Your ConvertX Figure 7: 1) Make sure the computer is on, 2) make sure the Plextor disc is inserted, and 3) use the included USB cable to connect the ConvertX to the computer. Windows 2000 users only: Also 4) attach an audio cable from the ConvertX AUX output to the computer's LINE IN jack. 4. Windows 2000 users only: Connect the Plextor-supplied audio cable from the rear-panel AUX connector to your computer's LINE IN jack. (This jack is often available as one of the sound board jacks at the rear of your computer.) If you have Windows XP: You don't need to use the audio cable with mini-plugs; Windows XP records audio through the USB cable. If you have Windows 2000: You must use the auxiliary audio cable in order to receive audio on your PC. If you have Windows XP, there's no advantage to using the audio cable and the AUX jack. 13 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual Section 2. Installing Your ConvertX 5. After connecting the USB cable, you see a message in the Windows system tray indicating that Windows has Found New Hardware. Then you see the Found New Hardware Wizard that installs the software for ConvertX AV100U A/V Capture. 6. Make sure Install the software automatically is selected and click Next. (You may see a window that states the software has not passed Windows Logo testing. This is OK. If you see this window, click Continue Anyway.) 7. After a few moments you see a message indicating the wizard has finished installing software for the Plextor ConvertX A/V Capture. 8. Click Finish. You see another Found New Hardware Wizard, this one to install software for the ConvertX A/V Capture Audio. 9. Make sure Install the software automatically is selected and click Next. (You may see a window that states the software has not passed Windows Logo testing. This is OK. If you see this window, click Continue Anyway.) 10. After a few moments you see a message indicating the wizard has finished installing software for the Plextor ConvertX A/V Capture Audio. 11. Click Finish. You see a popup box at the bottom of the screen that says your new hardware is installed and ready to use. Your ConvertX is automatically recognized by the computer. (If you are asked to reboot, remove the Plextor disc from the drive and restart your computer.) 14 Plextor ConvertX PX-AV100U Installation and Users Manual