Hardware
To use Studio effectively, your hardware should be optimally prepared and configured.
Prior to capturing video, consider working through the following steps, especially if you have an older system, if your capture drive is running low on space, or if you have already seen evidence of possible hard drive problems:
· Close down as many other applications and background programs as possible. This includes important security software such as anti-virus and anti-spyware utilities, so Pinnacle recommends strongly that you also disconnect from the Internet (or set your firewall to block all Internet traffic) when taking this step. Software utilities are available to assist with closing background processes.
· Right-click on the name of your capture drive in Windows Explorer, and select Properties on the pop-up menu. On the Tools tab of the Disk Properties dialog, click Check Now and run a detailed scan of the drive to make sure that it is error free. When this is complete, click Defragment Now; the system defragmenter utility will arrange your drive contents to leave the largest possible contiguous free area for your capture files.
Scanning and defragmenting a drive are both lengthy operations, so you may wish to let them run during times when you are planning to be away from the computer.
· Temporarily turn off your screen saver and any power management features you have set up on the Windows Screen Saver dialog box.
Note: Video-editing programs do not multitask very well. Do not use any other program while outputting your movie to videotape or optical disc, or when capturing. You can multitask while editing.
The more RAM you have, the easier it is to work with Studio. You will need at least 512 MB of RAM to work with the Studio application, and we highly recommend 1 GB (or more). If you work with HD video, or are running Windows Vista, the recommendation rises to 2 GB. Editing AVCHD video calls for 2 GB at minimum.
Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon 1.4 GHz or higher – the higher the better. Windows Vista and AVCHD editing both demand a more powerful CPU. The minimum recommendation ranges up to 2.66 GHz for editing 1920-pixel AVCHD video.
To run Studio, your DirectX-compatible graphics card needs:
· For typical use, at least 64 MB of onboard memory (128 MB preferred).
· For Windows Vista, at least 128 MB (256 MB preferred).
· For HD and AVCHD, at least 256 MB (512 MB preferred).