Sony PCV-RX790G User Manual

VAIO Digital Studio™ Computer User Guide

CONTENTS

WELCOME....................................................7

LOCATING CONTROLS AND

CONNECTORS.............................................9

Front Panel Overview................................................11

Back Panel Overview ................................................14

Remote Control Overview ........................................16

VAIO AV APPLICATIONS..........................19

Working with Digital Video......................................21

Working with Still Images ........................................23

DigitalPrint Software.................................................26

DVgate Software .......................................................35

MovieShaker Software..............................................41

Smart Capture Software ............................................52

SonicStage Software .................................................61

Additional Software Information ..............................72

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

CONFIGURING YOUR

VAIO COMPUTER......................................73

About Your Hard Disk Drive Partition..................... 74

i.LINK Compatibility................................................ 75

VAIO Action Setup .................................................. 77

To Change The Sony Software

Window Design ........................................................79

SYSTEM AND

APPLICATION RECOVERY CD(S)............81

To Use The System Recovery CD(s)........................82

To Use The Application Recovery CD(s)................. 84

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........87

About VAIO Digital Studio

Computer Functions..................................................88

About Changing Your System’s

Default Settings......................................................... 91

About Your System Recovery CDs .......................... 92

About Using The Optical Disc Drive(s) ................... 93

About The Speakers.................................................. 96

About The Modem.................................................... 97

About The Microphone.............................................99

About The Mouse And Keyboard...........................100

About Using A Peripheral Device .......................... 101

CONTENTS

NOTES ON USE .......................................103

About The Power Source ........................................105

About Disposing Of The Lithium Battery...............106

About Handling The Computer System ..................107

About Upgrading Your Computer System..............109

About Handling A Monitor (Display).....................110

About DVD, CD, And Floppy Disk Media.............111

About Support Resources........................................112

INDEX .......................................................115

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

WELCOME

Thank you for purchasing your Sony VAIO® computer! Your new computer is a superb blend of high technology and easy-to-use functionality. The information provided here is designed to help you to become familiar with the hardware and software applications included with your system.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

LOCATING CONTROLS AND CONNECTORS

Your computer may not be equipped with all of the hardware features shown in this section. To view the specific hardware configuration for your system, see the online specifications sheet.

❑ Front Panel Overview

❑ Back Panel Overview

❑ Remote Control Overview

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

Front Panel Overview

The front panel of your VAIO Digital Studio™ Computer enables access to the optical and floppy disk drives. On certain models, the front panel also provides access to Giga Pocket Personal Video Recorder jacks and ports, Universal Serial Bus (USB), and i.LINK® ports to connect compatible peripheral devices.

✍ i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate that a product contains an

IEEE 1394 connection. The i.LINK connection may vary, depending on the software applications, operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. All products with an i.LINK connection may not communicate with each other.

Please refer to the documentation that came with your compatible i.LINK device for information on operating conditions and proper connection. Before connecting compatible i.LINK devices to your system, such as an optical or hard disk drive, confirm their operating system compatibility and required operating conditions.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

Front panel (Model equipped with Giga Pocket features)

1 Optical drive 1

See the online specifications sheet for optical drive information.

2 Optical drive 2

See the online specifications sheet for optical drive information.

3 Floppy disk drive

Reads and writes data from and to a 3.5-inch floppy disk.

4 Floppy disk drive access indicator light

Lights in green while reading and writing data from and to a floppy disk.

5 Optical drive access indicator light

Lights in amber while reading and writing data from and to the optical drives.

6 Hard disk drive access indicator light

Lights in amber while reading and writing data from and to the hard disk.

7 Power switch and indicator light

Turns the computer on and off. The indicator light is blue while the power is on and amber when the computer is in Stand by mode.

8 (For models equipped with Giga Pocket features)

S-video In jack

Connection for an S-video cable (optional).

Video In jack

Connection for a video cable (supplied).

Audio L In jack/Audio R In jack

Connection for an audio cable (supplied).

9 Optical drive 1 eject button

Ejects a disc from Optical drive 1.

10 Optical drive 2 eject button

Ejects a disc from Optical drive 2.

Front Panel Overview

11 Memory Stick slot

Reads and writes data from and to a Memory Stick® media.

12 Floppy disk eject button

Ejects a floppy disk from the floppy disk drive.

13 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports (2)

Connections for compatible USB devices.

14 i.LINK (4-pin) port (IEEE 1394)

Connection for a compatible digital device.

✍ For your convenience, your computer includes Giga Pocket, USB, and i.LINK ports and

jacks on both the front and back panels. (A 4-pin i.LINK port is located on the front panel and a 6-pin i.LINK port is located on the back.)

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

Back Panel Overview

The back panel of your computer contains the ports for supplied and optional accessories. The icons on the back panel locate and identify the ports on your computer.

Back panel (Model equipped with Giga Pocket features)

KEYBOARD

MOUSE

USB NETWORK

ACT

LINK

PRINTER

OPTICAL

OUT

i.LINK S400

HEADPHONES

SERIAL

LINE IN

MIC

MONITOR

VIDEO

VIDEO 1

OUTPUT

INPUT

S VIDEO

VIDEO

VHF /UHF

AUDIO

LINE

TELEPHONE

1Mouse port

Connection for a PS/2® mouse.

2 Keyboard port

Connection for a PS/2 keyboard.

3 Ethernet port

Connection for a 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet. (The port marked with (Network) is for LAN connections only.)

4 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports (2)

Connection for a compatible USB device.

5 Printer port

Connection for a parallel device, such as a printer or scanner.

6 S/P DIF optical out port

Connection for a digital audio or optical device.

7 i.LINK 6-pin port (IEEE 1394)

Connection for a compatible digital device such as a Sony Digital Handycam

camcorder.

8 Serial port

Connection for a compatible serial device, such as a digital still camera.

9 Headphones jack

Connection for the supplied speakers or optional headphones.

10 Line In jack

Connection for an audio device.

11 Microphone jack

Connection for a microphone (optional).

12 Monitor port

Connection for a standard display.

13 (For models equipped with Giga Pocket features)

Audio Out jack

Connection for an audio cable (supplied).

Video/S-video Out jack

Connection for a video cable adapter (supplied) or an S-video cable (optional).

14 (For models equipped with Giga Pocket features)

Audio In jack

Connection for an audio cable (supplied).

Video/S-video In jack

Connection for a video cable adapter (supplied) or an S-video cable (optional).

15 AC Input port

Connection for the supplied power cord.

16 (For models equipped with Giga Pocket)

VHF/UHF port

Connection for a coaxial cable (supplied).

17 Telephone jack

Connection for a telephone cable (optional) to the computer.

18 Modem line jack

Connection for the modem (supplied) cable to the wall jack.

Back Panel Overview

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

Remote Control Overview

The features of the Giga Pocket™ Personal Video Recorder system are controlled with the remote control (supplied). The remote control can start and stop video recording and playback, select channels, and set viewing preferences. This section describes the basic functions of your remote control.

Remote Control Features

1 MUTE button

Press to turn off the sound. Press again to restore the sound.

2 Channel number buttons

Press to select specific channels. (Press the ENT button to activate channel selection.)

JUMP button

Press to return to the previous channel. Press again to return to the current channel.

ENT button

Press to activate channel selection. See Channel number buttons.

3 AUDIO button

Press to view available sound mode options on the monitor/display.

4 TV/VIDEO button

Press to change the on-screen image from the TV/Recording deck to external video equipment, such as your VCR.

5 DVD angle button

Not available for Giga Pocket functions. See the DVD player software instructions for more information.

DVD Subtitle button

Not available for Giga Pocket functions. See the DVD player software instructions for more information.

SIZE button

Press to view Giga Pocket in full-screen size. Press again to return the view to its original size.

DISPLAY button

Press to display the TV/Recording deck and playback deck screens. Press again to hide these views.

6 REW and FF buttons

Press to rewind or fast-forward video content, during Video Capsules playback.

PREV and NEXT buttons

Not available for Giga Pocket functions.

7 DVD TITLE button

Not available for Giga Pocket functions. See the DVD player software instructions for more information.

8 CANCEL button

Press to close any error message dialog box. The window returns to its original size when displayed in full-screen mode.

Remote Control Overview

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

9 STANDBY button

Press to place the system into Stand by mode.

10 GIGA POCKET button

Press to launch Giga Pocket. Press again to exit Giga Pocket.

DVD button

Press to launch the DVD player software. Press again to exit the DVD player software.

11 CHANNEL button

Press to switch channels automatically (no number input required).

12 VOLUME button

Press to raise or lower the volume.

13 REC Mode button

Press to select the recording mode.

REC and REC STOP buttons

Press the REC button to record TV programs being viewed on the TV/Recording deck. Press REC STOP to stop recording.

DECK SEL button

Press to select the TV/Recording deck or playback deck.

14 PLAY STOP, PLAY and PAUSE buttons

Press to stop playback, begin playback and pause playback of Video Capsules on the playback deck.

15 VIDEO CAPSULE SEL/DVD MENU button

Press to display the “Select Video Capsules” window. Press again to minimize the window.

16 Direction and ENTER buttons

Press a direction arrow to select a cabinet or Video Capsule in the “Select Video Capsule” window. Press ENTER or the right direction arrow to select a cabinet or Video Capsule.

17 DVD RETURN button

Not available for Giga Pocket functions. See the DVD player software instructions for more information.

✍ For more details about the function buttons on your remote control, see the Giga

Pocket Help.

VAIO AV APPLICATIONS

Your VAIO® computer is preconfigured with a collection of audio and video (AV) applications that make it easy to use advanced multimedia technology. This section describes the VAIO® AV applications.

✍ Your computer may not be supplied with all of the software applications listed,

depending on the system configuration you purchased.

Your computer’s visual presentation of the VAIO AV applications may not appear exactly as shown in this section, depending on the specific computer model you purchased.

Overview of Preinstalled Software

DigitalPrint

Sony Electronics Inc.

DigitalPrint image management software makes it easy and fun to import, edit, and organize your digital pictures in a photo album for rich digital printing to any standard color laser or inkjet printer. DigitalPrint can also be used to make custom CD labels for your audio CDs.

DVgate

Sony Electronics Inc.

Connect a compatible digital video camera to your computer’s i.LINK® port and capture video clips and still images. You can edit clips from your video, add new clips, and combine clips into new movie segments. You can also save your images in a variety of popular file formats.

MovieShaker™

Sony Electronics Inc.

MovieShaker software creates personal movies that have transitions, background music, special effects, and text. Just import your video clips, and “shake” with a click of the mouse. Your personal movies are easy to create and fun to share with family and friends.

™

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

Smart Capture

Sony Electronics Inc.

Smart Capture software is a fun new way to send multimedia messages via e-mail. It manages the i.LINK® connection between your computer and a Sony digital Handycam® camcorder that supports the i.LINK® interface. Smart Capture enables you to capture compressed video or still images and save them to your hard disk drive or share them via e-mail. A smart solution for computer, network, and digital audio and video convergence.

SonicStage™

Sony Electronics Inc.

The SonicStage jukebox application gives you all the tools you need to manage music on your computer. SonicStage software sports high-quality digital audio storage, a music visualizer, a sleek player skin design, audio CD burning capability (on computer models that include a CD recording device), and a parametric equalizer for fine-tuning audio playback.

Working with Digital Video

The multimedia software preinstalled on your VAIO® computer makes it easy to import and edit videos from a compatible digital video (DV) or MICROMV™

camera or camcorder equipped with an i.LINK® connector. After editing your creations, you can export them back to your DV device.

With MovieShaker™ software , you can arrange your video clips, still images, and sound files yourself into a finished movie or let the Shake function create a polished video for you by automatically combining your video clips, still images, and sound with video effects and transitions.

DVgate™ software offers advanced video import and export features, as well as precise editing. DVgate software provides complete control over all aspects of capturing, editing, and exporting digital video.

On selected VAIO® computer models also include Adobe® Premiere® LE software , a popular video editing application that is both powerful and easy to use. For more information about this software, refer to the Adobe Premiere LE Help.

All of these software applications use the same basic procedures for importing, editing, and exporting.

✍ i.LINK is a trademark of Sony used only to designate that a product contains an

* MICROMV cameras are not supported on C1-series notebook models.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

The Video Editing Process

1 Connect a compatible digital video (DV) or MICROMV™ camera or

camcorder to your computer using an i.LINK® cable.

2 Start the video editing software.

3 Use the video editing software to capture video clips from the DV device.

4 Use the video editing software to assemble the clips into a finished movie.

5 Use the video editing software to export the finished movie back to the DV

device.

You can also save finished movies to your computer’s hard disk drive or to a CD.

Working with Still Images

The Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system and the multimedia software preinstalled on your VAIO® computer make it easy to import, edit, and print your photographs and other images.

To import still images

There are a variety of ways to bring still images into your computer depending upon whether you have a digital camera or a traditional film camera.

If you have a digital camera:

❑ Connect directly to your computer using the Microsoft® Windows® XP

operating system which already contains all the necessary software to import pictures from many newer USB (Universal Serial Bus) digital cameras. Simply connect a USB cable (optional) between your camera and computer, and Windows XP takes you through the steps for sending your pictures from the digital camera to your computer.

❑ Other digital cameras store pictures on floppy disks, Memory Stick®, or

other storage media that you can insert into the appropriate drive on your computer.

When the storage media is inserted into your computer, you can copy your pictures to your hard disk drive.

❑ If your digital camera does not have a USB connection or is not directly

supported by the Windows XP operating system, refer to the manual that accompanied your camera for details on how to connect your camera to your computer and transfer images.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

If you have a traditional film camera:

❑ To send traditional printed photographs to your computer, use a scanning

equipment.

A scanning equipment connects to your computer, converts your pictures to an electronic format which enables them to be stored on your computer. The Windows XP operating system has the software that is compatible with many brands of scanning equipment. When you connect your scanning equipment to your computer, Windows XP takes you through the installation process. To use scanning equipment that is not directly supported by Windows XP, follow the instructions in the manual that accompanied your scanning equipment.

❑ Many companies that develop traditional film photographs, can provide a

CD-ROM or floppy disk containing digital copies of your pictures. Consult your film developer for details.

To edit still images

After you have transferred your images to your computer, you can use image-editing software to enhance them. You can perform traditional darkroom tasks such as resizing, cropping, and altering colors. You can also add creative touches such as painting on top of your photographs, adding text, or combining multiple photographs into one.

Adobe® Photoshop® Elements (or Adobe® Photoshop® Elements Trial Ve r si o n

, on some models) is powerful yet easy-to-use image-editing software that comes preinstalled on your computer. It includes a wide range of tools for enhancing your images and offers extensive online help to enable you to make the most of your pictures.

Another option for simple image-editing tasks is the Windows® Paint program.

Starting Adobe Photoshop Elements software

1 Click Start on the Windows® taskbar, and click All Programs.

2 Point to Adobe, point to Photoshop Elements, and click Adobe Photoshop

Elements.

* Adobe® Photoshop® Elements Trial Version offers a limited evaluation period, after which

you can purchase the software for a special price.

Working with Still Images

Viewing the Adobe Photoshop Elements Help

1 Start Adobe Photoshop Elements.

2 On the Help menu, click Help Contents...

Starting Windows Paint software

❑ Click Start on the Windows taskbar, click All Programs, point to

Accessories, and click Paint.

Printing Still Images

There are a variety of options for printing your digital images:

❑ You can print most images directly from the Microsoft® Windows® XP

operating system by right-clicking the icon for the image and clicking Print from the shortcut menu. The Photo Printing Wizard appears and walks you through the process of printing your image.

❑ If you are editing an image in Adobe® Photoshop® Elements, you can print

your image by clicking Print... on the File menu.

❑ The DigitalPrint software that is preinstalled on your computer offers

powerful printing options. You can create and print photo albums with customized designs. You can arrange multiple copies of an image or even different images on a single page to save on printing costs. For more information about using DigitalPrint software, refer to the DigitalPrint section of this guide and the DigitalPrint software Help.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

DigitalPrint Software

DigitalPrint is designed to creatively manage your digital pictures. With the easy-to-use features, you can quickly load images from your digital camera or camcorder, print high-quality photos, and make personalized photo albums and labels to share with friends and family.

DigitalPrint main window

Using PhotoCapture

Capture and import your digital pictures from your digital camera or camcorder into your computer. You can select your favorite pictures and place them in handy folders for future use.

1 Click the (Import) icon to open the PhotoCapture window. Your

connected digital camera, camcorder, or Memory Stick® media is indicated in the window.

✍ Connect your digital camera, camcorder, or insert your Memory Stick media in your

computer.

DigitalPrint Software

PhotoCapture window

2 Click the camera icon to open the Enter Photo Folder Name dialog box. You

can enter a name for a new folder or click Select Photo Folder to import your pictures to an existing folder. Click OK.

Enter Photo Folder Name dialog box

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

3 Click Capture to capture still images. You can preview a thumbnail version

of your pictures in the selection view window.

Capture Pictures from Video window

4 Select the desired pictures, and click Get Pictures. The PhotoCapture picture

editor window appears.

5 Click View to see an enlarged version of a selected picture. You can click the

(Rotate) icons to change the position of a selected picture. Click

Delete to eliminate any unwanted pictures.

PhotoCapture editing window

DigitalPrint Software

Using PhotoCollection

You can select and print your favorite digital pictures, using your computer and home printer.

1 Click the (Photo) icon to open the PhotoCollection window. A list of

folders is displayed on the left side of the window, with the folder contents displayed as thumbnail pictures on the right.

PhotoCollection window

2 Select the desired folder. From the thumbnail view, click to select the

pictures you want to print.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

3 Click Photo Print at the top of the window. Use the scroll arrows to select the

number of prints you want to make. Click OK.

4 Select the paper format based on the picture positioning desired. A layout

preview is displayed on the left side of the window.

5 Use the configuration buttons and drop-down lists to select the printer and to

set margins.

Printer and Paper selection window

6 Click Print All to print all pages, or click Print the selected page only to print

a specific page of photos.

+ 90 hidden pages