Sony PCV-RX690G Computer User Guide (primary manual), VAIO Digital Studio PCV-RX690G User Manual
VAIO Digital Studio™
Computer User Guide
3
Contents
Welcome.......................................................5
Locating Controls And Connectors...........7
Front Panel Overview..................................................7
Back Panel Overview ................................................10
VAIO Action Setup ....................................13
Shortcut Keys ............................................................13
To Change the Sony Software Window Design........15
VAIO AV Applications ...............................17
Overview of Preinstalled Software ...........................18
DigitalPrint Software.................................................21
DVgate Software .......................................................29
MovieShaker Software..............................................31
PictureGear Software ................................................39
Smart Capture............................................................42
SonicStage Software .................................................51
VisualFlow Software.................................................58
Additional Software Information ..............................60
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
4
Configuring Your VAIO Computer...........61
Hard Disk Drive Partition ......................................... 61
i.LINK (IEEE1394) Compatibility ........................... 62
System, Application,
And Driver Recovery CD(s) ......................65
To Use the System Recovery CD(s) ......................... 66
To Use the Application Recovery CD(s).................. 68
To Use the Driver Recovery CD............................... 69
Troubleshooting........................................71
Topics........................................................................ 71
Notes on Use............................................................. 85
Resources .................................................................. 90
Index...........................................................93
5
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
6
7
Locating Controls And
Connectors
Your computer may not be equipped with all of the hardware features
listed in this section. To view the specific hardware configuration for your
system, see the Specifications sheet.
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
IEEE1394 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 PC peripherals 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
8
Front panel (Model equipped with Giga Pocket features)
1 Optical drive 1
See the Specifications sheet for optical drive information.
2 Optical drive 2
See the 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.
Front Panel Overview
9
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 port
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.
11 Memory Stick media 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 (IEEE1394)
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. (The 4-pin i.LINK port is located on the front
panel and the 6-pin i.LINK port is located on the back.)
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
10
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)
1 Mouse port
Connection for a PS/2® mouse.
2 Keyboard port
Connection for a PS/2 keyboard.
3 Ethernet port
10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet interface.
(The port marked with (Network) is for LAN connections only.)
4 Universal Serial Bus (USB) port
Connection for a compatible USB device.
4
3
2
1
LINE
VIDEO
OUTPUT
S VIDEO
/
VIDEO
AUDIO
VHF
/UHF
VIDEO 1
INPUT
S VIDEO
/
VIDEO
AUDIO
MONITOR
KEYBOARD
MOUSE
PRINTER
HEADPHONES
MIC
LINE IN
USB NETWORK
ACT
LINK
SERIAL
i.LINK
S400
OPTICAL
OUT
Back Panel Overview
11
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 (IEEE1394)
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 port
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 port
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 phone cable (optional) to the computer.
18 Modem line jack
Connection for the modem (supplied) cable to the wall jack.
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
12
13
VAIO Action Setup
VAIO Action Setup manages the settings for your computer’s Shortcut
keys (S Keys).
Shortcut Keys
The programmable S Keys are linked with the following applications as their
default settings:
❑ S1 — Outlook® Express
❑ S2 — Internet Explorer
❑ S3 — SonicStage™
❑ S4 — PictureGear™
❑ S5 — MovieShaker™
❑ S5 — Giga Pocket™ Personal Video Recorder (For models equipped
with Giga Pocket)
❑ S6 — Help/Demo
You can reprogram the S keys to launch other applications.
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
14
Changing the settings of the S keys
1 Click Start in the Windows taskbar and select All Programs.
2 Select VAIO Action Setup, then click VAIO Action Setup.
3 Click the S Key you want to change.
4 From the Select Application dialog box, click the option for the desired type
of function. The corresponding applications appear in the list box on the
right.
5 The Confirmation Application Name window appears. Click Next.
6 You may now type a new name and description, if desired. Then click
Finish.
✍
You can also double-click the VAIO Action Setup icon, located in the Windows
taskbar, to launch VAIO Action Setup.
✍
You can drag an application to place it into the list box.
To Change the Sony Software Window Design
15
To Change the Sony Software Window Design
You can select from different window designs for your Sony software and create
your own personal computing environment.
Changing the window design
1 Click Start in the Windows taskbar and select the Control Panel.
2 Click Other Control Panel Options.
3 Click UI Design Selector.
4 Click << or >> and select the desired design.
5 Click Apply.
6 The “UI Design Selector” window design changes. The window design for
your Sony software will match the “UI Design Selector” window.
7 To try another selection, click << or >>, then click Apply.
8 When you have made your selection, click OK. The UI Design Selector
closes and the Sony software window design displays.
✍
You may only use this feature with compatible UI Design Selector software.
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
16
17
VAIO AV Applications
Your VAIO® computer has a preinstalled 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.
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
18
Overview of Preinstalled Software
DigitalPrint
Sony Electronics Inc.
This image management software makes it fun and easy to edit, import, 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 digital video camera recorder to the i.LINK® port and capture your
own 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.
Media Bar® DVD Player
Sony Electronics Inc.
Media Bar DVD Player is created especially for high-quality DVD playback.
You can enjoy the superior digital video quality and the effects features. You can
rewind or fast-forward scenes from the DVD Player monitor as you would with
any ordinary DVD player, to easily find the scene you want to view. Typical
DVD playback features are available, such as multiple angles, audio language
tracks, and subtitles. Media Bar DVD Player seamlessly integrates a premium
audio/visual experience with an easy-to-use software interface.
MovieShaker™
Sony Electronics Inc.
Sony’s original MovieShaker software creates personal movies that have
transitions, background music, 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.
PictureGear™
Sony Electronics Inc.
This image management software displays images from your hard drive, a Sony
digital still camera, or a Sony Mavica® camera. The images appear in a
convenient light-table format, so that you can easily view the contents of an
entire folder.
Overview of Preinstalled Software
19
Smart Capture
Sony Electronics Inc.
Smart Capture is a fun new way to send multimedia messages via e-mail. Smart
Capture manages the i.LINK® connection between your notebook and a Sony
Digital Handycam® Camcorder that supports the i.LINK interface. It allows you
to capture compressed video or still images and save them to your hard disk drive
or share via e-mail. A smart solution for computer, digital audio/video and
network convergence.
SonicStage™
Sony Electronics Inc.
This new jukebox application adds a host of new features to its predecessor,
OpenMG™ Jukebox. Continuing to take advantage of Sony’s copyright-
protected ATRAC3™ format for high-quality digital audio storage, SonicStage
sports a new music visualizer, a sleek new player skin design, audio CD burning
capability, and a parametric equalizer for fine-tuning audio playback.
VisualFlow™
Sony Electronics Inc.
VisualFlow software is a state-of-the-art Sony multimedia browser designed
specifically for Memory Stick® media. It displays any still picture, movie or
sound file stored in a Memory Stick media in a visually pleasing, artistic manner.
VisualFlow software not only plays a selected movie or sound file, but also
enables playback of files by other applications like PictureGear™ software or
Memory Stick Slideshow.
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
20
DigitalPrint Software
21
DigitalPrint Software
DigitalPrint is designed to creatively manage your digital pictures. With its
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.
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 (Import) to open the PhotoCapture window. Your connected
digital camera, camcorder, or Memory Stick® media is indicated in the
window.
DigitalPrint main window
✍
Properly connect your digital camera, camcorder, or insert your Memory Stick media
in your computer.
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
22
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.
PhotoCapture window
Enter Photo Folder Name dialog box
DigitalPrint Software
23
3 Click Capture to capture still images. You can preview a thumbnail version
of your pictures in the selection view 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 use
(Rotate) to change the position of a selected picture. Click Delete to
eliminate any unwanted pictures.
Capture Pictures from Video window
PhotoCapture editing window
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
24
Using PhotoCollection
You can select and print your favorite digital pictures, using your computer and
home printer.
1 Click (Photo) 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.
2 Select the desired folder. From the thumbnail view, click to select the
pictures you want to print.
3 Click Photo Print at the top of the window. Select the number of prints you
want to make, using the scroll arrows. Click OK.
4 Select the paper, 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.
PhotoCollection window
DigitalPrint Software
25
6 Click Print All to print all pages, or click “Print the selected page only” to
print a specific page of photos.
Using PhotoDecor
You can decorate your favorite photos with clip art, stamps, or your own drawing
talent. Add, remove, and change your designs to create your own unique photo
art.
1 Click (Edit) to open the PhotoDecor - New PhotoDecor 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.
Printer and Paper selection window
PhotoDecor-New PhotoDecor window
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
26
2 Select the desired folder. From the thumbnail view, click to select the
pictures you want to decorate. The PhotoDecor editing window appears.
3 Use the decoration features on the right side of the window by clicking on
the desired decoration icon, and then dragging the decoration onto your
photo.
4 Click Print when your photo is ready to be printed. You can save your
decorated pictures before printing. Name the new picture, and click Save.
Using PhotoAlbum
Capture your special photos in an organized photo album. You can share your
custom-made photo albums with friends and family.
1 Click (Album) to open the PhotoAlbum - New Album window.
✍
The default location for your saved decorated pictures is in the Decorated Photos
folder, which can be viewed from the PhotoDecor - New PhotoDecor window.
PhotoAlbum - New Album window
✍
If you wish to work on a previously created album, do not click Create New Album.
Instead, select the desired album from the Album Collection view on the right side of
the window.
DigitalPrint Software
27
2 Click Create New Album. The Select Photo window appears.
3 Select the photos you want to include in your album from the available
folders displayed. Click List to select individual pictures from each folder.
The Select Design window appears.
4 Select a design template for your album. Use the scroll bar to see all
available designs. When you have selected the design, the Select Layout
window appears.
5 Select a page layout for your album. A preview of your selected design and
page layout is displayed. Scroll through the album using the book icons at
the bottom of the window.
6 Click Page List to edit your album. Customize your album by adding more
pictures, decorations, comments, or deleting pages.
7 You can save your album before printing by clicking Save.
8 Click Print. Select an album type, and click Print again.
Using LabelMaker
Use LabelMaker to design original labels to personalize your media, such as
Memory Stick® media, CDs, or video cassettes.
1 Click (Label) to open the Label - New Label window.
✍
For information on stitching your album, click Stitch Album. See the online Help file
for more details.
Label - New Label window
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
28
2 Click an icon to select a media type. A new window opens.
3 Click the paper layout icon. The Select Design window appears.
4 Select a design template. Use the decoration and customization features on
the right by clicking an icon and dragging it onto your template.
5 Click Print to complete the label making process. Use the configuration
buttons and drop-down lists to select the printer and to set margins.
✍
A new window appears, enabling you to list the contents of your audio or video media.
You can create a song or video list, depending on the type of media label being
created.
Design Edit window
✍
See the online Help for detailed information on using DigitalPrint software.
DVgate Software
29
DVgate Software
Connecting a digital video camcorder
Turn off the power to your digital video camcorder before connecting it to your
computer. After connecting the device, turn its power back on. You do not need
to turn off the computer when connecting the camcorder.
To use DVgate™ software with a digital video camcorder
❑ Do not use DVgate™ software when the connected digital video device is in
Timer Recording mode, as this may produce a malfunction in the device.
❑ Video captures larger than 2 GB (9 minutes and 30 seconds) are
automatically continued in a second file.
❑ You can record stereo audio (stereo 1) while capturing video, or you can add
audio on the stereo 2 track after capturing the video data.
❑ You cannot use different audio modes on the same tape. Perform a separate
capture for each audio mode you wish to use.
❑ DVgate software does not support hard disk compression. Do not use disk
compression if you are planning to work with DVgate software.
❑ Title data is saved in the flash memory of a digital video camera and is not
transferred to tape by DVgate software.
❑ Disable your screen saver program to avoid interruption during your capture
sessions.
❑ The drop frame compensation feature does not provide accurate
compensation adjustments for tapes recorded in LP mode.
❑ The information displayed by the capture progress indicator may not be
accurate for tapes that are recorded using a mixture of both SP and LP
modes.
❑ Keep the video head of your digital video device properly cleaned.
Anomalies that you see in captured data may be due to dust or other particles
on the video head.
❑ The last frame captured is one frame before your selected [OUT] point. The
frame you see immediately after clicking the [OUT] button is not captured.
VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide
30
To use DVgate software to record AVI files to tape
❑ Do not use DVgate™ software when the connected digital video device is in
Timer Recording mode, as this could produce a malfunction in the device.
❑ Avoid recording problems, such as a single frame appearing in multiple
frames, by closing other applications on your system while recording.
❑ You cannot use multiple audio modes on the same tape. If you have AVI files
that use different audio modes, the files cannot be recorded at the same time,
but must be recorded separately.
❑ The DVgate software does not support AVI files that are smaller than 4 MB.
❑ The DVgate software does not support hard disk compression.
❑ To maximize recording capabilities, video and audio data are not available
while you are recording.
❑ If the DVgate software indicates that frames are dropped, try closing all open
applications or defragmenting your hard drive.
✍
You can record only AVI files. MPEG files cannot be recorded.
Loading...