Sony VAIO Digital Studio VAIO Digital StudioTM, PCV-RX600N, PCV-RX660, PCV-RX672, PCV-RX680G User Manual

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VAIO Dig it a l St u d io ™ Computer User Guide

Contents

Welcome.......................................................5

Locating Controls And Connect ors..... ......7

Front Panel Overview..................................................7

Back Panel Overview................................................10

VAIO Action Setup ....................................13

Shortcut Keys............................................................13

To Change the Sony Software Window Design........14

VAIO AV Applic a tions........ .......................15

Overv iew of Preinstal led So f tware ...........................16

DigitalPrint Software .................................................19

DVgate Software.......................................................27

MovieS haker Software.... ..........................................29

PictureGear Software ................................................37

Smart Capture............................................................40

SonicStage Software .................................................49

Visual F low So ftware...................................... ...........56

Additional Software Information ..............................58

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

Configu ri n g Your V A IO C ompute r......... ..59

Hard Disk Drive Par tition.. ... .... ... .... . ...... . ...... . .... ... ...59

i.LINK (IEEE1394) Compatibility ...........................60

System, Application,

And Driver Recovery CD(s)......................63

To Use the System Reco very CD(s)...... .......... .........64

To Use the Applicat i o n Recovery CD(s)..................66

To Use the Driver Recovery CD..... .......... ................67

Troubleshooting........................................69

Topics........................................................................69

Notes on U se....................... ......................................83

Resources..................................................................88

Index...........................................................91

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

Front Panel Overview

The front panel of your VA IO Computer allows access to the optical and floppy disk drives. It also includes 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 ma y vary, depending on the software applications, operating system, and compatible i.LINK devices. All products with an i.LINK connection m ay not communic ate with each other.

Please refer to the documentation that cam e w ith your com patible i. LINK device for information on oper ating conditions and proper connecti on. 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

Front panel

✍ Yo ur computer ma y not be supplie d with all of the features list ed, depending on the

system configurat ion you purchased.

1 Optical drive 1

See Specifications sheet for optical drive information.

2 Optical drive 2

See Specifications sheet for optical drive information.

3 Floppy disk drive

Reads and write s data from and to a 3.5-inch flop py disk.

Locati ng Co ntr ols And Connectors

4 Floppy disk drive access indicator light

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

5 Optical drive access indicator light

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

6 Hard disk drive access indicator light

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

7 Power switch and indica tor light

Tur ns the c ompute r on/of f. The indi cato r ligh t is blue while the power is on and amber when the computer is in Stand by mode.

8 i.LINK 4-pin port (IEEE1394)

Connecti on for a compatible digi tal device.

9 Optical drive 1 eject button

Ejects a disc fro m O p tical dri v e 1 .

10 Optical drive 2 eject button

Ejects a disc fro m O p tical dri v e 2 .

11 Memory S tick® slot (Not available on all model s )

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

12 Floppy disk eject button

Ejects a floppy disk.

13 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports (2)

Connecti ons for compatible USB devices.

✍ For your convenience, your computer includes USB and i.LI NK ports 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

Back Panel Overview

The back panel of your computer contains the ports for supplied and opti onal accessories. The icons on the back panel locate and identify the port s and jacks on your computer.

✍ Yo ur computer ma y not be supplie d with all of the features list ed, depending on the

system configurat ion you purchased.

Back panel

1Mouse port

Connecti on for a PS /2® mouse.

KEYBOARD

USB NETWORK

i.LINK S400

HEADPHONES

LINE IN

MIC

MOUSE

PRINTER

SERIAL

ACT

LINK

MONITOR

LINE

TELEPHONE

2 Keyboard port

Connection for a PS /2 Keyboard.

3 Ethernet port

10BASE-T/100BAS E-TX Fast Ethernet in terface. (The port marked with (Network) is for LAN connections only. )

4 Universal S erial Bus (USB) ports (2)

Connect ion for compatible USB devices .

5 Printer port

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

6 i.L INK 6- pin port (IEEE1394)

Connect ion for a compatible digital device.

7Serial port

Connect ion for a c ompa tible serial device.

8 Headphones jack

Connect ion for the supplied speake rs or optional headphone s.

9Line In jack

Connect ion for an audio device.

Locati ng Co ntr ols And Connectors

10 Microphone jack

Connect ion for a microphone (optional).

11 Monitor port

Connection for a s tandard display.

12 Modem line jack

Connect ion for the supplied modem cable to the wall jack.

13 AC Input port

Connection for the supplied power cord .

14 Telephone jack

Connect ion for a phone cable (optional) to the computer.

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

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

VA IO A c ti o n S e tu p

VAIO Action Setup manages the settings for your computer’s Shortcut keys (S Keys).

Shortcut Keys

The programmabl e S Keys are linked with the following applications as their default settings:

❑ S1 — Outlook® Express ❑ S2 — Internet Explorer ❑ S3 — SonicStage ❑ S4 — PictureGear™ ❑ S5 — MovieShaker™ ❑ S6 — Help/Demo

You can reprogram the S keys to launch other applications.

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

Please refer to the documentation that cam e w ith your com patible i. LINK device for information on oper ating conditions and proper connecti on. Before connecting compat ible i.LINK PC peripherals to your sys tem, such as an optical or ha rd disk drive, confirm t h eir operating system compatibility and required operating condi tions.

Changi n g the setting s o f th e S keys

1 Click Start in the Wi ndows taskbar and select All Programs. 2 Select VAIO Action Setup, then click VAIO Action Setup.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

✍ Yo u can also double-click the VAIO Action Setup icon, located in the Windows

taskbar, to launc h 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.

✍ Yo u can drag an application to place it into the list box.

5 The Confirmation Application Na me window appe ars. Click Next. 6 You can type a new name and descripti on, if desired. Click Finish.

To Change the Sony Software Window Design

You can select from differ ent 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 desi gn. 5 Click Apply. 6 The “UI Design Selector” window design changes. The window desi gn for

your Sony software matches the “UI Design Selector” window.

7 To try another se lection, 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.

✍ Yo u may only use this feature with compatible UI Design Selector software.

VAIO AV Applications

Your VAI O® c omputer 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.

✍ Yo ur computer may not be supplied with all of the sof tware applications listed,

depending on the syst em configuration you pur chased. Y our computer’s visual prese ntation of the VAIO AV applications may not appear

exactly as shown in this section, depending on the specific computer model yo u purchased.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

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 col or laser or inkjet printer. DigitalPrint ca n 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 clip s a nd still images. You can edit clips from your video, add new clips, and combine clips into ne w movi e segm ents. 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 supe rior digital video quality and the effects features. You can rewind or fast-forwa rd 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 langua ge tracks, an d subtitles. Media Bar DVD Player sea mlessly integrat es 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 transi tions , backgr ound music , and tex t. Just import your vide o clips and “shake ” with a click of the mous e. Your personal movies are easy to create a nd 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 im ag e s ap pe ar in a convenient light-table format, so that you can easily view the contents of an entire folder.

Overview of Preinstalled Software

Smart Capture

Sony Electronics Inc.

Smart Capture is a fun new way to send multimedia messages via e-mail. Smar t Capture mana ges the i.LINK® connection between your notebook and a Sony Digital Handycam® Camcorder tha t supports the i.LINK interface. It allows you to captu re compress ed vide o or sti ll im ages and save the m to your ha rd dis k drive or share via e-m ail. A smart solution for computer, digital audio/video and network convergence.

SonicStage™ (On selected models)

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 copyrightprotected ATRAC3™ format for high-quality dig ital audio storage, S onicStage sports a new musi c visualizer , a sleek new player skin design, audio CD burning capability, and a parametric equalizer for fine-tuning audi o playback.

SonicStage™ Premium (On selected models)

Sony Electronics Inc.

SonicStage Premium is a spec ial jukebox appl ication that supports high quality digital audio playback and recording from the NetMD, FM Tuner, and DVD-RW devices in your VAIO MX Desktop PC. Re cording from external analog and digital audio devices, such as CD players and MiniDisc players, is also supported. SonicStage Premium includes several standard jukebox features, including a music visualize r, 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, mo vie or sound file stored in a Memory St ick media in a visually ple asing , artisti c manne r . VisualFlow software not only plays a selected movie or sound file, but als o enables pl ayback of files by other appli ca tions like PictureGear™ soft ware or Mem or y Stick S lide s h ow.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

DigitalPrint Software

DigitalPrint So ftware

DigitalPrint is designed to creatively manage your digital pictures . With its easy-to-use features, you can quickly load images from your digita l ca mera or camcorder, print high-quality photos, and make personalized photo albums and labels to share with fri ends and family.

DigitalPrint mai n 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 folder s for fut ure use.

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

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

✍ Properly connect your digital cam era, camcorder, or ins ert your Memory Stick media

in your computer.

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

PhotoCapture window

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

can enter a name for a new folder or cli ck Sele ct Photo Fol der t o import your pictures to an existing folder. Click OK.

Enter Photo Folder Name dial og box

DigitalPrint Software

3 Click Capt ure to capture stil l images. You can preview a thumbnail versi on

of your pictures in the selection view window.

Capture Pictures from Video window

4 Select th e desired pic tur es, and cli ck Get Pictur es. The Phot oCapture picture

editor window appears.

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

(Rotate) to ch ange the position of a sele cted picture. Click Delete to

eli minate any unwant ed pictures.

PhotoCapture editing window

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

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

displa yed on the left side of the wind ow, with the folder conte nts displayed as thumbnail pictures on the right.

PhotoCollecti on window

2 Select the desired fold er. From the thumbnail view, cl ick to select the

pictures you wan t to print.

3 Click Photo P r int at the top of the windo w. Select the number of prints you

want to make, us ing the scroll arrows. Click OK.

4 Select th e paper, based on the picture positioning desired. A layout pr eview

is displayed on the left side of the window.

5 Use the config uration butto ns and drop -down lis ts to sel ect the printer a nd to

set margins.

DigitalPrint Software

Printer and Paper selection window

6 Click Print All to print all pages, or click “Print the selected pag e only” to

print a specific page of photos.

Using PhotoDecor

You can decorate your favorite photos wit h clip art , stamp s, or your own drawing talent. Add, remove, and change your designs to create your own unique photo art.

1 Click (Edit) to ope n the PhotoDecor - New P hotoDecor window. A list

of folders is displ ayed o n th e left side of the win dow, with the folder con tents displayed as thumbnail pictures on the right.

PhotoDecor-New PhotoDecor window

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

2 Select the desired fold er. From the thumbnail view, cl ick to select the

pictures you wan t 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 dra gging the decoration onto your photo.

4 Click Print when your photo is ready to be printed. You can save your

decorated pic tures before printi ng. Name the new picture, and click Save.

✍ The defau lt locatio n for your saved decorated pictures is in the Decorated Photos

folder, which can be viewed from the Phot oDecor - New PhotoDecor window.

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.

PhotoAlbum - New Alb um window

✍ If you wish to work on a previously created album , do not click Crea te New Album.

Instead, select the desired album from the Album Collect ion view on the right side of the window.

DigitalPrint Software

2 Click Create New Album. The Select Photo wind ow appears. 3 Select the photos you want to include in your album from the available

folders displayed. Click List to s elect individual pictures from each folder. The Select Design window appears.

4 Select a design template for your alb um. Use the scroll bar to see all

availa ble designs. When you have s elected 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. Cus tom ize your album by adding more

picture s, decorations, comment s, or deleting pages.

7 You can save your album before prin ting by clicking Save. 8 Click Pr int. Select an album type, and click Print again.

✍ For information on stitching your album, click Stitch Album. See the online Help file

for mo re det ai ls .

Using LabelMaker

Use LabelMaker to design original labe ls to personalize your media, such as Memory Sti ck® media, CDs, or video cassettes.

1 Click (Label) to open the Label - New Label window.

Label - New Label window

VAIO Digital Studio Computer User Guide

2 Click an ic on to s elect 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.

✍ A new window appea rs , enabl ing yo u to list the con ten ts of y our audio or video medi a.

Y ou can create a song or video list, depending on the type of me dia label being created.

Design Edit window

5 Click Print to complete the label making process. Use the configuration

buttons and drop-down lists to selec t the printer and to set margins.

✍ See the online Help for detailed information on usi ng DigitalP rint software.

DVgate Software

DV gate Software

Connecting a digital video camcorder

Turn off the power to your dig ital video camcorder before connecting it to your computer. After connecting the dev ice , turn its power back on. You do not need to turn off the computer when connect ing the camcorder.

To use DVgate™ software with a digital video camcorder

❑ Do not use DVgate™ software when the connected digital vid eo 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 conti nued in a second file.

❑ You can record stereo audio (stereo 1) whil e capturing video, or you c an add

audio on the stereo 2 track after capturing the video data.

❑ You cannot use diff erent audio modes on the same tap e. 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 sav er program to avoi d interruptio n during your cap ture

sessions.

❑ The drop frame compensation feature does not provide accurate

compensation adjustments for tapes recorded in LP mode.

❑ The information displayed by th e capture progress indicator may not be

accur at e f o r ta p es th at are rec o r de d usi n g a mi xt u r e of b oth SP an d L P modes.

❑ Keep the video head of your digital video device properly cleaned.

Anomalies that you see i n captur ed data may be du e to dus t or ot her part icle s on the video he ad.

❑ 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

To use DVgate software to record AVI files to tape

✍ You can record only AVI files. MPEG files cannot be recorded.

❑ Do not use DVgate™ software when the connected digi tal vide o 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 mult ip le audi o modes o n the s ame tap e. If yo u hav e AVI files

that use different audio m odes , the fil es 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 s upport hard disk compressio n. ❑ To maximize recording capabilities, video and audio data are not available

while you are recording.

❑ If the DVga te s oftware indic at es that frames are dropped, tr y c losin g all open

applications or defragmenting your hard drive.

MovieShaker Software

MovieShake r™ so ftware can be used to create fun and innovative movies without any pre vious knowledge of film editing. In a few simple steps, video files ca n be made fr om st ill im ages wit h ad ded speci al ef fe cts and mus ic. You can save your personal video creation in a format that is compatible with most computers.

MovieShaker main window

Worki n g pa nel

Shake

tab/tray

Edit

tab/tray

Import clip tray

Capture tab/tray

Effect tray

Story B oard tray

+ 65 hidden pages

Sony VAIO Digital Studio VAIO Digital StudioTM, PCV-RX600N, PCV-RX660, PCV-RX672, PCV-RX680G User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual