Sony VRD-VC10 User Manual

2-514-544-11 (1)

7819900949

Video Recordable DVD Drive

Operating Instructions

VRD-VC10

Safety Regulations

WARNING

You are cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this equipment. To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose the unit to rain or moisture. To avoid electrical shock, do not open the cabinet. Refer servicing to qualified personnel only.

CAUTION:

As the laser beam in the VRD-VC10 is harmful to the eyes, do not attempt to disassemble the cabinet. Refer servicing to qualified personnel only. The use of optical instruments with this product will increase eye hazard. The use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other than those specified herein may result in hazardous radiation exposure.

The VRD-VC10 is classified as a CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT. The CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT label is located on the enclosure.

Bei diesem VRD-VC10 handelt es sich um ein Laser-Produkt der Klasse 1. Das Etikett mit der Aufschrift LASER KLASSE 1 PRODUKT befindet sich auf

Gehäuse

CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT

LASER KLASSE 1 PRODUKT

LUOKAN 1 LASERLAITE

KLASS 1 LASER APPARAT

dem

FCC Compliance:

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 that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause 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.

The shielded interface cable recommended in this manual must be used with this equipment in order to comply with the limits for a digital device pursuant to Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC Rules.

Notes:

If you have any questions about this product, you may call the telephone number listed on the “Support overview” on page 45. The telephone number below is not for customer service but only for official purpose.

Declaration of Conformity

Trade Name: SONY Model No.: VRD-VC10 Responsible Party: Sony Electronics Inc. Address: 16450 W.Bernardo Dr.,

Telephone No.: 858-942-2230

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.

San Diego, CA 92127 U.S.A.

CAUTION

The mains plug on this equipment must be used to disconnect mains power. Please ensure that the socket outlet is installed near the equipment and shall be easily Accessible.

Achtung

Zur Trennung vom Netz ist der Netzsecker aus der Steckdose zu ziehen, welche sich in der Nähe des Gerätes befinden muß und leicht zugänglich sein soll.

Table of Contents

Safety Regulations .......................... 2

Introduction

Features ...........................................6

Stand-alone operation ...............6

Computer-controlled operation . 6

Others ........................................6

Unpacking .......................................7

Parts and controls ...........................8

System requirements .................... 10

Stand-alone Operation Using the Drive as a DVD Recorder

Creating DVDs ............................. 11

Recording procedure ............... 11

Recording methods ................. 11

Discs that can be used ............. 12

Recording mode ...................... 12

About titles and chapters on

a disc ....................................... 13

Synchronized recording ................ 14

Manual recording .......................... 18

Additional operations ................... 21

Selecting a recording mode .....21

Selecting a chapter interval ..... 21

Creating titles manually .......... 21

Selecting automatic playback

mode ........................................22

Finalizing a Disc ..................... 22

Erasing a Disc .........................24

Selecting a player-type ............25

Using the Drive as an External DVD Drive

Connecting the drive to

a computer .....................................26

Connecting the drive to a

computer ..................................26

Installing the driver .................27

Disconnection ..........................32

About software ..............................33

Notes on using other software

with the drive ...........................34

Maximizing performance .............35

Reaching the highest possible

data transfer rate ......................35

Updating the firmware ............35

Using 48x read/write speed for

CDs ..........................................35

Discs

Compatible discs ...........................36

Recommended discs ................38

Features of writable discs ..............39

Precautions on writing/playing

discs ...............................................42

Additional Information

Precautions ....................................44

Support overview ..........................45

User support web site ..............45

Update the drive firmware .......45

Technical support ....................45

Specifications ................................46

Troubleshooting ............................48

• is a trademark of Sony Corporation.

• Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

• Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

• Other system and product names used herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective manufacturers, although the ™ and ® marks are not used in the text.

• Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

❑ Our product warranty is valid only when the supplied accessories (including software)

are used in the specified or recommended system environment, in accordance with the documentation, and applies only to this DVD/CD rewritable drive. Our customer service and user support apply only under these product warranty conditions.

❑ Please note that we cannot accept responsibility for failure of the computer or other

devices, incompatibility with special hardware, operating problems caused by improper installation of software, loss of data, discs or other accidental or incidental damage that might occur when using this product.

❑ The guarantee and user support for this product are valid only within the countries or

sales regions specified on the warranty card.

❑ Copyright laws prohibit the copying in part or in full of the supplied software and

documentation, or loaning the software, without obtaining permission of the copyright holder.

❑ We cannot accept responsibility for any direct or indirect financial damage or loss of

profit that might occur when using the supplied software.

❑ The supplied software can only be used with this product.

❑ Specifications of the supplied software may be changed without notice in the interest of

product improvement.

Please Record Responsibly

Before copying anything onto a disc, please be sure that you are not violating copyright laws. Most software companies allow you to make a backup or archive copy of software. Check your software’s license agreement for details.

Copyrights

• Television programs, films, video tapes, discs, and other materials may be copyrighted. Unauthorized recording of such material may be contrary to the provisions of the copyright laws. Also, use of this product with cable television transmission may require authorization from the cable television transmitter and/or program owner.

• This product incorporates copyright protection technology that is protected by U.S. patents and other intellectual property rights. Use of this copyright protection technology must be authorized by Macrovision, and is intended for home and other limited viewing uses only unless otherwise authorized by Macrovision. Reverse engineering or disassembly is prohibited.

B Introduction

Features

This drive offers the following features.

Stand-alone operation

You can use this drive as a stand-alone DVD recorder to record videos on DVD+R or DVD+RW discs directly from connected video cameras and AV devices.

❑ Synchronized recording allows the drive

to record videos automatically, synchronized with the operations carried out on the connected video device.

❑ You can create titles or chapters either

automatically or manually.

Computer-controlled operation

❑ A video recordable DVD drive with Hi-

Speed USB (USB 2.0-compliant) interfaces for computers, and analog audio/video input terminals for video devices.

❑ The drive can write to seven types of

disc, including a DVD+R Double Layer disc.

❑ The drive can write at a maximum speed

of 16x when using high speed DVD+R discs.

❑ Adopts the

technology to prevent buffer underrun errors.

Others

❑ Hardware MPEG encoder captures

video signals.

❑ The drive can be placed vertically or

horizontally.

Unpacking

Please confirm that the package contains the following items. If any of these items appear to be missing and/or damaged, please contact your dealer.

•Drive

• Hi-Speed USB cable ×1

• Power cord

• AC adaptor (MPA-AC1)

• Quick Start Guide

• Operating instructions (this document)

• Nero Quick Start Guide

• Software disc

• Warranty card

Note

Make sure that you back up the supplied software disc on another disc because the software disc is not distributed separately.

Introduction

Parts and controls

Front Panel

A Disc tray

Insert discs here, label side to the left.

Hint

When you insert a disc into the drive, make sure that you set the disc inside the two lower pins. When using the drive horizontally, make sure that it is under the four pins.

D TIME button

Displays time passed or time remaining.

E SYNC (synchronize) button

Activates the synchronized recording.

F INPUT SELECT button

Selects an input signal to be recorded.

G REC MODE button

Selects a recording mode.

H SELECT button

Selects the mode of the function.

I Busy indicator

Indicates the drive status. Lit (green)

• The power is on.

Blinking (greenish orange)

• The drive is accessing the disc, such as reading, playing or writing.

Off

• The power is off.

J FUNCTION/ENTER button

Selects a function to be operated.

K REC (record) button

Starts recording videos.

B Eject button

Opens and closes the disc tray.

C Display window

Pins

L PAUSE button

Pauses recording.

M STOP button

Stops recording.

Display Window

The display window works only when the drive is used as the stand-alone DVD recorder (p. 11), and indicates the following:

Rear Panel

Introduction

A Input signal ( p. 14, 18)

B Video signal indicator ( p.

14, 18)

C Recording mode ( p. 21)

D Status and warning messages

( p. 48)

E Time display (time passed or

time remaining) ( p. 17, 20)

F Synchronized recording ( p.

14)

A Power switch

Turns the drive on or off.

B USB connector

Connect a USB cable when connecting the drive to a computer.

C S VIDEO IN connector

Connect an S VIDEO cable (not supplied) when connecting the drive to a video device such as a video camera or VCR.

D VIDEO IN connector

Connect a video plug of AV cable (not supplied) when connecting the drive to a video device such as a video camera or VCR.

E AUDIO IN L/R connectors

Connect audio plugs of AV cable (not supplied) when connecting the drive to a video device such as a video camera or VCR.

F DC IN jack

Connect the supplied AC power adaptor.

System requirements

When connected to a computer, the drive should be used with a system that meets the following requirements

❑ CPU: Pentium III, 800 MHz or higher

(with NeroVision Express: Pentium 4,

1.6 GHz recommended)

❑ RAM: 256 MB or higher ❑ 1 GB (with NeroVision Express:

10 GB) free hard disk space

❑ Operating system:

Windows 2000 Professional (referred to as Windows 2000), Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional (referred to as Windows XP)

❑ Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) port

The above requirements are the minimum necessary requirements to write to disc normally. Under actual operating conditions, the requirements imposed by your software must also be met. For details, refer to your software documentation.

Notes

• You must use discs that are compatible with the write speed you have selected.

• Writing speed may automatically be adjusted depending on the disc, specified disc speed, or disc conditions such as weight imbalance and eccentricity.

• System should meet following requirements in order to use USB 2.0 operation with this device.

− Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0-compliant)

interface cable (included).

− System equipped with a Hi-Speed USB (USB

2.0-compliant) connector or PCI adaptor card, and running the USB 2.0 EHCI device

driver

• When connected to a product that does not support Hi-Speed USB, the maximum transfer rate is limited to 12 Mbps (equivalent to a USB

1.1 transfer rate).

The USB 2.0 EHCI driver software is supplied with currently available PCI adaptor cards that conform to USB 2.0. You can also use the USB 2.0 EHCI driver software supplied with Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP1.

For details, contact your USB 2.0 adaptor dealer or consult the Microsoft Corporation Web site.

B Stand-alone Operation - Using the Drive as a DVD Recorder

Creating DVDs

You can use this drive as a stand-alone DVD recorder to record videos on DVD+R or DVD+RW discs directly from a connected video cameras or video devices such as VCRs.

Note

Stand-alone operation of the drive is not available when the drive is connected to a computer with the USB cable and the computer is turned on.

Recording procedure

You can record videos from video cameras or VCRs to a DVD using the following procedure.

Connect a playback device to the drive.

Turn on and set up the connected device.

Turn on the drive, and insert a disc.

Set up the drive according to the input signal, recording mode used, etc.

Start recording.

Hint

The recording settings you make on the drive remain as they are until you change them.

Recording methods

The drive features synchronized recording mode and manual recording mode.

Recording method Operation

Synchronized recording

page 14

Manual recording

page 18

Stand-alone Operation - Using the Drive as a DVD Recorder

The drive will start/stop recording automatically when it detects signals from the connected playback device.

You can start/pause/stop recording manually by operating the drive and the connected device respectively.

Discs that can be used

In stand-alone operation, you can use only DVD+RW or DVD+R discs.

Note

You cannot make additional recording on discs that have been created using computers or

other DVD recorders by the stand-alone operation.

Recording mode

Three recording modes are available. Select a recording mode according to your priority - picture quality or recording duration.

Mode Picture

HQ (default) High Approx. 1 hour Approx. 2 hours

SP Standard Approx. 2 hours Approx. 4 hours

SLP Low Approx. 6 hours Approx. 12 hours

quality

Single layer disc Double layer disc

Recording time

About titles and chapters on a disc

What are titles and chapters?

DVD contents consist of sections, called titles, and smaller sub-sections, called chapters. On this drive, a title is created between the points where you start and stop a recording. Chapters are created automatically at specified intervals (5, 10, or 15 minutes), or they can be created manually.

Start Rec. Stop/Start

Title 1

Stand-alone Operation - Using the Drive as a DVD Recorder

Stop Rec.

Title 2

Chapters

Chapter marks

Maximum number of titles on a disc

No additional titles can be created after title 49. Recording will not be initiated on a disc on which 49 titles have already been recorded.

Maximum number of chapters in a title

No additional chapters can be created after a total of 99 automatic and manual chapters have been marked out.

Chapters

Chapter marks

Synchronized recording

You can record videos on DVD+RW or DVD+R discs while playing them back on your video device. Connect the video device to the drive using an AV cable, and the drive will start/stop recording automatically when you start/stop playback on the video device. In synchronized recording, the drive starts/stops recording when it detects signals from the video device.

Note

Synchronized recording may not operate properly or entirely in the following cases:

• The video device continues to output signals even after playback has stopped. For example, standard VCRs output signals from the built-in tuner after they stop playback of tapes, therefore, the drive keeps detecting signals and does not stop recording. To avoid this, set the VCR so that it does not output signals when it is not playing back tape, by switching the input selection to line-in, etc. This symptom will occur with some video cameras that output a video signal to make blue or plain back-screen. In this case, disable the signal for back-screen on your video cameras.

• The drive has detected a copy protection signal. Recording stops.

• Videos may not be recorded for a moment when recording has just started.

1 Connect a video device.

Refer also to the manual supplied with the device to be connected.

S video cable*

Yellow

White

Red

AV cable

Signal flow

* When the video camera or VCR has the S VIDEO jack.

Yellow

White

Red

2 Turn on the drive.

The busy indicator lights up in green.

Busy indicator

3 Press EJECT, and insert a disc.

A new blank disc is formatted automatically. Wait until [Format] on the display window changes to [Ready].

EJECT button

Recording side

Stand-alone Operation - Using the Drive as a DVD Recorder

. Continued

4 Select the recording conditions.

Display [VIDEO] by pressing INPUT SELECT.

If you have connected an S video cable, display [S-VIDEO]. Each time you press the button, [VIDEO] or [SVIDEO] appears in turn.

Display [SYNC] by pressing SYNC.

SYNC

INPUT SELECT

To select a recording mode, see “Selecting a recording mode” on page 21. To select a chapter interval, see “Selecting a chapter interval” on page 21. To select how to start playback, see “Selecting automatic playback mode” on page 22.

5 Press REC on the drive.

The drive comes in standby for recording.

REC

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