Pinnacle Systems TOP FAQ’s

Please find below the most Frequently Asked Questions regarding Pinnacle Systems Products received by our Helpdesk. First select your product and you will get a list with FAQ’s.

If you do not find the answer to your question, other FAQ’s are available in our Support database.

 

Pinnacle Express

We always recommend you to first download and install the latest software available for your product.

You will also find a list of Troubleshooting and different Problems & Solutions  at the end of the User’s Manual for your product. Please read these carefully !

You can also look to the Support HomePage and select Manuals to see if a different document is available for FAQ’s.

Q : Does Express support frame grabbing from imported or captured video?

Q : How do I delete captured video?

Q : What type of files does Express import?

Q: The Capture Video from DV camcorder button is grayed out

Q : The combine button is grayed out

Q : How do I "undo" editing I have already done

Q : When I type in a new scene title it sometimes reverts back to the original title

Q : What audio files can Express support?

Q : In the Edit Options dialog box, the selection "Fade to black between scenes" is grayed out

Q : Do all menus for a project have the same layout and background?

Q : Is there a way to link a button to another menu?

Q : Why does the time to create the files take so long?

Q : What type of capture devices do you support?

Q : What Operating Systems does Express Support?

Q : Will Pinnacle Express work w/ new HP D1000i DVR?

Q : Is my DVD player compatible with Express?

Q : Is my CD burner (CD-R or CD-RW) compatible with Express?

Q : CD/CD-R/DVD drives disappear or are not loaded properly after installing Pinnacle Express

Q : Can Pinnacle Express create miniDVD?

Q : What is the best way to reinstall Pinnacle Express?

Q : I am having problems registering from within Pinnacle Express (Help -> Register Product)

Q : What is the bit rate for a VCD, SVCD and DVD? Can I change it?

Q : How do I make a DVD? or What do I need to make a DVD?

Q : Can Pinnacle Express create PAL and NTSC discs?

Q : How do I play back a VCD on my computer?

Q : Can I use Pinnacle DV200, DV500 or Pro One with Pinnacle Express?

 

Q : Does Express support frame grabbing from imported or captured video?

A : At this time, Express does not have a frame grab feature. We recommend you use the Pinnacle Studio software to grab the frame and save it to a file. Then import this file as a still image into Express.

Q : How do I delete captured video?

A : To delete video files from your hard disk do the following:

  1. In the "Bring in Video" mode, highlight an item in the "Captured and imported files" window.
  2. Click the button on the top of the window and select "Delete file"

A window will follow where you can choose to delete the selected file from the current project, or delete the file from the project and from the hard drive.

Q : What type of files does Express import?

A : If you wish to import video, Express supports type 2 DV AVI files, the type which are created by a DV camcorder.

If you wish to import still images, we support the following graphic file types.

 

Q: The Capture Video from DV camcorder button is grayed out

A : Express currently only supports capture from DV or Digital 8 camcorders via a 1394 cable. Make sure you have done the following:

 

Q : The combine button is grayed out

A : You have to select the scene you want to combine before the combine button will be active.

  1. How do I combine scenes?
  2. First, you have to put the scenes in the order you want them before they can be combined.
  3. To move a scene:
    1. Highlight it by clicking on it.
    2. Move the cursor over the thumbnail so that the cursor turns into the grabber symbol (a hand).
    3. Now move the clip to the desired location.
  4. To combine the scenes: (they should now be in order by using step 2 above)
    1. Highlight the first scene by clicking on it.
    2. Move the cursor over the text so that the cursor turns into the arrow symbol.
    3. Hold down the left mouse button while dragging the mouse down on the screen.
    4. Stop dragging the mouse when you reach the last scene you want to combine.
    5. Let go of the left mouse button and now click in the Combine button.

Click the first scene of the clips you want to combine in the list selection and it will turn blue.

 

Q : How do I "undo" editing I have already done

A : Deleted scenes can be restored from the "recycle bin".

Also, any changes made while editing can be discarded by clicking "Cancel" on the Edit Video dialog box.

Currently there is no UNDO command in Express, however certain functions can be undone.

Note: There is no way to undo splitting of scenes

 

Q : When I type in a new scene title it sometimes reverts back to the original title

A : To save the changes you make to a scene title, you can press the TAB or the Enter key.

If you click the mouse cursor to another location on the screen before you press TAB or Enter, your changes will not be saved.

 

Q : What audio files can Express support?

A : Express has the ability to import WAV or MP3 files and attach them to any menu page or still image in your project.

 

Q : In the Edit Options dialog box, the selection "Fade to black between scenes" is grayed out

A : The "Fade between scenes" option was disabled in version 1.0.0. This option will now enable in version 1.01.

 

Q : Do all menus for a project have the same layout and background?

A : Yes. In a project the template (scene layout with the background) is the same. You cannot use more than one template in a project.

 

Q : Is there a way to link a button to another menu?

A : No. The links are created automatically to make the process of creating a title simple.

The forward and backward buttons are the only links to each menu.

 

Q : Why does the time to create the files take so long?

A : During most of this process, we are taking the DV files that you captured or imported and converting them to MPEG 2. This process, called "transcoding", does take time due to converting to another video format and compressing the data. This process is very CPU dependent. The faster the speed of the CPU, the quicker the transcoding. A rough estimate of how long an SVCD should take is 1 minute of a project should take roughly 5 or 6 minutes to transcode on a PIII 800. Express has been optimized for Intel P4 systems and rendering times on these systems will be much shorter.

 

Q : What type of capture devices do you support?

A : Express supports DV and Digital 8 Camcorders using the OHCI compliant 1394 ("FireWire") interface.

 

Q : What Operating Systems does Express Support?

A : Currently Express supports Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows XP (with version 1.10 or more).

 

Q : Will Pinnacle Express work w/ new HP D1000i DVR?

A : We are continually expanding our list of supported DVD-R and DVD+RW drives. You will find on our Internet site the latest compatibility list.

 

Q : Is my DVD player compatible with Express?

A : Some DVD players are incompatible for playback of VideoCD and SVCD discs. Likewise, some DVD players cannot play back DVD-R media. Pinnacle Systems has tested an extensive list of the most popular DVD players and the formats and media they support. You may view the list at www.pinnaclesys.com/dvdlist. If your player is not listed, visit www.vcdhelp.com for user-reported compatibilities of over 700 DVD players. Although your player may be capable of playing VCD and/or SVCD media, it may not be able to read from CD-R media. We have found that CD-RW discs are more reliable than CD-R in a large number of DVD players, because the reflectivity of the disc is better.

 

Q : Is my CD burner (CD-R or CD-RW) compatible with Express?

A : To date, we have not found any CD burners that do not work with Express.

You should first check with the sofware shipped with your CD burner that all is working correctly before using Pinnacle Express.

 

Q : CD/CD-R/DVD drives disappear or are not loaded properly after installing Express.

A : There is a known problem that Adaptec has posted on their web site regarding this issue. You can find a fix for the problem on the Adaptec web site at the link below. This link may not come through correctly in your email system due to its length, so you may have to cut and paste it into your browser.

NOTE: THE PREVIOUS SENTENCE WILL ONLY BE IN THE EMAIL REPLY WE SEND OUT. You can also find the solution by going to http://www.roxio.com, then clicking on Support then Support Knowledgebase, then Find Answers. Search on "CD drive not detected".

click here

It is also discussed at the Microsoft web site at this link.

 

Q : Can Express create miniDVD?

A : Express does not support miniDVD. MiniDVD is not a standard like VCD and SVCD are. Most stand-alone DVD players will not play miniDVD discs.

 

Q : What is the best way to reinstall Express?

A : Please uninstall and reinstall Express using the following procedure.

  1. UNINSTALL EXPRESS: Click on Start ->Programs -> Pinnacle Express -> Uninstall Pinnacle Express. Follow any on-screen instruction to complete the process.
  2. RUN REGDELETE.EXE: This program deletes Pinnacle entries in your registry. We use this in case the uninstaller left any entries behind. If you have not have Regdelete, you can get it from the following link.
  3. REINSTALL EXPRESS FROM YOUR CD: Insert your Express CD and reinstall the software.
  4. DOWNLOAD AND APPLY THE MOST CURRENT PATCH: We have posted Express, version 1.02 to our web site. You can get this software patch one of two ways.
    1. While running Express, click Help, Software Update. You will be connected to the internet so you can download. Then close Express and apply the patch.
    2. Go to the following link and download the patch.

 

Q : I am having problems registering from within Express (Help -> Register Product)

Click on this link to register Express.

 

Q : What is the bit rate for a VCD, SVCD and DVD? Can I change it?

A : The bit rates are as follows

Type disc bit rate
VCD fixed at 1.1 Mbps
SVCD variable with a Maximum of 2.4 Mbps
DVD variable with a Maximum of 6 Mbps

Express does not have any user controls to modify the bit rates.

You can get more information on the specs for VCD’s, SVCD’s and DVD’s at this link.

 

Q : How do I make a DVD? or What do I need to make a DVD?

A : To make a DVD, you need a DVD-R or DVD-RW . You cannot make a DVD using a CD-R or CD-RW. We currently support the Panasonic 311/310 and the Pioneer A03/103.

 

Q : Can express create PAL and NTSC discs?

A : Express detects the camcorder you have connected (PAL or NTSC). Your captured files will be in the same format as your camcorder. If you put PAL video in a project, then you can only create PAL discs. If you put NTSC video in the project, then you can only create NTSC discs. You cannot mix PAL and NTSC video in the timeline. The only time you can choose between PAL and NTSC discs, is when you have a project that only has stills in it.

 

Q : How do I play back a VCD on my computer?

A : To play back a VCD, you need software that will play back this media type. When you register your Pinnacle Express software, you are allowed to download a VCD player for free called VCDQuick. If you have not yet registered, please register by launching the Express application, then clicking on Help, then Product Registration. If you have already registered and did not download the VCD player, you can re-register.

 

Q : Can I use Pinnacle DV200, DV500 or Pro One with Express?

A : Pinnacle Express is actually only able to capture from an OHCI compatible IEEE1394 card. With the DV200, DV500 and Pinnacle Pro One you will only be able to import captured or rendered files. Express can import Type 2 DV AVI files. When you render, make sure if you render them, you use Pinnacle's DV codec. You must be using the following drivers:

Product Driver
DV200 2.0 and later
DV500 2.0 and later
Pro One 1.0 and later