Poor quality video in the Instant DVD Recorder preview window

If the preview window is of exceptionally poor quality, the steps in this FAQ should be helpful.

1. VHS Input Checkbox

If the video source is a VCR, VHS Input checkboxmust be selected. If it is not selected, the video will appear distorted and discolored. The VHS Input checkbox is located in the Video Source Settings window. This can be accessed by clicking the Options button in Section 1: Select Source. The screenshot below shows the VHS Input outlined in red.

If you are not importing from a VHS tape, leave this checkbox unchecked.

2. Picture Settings

Instant DVD Recorder allows adjustments for:

• Brightness
• Contrast
• Saturation
• Hue

See the screenshot above for an image showing these settings. This can be accessed by clicking the Options button in Section 1: Select Source. Try changing these settings to improve the video quality.

3. Cables

Check the cable connections at the video source and at the capture to device to ensure that they are connected securely and in the correct ports. The connections should not be loose.

4. Graphics Card

Make sure that you have the latest video card drivers loaded from the manufacturer's website.

To determine what video card is on the system, check Device Manager.

To access Device Manager in Windows XP: Right-click on My Computer and select Properties. The System Properties window will be displayed. Next, select the Hardware tab. Finally, click the Device Manager button.

To access Device Manager in Windows Vista/7: Right-click on Computer and select Properties. In the next window that appears click the Device Manager button in the Tasks section.

In Device Manager, click the plus sign in front of Display Adapters. The video card will be displayed. To determine the manufacturer and date of the video card driver, double click on the video card name. Now click the Driver tab and you will see all the driver information including Driver Provider and Driver Date.

Here are some links to common video card manufacturers websites that would have driver updates available:

ATI : www.atitech.com

Nvidia : www.nvidia.com

5. Background Processes

Make sure there are not too many extra background processes running that may interfere with Instant DVD Recorder. Click here for the FAQ on how to do this.

6. Increase the Priority of Instant DVD Recorder

In some cases it can be helpful to increase the priority of the Instant DVD Recorder application in Windows. Here is how to do that:

• With Instant DVD Recorder open, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete on the keyboard. This will open the Windows Security window.

• Select the Task Manager button. This will open the Windows Task Manager.
• Select the Processes tab.
• Locate D2dWizard.exe in the list.
• Right-click on D2dWizard.exe and select Set Priority.
• In the Set Priority section, try selecting AboveNormal or High.
• Once the change is made it will prompt a warning asking if you are sure you want to change the priority class. Select Yes to this. If there is any undesirable change, simply change the priority back to Normal.

7. Virus scanners or continuous media scanning applications

Virus scanner software can hinder performance. As a test, try disabling the virus scanner and see if it helps.

Note: For safety reasons, it is recommended to disconnect from the internet while the virus scanner is disabled.

If it helps, try to exclude media directories from the scanning paths and/or remove media files (MPG, AVI, WAV, BMP, JPG, etc.) from the files to be scanned. Contact the virus scanner vendor for instructions on how to do this.

Try disabling indexing tools or services from running such as Google Desktop Search, Yahoo Desktop Search, Adobe Photoshop Album Importer, etc.

8. Reinstall Instant DVD Recorder

If none of the previous steps have helped, try uninstalling and reinstalling Instant DVD Recorder.