Recording a Tutorial problem

[Ronniebootwest]

I am using Camtasia Studio 6 to record a video tutorial of PTE 6.

I have not had any problems in the past but, after updating my Graphics card driver NVIDEA (Quadro FX 1700)

When I set up Camtasia to record, all is well until I attempt to load PTE. I get a message saying that PTE need DirectX 9 or highter.

I already have installed DirectX 9c and also have set the hardware accelleration to maximum.

Does anyone know what the problem might be please?

Please see the screenshot attached.

Ron West

[Lin Evans]

Hi Ron,

It "sounds" like perhaps PTE and Camtasia are fighting for the use of Direct X. That is you have two programs each trying to use the video exclusively, or perhaps Camtasia is trying to have exclusivity.

Why don't you try opening PTE first and minimizing it, then load Camtasia and see if there is any difference?

Best regards,

Lin

[Ronniebootwest]

Hi Lin,

Thanks for the suggestion.

I tried it but it has made no difference at all.

Leter on I will download and re-install Direct X but at the moment I am having difficulty finding

the correct download for the latest version. Any ideas?

Maybe the FX1700 drivers were corrupt so perhaps I should re-install them too.

Ron

[Ken Cox]

you can only use 9.0c with your setup

http://www.microsoft...&DisplayLang=en

http://www.google.ca...&aq=7&oq=direct

save the link's

ken

[Ronniebootwest]

Thanks for your reply to my email Barry.

I am frustrated with this problem now. I have narrowed it down to the fact that my Graphics Card may not be powerful enough and I do not understand this because PTE works perfectly when I run it on it’s own and the 3D options are perfect also. It is only when I try to record (using Camtasia) that the problem shows itself. This being the case, there must be some kind of conflict between PTE and Camtasia. Lin Evans may be correct, he has suggested that both programs are competing for the use of DirectX 9 at the same time. I haven’t a clue how to correct that though.

Ron

[goddi]

Greetings Ron and others,

I have not used Camtasia, but I have come across another method of creating a tutorial or to demonstrate a problem one might be having in a program such as PTE, or any other program. I discovered a feature in Windows 7 that is called PSR (Problem Step Recorder).

To activate this 'tool', in Windows 7, click on Start and type in PSR. When the program is run, a menu bar will appear that will allow you to start, stop and pause the recording of your steps. Each recorded step is a screenshot of the specific action, which is encircled in green. You can manually scroll through each screenshot or you can also play it as a slideshow, with pause, next, etc.

The file that PSR creates is a .mht (mhtml document) file that is automatically saved in a Zip file and the extracted .mht file plays in IE.

This is a pretty neat feature that I think we can use to help demonstrate problems we might be having in any software program or to create a simple tutorial. (All that is needed is for someone to figure out how to embed sound bites in each screenshot).

I have attached a simple example of what you would get as I went through one of my PTE shows, just clicking on different menu items.

Hope this helps...

Gary

===============================

Thanks for your reply to my email Barry.

I am frustrated with this problem now. I have narrowed it down to the fact that my Graphics Card may not be powerful enough and I do not understand this because PTE works perfectly when I run it on it’s own and the 3D options are perfect also. It is only when I try to record (using Camtasia) that the problem shows itself. This being the case, there must be some kind of conflict between PTE and Camtasia. Lin Evans may be correct, he has suggested that both programs are competing for the use of DirectX 9 at the same time. I haven’t a clue how to correct that though.

Ron

Use of PSR in PTE.zip

[Lin Evans]

Hi Ron,

I just downloaded Camtasia Studio 6 and ran a trial and it worked fine on my system with the same DirectX you are using (9c). I'm using the nVidia 8800 GT card and XP Home Edition.

Which OS are you running? You might want to contact Techsmith's technical support via the "Help" link in Camtasia. This will capture information about your OS, Directx, video and audio environment, etc., which might help discover the problem.

Best regards,

Lin

[Ronniebootwest]

Hello Lin,

I am running Windows XP (Professional Edition

Is the 8800 GT better than the FX1700 card?

Ron

[Lin Evans]

Hi Ron,

Whether or not it pertains to the issue I'm not certain, but yes, the 8800 GT is "magnititudes" better than the FX1700, but it's made for desktop and not for mobile (Laptop), etc.

The FX1700 has a G3D rating of 310 and a ranking of 213 while the 8800 GT has G3D rating of 958 and a ranking of 46. This makes the 8800 GT over 400 percent stronger for graphics.

If you are using the FX1700 in a desktop, I would definitely suggest upgrading if you want to do much in the way of animation. I would suggest at least an nVidia 8600 GT card. The 8600 GT doesn't require a big power supply and the 8800 GT requires at least a 450 watt power supply and must have power from not only the bus but also from additional leads on the power supply.

I can't tell you whether or not a more powerful graphics card will solve the problem, but there are "many" better cards than the FX1700. Go here:

http://www.picturest...showtopic=10555

Click on the link there and look up any video card and see the ratings, etc., before buying. There are many newer cards than the 8600 GT and the 8800 GT which are both more powerful and cheaper.

Best regards,

Lin

Hello Lin,

I am running Windows XP (Professional Edition

Is the 8800 GT better than the FX1700 card?

Ron

[Ronniebootwest]

Hello Lin,

Thankyou for your suggestions re the graphics card. I will certainly look into upgrading, but before I get into buying one, I will check with Dell Conputers because I run a Dell workstation and they can be really problematic when installing something different.

Back to my problem, I have determined that it is definitely due to a conflict with the DirectX 9c software. You were correct with your previous assumption. It seems that the Camtasia Recorder (a section of Camtasia Studio) uses hardware acceleration and it is this that is competing with Pictures To Exe.

I have cured the problem by opening the Camtasia Recorder and 'UNCHECKING' the box against 'disable hardware acceleration. (Tools > Options > Capture Tab)

This seems to make things work OK now.

Perhaps you would confirm that your Recorder settings are the same?

Thanks for your help with this problem, it is always appreciated.

Ron