EN-6
4 - Choosing the Right Recording Settings
4A. Why does this matter?
One of the most important uses of the N100 is in recording from virtually any video source into variations of the popular MPEG-4
format (which is to video what MP3 is to audio). Once in the MPEG-4 form, the video can be:
Safely stored and organized on hard drives, portables, or memory cards
Easily accessed for playback on TVs and computers
Edited with popular software
Transferred to portables and other devices for playback on the go from a home computer
Easily shared with others (non-copyrighted video only!)
And more
There is one subtlety, though: some portable devices are compatible with only lower resolution and/or lower quality files, which
look great on the small screens of portables, but may not look as good on a TV. Files recorded at the highest resolution and quality
levels will look best on the TV but may not be compatible with smartphones and other portable devices.
When you make a recording, you can choose the device or devices you plan to use to play back the recorded file. Your choice here
will optimize the resolution for that particular device, but will not necessarily mean you will not be able to play back your files on
your other devices.
For example, choosing a setting that optimizes the recording for playback on larger screens (TV’s and PC’s) will create larger data
files and may be unwatchable on some handhelds. If you care more about having high quality recordings for playback on larger
screens than you do about compatibility with a range of handhelds and have plenty of available storage space, you may want to
choose this setting.
On the other hand, choosing a setting that optimizes the recording for playback on a handheld like a smartphone will create smaller
data files that will be playable on most devices (including the TV), but the quality of these files will not look as good on a TV or
other devices with larger screens. If you want to ensure file compatibility with the greatest number of devices, want to conserve disc
space, and/or don’t mind a lower quality picture on larger screens, these settings are for you.
4B. Table of recording settings
The following table illustrates the parameters of each of the recording settings.
Recording to
Video
Audio
Resolution
Bitrate (kbps)
Framerate (frames/s)
Format
Bitrate (kbps)
TV or Computer
640 x 480
2500
30
AAC
128
Sony PSP
320 x 240
1500
30
AAC
128
Apple iPod
320 x 240
1500
30
AAC
96
Smartphone
320 x 240
768
30
AAC
96
5 - Troubleshooting the N100
5A. General troubleshooting
If you get lost of don’t know what to do, hit the Help or xi button.
If your N100 appears unresponsive to the remote or otherwise appears to lock up, first make sure the remote is within range and
pointing at the N100’s IR window (located near the USB port of the N100). If that doesn’t work, try simply waiting for a minute
or two. The N100 will often work the problem out by itself. If the unresponsiveness persists, re-boot the N100 by unplugging and
re-plugging the power supply (see Part 2A above). You might also try checking or replacing the batteries in the remote.
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