Hardware Requirements for streaming content creation

Hardware Requirements for streaming content creation

Document number: 18297

Because of variations among machines, it’s impossible to know for certain if a machine will work with certain tools; however, the tools and procedures below should work for the vast majority of employees. The purpose of this document is to help users with “standard issue” machines create effective streaming content. Users with special multimedia machines might find that they have the capability to create better quality content with smaller bit rates simply because of their machine’s enhanced capabilities.

A big consideration with any of these techniques is the required storage space for recording your initial source material. That is, will your machine have enough hard disk space to make the audio (.wav) or video (.avi) recording before you convert it to the much smaller streaming format? Depending on the length of the recording, window size, and quality settings you choose, these files will vary, but you can expect anywhere from 5Mb to several gigabytes or more from your source files. The best way is to run a sample test to determine how much space you’ll need.

It can’t be overstressed how critical it is to test and tinker with any of these techniques before buying the software and trying to capture your final content. The techniques below are pretty basic once you spend a little time on them, and the effort you put into testing and sampling up front will pay off immensely and could save you a lot of frustration in the end.

Configure and Optimize Your Machine Before Recording

You must configure you machine as indicated below before creating content. Regardless of your machine’s capabilities, it’s highly recommend that you also optimize it in the following ways before recording.

Configure Your Machine (you’ll only need to do this once):

Install DirectX 9.0b from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads.
Install Windows Media Encoder 9 Series at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads.
Install the PeopleSoft custom profiles (all .prx files) from \\pshmms01\wmspublishing\profiles.
Install the MS hotfix created for PeopleSoft. Download it from Microsoft’s site at http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/F/5/4F5FABD2-FCE8-4F9A-AE20-6808B1555A43/WindowsMedia9-KB837171-ENU.exe.

Optimize Your Machine (recommended):

Disable your hardware acceleration on your PC before recording. Often times this will interfere with the recording tool’s ability to capture. Right click on your desktop and select Properties, then the Settings tab, and then the Advanced button. Under the Troubleshooting tab, move the slider all the way to the left to None for Hardware Acceleration. (You can return this to full when you’re done making your content if you like, but it’s ok to leave it off.)
Defrag your disk(s) and remove unnecessary files to attain maximum free storage. See Eureka! document 10031 — How to defragment your drive for more information. If you need assistance, submit a NorthStar ticket or contact Technical Support Operations.
Close down all unnecessary programs and operations. Close Notes and other applications you’re not recording, remove all wallpapers, screensavers, close down chat services, and stop any applications running in the background. This is to free up as much of your CPU as possible. Some machines need it more than others.
Check your basic PC sound system. If your basic sound system isn’t working properly on your PC, then obviously the software won’t be able to record audio. You need to ensure your PC sound is working properly and that your microphone is functioning. The best way to do this is to go to Start, then Programs, then Accessories, then Entertainment (may be Multimedia for some) and select your Sound Recorder program. Click the red record button and speak into the microphone. You should see sound waves on the screen. Stop the recording and play it back (the default sound quality might not be too good but that’s ok at this point.) If you can’t see sound waves or hear the recording, you’ll need to check your settings (double click on the speaker icon at the bottom of your screen). Refer to Eureka! document 30004 — How to troubleshoot sound problems if you require assistance getting your sound to work. (Note: Desktop or tower machines will need external speakers or headphones.)