FAQs

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Q. I've completed my free seven day trial of cSwing. Now I want to activate my copy of cSwing so that I can keep on using it. What do I do?

A. You can purchase securely online by credit card or PayPal from our Purchase page. Please include your twelve letter activation code in the Comments section on the last page of the order process. You will receive your license key so that you can continue to use the software even if you order the CD version. Alternatively, you can call us or fax in your order (see the Purchase page for for more details).

Q. What are the minimum computer requirements for cSwing?

A. We go into more detail about computers on our Equipment page. The minimum specification for a system is:

Pentium III 500 MHz (Pentium IV 1.4 GHz or an equivalent Pentium M or Athlon XP processor for multiple cameras)
128 MB RAM (512 MB for multiple cameras)
800x600 resolution, 1024x768 highly recommended (DirectX 9 compatible card for multiple cameras)
16 MB graphics memory (32 MB or more recommended)
audio card (built-in to most computers and laptops)
4 GB free disk space (10 GB free recommended for capturing)
FireWire, also known as IEEE 1394 and i.Link, is recommend for best capture results (one FireWire card is required per camera for multiple cameras)
Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP Home/Professional, Windows Vista (Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate 32-bit)
DirectX 8.1 or later (this is included in XP, multiple camera support requires DirectX 9.0 or higher which is included on our CD)

Q. What video cameras do you recommend?

A. We go into detail about video cameras recommendations on our Equipment page. Summary:

DV camcorders give the best results, they start in price around US$300
most web cams work with our analog capture feature
we do not recommend DVD or microMV camcorders because they use MPEG-2 video format which doesn't work well for video analysis
FireWire gives better results than USB or USB 2 capture
One FireWire card is required per camcorder for multiple capture support

Q. How can I find out if my computer has the recommended free disk space, processor speed and memory?

A. The easiest way to find out how much free disk space your computer has is to open My Computer from the Windows Start menu. If the free disk space is not displayed automatically, right click the disk drive (example: C:\) where you intend to install cSwing and choose Properties.

Your packing slip, box or manual for your computer will list the processor speed and how much memory is in your computer, unless you have upgraded. If you want to check for certain, click Start and then right-click on My Computer and choose Properties. It will list the processor speed and the amount of memory (RAM) that is installed.

Q. How can I find out if my computer has built-in FireWire?

A. A FireWire port has either a four-pin or six-pin connector. It is sometimes labeled IEEE 1394 or i.Link. There is also a standard symbol in the picture below. The four-pin port looks identical to the FireWire port on your DV camcorder (sometimes labeled DV). The six-pin connector looks similar to a USB port but is rounded on one edge. If you don't have a card, a PCI card for a desktop PC costs about $30 and a PCMCIA card for a laptop costs around $60. Most Sony PCs and laptops have built-in firewire. Many other brands, such as HP, Dell and Gateway include it on some of their PCs. Click here to see a selection of pictures of FireWire ports, cards, cables and the standard FireWire symbol.

Q. Do I need to update Microsoft DirectX in order to use cSwing?

A. After installing cSwing, when you run our software will let you know if you need to update DirectX. If you do need to update DirectX, you can get the latest version from the Microsoft DirectX site. DirectX provides the multi-media support that cSwing uses. cSwing requires Microsoft DirectX 8.1 or later. The advanced capture option requires DirectX 9.0.

Q. Do you support MacOS or OS X?

A. We do not have a Mac version. We have some customers who use VirtualPC to run cSwing but some features, like capture, do not work and we do not officially support cSwing on any Apple computers. We strongly recommend using the trial version before purchasing a full license.