Knowledge Base

Installation

System Requirements

Operating System

The Observer XT 17 has been thoroughly tested using a US English version of Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit Professional edition). Minimal version number 20H2 (October 2020).

To check which version you have, type Windows version in the App window and click See if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows. Note the information in the Edition, Version, and System type fields.

The Observer XT is not designed for use with the touch features of Windows.

Languages

The Observer XT was tested with the US English language packs of Windows. The Observer XT has also been tested with Cyrillic, Japanese and simplified Chinese language packs. It is possible that certain local language versions of Windows may affect how well the program runs.

For more information about using non-Latin characters in specific parts of the program, see File Management.

Computer

The type of computer you need to run The Observer XT depends on how you will use the program. If you are carrying out a few live observations, then a simple netbook will suffice. If you are working with video or have a large number of observations in your project, then a professional workstation is necessary. If you purchase a complete setup from Noldus, then we will make sure your computer suits your purposes.

System Requirements for Live Observations

For using The Observer XT for live observation (no video files, cameras or physiological data), with a maximum of 200 short observations, or a small number of observations with up to 5000 event lines, a simple netbook is sufficient. Coding schemes with non mutually-exclusive modifiers should not be used with such a computer, as this type of modifier has a severe impact on performance. Noldus recommends in this case an ultrabook or laptop with at least 2 GHz processor and 2 GB of memory.

System Requirements for Observations with Video

For working with The Observer XT and video, we recommend that you use a professional workstation. It is possible to buy consumer-range computers with a high processor speed and plenty of memory, but in order to remain competitive regarding price, the manufacturers often economize on the underlying system architecture. That means those computers are suitable for home use, but not for running professional scientific software. You should select a computer which is intended for professional use or labeled by the manufacturer as a workstation.

If you use other software which installs codec packages on your computer, this can interfere with the codecs installed by The Observer XT. We recommend to uninstall DVD burner software, video editing packages and similar. See Codecs Installed by Other Programs in Media Files.

Recommended Computer

The Observer XT has been tested with the Dell Precision™ T3650 desktop PC and the M3551 mobile workstation. If you order a complete solution from Noldus Information Technology, you will obtain a Dell Precision™ T3650 workstation (or its successor), or a M3551 mobile workstation (or its successor) with The Observer XT software installed and ready to use. These computers are the standard test platforms for The Observer XT, and we recommend that you use those computers.

Technical specifications Dell Precision™ T3650 PC:

• Processor: Intel Core i7-11700, 8 Core, 16 MB Cache, 2.5 GHz
• Internal memory: 8 GB DDR4
• Primary hard disk: M.2 256 GB PCIe NVMe Class 40 SSD
• Secondary hard disk: 3.5 inch 1 TB SATA (7200 rpm)
• Graphics card: NVIDIA Quadro P2200, 5 GB

Technical specifications Dell Precision™ M3551 mobile workstation:

• Processor: Intel i7-10750H (6-core), 2.2 GHz
• Internal memory: 8 GB
• Hard disk: 1 TB
• Graphics card: 4 GB NVIDIA Quadro P620

If you are planning to purchase a different computer than the ones mentioned above, please contact us for detailed advice.

Older Computers

If you are upgrading from an older version of The Observer XT, you can still install the latest version on an older workstation. To use The Observer XT with video, the computer should have at least a 2.6 GHz dual core processor and at least 4 GB of memory, as well as a video card supporting DirectDraw acceleration. We recommend a 2.8 GHz quad core processor with 8 GB of memory.

Video Card

To be able to play back videos in The Observer XT, your video card should have Direct3D Acceleration. All newer cards support this feature, but older cards (in older PCs) do not. For Windows 10 and Windows 11, Direct3D Acceleration is enabled by default.

Note: If you have video files on CD, DVD or mobile devices, copy these to your hard disk before scoring with The Observer XT. See also Supported Formats in Media Files.

Supported Hardware

Drivers of the supported hardware must be installed separately. These drivers are available on the MyNoldus portal. The following hardware works with The Observer XT 17 running on 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11:

Video Controlling Device

• Contour ShuttlePRO v2 Jog/shuttle device

Mobile Scoring Device for Pocket Observer

• Android devices for Pocket Observer 3.4

Pocket Observer 3.4 was tested with Android version 10 on a Samsung S9 phone and with Android version 11 on a Samsung S10 phone. We cannot guarantee that Pocket Observer will work well with future versions of Google Android. Please contact our Support center if you use a newer version and run into issues.

Before You Install The Observer XT

If you ordered a new computer from Noldus Information Technology when you purchased The Observer XT, all your software and any internal hardware is already installed and tested. If you install The Observer XT yourself, please follow the instructions below in the order they are presented. Please note that it is not possible to install The Observer XT on one computer and access it from another across a network. The program must be installed on the computer where it will be used.

Prior to installation, please check the packing list to make sure all the components are present. If any of the components listed is missing or damaged, please report this to us immediately.

Before you install The Observer XT, carry out the following steps:

1. Turn off automatic updates for device drivers
2. Select correct power options

Turn Off Automatic Updates for Device Drivers

The general recommendation from Microsoft to use automatic updates is good, especially for security updates. However, automatic updates of hardware device drivers can sometimes cause problems. The Observer XT is tested with the device drivers that are available at the moment of release. If device drivers are updated afterwards, we cannot guarantee that they work properly with The Observer XT. Therefore we recommend switching off automatic updates of device drivers.

If you ordered a computer with The Observer XT from Noldus IT, the automatic updates for device drivers have already been turned off and you can skip this section.

1. Click the Windows icon on your desktop and type Change device.
2. Click Change Device Installation Settings.
3. Select No (your devices might not work as expected).
4. Click Save Changes.

Select Correct Power Options

On computers with Windows 10 and Windows 11, by default the computer resumes rather than restarts after shutdown. This can cause problems with The Observer XT and associated software like N-Linx and MediaRecorder. Therefore, with installation of The Observer XT, the option that makes the computer resume is disabled, so the computer is really restarted after shutdown.

With Windows updates, these options can become enabled again. Therefore, check whether the computer shutdown settings are correct.

1. In the Windows start window, type Power options and then click the Power options tile.
2. Choose Choose what the power buttons do.
3. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
4. Select the following options:
   • When I press the power button – Shut down
   • When I close the lid – Shut down
   • Under Shutdown settings, deselect the checkboxes: Sleep, Hibernate, and Turn on fast startup (recommended)

Note: The option Turn on fast startup (recommended) under Shutdown settings is disabled automatically when you install The Observer XT.

Install The Observer XT

Prerequisite: You have Windows administrator rights. This means you either are the system administrator or a member of the Windows group Administrators and have been assigned administrator rights.

Important: If your license comes with a hardware key, first install The Observer XT and then connect the key to your computer, not the other way around.

1. Download the Observer installation zip file via your MyNoldus account: click on Downloads and then Versions.
2. Unzip the zip file and double-click the file The Observer XT 17 Setup.exe.
3. In the window that appears, select Standard. Select Custom only if you want to change the default location where the program is stored and the default project folders.
4. Optionally, select Adobe Acrobat Reader DC in the Drivers and Tools field. Adobe Reader is needed to display the documentation. If you have the Shuttle Pro keyboard to control video playback, select Shuttle Pro 2 Keyboard in the Drivers and Tools field. See the Technical Note - ShuttlePro2 - The Observer XT on the MyNoldus website for further installation instructions.
5. Click Next and follow the instructions on your screen to install.

Notes:

• The Observer XT is installed in C:\Program Files\Noldus\The Observer XT 17. Project files are saved in the following folders:
  • Projects: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Noldus\The Observer XT\Projects
  • Templates: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Noldus\The Observer XT\Templates
  • Video: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Noldus\The Observer XT\Video files
  • Audio: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Noldus\The Observer XT\Audio files
• If the installation software finds a previous version of Sentinel Runtime installed on your computer, it informs you that clicking Yes will uninstall the previous version and install the new one.
• You can download The Observer XT installation file with or without codecs from the MyNoldus website. The version without codecs is for scoring live only. The video tutorial can be downloaded separately.

To Install uASQ

uASQ is not shown in the Setup window. Install uASQ from the MyNoldus website. You will find the installation file under Installation instructions. If you upgrade from a previous version of The Observer XT, first uninstall uASQ using the Programs and Features item in the Control Panel, then re-install uASQ from the MyNoldus website. See the Reference Manual - uASQ for details.

To Install uLog

Install uLog from the MyNoldus website. You will find the installation files under Installation instructions.