It's common to have questions, and these are the questions most common.
We've tried to manage the list so your answer is easy to find. If it's a general question about how ErgVideo works, what it's good for, or what its features are all about, use the "general questions" tab. If your question is technical in nature, or you encountered some technical issue with the application on your system, look in the technical section. We've tried to re-focus the faq to address the ErgVideo 6 subscription-based operation, and moved most of the questions about the legacy-licensed ErgVideo operation into the 3rd tab. Hopefully, if you are strictly using the subscription service, you won't need to look in that tab.
And finally, if you don't see the question or answer you are looking for...try one of the other tabs!
If the faq or other resources on the website do not answer your question, use the contact page. Please provide a screen shot of any diagnostic message, and the most recent error-file found in Documents\ErgVideo Data\ErgVideo Errors that your error may generate.
No, you don't absolutely need a smart trainer, and indeed we market this product for use with manual trainers. But the experience with a smart trainer is vastly different and superior compared to using a manual trainer. The key is that the smart trainer automatically controls the load to precise power levels according to the workout. With a manual trainer you will be adjusting the resistance by hand, or selecting gears, as you ride. Even if you have a power meter on your bike, you will be watching the power reading, always trying to match the target power levels that ErgVideo displays... and not really watching the video action. Every ride really becomes about watching two numbers.
While it works... and many people seem satisfied with this, having a smart trainer means all of the power-tracking is done automatically, keeping you always at the set-point power despite your speed or gear. All you really need to do is watch the action and keep pedaling. The end result is a workout that's always exciting. You can watch the ACTION and not the numbers, and you are always on-target for your training. It also pushes you to succeed and complete each interval or effort. With a smart trainer, you get to watch the video more closely and involve yourself more mentally and emotionally with the action. Your experience will be 10 times better than with a manual trainer, with or without a power meter.
Let's first begin by recognizing that modern, successful cycling training is based on power measurement: workout sessions are often prescribed and always analysed based on the actual power output by the athlete during the session, not how far or how fast she rode. We know that many factors affect how far and how fast. For example, a rider can cover far more miles, faster, in a strong tailwind compared to a strong headwind, at the SAME physical power output. If the power output is the same, the physical development of the athlete in the session is the same, and the speed and distance covered are actually irrelevant to the athletic development. If you care to argue about cadence, well, make it equal too, and my point holds. Your smart trainer is a great tool with which to measure (and regulate) your sessions in terms of power.
In course-mode, the resistance you feel is computed from the estimated real-life opposing forces you would feel when riding on a road with the currently displayed slope, or % grade. The course-mode simulation computes this from your weight and the current slope (accounting for gravity and rolling resistance opposing forces), and your speed (your air resistance opposing force is computed based on estimated size and whether you have set a windspeed in your course file). The point is that on any given road or slope, you can choose to go hard, say at 300W, or easy at 100W. On the same slope, you will go faster in the first case, as in real life, but you can certainly choose to go slower at 100W. So when you ride outdoors with a power meter, ride a manual trainer with a power-meter, or when you ride in course mode and you want to "hold" a target power (per the goals or prescription of your training session), it is up to you to constantly watch the power level to keep on target. If you slow down, or gear down, your power goes down. If you speed up, it goes up. If you hit a hill, a higher contribution of your power must go into overcoming gravity, and if you don't slow down, your power will have to go up. Holding a "target" on the road or in course mode requires a great deal of concentration, gear and speed changes, and almost total focus on the power output number, rather than on the other excellent visuals presented. You will spend most of your concentration on these things, and your rides will become all about following the numbers....that in itself becomes boring and more work than it should be. Any targeted ride you do in course mode will only be about watching the data, and regardless of the visuals, they will seem very much the same. You will be back to the boredom you had hoped to avoid by getting a smart trainer or a power meter!
Erg mode completely turns this aspect of "needing to watch the target" on its head. The smart trainer actually takes-over the task of tracking power for you! If you set the trainer to 300W (say in stand-alone mode or Erg Mode), it will always FORCE you to do 300W, or stop! In Erg mode, the smart trainer is a feedback control system with power output as the set-point controlled parameter. Power is proportional to torque times speed. The torque is proportional to the magnetic force exerted against your riding by the load unit. The smart trainer computes your power output at every moment (some trainers need to incorporate as well the press-on force of the roller against your tire determined in a calibration phase to compute rolling resistance contribution of your power), the current speed, and the current magnetic drag-force being exerted. It adjusts this force several times per second. When it senses your speed go UP (seen as your attempt to increase power above set-point), the trainer will AUTOMATICALLY adjust the magnetic drag force DOWN in a manner that restores you to the target. The torque will go down so that the set-point target power (=torque x speed) is restored. Likewise when your speed goes DOWN, the load unit will INCREASE the braking force to make your power settle back to the target. You CAN pedal slower...but you have to push harder. If the power setting is above your ability to provide it, it will feel progressively harder until the trainer just stops you. The trainer is very good at making you hit the target. A trainer that rolls against your rear wheel only fails at tracking power at very low power settings, where the rolling resistance power dissipation exceeds the setpoint power. For example, if you are going at a speed where the (calibrated) rolling resistance against the roller contributes say, 120W, and you have set the trainer to 80W, then it just turns off the magnets. It could only bring your power lower if it could relieve the press-on force or drive the wheel as with a motor. None of this is really an issue, since it's at piddly-low power levels anyway. It becomes an issue if you have applied very high press-on force, and that will affect the power level at which the trainer turns off and lets you just roll against the tight roller, uncontrolled. The Erg mode is the best way to be sure you execute your workout prescribed. You can't get lazy.
The "low end" argument is a good reason to opt for trainers that operate without your rear wheel and tire. They give a better experience and feel at low efforts.
ErgVideo uses the erg mode so that you are FORCED to follow the racing and training action on the screen, and to feel the large power transitions required in bike race, just as in a prescribed training session. Most people are initially surprised at being forced to perform. They expect the ErgVideo ride to feel like any other trainer ride where they have the ability to ignore the instructor, or take it easy whenever they feel like it. ErgVideo simply won't let you, unless you stop. You CAN make threshold adjustments on the fly if the workout really is over your head, so you can always finish your sessions at a lower than expected level, if you find your initial settings were overly ambitious. ErgVideo is pretty good at uncovering those who boast and exaggerate their fitness; there is no hiding.
Finally, now that you sort of get it, let's consider a flat 4-corner criterium course in 3d, vs an ErgVideo of a 4-corner crit. Now you can see in 3d there is no incentive at all to ride as if you are really in a crit, with large surges out of each corner, chasing down attacks. You will eventually just ride steadily as if riding on a flat ribbon of endless road, and you won't feel the corners and their need for deceleration or acceleration, either. In a criterium ErgVideo, the power you ride is a scaled version of the actual power output of the rider in the race. You will have to jump out of corners, and chase down the attacks, just as the cameraman had to. As well, in a crit, if you want to stay in the race, you can't so easily pick and choose when to go hard or easy, you have to follow what the race does. So here is where the "power profile-based" simulation results in a far superior simulation and event-specific workout for you.
We published a great newsletter in 2014 where we covered all of these aspects in great detail. It's here and it's worth a read.
First, maybe read the answer to question 2 above, and come back here if you still have the question unanswered. In the discussion below, I use a CompuTrainer or CT as the example trainer. This applies to modern smart trainers as well, like a Wahoo Kickr or Tacx Neo, which all have an erg mode.
You have to output the watts, but you are wasting your focus "trying" to match your watts to the display at every second. The reality is, YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE but to output the power, since Erg mode implicitly forces you to match the prescribed watts...you need not "try" with your mind, anyway...just the legs. Consider that watts is Force x speed. If you go "over" the setpoint, say by speeding up, the CT adjusts load force down until, at the new speed, you are doing the target watts again, and if you go under target by slowing down, it increases force to bring you back up to target. There is a short transient and a little bit of fluctuation around the setpoint. You will see it if you examine your data after an intervals ride. Now, you do have to watch the ErgVideo power-profile display to see the large, fast power transitions, since if you do not output the target power in time, you will feel a HUGE increase in force you may never overcome or "catch-up to". So you have to be ready to push when the surges come. I just spin-up real fast..and hold it through the surge. The only time the set point-power tracking fails is when the power due to rolling resistance already exceeds the target set-point. Then the CT can only turn off the force of the magnets. It shows you riding at say 120W when the set point is say 50W. This is because your rolling resistance is causing the whole load, and the trainer can't automatically reduce that to get you down to 50W. The only thing you can do then is slow down to bring down your power "manually" . You may also experience a case where your own power CAN be maintained below the setpoint power, and it doesn't appear to track as expected. In all such cases, it is because you are below the minimimum wheel speed where Erg mode actually works, and that's about 12mph. Select a gear and cadence that ensures you pedal above 12mph, and you'll find the power will track. Below 12, a CompuTrainer is actually turning on and off as you cross the 12mph speed. It's a burn-out safety feature built into your trainer. If you are pedaling and grinding under 12mph anyway, your setpoint is far beyond your ability, adjust it.
Other more modern trainers do not have this low speed shutdown issue, but you may find at low speed, their torque is really high, something some people call "the death spiral". It gets so high you can't get back up to speed. Below a certain speed, ErgVideo shuts off the power, and then doesn't re-apply it until you have spent about 8 seconds spinning up from a low resistance, just so you don't immediately get crushed again, as you would if full setpoint power is immediately reapplied once you hit some target speed.
If you are having a hard time being convinced, let me suppose that your threshold power is 250W. So it should be quite easy for you to hold, say 225W steadily. Change these numbers proportionally for your particular case. Set your rolling force so that after calibration spindown, you are about 2.0 to 2.2. When the roller is too tight, the rolling resistance contribution to power is higher. Put the RacerMate Coaching Software in "Manual ergomode" mode, and adjust the step for 5W increments. (options...manual ergo options). Start a ride with Start..manual ergo mode. Set the load to read 225W, or proportionally about 90% of your threshold power. You will see your power out will fluctuate around the load point of 225. Now, go ahead and accelerate up to about 300W on the power display. Try to hold it. You will see your power indeed go up, but curiously, it will start to fall toward 225 again, and you will need to accelerate again to go up to 300W...it will come down....and so on until the only thing you can do is go REALLY fast, and at 2.0-2.2 rr, the speed you would have to go to keep the CT reading 300W...you probably can't do it.
Now, try the opposite. Set the erg for 275W. Now, CONSCIOUSLY TRY to ride at only 170W on the power display. You will feel the CT force get heavier, and you will work up toward 275 again...so you slow to try to hit 170....the CT gets heavier, and heavier.... this is erg mode adjusting so that if you just keep pedaling, you will be forced up to the target power. The CT sees too little speed, so it increases force. Eventually you will not be able to continue pedaling. Try this at 400W...for fun. Like I said, you don't have to try, except to stay pedaling and just ahead of the big spikes in power. The only exception is when the power is set well below the level dissipated in RR. Examine this by setting the erg to 50W. Then you will easily be able to ride at 120W on the power readout. The CT is actually "off" and is computing your watts strictly from speed and the calibrated press-on force. Now when you put the CT to, say 140W, and stay at same speed, the CT computes 120W is still going to rr, and it ADDS enough mag force so that, at that speed, you will be doing 140W.
So really, you don't have to "try" to match watts with your head. You just will, except at the low end, where all you have to really do is pedal as easily as it will allow. This allows you to enjoy the ErgVideo action itself, and not have to watch a bunch of numbers. You can just turn off your mind, and just don't get caught behind the big spikes!
Yes, it is right. Please read the answer to question 3 above, and come back here.
Two riders can have the same power output, but can have different wheel speeds. Your wheel speed is simply a function of your gear and cadence. Recalling that the load unit keeps torque x speed at the target power, then the slower rider will simply have a higher torque applied at his load unit, compared to the faster rider. They will both be working exactly as hard as one another when the power is the same. So you can see now why trying to cover more distance than your partner, is rather irrelevant.
ErgVideo is designed to allow you to enjoy your workouts with partners by ensuring you each get the same workout relative to your own threshold power level, while sharing a common display of the action, and a common workout duration. You always start and end together no matter how fast you ride or how high your threshold is set. There is no way to finish before your partner, as in a race over a common distance. You are doing a workout over a common time. If you combine the answers above for question 3,4, and this one, you can understand that racing with ErgVideo is not really possible. If you try to race by trying to covering more distance, recall that the distance you cover is actually irrelevant, since you can cover different distances at the same power level simply by changing gear or cadence. The CompuTrainer adjusts the torque so you adopt the correct power regardless of speed. In the extreme example, suppose you were trying to cover more distance or the same distance faster than your partner. The best way to win is to REDUCE your threshold power to say, 0w or something terribly low. This means the CT will not be providing any load, and you can ride very fast and very easily against the roller resistance, in a huge gear. It's unlikely you will hit the target watts. You may cover many miles faster than your partner, but the end result is that your workout in terms of power and energy is useless, being executed actually at very low power. Its like "racing" someone who is confined to an uphill while you have a downhill all the way. Of course you will win, but it doesn't provide you with a proper physical workout at all.
As a corporate rule, we never pre-announce ANYTHING. We never speak about what we are doing and don't make estimates on their availability. This helps make our message absolutely clear: whatever we ever talk about or expose on the website, is available NOW. This helps kill rumour mills and makes sure you aren't waiting for something we never actually promised. The brutal truth is, while we have a schedule and plan for everything, it gets swapped around when high-priority opportunities arise. We need this flexibility to make the opportunities happen and can't be held back because we publicly stated that some minor feature like "the changing of the background colors to the whole rainbow" would be delivered in June 2.
As another example, you might be waiting for a video from XYZ location. Reality is I can go there with a full crew of riders and it can rain all week. Or I can drop the drives on the pavement as I get out of my car. When any of that happens, your videos from XYZ won't be happening. If I made the public promise that videos from XYZ are coming, it doesn't really help any aspect of my business when things get delayed.
At the end of each ride, as long as you reach the end the ride or hit the stop button, you performance data is always saved. You will see a graphical review of your ride, as well. Of course, if you hit the red x at the top of the window (the traditional Windows cancel/close app button), your data will not be saved. The app closes as quickly as possible. So, always end the ride or click the "stop" button if you want to be sure your data is saved.
Your data is saved in the .fit file format in the folder Documents\ErgVideo Data\Performances and the file is given an informative name. You have the option of still saving in the legacy racermate text format, for which most online analyzers are deprecating service. We recommend the .fit file option. We've tested extensively and have been in the wild for several years, with no issues, with people uploading the files directly to TrainingPeaks, WKO4, Strava, and Garmin Connect. If you have difficulties with any other analyzer, please take up the issue with that particular company. We won't modify the format to accommodate bugs or limitations particular to one analyzer or another.
For your convenience, we have implemented a direct post-ride upload of your performance to Strava or TrainingPeaks, or both. You connect ErgVideo to the service of your choice, enable the "auto upload after riding" feature, and it's all done.
Please review, for example: Wiki on Calories and Wiki on Food Energy.
Read those and you will understand why I'll never put calories/Calories/kCalories into ErgVideo. With Calories/calories/kCalories, it is never clear what is real work and what is understood as food energy 'burned', while kjoules is a proper engineering unit for real work (energy) done, and nothing else. The argument hinges on the presumed 'efficiency' of burning food energy, and what is spent on sustaining body temp and functions. A quick example is that some will say if a person uses 100kJ of energy to do a task (as moving a mass using 100N through 1000m), convert that to calories, and THEN multiply by 4 or 5 claiming those extra were burned just to stay warm and alive. Now the argument about 4, 4.5, 4.987 or pi.
The next argument is the claim that a person with more lean muscle mass will burn more calories at rest than a person with less, but same weight. And thus efficiency must take account of this, and thus the calories computation must, and then the question is : how?>
I won't engage in this kind of ambiguity and will present only Kj as work 'done' not calories = Work + a feel-good bonus for staying at body temperature. If I did, my next raft of emails would be arguments about whether I should use 25% efficiency or 30%, or pi/8 and on what authority I chose which number.
My very best answer is 'I just didn't'.
Work(kj) = Power(W) x time(seconds) plain and simple. Well, indeed it is more complex, it is the time Integral of power from time0 to time1, but it is still precise and has no assumption on body fuel burning efficiency or what percentage is needed to sustain body temperature and life functions.
Please go back and read items 2,3,4, and 5. It is there where you will discover that speed and distance covered is irrelevant in ErgVideo. Of course, that ISN'T TSS, so how is this related?
We observe people riding ErgVideo with "racing the other guy" in mind, and often they will run-up the distance covered during periods of 0W load. Their goal is to make the distance reading increase, and maybe exceed their partner's. It's irrelevant since it's no-load pedaling, and in fact there is SOME load due to the rolling resistance of the trainer's roller. But more importantly, the rider is NOT resting while the session is specifically meaning to let the rider rest (such as between intervals). The act of running-up the distance is actually counterproductive to your training session.
Showing TSS as well will clearly exacerbate this same problem, since people will fixate on running up that number, and similarly NOT resting when rest is prescribed.
The net result of both these "racing" behaviors is that a rider becomes too fatigued to finish a session, they can't "complete on-target" and they will surely have to reduce their threshold setting as time progresses in the session. They will be frustrated with the training outcome. So, we see showing TSS in this application to be a counter-productive feature. Maybe we'll make it optional, but MANY coaches at centers tell us they turn off the distance and speed displays, so I expect coaches will also, rightly, disable a TSS display.
The streaming provider is serving a different video player (first in Nov 2023, and again different in March 2024). We have made changes to accomodate the issues that have arisen with the new player. The change means that the first time you stream a given video, it could take 40 seconds for the on-screen controls to appear. You could click the mouse down on the video panel, or touch the spacebar. Clicking again will halt playback and the data controls should render. The next time you ride that particular video, loading should be faster. This latest player is better than the first change (Nov 2023). We managed to accomodate the change with server-side code changes, as the ErgVideo desktop app is out of development and won't be re-opened. Hopefully we can keep ErgVideo alive for a little longer.
You cannot install on a mac unless it is running Windows as the OS. See system requirements.
You must install as Administrator.
You may be running an antivirus program other than the regular Windows Defender built into Windows. If it is preventing installation, you will have to configure it to allow execution of one or all of the following: ErgVideo6.009Setup.msi, ErgVideoTNG.exe, UninstallEVDownloader.exe and eowp.exe. If you run just the Windows-supplied antivirus, this wouldn't be necessary, as we have done the required identification and code-signing required for Windows installation. How you configure your antivirus to do the above is a question to ask your antivirus provider, not us.
If you are using a corporate computer for use on your workplace network domain, your employer has likely created a "group policy" that is preventing your installation of ErgVideo. Speak to your workplace IT department about how to go about changing this. We aren't in the business of thwarting security, and it's likely your employer won't agree to relaxing the rules for a program you are trying to install for personal use.
Be sure that your Windows OS is up to date. Apply all of the pending Windows updates, including .Net frameworks. On all of our supported platforms (win 7, 8, 8.1, and 10) the .net framework 4.6.1 or later will be installed if you are keeping your system up to date. If you are the type of person who says "I don't apply updates", then I am the type of person who says "I don't support known-broken computers with known problems that may have been already been fixed at the OS level."
If you received a diagnostic message, please take a screen-shot before dismissing it. Send that to us, as well as the diagnostic file found in Documents\ErgVideo Data\ErgVideo Errors as a .txt file named with date and time. Send the MOST RECENTLY created file, along with the screenshot, in an email using the contact page.
You may have received a diagnostic regarding your ANT+ stick. You require and 8-channel stick, not the very very every old 1 and 2 channel sticks. ErgVideo will detect the old stick, tell you, and quit. Take a screen shot of the diagnostic and send it.
Be sure you are using the latest version of ErgVideo.
See item #1 above regarding older, unsupported sticks.
If other processes on your computer have started and they take ownership of the stick first, ErgVideo can't see the sticks. Garmin Express does this, and because it's so common, ErgVideo attempts to terminate Garmin Express. If GE remains running, then open your Garmin Express and uncheck the options to "always run in the background" and "run when a device is connected". Close GE and relaunch ErgVideo.
Version 4.707 (and on) uses updated ANT+ adapter libraries. If suddenly ErgVideo reports "no ANT+ adapter detected" you may need to update some software related to ANT+ drivers (but it's not actually the drivers...). Close ErgVideo. Then, it's easiest is to launch Garmin Express (or download from here if you don't already have it). There's an update that aligns everything, and it's very stable. Do this even if you use a USB ANT+ stick from another vendor, like Suunto. Let Garmin Express' update install, and let it run at least once. Under settings you can check-off the options to "Run Garmin Express always in the background" and "Launch Garmin Express when device connected". It's not completely necessary, but try that if you still encounter problems. When done, remove your ANT+ stick, re-insert, and then launch ErgVideo. Magical!
THERE IS NO NEED TO RUN ERGVIDEO IN ANY OF THE OS COMPATIBILITY MODES. It works fine on Win7, 8, 8.1 and 10, and setting a compatibility mode for win 7 when you are running win 10 may introduce more unknown issues.
If you are running other programs that have "owned" the stick first,(such as other applications that talk to your devices or Kickr), ErgVideo makes no attempt to terminate them, you will have to do that yourself. Close those programs completely before launching ErgVideo.
If this note did not resolve the issue for you, please look at other entries, and if you need to contact us about the problem, be sure to provide a screen shot of the message and any diagnostic file as described in item 1 of this faq.
Be sure you are using the latest version of ErgVideo. It has a diagnostic for the case where you do not configure any trainers to stations, and it even alerts you to when you have configured all manual trainers. Please review the instructional videos. The videos show specific use-cases simplified, pick the one that matches your situation.
You have not dragged and dropped the trainer icon (in rightmost table labeled "Trainers") to the STATION where the actual trainer is in your studio/home (or you haven't selected a trainer at all in the single user setup screen). So the default of a manual trainer, is adopted, meaning no data will be shown. Drag and drop the icon to assign the trainer to a station (or click in the single-user setup), and its data, along with the data from all devices assigned to the user at that station will show in the riding screen. You have to also drag and drop the rider, as well as any new ANT+ devices you want to show for that rider.
Please review the instructional videos. The error message is telling you about a configuration requirement needed to proceed. For example, in the case of "rider has not been assigned", it means you have not dragged the name of any rider to an active station, so basically...nobody is riding, and ErgVideo doesn't see much point in going forward. It's about riding, you see! Drag and drop a rider's name onto a station in the configuration screen (or select a rider if you are using the single-station setup screen). Similarly, the pop-up will point out other drop-dead configuration errors and try to steer toward fixing it.
This would point to you losing your internet connection right when you need it most, or it's suddenly excruciatingly slow. Please be sure you have a connection. Nevertheless, your system may be very slow in launching the video player itself. We give it about 60 seconds before failing. If you get one of these timeouts, be sure to capture a screen shot of the message as well as any error .txt file.
When it appears ErgVideo cannot find your CompuTrainer, generally you have done something wrong, mis-configured something, or there are broken wires. First verify that you are using FTDI-based USB-serial adapters. Instructions here.
Second, make sure the connections are per RacerMate instructions from PC to handlebar unit. Be aware that you cannot run ErgVideo while other programs accessing the serial port are running. You must shut down rm1 or any other program that claims to 'speak' to the CT. Two processes cannot access the same port. A bunch of people think ErgVideo must run with RM1 or other programs. That is false. You probably ran RacerMate One and ErgVideo together. After you do this and try to shut down RM1 to run ErgVideo correctly (on its own) a vestige of the RM1 will be stuck in memory preventing ErgVideo from accessing port until you reboot. (this doesn't happen on normal operation of either program, only when you mistakenly try to run them together).
Do this EXACTLY: Remove the USB-serial adapter. Reboot (full hardware reboot). When the pc comes back up, insert adapter and be sure the driver loads and it is FTDI. If it is anything else I can't help you. It is clearly stated on website that none other is supported. Check in the Windows device manager. If you see 'prolific' drivers assigned to ANY com port, I advise you to uninstall them. If your pc seems unreliable and you still get blue-screen crashes (ever), it's likely these prolific drivers. Thank me later. Anyway, once FTDI is verified, open ErgVideo (alone, no RM1) and be sure your options...general settings are set to scan for RacerMate devices (there are three choices: scan for ANT+ and Racermate, ANT+ Only, or Racermate only. Default is the first choice.). A scan will happen. The CompuTrainer will appear in the "trainers" list on the right side. You must assign it to a station with drag and drop. When all set, you MUST hit the okay button after assigning a port to a bike; hitting the red x in upper right is "cancel" and it will un-assign your port. It works. It always does. We've been at this for many years and have never, ever failed to connect. Your problem is solved somewhere in the above, it always is. If you don't see the okay button in the lower right corner, configure your display to normal fonts so the window fits on your screen and you will see the okay button in lower right corner, or resize the window to bring it into view.
Update to the latest version. All panels are now scalable. ErgVideo requires a minimum resolution of 1280x768, when using font sizes "normal" in your display settings. Using larger font sizes can make features like buttons and windows also scale larger, and they may run out of space on your screen. Increase resolution or set font-size to "normal". ErgVideo features fully scalable windows and controls. Grab the lower corner with your mouse and drag. It will work with all font settings available in Win 7, 8 and 10.
Update to the latest version, and send us any diagnostic that is generated. Perhaps you probably did nothing, but your antivirus may have detected a false positive and is blocking ErgVideo from starting. This is most common with free anti-virus like AVG (the worst offender), Kaspersky, Avast, PCTools and PCDoctor. We recommend that you install the most up-to-date version of ErgVideo software available at the downloads page. We recommend Microsoft Security Essentials as the catch all anti malware and virus detection package. It's built into windows 8 and 10 as windows defender, and it is all you need.
If you have multiple subscriptions: When you have available subscriptions unassigned to a PC, the subscription-connect dialog automatically is shown, showing you all of your subscriptions. Pick one that is not already assigned to ANY PC.
When you have just one subscription, you likely assigned it to the old pc. When you load ErgVideo software on the new one, it won't automatically load a subscription, because it's assigned to the old one. Go to Options & Settings...subscriptions & website account tab. Click "change subscription/refresh". The dialog will appear showing all subscriptions assigned to the logged-in username. When you select a subscription, it indicates to which machine it is assigned, if any. Click OK to assign the subscription to this machine. Now, whenever you launch ErgVideo, this subscription will be automatically in-use.
Note that if the subscription was in use on another machine before you enabled this machine, the subscription is automatically disabled on the other machine.
You can use one subscription on one machine, and you can transfer to a new machine once per month. You won't even notice this action if you only change machines when you buy a new one. We have this 1-month feature to prevent people from sharing subscriptions with all of their friends, as well as enforcing that studios or users with multiple computers buy a proper subscription for each one. We can't really continue to provide services if our customers find ways to not pay for the services fairly.
At any time you can access the subscription management tool using Options & Settings...subscriptions and website account tab.
Yes. This means that you have tried to assign your subscription to a new computer too often in the past 31 days, or billing cycle. Normal customer use is that they try ErgVideo, and they MAY decide to get a new computer right away, because they are excited. You get your initial subscription-install and an immediate subscription transfer to support that scenario. Your next attempt at a subscription transfer must wait for 31 days or the next billing cycle to pass, whichever is less. Normally, people don't get new PC's every month, so if you only use the transfer for when you get a new PC, you will never notice this feature. It only shows when the feature is used too often, either as misuse as sharing a subscription, or a customer trying to run multiple PC's with one subscription. You should never grant anyone access to your account.
People who want to run ErgVideo on multiple PC's at once need to buy a subscription for each one. We have this 1-month feature to prevent people from sharing subscriptions with all of their friends, as well as enforcing that studios or users with multiple computers buy a proper subscription for each one. We can't really continue to provide services if our customers find ways to not pay for the services fairly.
Note that this 1-month transfer policy applies only to subscriptions,and not legacy licensed ErgVideos. These licenses are limited to a single computer install, with up to 2 pc transfers.
What follows below looks a little daunting. Most are issues that are seen when people are STILL trying to install DVD's, or have done inhumane things to their systems like install freeware codecs. Most of these issues have not been seen for many many years as it is, but we keep this info here for reference, because somebody, somewhere, tries to install dvds. Suffice to say, that if you are a new customer and are signed up to the subscription program, you'll never have these questions or problems arise. Likewise, if you are a legacy customer and struggling with issues like those described below, we recommend subscribing. It's so much simpler. But the info is here to remind us when it happens.
Update to the latest version. It should throw a specific error that you do not have the right version of Windows Media player, and that can only happen on non-updated OS. Now, some versions of Win 10 are delivered with WMP disabled. Go to Control panel...Programs and Features...enable windows features, and under Media be sure that Windows Media player is checked. If you need to reboot, Windows will tell you. You will have to run WMP once to get its self-configuration settings established. Open, select options (default is fine) and close.
After that, if you still get this error, its comes from your system's inability to read the media files with the correct codec. This error should never show on the supported Windows versions, unless you have added some components that have displaced and harmed the standard video playback codecs or drivers.
If you have loaded 3rd party Codecs such as VLCPlayer, DivX, or a codec pack such as "K-Lite codec pack" or "Media player codec pack", you have a new set of problems. The codec packs are REAL problems and often carry broken open-source components that may require you to re-install windows completely if you don't take special care in uninstalling them.
We built ErgVideo specifically to avoid the need for ANY 3rd party codecs. We encode the videos using MS-standard encoders that have guaranteed compatible decoders installed with Windows and Windows media player. We did this specifically to avoid "codec hell" that has evolved from 3rd party and open-source codec proliferation. Often the codec packs you install come with malware to the extent they can't be uninstalled without ruining your normal Windows OS video playback functions.
If you installed VLCplayer: This is probably the best media player of all short of WMP, and you can configure it to not playback .wmv files in VLCplayer's settings. Do that. Windows should use it's own codecs to play wmv and ErgVideos, if you haven't installed other garbage. We honestly see no huge problems with VLC installed, only a few times when it is hogging the .wmv playback.
Divx: uninstall with it's supplied uninstaller. It's always broken for .wmv files >4Gb.
K-lite and Media player codec packs, or ANYTHING that installs "Media player Classic" as a feature: Uninstall using the provided uninstallers. Do not use the "control panel...remove programs". You will hose your system, and only recovery is full re-install of Windows from scratch. Back up your data files and programs, you will lose them all when you have to re-install windows from scratch. You gave these open-source programs permission to do whatever they did when you installed them. Beware. Please see the topic below on codecs before taking this drastic action.
If the problem continues, you have a video card driver that is not compatible with the newer technology ErgVideo uses. Go to the website of the video card manufacturer and get the latest driver and control software package. Install it, reboot and try ErgVideo again. After all of these steps are executed, if further issues persist it may indicate your system is below spec for ErgVideo. Please review the system requirements page.
We use .wmv files that do not require 3rd party codecs. If you have installed VLCplayer, Divx, K-lite codec pack, Media player codec pack or any other codec pack, you need to uninstall or reconfigure them very carefully.
For more information have a look at the following Microsoft Windows article link: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Codecs-frequently-asked-questions
If you installed VLCplayer: This is probably the best of all, and you can configure it to not playback .wmv files in VLCplayer's settings. Do that. Windows should use it's own codecs, if you haven't installed other garbage.
K-lite and Media player codec packs, or ANYTHING that installs "Media player Classic" as a feature: Uninstall using the provided uninstallers. Do not use the "control panel...remove programs". You will hose your system, and only recovery is full re-install of Windows from scratch. Back up your data files and programs, you will lose them all when you have to re-install windows from scratch. You gave these open-source programs permission to do whatever they did when you installed them. Beware.
Now scan your system with MS security essentials, or malware bytes if you like that. Then clean your registry clean with ccleaner by piriform software (download directly from their servers only).
Also be sure your system is set for full hardware acceleration in windows media player options, and in the display control panel.
Reboot and try again.
Before giving up, try the Sfc /scannow tool to try to recover the default codecs. I must say that a truly damaged system just needs a new image of Windows installed. That's why I call Codec packs "malware". They get permission from you to replace system files they should never touch.
This is about the ONLY problem class where I have had to recommend full re-install of windows. So please, avoid the codec packs. Oh, yeah, and a Windows install with no codec packs ALWAYS works, too.
You have managed to have the library 'point' to the dvd or some non-writable area of your hard drive.
DO THIS. If you did a default install, your ErgVideos should be in (Win 7, 8, 10) c:\users\public\videos\ErgVideo\your_video_title_here (they can be in a different spot, as long as it is a spot where you have read and write access, and not back on the dvd. I can't guess where you put it so I assume the default was used). Please check there is a wmv and .evr file in that folder with same name. If not, you did a non-standard install, and some people try to point the installer BACK to the DVD. You cannot run ErgVideo from the dvd, we do this specifically because you will wear it out, and dvd drives are notorious for random read errors in the presence of wear or dust.
So, now assuming you installed to some area of your HDD/SSD, go and make sure that folder and files are not checked as 'read only' in their properties (right click the folder and files to get the properties). The install procedure specifically sets these options, and the only way to avoid that is to not let the install complete or if you tried to install without using the installer.
Now, open ErgVideo...options...library...and select the entry (your_video_title_here). A correct install will have this showing. Click 'remove'. Now click 'Add'. Now navigate the dialogue to c:\users\public\videos\ErgVideo\your_video_title_here or {wherever_you_installed}\your_video_title_here and click 'open'. You will be asked to unlock, and as long as those files are not checked as read only, the unlock process will work fine. Guaranteed. You can update the library manually in "Options...Library...Add", and the common mistake people make is to point the file-open dialog to the DVD drive and not the image installed on your hard disk. Point to the latter.
We suspect what you will see upon the click of 'Add' is the dialog box is pointing to the DVD. That is incorrect but we see people trying that when they try to bypass the install and try to point only to the dvd, hoping they can play the ErgVideo from dvd without installing. We require the install to HDD, and then the dvd becomes your defacto backup that sees little use and little chance for wear and damage.
DVD media and drives aren't created equal, and bad burns can happen. Even with good burns, some drives have trouble reading them. It's usually a firmware-matching-media issue. Every DVD that is sent out is verified in the burner that burned it, so chances are that when I get this dvd back, it will be readable in a machine here. But I would like to see and test it, ultimately, and maybe my blank-dvd supplier will have some answers or remedies. I have found laptops and xp-era machines to have the worst performance.
Before giving up, please do the following first:
We don't ship on DVDs anymore, and haven't for a long time. If you have stored your DVD and are loading from them again as from backup, be aware that they can degrade in storage due to temperature and humidity. We have divested our burning infrastructure and cannot replace your DVD's. Getting a new download for files is not free. ErgVideo does not provide a free backup service. You are best off with a subscription.
You may not have let the installation complete, or more likely you had ErgVideo running while you were installing a video. Our installer assumes you are not running ErgVideo at all, since that's the case for a new user. Open ErgVideo, click Options...local video library manager tab, and click Add. Navigate the file-dialog and point to the place on HDD or SSD where you installed the ErgVideo. DO NOT POINT TO THE FILES ON THE DVD drive. This will not work (by design) since your dvd's will wear out and degrade if we allowed regular playback from DVD. Select the .evr file and click open. If your ErgVideo is still locked, you will be presented with the unlock page. Unlock or cancel to see the 5 minute preview and unlock later.
Instructions here "backup, transfer, and restore"
The license agreement is the legal document outlining the terms to which you agree in order to receive a license to use ErgVideo on a single computer. It is strictly worded and does not at all have an interpretation that says "a single computer at a time". You unlock once. We won't write or state anything that would or could be understood as extending to you different license terms than the ones outlined in the agreement. With copyrighted material such as ErgVideo, you get a limited license to use the material, not full copyrights to the intellectual property contained. Requests for any exceptions are dealt with on a case by case basis, and will always involve an audit of your account and usage history, including whether ANY unauthorized use or additional licensing attempts have been made. Exceptions, if they are ever granted, do not extend revised license terms to you. We reserve the right to refuse granting exceptions, since upon installation and unlock on a single computer, the license purchased has been completely delivered and accepted by you.
We do not grant free serial numbers or licenses to enable a second pc, and we don't grant exceptions to commercial users (multirider centers) under any circumstances.
You can run your ErgVideos from any hard drive on the registered system. The trick is to leave the right files in the c:\users\public\videos\ErgVideo folder (I am going to use windows 7 speak on directory names). You MUST leave ErgVideolibrary.xml in that folder. If you have training plans in that folder, you need to have the ErgVideoplanTemplate.xslt in the same folder too. These are all small text files and take up negligible space.
You can move the ErgVideo to any place on any hard drive (including externals, but if you try to run the ErgVideos on an external drive on a different computer, they will lock down and no longer be useful), but you must have the .evr file and the matching .wmv or .avi video file in the same folder.
When ErgVideo installs it creates a folder with the same name as the .wmv and .evr files. So for example, if you have Threshold Intervals HD, then you will have a folder called ThresholdIntervalsHD and inside is a file ThresholdIntervalsHD.wmv and ThresholdIntervalsHD.evr. There may be other small ones left-over from ErgVideo 2 if you ever had that. You can delete them. I recommend you keep the wmv and evr files together in distinct folders for each video, for convenience and any future proofing against updates in the software.
So, on the drive that you want to move to, make a folder "ErgVideo" and copy the folders for each ErgVideo into it, from your old place c:\users\public\videos\ErgVideo. Be sure the folders have attributes 'Readonly' as unchecked.
You will not have to re-register the videos, as long as this new hard disk is secondary on the same system that you originally registered.
Here is the trick though: Your library file is now out of date and it is pointing to the videos in the old locations. No problem. Open ErgVideo 3. Options...local video library manager tab...and select one of the videos you moved. Keeping with our example Threshold Intervals HD, select it and click 'Remove'. THIS OPERATION DOES REMOVE ANY CUSTOM RIDES YOU CREATED for that ErgVideo. Making the move while preserving custom rides requires text editing n xml and we don't recommend it. Now hit 'Add' and navigate to the NEW PLACE on the NEW DRIVE where you put Threshold Intervals HD and select the .evr file.
That updates the pointers in your library file and ErgVideo will always find your Videos. Repeat this process for all of the ErgVideos that you relocate from their default place. Don't be fooled with the pointer, it will point at first to the OLD locations and some people think they are doing it right, not realizing they are not pointing at the new location.
You can delete the video folders in the c:\users\public\videos\ErgVideo when you are sure you have copied them to the new drive, to achieve the space saving you were after.
Dual layer DVD's are required for some titles, due to the file sizes of HD videos. If your DVD reader is not DL compatible, the DVD will appear to have no files on it and will not launch the installer. Insert the DVD into a very modern PC, looking for a small "DL" on the drive door. If you see the files in Windows Explorer, you know the DVD is not blank. you can get a compatible reader for less than $30 as an internal, and almost that same price for an external USB DVD reader/writer.
We don't ship on DVD anymore.