Download the latest version of

The Observer XT

You can download the latest version of The Observer XT by clicking the links below. Access to additional MyNoldus features requires a user login.

This trial version:

  • Is available for a period of 14 days, starting from the moment you activate the license
  • Includes all modules as the full license
  • Has the same look and feel as the full license
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The Observer XT

Instructions

The Observer XT

Welcome to The Observer XT installation instructions. This section provides information about The Observer XT software, as well as for Pocket Observer, ULog, and E-Prime.

All additional manuals and instructions can be found in the Documentation tab.

Current version

The Observer XT 17.0.1304

To install The Observer XT

  • First, check your Windows version. It must be 64 bit Windows 10.
  • We recommend to turn off the automatic updates for hardware device drivers. You should leave on the automatic updates for the rest of Windows.
  • Download and install the Setup file. You can find this file in the 'Versions' tab.
  • Select ‘Activate Software License Key’ and click OK.
  • Choose whether the license should be floating or fixed:
    • Floating – if you are able to have an internet connection to your computers, a floating license gives you the added benefit of flexibly changing which of the computers you want to use. The software can be installed on any computer and can be used wherever and whenever you want.
    • Fixed – the software can be used on a single designated computer. To activate the fixed license, an internet connection is needed. After that, the software can be used without an internet connection.
       EXCEPTION  | you do not need an internet connection to the computer you want to acquire data with. You can activate the fixed license with a one-off internet connection or using a QR code.
  • Enter the activation key and click OK to start the trial.

To use The Observer XT

  • Download The Observer XT Quick Start Guide. You can find this guide in the 'Documentation' tab.
  • To have The Observer XT Help available on another computer than the one with The Observer XT, download the pdf. You can find the Help file in the 'Documentation' tab.
  • For a Quick Tour of The Observer XT, download and watch the video tutorials which are listed in the 'Training Videos' tab.

Important instructions for upgraders

When you open a project that was made with a previous version of The Observer XT, the data will be converted to the new version and a backup of the previous version will be created in the current folder.

Backup file: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Noldus\The Observer XT\Projects\Name project.vpb

Pocket Observer

If you need to be mobile during observations, but also require accurate coding and analysis,  Pocket Observer  offers the best solution for your research by combining the power of The Observer XT with the portability of a handheld device.

Current version

Pocket Observer 3.4

System requirements Pocket Observer

Android 6 is the minimum supported version for Pocket Observer 3.4 (Marshmellow, from end of 2015).
The SDK version is Android 9, that’s what the Pocket Observer is optimized for.
All versions of Android before 6 will not be able to install the latest build version of Pocket Observer.

To install Pocket Observer

  • Pocket Observer runs on Android devices. Select to use Pocket Observer with Android device in the Coding Scheme Settings (Setup menu) of The Observer XT.
  • To install Pocket Observer 3.4 on your Android device, see the Reference Manual on the Documentation tab. Download the installation file from the Versions tab.

ULog

uLog is the logging tool for user-system interaction. It automatically records user-system interactions, such as: keystrokes, special keys (e.g. space bar), key combinations, characters, text strings and mouse clicks, double clicks, mouse wheel turns, and more.

Please note that uLog logs all keyboard and mouse activity, so also typed passwords. Please make sure your test participants are aware of this before you start the test.

uLog is installed on a computer from which you want to log the computer and mouse events.

Current version

ULog 3.5

To install ULog

  • Insert the uLog USB stick into a USB port of your computer on which you want to log the computer events.
  • Copy the file uLogInstaller.exe to a location on the PC where you want to start uLog from. You can find this file in the Versions tab.
  • Double-click the file uLoginstaller.exe to install uLog. This creates a folder uLog with the program file uLog.exe. Note this location, because this is where you start the program from. Alternatively, right-click the file uLog.exe and choose Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).

It also creates a folder uLog in the folder C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Noldus\uLog. This is the default location where the log files are stored.

E-Prime

To present stimuli to your test participants, you can use E-Prime in combination with The Observer XT.E-Prime sends the collected data to The Observer XT immediately after the session. The collected data is then visualized as behaviors and modifiers in The Observer XT; including the time at which the stimulus was given, which stimulus it was, and how the participant responded to the stimulus.

Current version

E-Prime 1.6

To install E-Prime

  • To use The Observer XT with E-Prime, download the E-Prime Client and E-Prime Server which you can find in the Versions tab.
  • See the Technical Note - E-Prime with The Observer XT in the Documentation tab for instructions.
  • You need a Professional license of E-Prime 3.0.

Versions

Current Version

E-Prime - Client Setup - 1.6

E-Prime - Server Setup - 1.5

Pocket Observer - Setup - 3.4

The Observer XT - Setup - 17.0.1304

uASQ - PC Setup - 1.3

uASQ - Test PC Setup - 1.3

uLog - Setup - 3.5

Drivers & tools

Noldus Tools

FaceReader

To gain accurate and reliable data about facial expressions, FaceReader is the most robust automated system that will help you out. To allow easy data transfer from FaceReader to The Observer XT after calculation and analysis in FaceReader an import profile is used. You can download this profile from the table below.

N-Linx

N-Linx is a software library for communication between applications and systems, developed to meet your need for standard communication between system components. For example, to start and stop BIOPAC AcqKnowledge or Tobii pro Studio with The Observer XT and import data automatically, download and install Noldus N-Linx Agent.

DOWNLOADS FOR PARTNER SOFTWARE

To import files, download the concerning zip-file and extract it to a temporary folder. Copy the profile to C:\ProgramData\Noldus\Common\Profiles on your computer with The Observer XT. Copy both the folder and the file.

For instructions, you can find the technical notes under the tab 'Documentation'.

BIOPAC AcqKnowledge

To start and stop BIOPAC AcqKnowledge with The Observer XT and import data automatically, download and install N-Linx Agent.

See the Technical Note - BIOPAC MP system - The Observer XT for instructions. You can find it at the Documentation tab.

Tobii Pro Studio & Tobii Pro Lab

To start and stop Tobii Pro Studio or Tobii Pro Lab with The Observer XT, download and install N-Linx Agent. The latest import profiles for Tobii Pro Labs 1.152 are now available. See the Technical Note - Tobii Pro Eye Trackers - The Observer XT for instructions. You can find it at the Documentation tab.

NOTE: Technical Notes on the Tobii Glasses 3 will be available soon.

ShuttlePro V2 keyboard

Download the ShuttlePro2 template and See the Technical Note - ShuttlePro2 - The Observer XT for instructions.
In the pre-programmed configuration for the ShuttlePro 2 (ShuttlePro 2 template, see below) nine of the fifteen buttons, the jog dial, and the shuttle dial have been programmed with functions to control your video.

BitBrain EEG Diadem

The Observer XT 17 includes an import profile for Bitbrain. The Technical Note on BitBrain EEG describes how to achieve automatic synchronization between observational data in The Observer XT and EEG data acquired with and exported from a Bitbrain system. You can:

  • Start and stop data acquisition in the Bitbrain Acquisition software from The Observer XT.
  • Manually import Bitbrain EEG data into The Observer XT after the observation is ready.

You can find the Technical Note at the Documentation tab.

DATA IMPORT TOOLS

The table below is a list of various tools that are used for correct and easy import of data into The Observer XT. This table includes import profiles for FaceReader, Biopac, Mindware, Tobii Pro Studio, Tobii Pro Lab, and BitBrain EEG Diadem.

Drivers for Current Version

The Observer XT - Setup - 17.0.1304

N-Linx Server Setup 2.0

N-Linx Agent Setup 1.5.1

BitBrain Control Installer

Biopac Acqknowledge 5

Tobii Pro Lab File Converter 4.0 Setup

Tobii Studio 3.1.3 Key Press Data

Tobii Studio 3.1.3 Stimulus Data

Tobii Studio 3.1.3 Mouse Click Data

Tobii Studio 3.1.3 Fixation Data

Tobii Studio 3.1.3 AOI Data

Tobii Pro Lab 1.152 - Fixation data

Tobii Pro Lab 1.152 - AOI data

Import Profiles Tobii Pro Lab Stimulus Data

Mindware Heart Rate

Mindware GSR Peaks

Mindware Biolab 3.3

Shuttle Pro

ShuttlePro 2 template

HASP driver 8.13 for Noldus hardware license keys

Documentation

Documents for Current Version

The Observer XT - Setup - 17.0.1304

The Observer XT 17 - Help

The Observer XT 17 - Quick Start Guide - English

The Observer XT 17 - Quick Start Guide - Japanese

The Observer XT 17 - Quick Start Guide - Chinese

The Observer XT 17 - Quick Start Guide - Deutsch

The Observer XT 17 - Quick Start Guide - Francais

The Observer XT 17 - Quick Start Guide - Espanol

The Observer XT 17 - Quick Start Guide - Italiano

The Observer XT - Application Manual

Sample projects

Here you'll find three sample projects:

  1. Rat in Open Field
  2. Medical communication
  3. Stroop test

To use these sample projects you should download the zip files which includes:

  • The PDF describing the project.
  • The project backup file. It is possible that your internet browser renames the extension of these files to .zip. If so, rename them manually to .vpb before you use them.
  • The video file(s)

The Observer - Sample project - Human behavior- Stroop test

The Observer - Sample project - Human behavior- Medical Communication

The Observer - Sample project - Animal behavior - Rat in open field

Sample experiments The Observer XT

Training videos The Observer XT

Take your skills to the next level with Noldus Academy

Do you want learn how to use The Observer XT to its full extent? With the online Noldus Academy you’ll be able to kickstart your research in no time! With NoldusCare you’ll have access to all our online training content, such as the onboarding training course.

In this training you’ll learn how to get started with The Observer XT. After completion, you’ll know how to set up a project in The Observer XT, gather high-quality data, and do your first analysis.

Have a look at what's available now: https://academy.noldus.com/

Besides that, you can take a quick tour of The Observer XT by watching the video tutorials below. It shows you the basic steps to design and carry out an experiment with The Observer XT.

NOTE | Video tutorial number 14 is excluded because this feature is no longer part of The Observer XT.

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 20_End

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 19_The Find function

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 18_Instantaneous sampling

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 17_Pocket Observer

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 16_Extras

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 15_Reliability Analysis

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 13_Behavior analysis

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 12_Select data

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 11_Inspect raw data

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 10_Analyze

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 09_Observe

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 08_Independent variables

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 07_Coding scheme

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 06_Set up project

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 05_Setup

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 04_Experimental conditions

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 03_Creating behavior groups

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 02_Experimental design

The Observer XT - Video Tutorial - 01_Tutorial Overview

DanioVision Instructions

DanioVision instructions and documentation for The Observer XT.