Intergraph StudioZ Console Start Guide
StudioZ Console
Quick-S tart Guide
October 1996
DSA077810
Warranties and Liabilities
The information and the software discussed in this document are subject to change without notice and
should not be considered commitments by Intergraph Corporation. Intergraph Corporation assumes no
responsibility for any errors in this document.
The software discussed in this document is furnished under a license and may be used or copied only in
accordance with the terms of the license. No responsibility is assumed by Intergraph for the use or
reliability of software on equipment that is not supplied by Intergraph or its affiliated companies.
All warranties given by Intergraph Corporation about equipment or software are set forth in your purchase
contract, and nothing stated in, or implied by, this document or its contents shall be considered or deemed a
modification or amendment of such warranties.
Copyright
1996, Intergraph Corporation including this documentation, and any software and its file formats and
audio-visual displays described herein; all rights reserved; may only be used pursuant to the applicable
software license agreement; contains confidential and proprietary information of Intergraph and/or other
third parties which is protected by copyright, trade secret and trademark law and may not be provided or
otherwise made available without prior written authorization.
Restricted Rights Legend
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in
subdivision (c)(1)(ii) of the rights in technical data and computer software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013.
Unpublished rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States.
Intergraph Corporation
Huntsville AL 35894-0001
Trademarks
Intergraph
and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation. TDZ and
StudioZ are trademarks of Intergraph Corporation.
Microsoft
, Windows, and the Microsoft logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Contents
Preface.......................................................................................................................................v
About This Document................................................................................................................v
Document Conventions.............................................................................................................vi
Finding Additional StudioZ Console Information.....................................................................vi
Finding Hardware Information..................................................................................................vi
Finding Operating System Information................................................................................... vii
Getting Documentation and Training...................................................................................... vii
Getting Telephone Support ..................................................................................................... vii
Using the Intergraph Bulletin Board Service ......................................................................... viii
Using the Intergraph FAXLink...............................................................................................viii
Finding Intergraph on the Internet.............................................................................................ix
1 Overview................................................................................................................................1
Video Input ................................................................................................................................2
Video Playback ..........................................................................................................................2
StudioZ Console Components....................................................................................................3
StudioZ Console Input and Output.............................................................................................3
Workflow...................................................................................................................................4
StudioZ Console File Types.......................................................................................................6
Using the StudioZ Console Utilities...........................................................................................7
Getting Help...............................................................................................................................8
Getting Started ...........................................................................................................................9
iii
2 Installing and Removing StudioZ Console........................................................................11
Installing StudioZ Console Software........................................................................................11
Removing StudioZ Console .....................................................................................................12
3 Using AVI Capture .............................................................................................................13
Before You Begin ....................................................................................................................13
Starting and Stopping AVI Capture .........................................................................................13
Naming the Capture File ..........................................................................................................14
Using a Capture List for Recording Audio/Video Sequences ..................................................16
Creating a Capture List..............................................................................................16
Removing Files from a Capture List..........................................................................17
Configuring Video Capture Settings ........................................................................................17
Configuring Audio Capture Settings........................................................................................18
Capturing an Audio/Video Sequence.......................................................................................20
Capturing Individual Video Frames.........................................................................................21
4 Using AVI Builder...............................................................................................................23
Before You Begin ....................................................................................................................23
Starting and Stopping AVI Builder..........................................................................................23
Configuring the Video Output Settings....................................................................................24
iv
Loading a Raster Image Sequence........................................................................................... 26
Manipulating a Raster Image Sequence................................................................................... 27
Selecting Frames....................................................................................................... 27
Using Insert Mode and Overwrite Mode................................................................... 28
Inserting Frames........................................................................................................28
Deleting Frames........................................................................................................ 29
Saving an Edited Sequence to an AVI File.............................................................................. 29
5 Using SDI Control .............................................................................................................. 31
Before You Begin.................................................................................................................... 31
Starting and Stopping SDI Control.......................................................................................... 31
Adjusting the Brightness in a Video Sequence........................................................................ 32
Adjusting the Colors in a Video Sequence.............................................................................. 33
Setting Default Values............................................................................................................. 33
6 Using AVI Player................................................................................................................35
Before You Begin.................................................................................................................... 35
Starting and Stopping AVI Player........................................................................................... 35
Playing an AVI File.................................................................................................................36
Setting Playback Options.........................................................................................................37
Moving to a Point in an AVI File............................................................................................ 37
Playing Part of an AVI File.....................................................................................................37
Using a Playlist for Multiple AVI Files................................................................................... 38
Creating a Playlist ..................................................................................................... 38
Removing Files from a Playlist................................................................................. 38
Saving Video Frames as a Raster File Sequence..................................................................... 39
Recording an AVI File on Video Tape.................................................................................... 40
Glossary.................................................................................................................................. 41
Index....................................................................................................................................... 47
Preface
v
The StudioZ Console Quick-Start Guide describes how to install and use the StudioZ
Console software product.
About This Document
The StudioZ Console Quick-Start Guide is organized as follows:
u
The Preface introduces you to the document, describes document conventions, and
provides information on related documentation, product support, and contacting
Intergraph.
u
Chapter 1, “Overview,” introduces you to the StudioZ Console and describes how to start
using it.
u
Chapter 2, “Installing and Removing StudioZ Console,” gives instructions for installing
and removing StudioZ Console on your system.
u
Chapter 3, “Using AVI Capture,” gives instructions for capturing video and audio signals.
This chapter explains how to start and stop AVI Capture, name the capture file, use a
capture list, configure the video and audio capture settings, and capture the audio/video
input.
u
Chapter 4, “Using AVI Builder,” gives instructions for building video (AVI) files. This
chapter explains how to start and stop AVI Builder, configure the video output settings,
load a raster image sequence, manipulate frames in the sequence, and save the edited
sequence to an AVI file.
u
Chapter 5, “Using SDI Control,” gives instructions for manipulating captured video
sequences.
u
Chapter 6, “Using AVI Player,” gives instructions for playing AVI files.
u
The Glossary defines terms used in this document.
u
The Index provides keys to information in this document.
The StudioZ Console Quick-Start Guide assumes you have a working knowledge of the
Windows NT 3.51 operating system, and are familiar with video production techniques.
vi
Document Conventions
Bold Commands, words, or characters that you key in literally.
Italic Variable values that you supply, or cross-references.
Monospace Output displayed on the screen.
SMALL CAPS Key names on the keyboard, such as D, ALT or F3; names of files and
directories. You can type filenames and directory names in the dialog boxes
or the command line in lowercase unless directed otherwise.
CTRL+D Press a key while simultaneously pressing another key; for example, press
CTRL and D simultaneously.
ALT,SHIFT,F Press keys sequentially; for example, press ALT, then press SHIFT, then press
F.
Finding Additional StudioZ Console Information
Additional StudioZ Console information is available online through the following sources,
which are delivered when you install the StudioZ Console software:
u
The README.TXT file contains information about installation, documentation, training
courses, product fixes, new options and features for each utility, and known problems.
u
The StudioZ Console Help file (STUDIOZ.HLP) contains detailed information about the
StudioZ Console utilities.
Finding Hardware Information
For more information about StudioZ hardware and compatible audio and video input and
output devices, refer to the StudioZ Hardware User’s Guide or the StudioZ Producer
Hardware User’s Guide. For more information on the StudioZ workstation, refer to the
hardware documentation delivered with the workstation.
Finding Operating System Information
For more detailed information on the Windows NT Workstation operating system, refer to the
printed and online Windows NT documentation from Microsoft:
u
For information on installing and updating Windows NT Workstation, refer to the
Installation Guide, delivered in the Windows NT Workstation software package.
u
For information on using Windows NT Workstation, refer to the online System Guide,
delivered on the Windows NT software CD-ROM, and to Windows NT Workstation
Help.
Getting Documentation and Training
You can purchase additional product documentation from Intergraph.
u
In the United States, contact your sales account representative, call the Intergraph Order
Desk at 1-800-543-1054, or send a fax to 1-800-548-3318 to place an order. If you call
or fax the Order Desk, have the document numbers ready for the items you wish to
purchase.
u
Outside the United States, contact the Intergraph subsidiary or distributor from which you
purchased your Intergraph product to place an order.
To find information on training for Intergraph products, or to enroll for an available class,
contact Intergraph Training Solutions at 1-800-240-3000.
vii
Getting Telephone Support
If you experience problems with your Intergraph product, or have questions about the
information in this document, you can contact Intergraph for help.
u
In the United States, call the Customer Response Center at 1-800-633-7248 between the
hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday (except
holidays).
u
Outside the United States, contact the Intergraph subsidiary or distributor from which you
purchased your Intergraph product.
Have the following information readily available when you call:
u
The product’s serial number or your service/CPIN number.
u
The product’s name or model number.
u
Your name and telephone number.
u
A brief description of the question or problem.
viii
Using the Intergraph Bulletin Board Service
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Intergraph Bulletin Board Service (IBBS) is an
electronic forum for Intergraph customers to exchange information with Intergraph’s technical
and marketing staff, and with other Intergraph customers. You can use the IBBS to get
technical support information, documentation and training information, programs, and
software updates and fixes. The IBBS is also available for you to give suggestions, make
inquiries, and report problems.
To connect to the IBBS:
1. Set your system’s communications protocol for eight (8) data bits, no parity, one (1) stop
bit, and any baud rate up to 14,400.
2. Using a modem, dial the IBBS number, 1-205-730-8786. You can dial 1-205-730-6504 if
you are using a 2,400 baud connection.
Mirror sites are maintained for locations outside the United States. Information on these
sites is available on Intergraph Online, Intergraph’s World Wide Web server.
3. When connected, respond to the login request by keying in your user ID. If you have not
connected before, key in new to create a user ID.
4. Follow the menus to find what you need. If you are new to computer bulletin boards, the
IBBS provides clear choices and plenty of online help. A text file that explains IBBS
commands and organization is available for you to download.
If you have trouble connecting to or using the IBBS, log a support request through the
Customer Response Center (product entry IBBS), send a fax to 1-205-730-1110, or leave a
message for the System Operator (Sysop) at 1-205-730-1413.
Using the Intergraph FAXLink
You can use the Intergraph FAXLink to get technical support information by fax 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week. From a touch-tone phone or fax machine phone:
u
Call 1-800-240-4300 to get new user instructions, an index listing of available documents,
and an overview of the categories of available information.
u
Call 1-205-730-9000 to order the documents (up to 5 per call).
Follow the prompts provided to locate and deliver the information you need.
Finding Intergraph on the Internet
You can find Intergraph on the Internet in the following ways:
u
If you have a World Wide Web browser, connect to Intergraph Online, Intergraph’s
World Wide Web server, at http://www.intergraph.com. From the home page, follow
the links to Customer Services for information on available customer services and support
options.
u
If you have a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) program, connect to Intergraph at
ftp.intergraph.com.
u
If you have a Gopher program, connect to Intergraph at gopher.intergraph.com.
u
You can get information from Intergraph’s email server at info@intergraph.com. Put
help in the body of the message (the subject line is ignored) to get information on such
subjects as Intergraph’s online services and where to get World Wide Web browsers.
u
You can participate in the Intergraph Customer Forum (ICF), a bidirectional gateway to
the USENET newsgroup comp.sys.intergraph. Anything posted to that group or sent to
comp-sys-intergraph@ingr.com is emailed to all subscribers. Incoming email messages
are also posted to the newsgroup. You can subscribe to the ICF via Intergraph Online.
ix
x
1 Overview
Intergraph’s StudioZ Console product is a professional-quality, all-digital, audio/video
capture, playback, and animation frame-to-movie build solution for the Microsoft Windows
NT operating system.
Video production professionals, computer graphics animators, and multimedia producers can
use StudioZ Console to capture and play back real-time video or animated computer graphics.
StudioZ Console also provides the capability to convert a sequence of individual frames into
an Audio/Video Interleaved (AVI) file, a Microsoft standard format for motion audio/video
files. StudioZ Console works with standard graphics creation, animation, non-linear editing,
computer-aided design, and visualization software. You can create images in a separate
graphical design application and then use StudioZ Console to place them in a presentation.
StudioZ Console greatly improves recording of audio and video over traditional techniques.
With previous single-frame video techniques, one minute of video could require several hours
of recording time. Using StudioZ Console, however, you can record video frames in realtime. Thus, one minute of video is recorded in one minute, resulting in shorter production
time.
1
StudioZ Console uses a non-linear editing environment, which reduces editing time and
increases productivity over traditional linear editing methods. Non-linear editing allows
quick, random access to any part of the video from a computer disk as well as instant rearrangement of video clips that follow a change. (With linear editing on video tape, the editor
has to re-edit all material that follows the change.)
The all-digital design of StudioZ Console prevents the generational loss of quality common to
hybrid and analog video editing solutions. The result is high-resolution, true-color video
images and high-quality audio captured in real-time. StudioZ Console outputs data in realtime, directly from the hard disk. You can record this output to video tape or view it on a
video monitor. You can also convert the output to any AVI format supported by Video for
Windows.
StudioZ Console software is delivered as part of Intergraph’s StudioZ workstation solution.
For detailed information on StudioZ hardware, refer to the StudioZ Hardware User’s Guide or
the StudioZ Producer Hardware User’s Guide.
2
Video Input
StudioZ Console:
u
Captures audio/video in real-time directly to a system’s hard disk.
u
Captures and (if desired) compresses video in a single step, requiring no file conversion.
u
Provides a single solution for generating video that conforms to both NTSC (525 line, 60
Hz) and PAL (625 line, 50 Hz) video standards.
u
Captures full frame sizes at the following field rates, which results in professional-quality
input, smooth motion, and no loss of video information during data capture:
−
NTSC: 720 x 283 pixels at 59.94 fields per second (720 x 486 frames). (The frames
are 640 x 480 frames if your system has the StudioZ Producer board set.)
−
PAL: 720 x 288 pixels at 50 fields per second (720 x 576 frames). (The frames are
768 x 576 frames if your system has the StudioZ Producer board set.)
u
Captures true-color images (YUV 4:2:2) for optimal image quality.
u
Allows resampling while capturing images for users who want reduced resolution or
square pixel data.
u
Allows the adjustment of brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue of data while capturing
video.
u
Uses motion JPEG compression technology for high-quality image compression (if you
select image compression options).
u
Provides user-selectable JPEG compression ratios, which allow you to select between
increased online storage (high ratios) or optimal image quality (low ratios).
u
Offers the option of uncompressed image capture for the highest image quality.
u
Captures images to a standard Windows Audio/Video Interleaved (AVI) file, allowing
you to use standard Windows NT AVI editing tools.
u
Captures single frames to raster files (.TGA, .PIC, and .BMP files).
Video Playback
StudioZ Console:
u
Plays back video using full frame sizes and field rates. No video data is lost during
playback and motion remains smooth.
u
Plays back true-color output for optimal quality.
u
Allows adjustment of brightness, contrast, hue, and saturation of video as it is played
back.
u
Can play a video loop for demonstrations and composition review.
u
Plays back under Windows NT applications that use Media Control Interface (MCI)
device drivers.
u
Offers accelerated playback over standard MCI playback.
u
Allows the creation of a playlist to seamlessly play a series of AVI files, one after the
other.
StudioZ Console Components
StudioZ Console includes the following software utilities:
u
AVI Capture, for capturing live video and audio into an AVI file or a series of raster files
from video sources.
u
AVI Builder, for converting sequences of files into one AVI file.
u
SDI Control, for manipulating the color, intensity, and brightness data being captured and
played back.
3
u
AVI Player, for playing back an AVI file or a series of AVI files on a StudioZ
workstation.
StudioZ Console Input and Output
StudioZ Console accepts input from a variety of sources, as shown in the following figure.
4
StudioZ Console utilities send output to video tape or a video monitor, as shown in the
following figure.
Workflow
When using the StudioZ Console, a typical workflow consists of these steps:
1. Create a storyboard or outline for the intended video presentation.
2. Gather and organize source material, such as live video clips, graphic animation
sequences, single raster images, and audio tracks.
−
Use AVI Capture to capture live video and audio.
−
Use SDI Console to adjust the color intensity and brightness of the sequence stored
in the AVI file during capture, if needed.
−
Use AVI Builder to convert a sequence of raster images into an AVI file.
−
Use the supplied audio (WAV) editing software to digitize additional audio tracks
from a CD, microphone, or other audio source (as needed).
3. Edit the source materials into an AVI file. You can add titles and transitions (wipes,
fades, dissolves, and so on) with the supplied video editing software, or with another
compatible package.
5
4. Use AVI Player to play back the AVI file in real-time on a video monitor, or to record the
output directly to video tape. You can also use the finished AVI file to create a multimedia presentation, as shown in the following figure.
6
StudioZ Console File Types
StudioZ Console supports the following media file types:
File Type
.AVI An interleaved file format for storing combined audio and video.
.
WAV A file format for storing sound. Audio is stored as a sequence of
Description of File Type
Video and audio are stored in alternating blocks in a video file.
instantaneous amplitude samples.
StudioZ Console supports the following raster image files and raster animation sequences:
7
File Type
Description of File Type
.BMP The Microsoft Windows bitmap format.
.
PCX The PC Paintbrush format.
.
PIC SoftImage picture file format.
.
TGA The Truevision Targa 24-bit color format.
.
TIF The Tagged Image Format File (TIFF) format. This is a popular industry
standard file format.
.
GIF The file format for CompuServe.
.
RGB An extension for raster image files. The .RGB type is the ModelView
software’s default format for storing the red, green, blue (RGB) color data in a
single compressed raster file.
The individual StudioZ Console utilities support the following input and output file types:
Software
Input Output
AVI Capture real-time audio and video signals .AVI, .BMP, .PIC, .TGA
AVI Builder .RGB, .BMP, .TGA, .TIF, .PCX, .PIC .AVI
SDI Control .AVI (input video) .AVI (output video)
AVI Player .
AVI output video and audio
Using the StudioZ Console Utilities
During installation, the StudioZ Console installation software creates the StudioZ Console
program group. The program group contains StudioZ Console programs. Double-click on a
program’s icon to open it, or use the arrow keys to select a program’s icon, and then press
ENTER.
8
You can use the programs in this group to remove the StudioZ Console software from the
system, play video and audio files, capture video and audio, edit video files, make color and
sound adjustments to video files, or display online Help.
Getting Help
Reference information for each StudioZ Console utility is available through online Help.
StudioZ Console Help contains information on screens, commands, dialog boxes, options, and
tools. To view StudioZ Console Help:
u
Select Index or Contents on the Help menu of the active StudioZ Console utility.
u
Double-click the StudioZ Console Help icon in the StudioZ Console program group.
u
Open the StudioZ Console Help file (STUDIOZ.HLP) in the Windows NT File Manager.
For other ways to use Help, select How to Use Help from the Help menu in Program Manager.
For additional information about StudioZ Console, see the online Readme file (
README.TXT).
The Readme file contains information about installation, documentation, training courses,
product fixes, new options and features for each utility, and known problems.
Getting Started
Begin by following the instructions in Chapter 2, “Installing and Removing StudioZ Console,”
to install the StudioZ Console software on your system. Then refer to the rest of the document
as follows:
u
To remove StudioZ Console software, go to Chapter 2, “Installing and Removing StudioZ
Console.”
u
To record audio and video using AVI Capture, go to Chapter 3, “Using AVI Capture.”
u
To edit audio and video sequences using AVI Builder, go to Chapter 4, “Using AVI
Builder.”
u
To adjust the color levels, contrast, and brightness of video sequences using SDI Control,
go to Chapter 5, “Using SDI Control.”
u
To play audio and video sequences using AVI Player, go to Chapter 6, “Using AVI
Player.”
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