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SPEA PLAY IT
User Manual
Benutzerhandbuch
Manuel d'emploi
Manual del usuario
Part Number 1740 4010.1
Rel. 0695
Copyright by SPEA Software AG
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2 3
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Copyright 1995 SPEA
The information furnished in this manual is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, SPEA
assumes no responsibility for its use; nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties
which may result from its use.
SPEA reserves the right to change the specifications of the products described in this manual in the
interests of technical progress at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced
by any means, nor translated to any medium without prior, written consent from SPEA.
The installation program used to install the SPEA Superdisk, INSTALL, is based on the licensed
software provided by Knowledge Dynamics Corp., Highway Contract 4, Box
185-H, Canyon Lake, Texas 78133-3508 (USA), 1-512-964-3994.
Knowledge Dynamics Corp. reserves all international copyright and protection rights. The INSTALL
program is provided for the exclusive purpose of installing the SPEA Superdisk.
SPEA has made modifications to the software as provided by Knowledge Dynamics Corp., and thus
the performance and behaviour of the INSTALL program supplied with the SPEA Superdisk may not
represent that of INSTALL as supplied by Knowledge Dynamics.
SPEA is exclusively responsible for the support of the SPEA Superdisk, including the support for the
installation. SPEA is reponsible for the technical support.
1995 SPEA Software AG. All rights reserved.
Registered Trademarks
IBM PC, XT, AT and PC-DOS are registered trademarks of International Business Machines
Corporation.
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
AutoCAD, AutoShade and 3D Studio are registered trademarks of Autodesk Inc.
Intergraph MicroStation is a registered trademark of INTERGRAPH.
MultiSync is a registered trademark of NEC Corp.
PCI and PCI Local Bus are registered trademarks of the PCI Special Interest Group (SIG).
VESA is a registered trademark of the Video Electronics Standards Association.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
All other names are tradenames / trademarks of their respective owners.
FCC Compliance
This board has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, persuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in residential installation. This device generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in
a particular installation.
Installing the Software from the SPEA Media-Gallery CD
It is possible that you have received the SPEA software on CD rather than on diskette. If this is the
case, then please note that the descriptions in this manual should be changed accordingly. For
example, the instructions "Put the disk 'Drivers for Windows' in drive A:" would be exchanged with the
following steps: "Switch to the CD drive (e.g. D:) and enter the path of the desired driver, e.g.
D:\SPEA\INSTALL\MERCURY.P64\WIN
for the Windows driver for the V7-MERCURY P-64 board.
Other subdirectories could be 'DOS&UTIL' (for utilities and DOS tools) and 'OS2' (for OS/2 driver
software).
Important Note
You must imperatively read the README file on your 'Utilities' disk and all the documentation supplied
with your graphics board before installing it! If you fail to do so SPEA can not accept any responsibility
for claims that may be caused as a consequence.
To see the README file, put the 'Utilities' disk in your floppy drive and type:
A:
SHOW README.ENG
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Table of Contents
QUICK INSTALLATION...........................................................................................................................6
GENERAL INFORMATION......................................................................................................................7
Guide to this Manual .............................................................................................................................7
Symbols and Conventions.....................................................................................................................7
Delivery Scope Checklist.......................................................................................................................7
Last-Minute Changes - README file....................................................................................................7
Warranty................................................................................................................................................7
Support..................................................................................................................................................7
Company Address.................................................................................................................................7
PART 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................8
Features of the SPEA PLAY IT .............................................................................................................8
Standard Software Delivery...................................................................................................................8
PART 2 HARDWARE INSTALLATION....................................................................................................9
Graphics Card Installation ........................................................................................................................9
Requirements and Considerations........................................................................................................9
Typical System Configuration................................................................................................................9
Preparing the installation.......................................................................................................................9
Installing the SPEA Card.....................................................................................................................10
The Feature Connector .......................................................................................................................10
Reassemble the PC ............................................................................................................................10
The VGA loop through cable............................................................................................................... 10
Connecting External Equipment..........................................................................................................11
Installation of the SPEA PLAY IT with a sound card (V7-media fx) ....................................................12
Installation of the SPEA PLAY IT without a sound card......................................................................13
Additional Installation Instructions....................................................................................................... 14
After Installing the SPEA Board ..........................................................................................................14
Tips and Tricks for installing the SPEA PLAY IT.................................................................................14
PART 3 SOFTWARE INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION ..........................................................15
SPEA WinTools ......................................................................................................................................15
PlayTune.................................................................................................................................................16
MediaStation...........................................................................................................................................17
Using the MediaStation Remote Control.............................................................................................18
MPEG / AVI / VideoCD Playback........................................................................................................18
APPENDIX A TECHNICAL DETAILS ....................................................................................................20
Technical Data........................................................................................................................................20
I/O Addresses of the SPEA PLAY IT ......................................................................................................20
IRQ setting of the SPEA PLAY IT ..........................................................................................................20
The Connections of the SPEA PLAY IT ..................................................................................................20
VGA Video Output Connector.................................................................................................................21
Pinout of the SPEA Movie Bus ...............................................................................................................21
APPENDIX B TROUBLESHOOTING ....................................................................................................22
General Considerations ..........................................................................................................................22
Hardware settings ...............................................................................................................................22
Frequently Asked Questions...................................................................................................................23
General problems................................................................................................................................23
Problems with MediaStation or Media Player......................................................................................23
Problems with VideoCDs ....................................................................................................................24
Problems with CD ROM Drives...........................................................................................................25
APPENDIX C GLOSSARY .....................................................................................................................26
INDEX.....................................................................................................................................................34
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Quick Installation
This Quick installation is for experienced users only! Other readers
should take the time to read the manual.
1. Make a backup copy of the disks supplied with the board.
2. Check that your monitor and system configuration support the SPEA
card (e.g. correct bus type and version).
3. Disconnect your computer from the mains power and peripheral
equipment.
4. Install the SPEA PLAY IT in a free extension slot and secure it
5. Connect the Feature Connector cable.
6. Reassemble your PC and reconnect the power cable.
7. Connect the VGA loop through cable with the SPEA PLAY IT and the
SPEA graphics board
8. Reconnect any peripheral equipment (e.g. loud speakers).
9. Switch on your monitor first, then the computer.
10.Start Windows and execute the Software Installation with the
following command:
A:
SETUP
Problems?
In the unlikely event of problems ...
1. Check the README file in your C:\SPEA\PLAYIT directory
2. Read Appendix B: Troubleshooting.
3. If you have installation and application problems with your SPEA
graphics board you can obtain technical support via the SPEA Support
Mailbox
4. Take note of your warranty - see section Introduction
5. Contact the SPEA ExpertLine (see end of this manual)
Your board is a complex electronic device and can only be repaired by
authorized technical personnel with the required equipment. Do not
attempt to change or repair any parts of this product. Doing so will render
your warranty invalid.
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General Information
Guide to this Manual
This manual is divided into five parts:
Part 1 Introduction
Part 2 Tells you how to physically
install the graphics board.
Part 3 Provides information for
installing the application
drivers included on the
SPEA Superdisk.
Appendices Contain other information
that you should review.
Index To enable you to find
subjects in this manual
quickly.
Symbols and Conventions
The following symbols and syntax conventions
are used in this manual:
Warning!
This section contains a warning or important
information.
Note: This section contains useful hints.
DOS commands are written in capital letters,
example:
A:
INSTALL
If not defined in another way, all DOS
commands must be confirmed with the ENTER
or RETURN key.
Example: Examples are indicated by this
format.
Screen messages are shown in Courier.
References to other parts of the manual are
shown in italic.
Directory names mentioned in this manual are
exemplary and written in capital letters.
The SPEA V7 Superdisk is delivered on 3,5"
format. Therefore, the documentation refers to
disk drive A:. Please enter B:, if your 3,5" disk
drive is addressed with B:.
Last-Minute Changes - README file
Our software is constantly being improved and
updated. The latest information is contained in
a file README.
The README file appears on the screen
automatically at the end of the software
installation. You can also read this file at any
time from your hard disk (after the installation)
with the command:
SHOW README
or from your diskette with:
A:
SHOW README.ENG
Warranty
You have a 3 year warranty for your SPEA
graphics card. To ensure your warranty, it is
necessary that you keep the invoice of the
graphics card. If your graphics card is
damaged, contact your local retailer first.
Your board is a complex electronic device and
can only be repaired by authorized technical
personnel with the required equipment. Do not
attempt to change or repair any parts of this
product. Doing so will render your warranty
invalid.
Support
The following support services are offered by
SPEA Software AG:
technical support (telephone, SPEA
ExpertLine)
Online information and software updates
per modem (SPEA Mailbox)
Further information concerning these support
services can be found in the 'SPEA ExpertLine'
pamphlet at the end of this manual.
Company Address
SPEA Software AG
Moostr. 18B
D-82319 Starnberg
Tel: +49 81 51 26 60
Fax: +49 81 51 21 258
Delivery Scope Checklist
Your SPEA package should contain the
following items:
- 1 SPEA PLAY IT
- 1 VGA loop through cable
- 1 Feature Connector cable
- 3 SPEA installation disks or 1 CD
- this manual
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Part 1
Introduction
Your SPEA board is a high-quality multimedia
board. Both, at home and at work the SPEA
PLAY IT is useful in many ways.
Use the SPEA board for interactive training,
edutainment, multimedia presentations, for
POS and POI systems and for entertainment
with video games, films and Video CD's.
Features of the SPEA PLAY IT
Trident TVP 9510 Video processor for
interpolated scaling of digital videos
high-quality playback up to a resolution of
1024 x 768 with 65.536 colors and 75 Hz
(non-interlaced) in connection with SPEA
graphics boards from the compatibility list
MPEG:
Hardware supported MPEG Video and
Audio Realtime Playback (of files in MPEG
1 standard), scaling is possible from 16 x 16
up to 1024 x 768 in a window or full screen.
Single frame rate 30 fps (NTSC) or 25 fps
(PAL).
Overlay of the graphics window and video
window
Standard Software Delivery
Menu driven installation program to easily
install the software
SPEA Windows tools like SPEA
MediaStation (SPEA's Video playback
software under Windows) and PlayTune
(Program for adjusting the overlay image)
MCI Windows drivers for MPEG Audio and
Video
Software drivers for Video for Windows
VideoCD films can be played back in the
best quality
Audio Support:
16 Bit Stereo, 44.1 kHz (CD quality)
MPEG audio layer I and II
Line Out 3.5 mm jackplug connection for
active loud speakers or a sound board.
VGA loop through connection from the
SPEA PLAY IT to the SPEA graphics board
bidirectional SPEA Movie Bus for
connecting external hardware, e.g. the
SPEA CRUNCH IT compression board
ISA bus
Read the glossary in this manual if you need a
description of terms or abbreviations (e.g.
MPEG).
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Part 2
Hardware Installation
Graphics Card Installation
Requirements and Considerations
1. IBM compatible computer (486/586) with a
free ISA bus expansion slot.
2. One graphics board of the SPEA Product
series V7-VEGA or V7-MIRAGE
corresponding to the compatibility list
3. MS-DOS operating system, version 5.0 or
later
4. 8 MB RAM
5. Screwdriver
Warning!
Prevent damage by static electricity. Static
electricity can cause severe damage to
microcircuits, but here are some easy ways to
see that it doesn't happen.
1. Hold the SPEA card on its edges only.
Don't touch edge connectors or exposed
circuitry.
2. Leave the SPEA card in the anti-static
protective bag until ready to install it in your
computer.
3. If possible, ground your body when handling
the SPEA card. The metal power supply
housing is generally considered the best
place to ground yourself.
4. Do not place the SPEA card on a metal
surface.
5. Make the least possible movement to avoid
building up static electricity from your
clothing, carpets and furniture.
Typical System Configuration
A typical configuration environment your board
is described as follows:
Colani Tower 486D2-66, PCI bus, better
Pentium, 100 MHz, 8 MB
SPEA 2185 MS Monitor
Double speed CD ROM drive
Preparing the installation
Before you install the SPEA PLAY IT in
your system be sure that you have
already installed ONE SPEA VGA
graphics board in your system.
Windows should already be installed
and configured for 256 colors for this
board with the corresponding menu
(V7SETUP). You can find detailed
information in the manual of your
graphics board.
1. Switch off your computer and disconnect all
peripheral devices (printer, monitor and
others) and the main power.
2. Remoce the cover mounting screws and
save the for later use.
3. Remove the cover of the computer.
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Installing the SPEA Card
The SPEA card is installed in an ISA expansion
slot.
1. Select a free expansion slot and remove its
metal slot cover. Save the screw to secure
the graphics card later.
2. Hold the card by the edges and press it
firmly into the expansion slot.
The Feature Connector
Connect the Feature Connector cable supplied
to the connectors on the graphics board and
the SPEA PLAY IT. Proceed as follows:
1. Connect the one end of the Feature
Connector cable with the SPEA PLAY IT.
Take care that the red stripe of the cable is
connected to Pin # 1 of the Feature
Connector on the graphics board as well as
on the SPEA PLAY IT.
2. Next, connect the other end of the cable
with the graphics board.
Installing the Card in a ISA Local Bus Slot
Warning!
The following step is very important in order to
ground your SPEA card properly.
3. Align the slot in the mounting bracket of the
SPEA card with the screw hole in the rear
panel of the computer case. Use the screw
you removed from the expansion slot cover
or the previously installed video adapter to
secure the SPEA card in place.
Connecting the Feature Connector cable to the
boards
Reassemble the PC
1. Secure ribbon cables and gently push them
down and out of the way before you replace
the system cover.
2. Replace and secure the system cover on
the PC again.
The VGA loop through cable
1. Connect the VGA output of the graphics
board with the VGA pinout of the delivered
VGA loop through cable.
2. Now connect the other end of the loop
through cable with the SPEA PLAY IT underneath the VGA output on the board.
3. Connect the monitor cable of the PC with
the VGA output of the SPEA PLAY IT.
If you intend to use active loudspeakers or a
sound board then refer to the next section for
details on making the right connections.
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Connecting External Equipment
The connectors on the board are standardized,
with the exception of the SPEA Movie Bus (see
Appendix B, Technical Details). For this
reason, you only need to take note of a few
points when making connections to external
equipment.
Warning!
Be sure to connect any peripheral devices to
the computer and switch them on before
switching on your computer. This avoids a
damaging power surge, and the possibility of
electrical discharge damage when live
connections meet.
Audio Out
This is a 'line out' output, i.e. low level
voltage. This means that you can either
connect this output to active loudspeakers
(ones with a built-in amplifier, recognizable
by the volume control on the loudspeakers
themselves) or your Hi-Fi system (the
output signal is too weak for normal
loudspeakers) or to a sound board, such
as SPEA's V7-media fx. This output
provides a stereo signal (3.5mm stereo
jackplug connection), however a mono
jackplug can also be used without danger of
short-circuiting the SPEA PLAY IT.
SPEA Movie Bus
This connector is intended for use with
future SPEA products, such as MJPEG
boards. The necessary cables will be
available with the future products.
VGA Loop through
With this connection you connect the VGA
output of your VGA graphics board with the
loop through input of the SPEA PLAY IT.
The result should look like this:
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Installation of the SPEA PLAY IT
with a sound card (V7-media fx)
There are a numher of ways to connect the
SPEA PLAY IT and peripheral devices. The
following schematic diagram shows a typical
arrangement, enabling you to use all the
features of the SPEA PLAY IT.
Connecting your SPEA PLAY IT and peripheral
devices as shown in the following diagram will
give you a complete multimedia system, with
which you can play VideoCDs, video tapes and
stereo music in Windows.
SPEA's soundcard V7-media fx is an ideal
partner for the SPEA PLAY IT. It provides high
quality audio output and has three CD-ROM
interfaces built-in, saving you a valuable
expansion slot.
If you are not using a V7-media fx card, you will
still be able to make similar connections to your
sound card.
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Installation of the SPEA PLAY IT
without a sound card
With this configuration you can play VideoCDs
with sound processed directly by the SPEA
PLAY IT.
Warning!
The SPEA PLAY IT is designed to provide
audio sound only for Video CD and MPEG
playback. All other sound output requires a
separate sound card.
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Additional Installation Instructions
Monitor
Please switch on your monitor before you
switch on your computer. Doing it the other way
around could damage your monitor.
After Installing the SPEA Board
If you have correctly installed the SPEA board,
the DOS prompt will appear on your monitor
when the boot procedure is finished.
If your system does NOT boot it should, check
again to see that the installation instructions
were properly followed, or refer to Appendix C
(Troubleshooting).
Important!
Before installing the supplied software, make a
backup of the SPEA installation disks. Use the
backup copy for your installation and store the
originals in a safe place.
Tips and Tricks for installing the
SPEA PLAY IT
Keep it simple to begin with
Although it may be tempting when installing the
SPEA PLAY IT, to connect your video recorder,
stereo, CD-ROM and Camcorder, it is wise not
to try to do everything at once. Make sure your
CD-ROM drive and sound card (if fitted) are
working properly beforehand.
Make the connections properly
If just one of the cables is not connected
correctly, the flow of data from input to output
will be broken and one or more parst of your
multimedia system will not work properly. As
many of the standard cables are very similar, it
is possible to make a mistake.
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Part 3
Software Installation
and Configuration
Please note that Windows has to be
installed on your system and configured
for 256 colors in one of the following 3
resolutions:
640 x 480
800 x 600
1024 x 768
It is advisable to configure this before
the you install the SPEA PLAY IT.
1. Insert the SPEA disk #1 in drive A:.
2. Start Windows and start the installation with
the following call:
A:
SETUP
3. Follow the instructions on the screen.
Various drivers abd programs will be copied
onto your hard disk, among other drivers for
Video for Windows and MediaStation, SPEA's
program for playing back MPEG files, AVI files
and Video Cds.
SPEA WinTools
SPEA offers its customers various tools which
can be used to simplify or enhance the use of
Windows.
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PlayTune
What is PlayTune?
PlayTune is a SPEA Windows tool for
positioning the overlay image in the graphics
window on the monitor.
In order to understand the overlay technology,
the next sections roughly describe this
functionality.
If you don't need any theoretical basics, then
continue with the section after the next one.
Understanding the Overlay
Technology
The video frame is transferred into an RGB
signal so that a PC and a monitor can display
the image on the screen.
The graphics board provides an empty window,
the image is placed exactly in this window (=
overlaying).
What is PlayTune used for?
With PlayTune you can exactly position the
inserted video image in the graphics window.
How to use SPEA PlayTune
Start PlayTune by clicking on the PlayTune
icon in the SPEA program group.
A dialogue box appears with several settings
you can now modify.
Note:
The timing adjustment of your SPEA PLAY IT
depends on your system environment.
Therefore, you have to justify the SPEA PLAY
IT timing with PlayTune. You can find a
detailed description of the program in the
online help or in the README file.
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MediaStation
MediaStation is SPEA's easy-to-use control
software to playback MPEG 1 (*.MPG), *.VPG,
*.AVI and VideoCD *.DAT files under Windows.
The TV's remote control can be used to select
and playback files or films (e.g. VideoCDs),
program and save film sequences, modify the
volume, colours and display size.
When you click on the MediaStation icon in the
SPEA program group, the remote control
appears on the screen. Click on the power
button on the top left side of the remote control
to switch on the TV window on the screen.
The functions on the remote control
correspond to the ones of a real TV's remote
control.
If you click on the two arrows a track bar will be
added to the right side of the remote control.
This tack bar contains a slider to move quickly
within a video and a display area for time or
frames.
manual.
Via MediaStation's online help you can obtain
additional information about all the buttons and
dialogue boxes of MediaStation. Just click on
the 'lifebelt' on the remote control. If you have
problems playing back files please refer to the
Troubleshooting section at the end of this
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Important Notes:
1. You can play Video CD's labelled with
'Video CD' and CD-I's back. But please
make sure that your CD-ROM drive
supports the format you want to playback.
2. Handle Video CDs with great care. Due to
the nature of the data they contain, they are
much more sensitive to surface damage
than ordinary music CDs.
3. Standard MPEG 1 and AVI files can be
played back with MediaStation, however,
check your README file for information on
the current support status!
4. With the V7SETUP program in the SPEA
program group you must select a video
mode with 256 colors for your graphics
board. The SPEA PLAY IT will then display
the video with 65.536 colors.
We've kept the following descriptions very brief
as we intend to integrate multimedia features
as they come onto the market. Check your
README file and the MediaStation online help
for the latest information on file playback and
recording.
MPEG / AVI / VideoCD Playback
1. Open the MediaStation remote control
2. Click the right mouse button over a channel
on the remote control. The file selection box
appears:
Using the MediaStation Remote
Control
Note that the function of a button on the control
is displayed in the lower bar of the control when
the cursor is positioned over it. If you're unsure
about the exact function consult the online
help.
Playback Speed & Volume
The playback volume is primarily controlled by
the Media Player program (MPLAYER.EXE)
supplied with Windows.
If you turn the volume off here, then the remote
control volume will have no effect! If you are
using a sound board which has a seperate
volume control, make sure that this is not
muted or turned down! If it is, the MediaStation
will not playback with sound. To change the
Media Player settings it is necessary to close
the MediaStation remote control first!
The speed of film files is fixed and can only be
reduced to step mode (the snail button on the
control). Changes to the Windows Media
Player have no effect.
3. Select a channel number, then drive,
directory and file type before picking a file
4. Click on the 'Thumbs-up' (OK) button. The
selected file is transferred to the selected
remote control channel (e.g. 1)
5. Click on the respective channel button on
the remote control to open the TV and
prepare the film
6. Click on the Play button of the remote
control
Tips:
To shortcut the playback procedure,
doubleclick on the file in the selection box. It is
then played back without being saved to the
selected remote control channel. The file is
only transferred to a channel when you confirm
with the OK button.
To see a preview of the film, pick a file with a
single click of the right mouse button. A
miniature film preview is then loaded which can
be played back with the play button under the
image.
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You can drag & drop a file from the file
selection box to a channel of the remote
control using the left mouse button!
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Appendix A
Technical Details
Technical Data
Video Processor: Trident W32p TVP 9510
HighColor (65536 simultaneous colors) up
to 1024 x 768, 75 Hz n.i.
Frames per second: PAL 25, NTSC 30
Overlay: Yes, with graphics boards of the
SPEA product series V7-VEGA, V7MIRAGE corresponding to the compatibility
list
Audio MPEG Layer I and II
Audio Out: 3,5 mm jackplug connection for
active loudspeakers or a soundboard
Audio Playback: 16 bit Stereo and 44,1 kHz
SPEA Movie Bus (see section 'SPEA Movie
Bus' in this chapter)
Feature Connector to the VGA board
VGA loop through cable to the VGA board
I/O Addresses of the SPEA
PLAY IT
The Connections of the SPEA
PLAY IT
The board has 2 outputs and 1 input as seen
from the side of the board:
Outputs:
1. Audio out (line out). Rating:
max. 2.88V on 10 kOhm/100 pF
2. Standard VGA out
Input:
VGA Loop through cable (for connecting the
VGA output of the graphics board with the
SPEA PLAY IT).
In order for your system to function properly it
is necessary to make sure that all the I/O
addresses reserved for the SPEA PLAY IT are
not used by other hardware devices.
Normally the board uses the following
addresses:
I/O addresses: 2x0
whereby
x = 0...F (freely selectable)
default is 200
IRQ setting of the
SPEA PLAY IT
A free IRQ has to be assigned to the SPEA
PLAY IT.
Default for the SPEA PLAY IT is IRQ 10.
You can also use the IRQs 11 or 12 as an
alternative.
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VGA Video Output Connector
Pinout of the SPEA Movie Bus
The VGA Video Output Connector of the SPEA
PLAY IT corresponds to the Standard IBM VGA
Video output pin-out.
Pin Function
1 Red
2 Green
3 Blue
4 Not used
5 ground
6 Red Return (ground)
7 Green Return (ground)
8 Blue Return (ground)
9 Key (no pin)
10 Sync Return (ground)
11 not used
12 not used
13 Horizontal Sync (+)
14 Vertical Sync (-)
15 Not used
The SPEA PLAY IT is equipped with a digital
video bus connector. This is not a Feature
Connector, but the 'SPEA Movie Bus'.
This connector can be used to connect and run
a MJPEG board.
The default pinout of this connector is:
Pin Function Pin Function
1 SCL (bi) 2 GND
3 SDA (bi) 4 ODD (bi)
5 FEIN (in) 6 FEOUT
7 HREF (bi) 8 GND
9 HS (bi) 10 VS (bi)
11 LLC2 (bi) 12 GND
13 CREF (bi) 14 GND
15 LLC (bi) 16 GND
17 UV0 (bi) 18 UV1 (bi)
19 GND 20 UV2 (bi)
21 UV3 (bi) 22 GND
23 UV4 (bi) 24 UV5
25 GND 26 UV6 (bi)
27 UV7 (bi) 28 GND
29 Y0 (bi) 30 Y1 (bi)
31 GND 32 Y2 (bi)
33 Y3 (bi) 34 GND
35 Y4 (bi) 36 Y5 (bi)
37 GND 38 Y6 (bi)
39 Y7 (bi) 40 GND
The connector pin numbers are marked on the
circuit board itself.
The function of the pinout of the SPEA Movie
Bus changes for each mode.
If you need more detailed information about the
pinout (and its changes) of the SPEA Movie
bus, you can request a technical specification
from SPEA Software AG (address to
'Customer Support').
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Appendix B
Troubleshooting
General Considerations
Make sure the SPEA board is firmly seated in
its expansion slot, and that it is not touching
other boards in your system.
Be sure your monitor cable is properly
connected to the SPEA board and that your
monitor power switch is on. You may also need
to verify your cable pinout, since some
monitors use a non-standard configuration.
Make sure other peripherals such as EMS
cards, disk controllers or LAN cards are not
using the same memory address as the SPEA
board. Check with the manufacturer or your
user's manual for information about
designating exclusions for memory locations
when invoking your device driver.
Some other things to think about
Your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file
may contain commands that are interfering
with the operation of the SPEA board. Try
booting your system without these files. If the
SPEA board works properly, identify and
remove the conflicting command(s).
IRQ settings
The computer is likely to be using various IRQ
lines already, through hardware handlers for
disk drives, printer ports, keyboard, coprocessor, and others. MS-DOS 6 ships with
the utility MSD, which you show you what IRQs
are/aren't being used. Once you know this
information, you can set the IRQs of the SPEA
PLAY IT correctly. Here is an example of likely
IRQ usage:
IRQ 4 active serial port
IRQ 3+4 two active serial ports
IRQ 7 print spooler or SoundBlaster
IRQ 2 or 3 mouse
I/O port address
This is the address at which a particular driver
of device can be communicated with.
Hardware settings
When installing the SPEA PLAY IT, you should
beware of possible hardware conflicts with
other adapter cards in the computer. It is
possible that two or more cards in the
computer are contending for the same
resources. These conflicts can involve:
IRQ line (Interrupt Request)
DMA channel (Direct Memory Access)
I/O port address (Input / Output)
Devices to be wary of: when setting up IRQ,
DMA and I/O ports, be especially aware of the
following hardware: scanner card, SCSI drive,
tape streamer, additional sound card,
hard/floppy disk drives, modems, serial ports,
mice, networks and others.
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Frequently Asked Questions
General problems
For problems in connection with your graphics
board please read through the corresponding
section in the graphics board's manual.
Problems with MediaStation or
Media Player
Q: MPEG files will not play in MediaStation or
Media Player
A: Check that you have at least 500 KB free
conventional memory on your computer. Do
this with the DOS command MEM.
Q: MPEG files don't play properly in Media
Player
A:
1. Start Media Player
2. Open a file that you want to play
3. Pick the 'Device' menu
4. If the 'SPEA MPEG + VideoCD ...'
option is not listed, the driver has not been
found. You should re-install your SPEA
PLAY IT Software to rectify this.
5. Make sure that 'SPEA MPEG + VideoCD
...' option is selected. It should have a
'correction' mark '' to the left of it. If it is
not selected, pick it, then select a *.DAT file
to load.
6. Pick the 'Configure ...' option. You
should see the configuration menu.
7. In the Buffer Transfer section, pick the
Reset to defaults button.
Q: MediaStation crashes after the program
buttons are drawn on the screen (possibly
after a re-installation)
A: Delete the file MEDIASTA.MST (which
contains the bitmaps drawn).
Q: CD ROM or MPEG file can't be opened
A: You probably don't have enough free
system memory to execute the action. Start
Windows without network support (WIN /n)
or close other applications.
Q: System crashes when opening MPEG files
A: It is possible that the PCI BIOS of your
system is causing problems. Try the board
in another slot.
Q: Error message "More global memory
needed". MediaStation is terminated.
A: Close other applications and retry.
Q: I get no sound in Media Player, although the
pictures are OK
A:
1. Start Media Player
2. Open a file that you want to play
3. Pick the 'Device' menu
4. If the 'SPEA MPEG + VideoCD ...'
option is not listed, the driver has not been
found. You should re-install your SPEA
PLAY IT Software to rectify this.
5. Make sure that 'SPEA MPEG + VideoCD
...' option is selected. It should have a
'correction' mark '' to the left of it. If it is
not selected, pick it, then select a *.DAT file
to load.
6. Pick the 'Configure ...' option. You
should see the configuration menu.
7. In the Audio section, ensure that the L and
R volume sliders are at the top of scale,
then pick the Close button.
Q: MPEG files are played back without sound
in MediaStation.
A: Check that active loudspeakers or a
sound board are/is connected to the audio
output of the board.
Call the Windows MediaPlayer
(MPLAYER.EXE), open a file and open the
Options menu, click on Configure and
set the volume to maximum.
Check that the volume level in MediaStation
is turned up and that the volume is not
muted.
If you are using a sound card with an
additional volume control, make sure that it
is not muted or at a low level.
Note that it is possible that the MPEG file
doesn't have an integrated audio track (a
seperate WAV file can't be simultaneously
played back).
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Q: AVI files are played back without sound.
A: This feature is currently under preparation.
Until that, please use the sound output of
your soundboard. Please check the
README file supplied.
Q: VPG files are played back without sound.
A: This type of file doesn't contain a sound
track.
Q: MPEG file can't be rescaled to fullscreen.
A: The MPEG picture size is too small. The
limit is twice the original size.
Problems with VideoCDs
As Video CD is a very new technology, it is
likely that many you are using the format for
the first time. In the same way that you
encounter picture problems with VHS tape
recordings, you can encounter comparable
problems in the VideoCD format. This section
describes various symptoms and their causes.
Picture display problems can be internal to the
quality of the pictures on the VideoCD. Not all
VideoCDs have the same picture quality, and
thus the resulting picture quality al playback
may not be constant for all VideoCDs.
Macro-blocking: Also known simply as
'blocking' or 'jagging', is caused by a lack of
bits (binary digits) to store all the information,
and happens when the VideoCD movie is
created. The area of the picture for which there
is insufficient information (bits) will be displayed
as simple 8x8 or 16x16 blocks.
Unreal stillness: This is when an object (such
as a tree in the background) appears to
absolutely motionless. This can happen during
VideoCF creation, where the object is moving
so slightly as for the motion to be ignored by
the movie conversion process.
Digital rain: This term describes a number of
undesirable picture effects. One example of
this is a small stationary object that appears in
one frame, then disappears for a few frames,
then reappears. This and other effects tend to
be more apparent in earlier VideoCDs than
ones more recently created.
Mosquitoes: This effect can occur especially
at the edges of moving objects, due to the
number of bits of data concentrated about the
point of movement. If can give the impression
of a heat-haze or fuzziness in the picture.
The picture quality of VideoCDs made in
America can vary from those made in Europe.
American manufacturers favour sharper image,
which can be clearer but be more prone to the
above problems. European manufacturers
favour a softer image, which can look more
pleasing, and be less prone to the above
problems.
Note:
A VideoCD cover that is not marked 'VideoCD'
is not suitable for use with the Whitebook CDROM standard, and will therefore not be
compatible with your system. Unfortunately,
VideoCD labelling is not as consistent as it
might be, so check with the sales staff before
making your purchase.
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Problems with CD ROM Drives
If you have problems with your CD ROM drive
consider the following general notes:
There are three types of CD-ROM available,
that confirm to different standards, and are not
therefore compatible with each other. They are
as follows:
Yellowbook: Conventional CD-ROM
Greenbook: Used for linear video, typically
used in Philips CD-I players (384 lines)
Whitebook: Used for digiral video VideoCD
(352 lines).
Warning!
To play VideoCDs with the SPEA PLAY IT you
must have a Whitebook type CD-ROM drive.
As the VideoCD format of data is very new,
older type CD-ROM drives may not be able to
read the data. If you do have problems reading
data from a VideoCD, you may find that a
software update for your CD-ROM drive will
help.
Only use CDs explicitly labelled 'VideoCD'.
Check that SMARTDRV.EXE is being
loaded before MSCDEX.EXE
(AUTOEXEC.BAT)
Use the latest driver version for your CD
ROM drive; it is possible that older driver
versions are not able to read the VideoCD
format.
To read CDs you need about 500 KB
conventional memory. You may see an
error message that the CD cannot be read
or messages that the SPEA MCI driver
does not work correct. In this case, delete
or REM out all drivers you don't need
urgently from your CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT file and restart your
system.
Only use CD ROM drives that support the
default reading access and fulfill the ISO
9000 rules. A list of CD ROM drives tested
by SPEA can be found in the README file
in the SPEA directory.
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Appendix C
Glossary
Analog Display
A monitor that uses variable color control
voltages to display a very large number of
colors but requires very few inputs.
ANSI
American National Standards Institute.
ASCII
American Standards Committee on Information
Interchange. A standard used by IBM and
compatible computers to represent numbers
and characters in binary form.
Authoring Systems
Authoring systems are used to create
multimedia applications. They combine existing
presentation information (texts, images and
sound) and control the flow of these during the
multimedia show. The dialogue with the user is
controlled with this software. The individual
information must have already been created
and saved with special programs.
AUTOEXEC.BAT
A batch file that directs the activities performed
by the computer during system startup.
AVI
Audio Video Interleaved. AVI files are the
standard format for digital video films on Pcs.
Bandwidth
The required capacity for the data volume and
transmission rate.
BIOS
Stands for Basic Input-Output System. Code in
your computer's ROM (Read Only Memory)
that provides the power-on self test and other
operating functions.
BitBlt
Bit Block Transfer refers to the ability of a
system to move pixel blocks (in a rectangular
area, e.g. in a window) very quickly. The
contents of the rectangular area are rapidly
refilled with the orginal contents.
BMP (Windows Bitmap)
This format enables Microsoft Windows to
display images on devices with similar
capabilities in a consistent way. Save pictures
in this format if you wish to continue to process
them later under Windows.
Booting/Booting Up
Starting the computer. There are two types.
Warm Booting is accomplished by
simultaneously pressing the CTRL/ALT/DEL
keys and can occur only when the computer is
running. A cold boot requires activation of the
ON/OFF switch.
Brightness
The brightness of an image is determined by
the amount of light emitted by it. No light
(black) therefore means 'no brightness',
whereas pure white light menas 'maximum
brightness'.
CD-I
Compact Disc Interactive. A technique
developed by Philips in order to playback
games, films and music videos on a CDI
player.
CD-ROM
High-density medium to store digital data. CDROMs have read-only status. There are
different CD-ROM formats:
YellowBook: conventional CD-ROM format
GreenBook: used for linear video, this is typical
for CD-I's (see below)
WhiteBook: used for Digital Video VideoCDs.
CGA
The IBM Color Graphics Adapter.
Channel Number
A MIDI device can have three connections MIDI-In, MIDI-Out and MIDI-Through. The last
is used to pass on data group information
without changing it. This enables the user to
cascade several devices. To select a particular
device, the MIDI information is passed on to an
identifying channel number from 1 to 16.
Cinepak
Software-Codec. Makes fast decoding
possible. Good image quality possible as long
as the image dimensions are not increased.
The video encoding process is timeconsuming.
CODEC
Compressor / Decompressor, responsible for
the compression and decompression of image
data.
Color Display
A type of monitor capable of displaying
information in color. It is often called an RGB
(red, green, blue) monitor, referring to the
signals needed to drive it.
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Color Palette Conversion
Conversion of video data from the YUV color
model into the RGB color model, or v.v.
CONFIG.SYS
An ASCII file that is created to provide the
computer with special information about
applications and hardware.
Contrast
The contrast of an image is the difference
between light and dark. A contrast-intensive
image is one in which contains strong
transitions from light to dark. A contrast-weak
image contains transitions that are hardly
noticeable.
Data Transfer Rate
The data transfer rate describes the amount of
data transferred to or from the storage medium
(e.g. hard disk) per second. Each data storage
medium has a specific data transfer rate which
it can handle. Typical values are:
- old hard disks 300 KB/s
- new hard disks 600 KB/s
- standard CD-ROM drives 150 KB/s
- DoubleSpeed CD-ROM drives 300 KB/s
DCI
Display Control Interface. An interface defined
by the Intel and Microsoft corporations, which
enables enhanced graphics performance due
to direct access to the video memory.
Default Mode
The capabilities, resolutions and display mode
the system operates with when you start your
computer.
Digital Display
Also called TTL. A type of monitor that
switches signals ON or OFF to determine
display color. Types of digital displays include
the IBM Enhanced Color Display or
Monochrome Display.
Digital Video
Digital videos contain optical information
bitwise in a file.
DIP Switch
Dual Inline Package switch; a series of tiny, two
position switches which allow users to select
and change options on computer boards,
printers, and other peripherals.
Driver
Part of a software program that interacts with a
particular piece of equipment in your computer
system (i.e. video boards, printers, and
keyboards). Drivers are often loaded by your
config.sys at system boot.
Dropped Frames
The images of a video which are not displayed
or recorded when replaying (resp. recording).
EEPROM
Electrically eraseable programmable read only
memory; used to replace DIP switches and
jumpers on new graphics boards like yours.
EGA
The IBM Enhanced Graphics Adapter.
EMS
Enhanced Memory Specification. Originally
developed to break the DOS 640K limit, it is
now used as a general term for types of add-in
memory.
Enhanced Color Display (ECD)
The IBM Enhanced Color Display capable of
640 x 350 resolution.
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
EPS is a device-independant file format, which
contains all the information required to
reproduce an image directly on a PostScript
printer or to use it in suitable applications. A
small header section contains the data of the
image als a TIFF-format file so that
applications that can not display PostScript
data directly can still obtain an impression of
the file contents.
Expansion Board
A device used to expand a computer's
capability.
Expansion Slot
An electrical connection within the computer
used for the addition of Expansion Boards.
Fill-in Images
When video data is being saved onto a CDROM (during manfacturing) the images are
normally 'polstered' with fill-in images so that
each video file completely uses the assigned
2KB area. This ensures a constant data rate
and a smoother playback appearance. The file
size is not changed by doing this.
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Fixed Frequency Monitor
An analog monitor which can only sync to a
very narrow range of scan frequencies.
fps
frames per second. Measurement unit for the
frame rate.
Frame
Single video image.
Frame Rate
Number of images shown per time unit.
Software videos have a fixed frame rate. When
playing back the actual frame rate achieved
can differ to the rate defined in the video
considerably.
Framegrabber
If an overlay board (see below) also contains a
realtime video digitizer (= frame grabber), then
the user can capture a random frame from the
video sequence being replayed and can save
this onto his hard disk.
General MIDI
The MIDI Association's MIDI Song File
standard has established itself as the General
MIDI standard for the exchange of MIDI music
data between different PC systems.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
A graphics file format developed by
CompuServe to enable the device-independant
exchange of images between systems. GIFformat files can be up to 64MB in size with
color information up to 256 colors (8 bits). GIF
files do not contain information about the
image resolution.
Greyscales
A greyscale image consists of different shades
of grey (like a black-and-white photograph).
This normally menas that 254 different
greyscales plus black and white (= 256) are
used.
Hardware Cursor
The cursor's movements and display are
controlled by the accelerator chip. This means
that the CPU only has to pass the mouse coordinates to the graphics board, reducing the
CPU's workload.
Hercules Graphics Card (HGC)
A video adapter that provides bit mapped
single color graphics.
Hexadecimal Notation
A base-16 numbering system that uses
numbers and letters. The hexadecimal
sequence begins: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E
F, then 10, 11 etc.
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Horizontal Frequency
The rate at which a monitor displays each scan
line. Usually measured in kilohertz (kHz).
I/O Port
Input/Output port. An address used to access a
hardware device.
Image Compression
Technique used to reduce the volume of data
in digital image and video files.
INDEO
Intel Video. Compression technique developed
by Intel. Gives good quality but requires a high
level of processing work to decompress.
Indexed 16 and 256 Color Images
Indexed color images contain a color table in
the file. This table lists all the colors that could
be used in the file. An indexed 16-colour image
contains a table with 16 colour entries (4 bits)
whereas an indexed 256 colour image 256
colours are listed (8 bits).
Other colors can be simulated in a way similar
to using greyscales in a black-and-white image,
by simply positioning the pixels in varying
densities. The eye then sees color mixtures
that are not actually in the color table.
You can transform images into indexed color
images in order to load them into programs
such as Windows Paintbrush, or just to see
them on monitors that can only display 256 or
16 colors.
Interlaced Display
A monitor that refreshes every other scan line
every other pass of the screen. A noninterlaced monitor refreshes the entire screen
(every scan line) every pass of the screen.
Interleave
A technique used to organize audio and video
data so that every audio data segment is
followed by video data, e.g. AVAVAV.....
Interrupt Request (IRQ)
Signal used by a device, such as a mouse, to
inform the CPU that it is present and
functioning.
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JPEG
A new compressed file format industry
standard developed by the Joint Photographic
Experts Group. It enables compression ratios
up to 100:1 (original file size to compressed file
size). A new feature of this standard is that it is
device-independant. These files can be
replayed using any application that supports
this format. JPEG differs from the LZW
compression method in that it works without
quality loss. This means that some of the
original data is lost during the compression
phase. In order to surpass this visual effect
JPEG compression attempts to 'lose'
information which is less important to the
human eye. Use this format if you don't have
much memory space available or if you are
processing very large image files.
Jumper
A small plastic plug that fits over a pair of pins.
When the plug straddles two pins it makes an
electrical connection. The computer makes
decisions based on whether the connection is
made or not. A group of jumper pins is called a
jumper block.
Keyframe
Technique used to compress video data
whereby certain frames are defined as
'keyframes' and are fully saved during
compression. The video data of the frames
between two keyframes are only partially
stored. During decompression the 'partial
frames' use the information stored in the
keyframes.
Line Drawing
This is a hardware function of the graphics
processor chip. Only the starting and ending
co-ordinates of a line are supplied by the CPU.
The rest of the work drawing the line is then
done by the graphics processor.
M-JPEG
Motion JPEG. A codec (see above), which is
especially suited to video processing.
Hardware decompression is strongly
recommendable for this.
MDA
The IBM Monochrome Display Adapter.
MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A serial
interface used to link computers, synthesizers
and other electronic sound generating devices.
Monochrome Display
Monitor that displays information in one color
only; sometimes called a black & white display.
MPC
Multimedia PC. This trademark is intended to
help consumers when purchasing hardware
and software (similar to the VHS symbol used
in the video product market).
MPEG
Motion Picture Expert Group. The compression
method known as MPEG 1 is suited to digital
video playback. A hardware decompressor is
necessary.
MPEG
MPEG stands for Motion Pictures Experts
Group, a group of the ISO committee for
standards. With the MPEG format an
international standard for the display of 25
images per second and a transmission rate of
between 150 and 300 KByte per second is
defined. Through a highly sophisticated
compression method MPEG is a way to display
full sceen and full motion video with CD sound
quality using little memory.
This way, MPEG files can be played back as
well as Video CDs, interactive programs and
presentations.
MT-32
The MIDI module MT-32 created by Roland.
Multi-frequency Monitor
A type of monitor that supports a wide range of
horizontal scanning frequencies and vertical
refresh frequencies. This type of monitor
accepts inputs from many different video
display adapters.
NTSC
National Television Standards Committee. The
committee responsible for the definition of the
north american television standard (with the
same name). NTSC creates 30 images per
second.
Overlay Boards
Overlay boards are able to digitize video
images being input in realtime, to synchronize
the data with the random segment of the
screen and to show both images (incoming
video signal and background screen image)
simultaneously on the PC's monitor. The result
is a window showing a video film which is
placed over a background (e.g. a Windows
application).
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PAL
Phase Alternation Line. PAL is the television
standard used in Germany and Great Britain.
The video signals are transformed into 25
images per second.
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Palette
A selection of colors from which to choose.
Your board provides as many as 16.7 million
simultaneous colors from a palette of 16.7
million. This capability is sometimes referred
to as TrueColor. It is believed that the human
eye can discern no more than 16.7 million
colors.
PCX (PC Paintbrush)
This file format was developed by Zsoft
Corporation for PC Paintbrush, one of the first
computer drawing programs. It is the standard
format for many scanners and drawing
programs. Some versions of the PCX format
don't contain any information about the
resolution of the image.
Peripheral Equipment
Auxiliary equipment connected to a computer
(e.g. monitor, printer, keyboard, etc.).
Pixel
Short for picture element; the smallest field
displayed on the monitor; could be compared
to the dots which form images in photos printed
in newspapers. Also called pel.
Poligon Fill
A special hardware (chip) routine used to fill
polygons with pixel information.
Primary Display
The monitor that is active when you power on
your system.
PS/2 Display Adapter
The IBM VGA board for Industry Standard
Architecture (AT bus) computers.
RAM
Random Access Memory; memory that can be
read from and written to.
Resolution
The number of pixels (from picture cells) in
both horizontal and vertical directions.
Resolution
Number of pixels displayed on the monitor. The
higher the resolution, the crisper and sharper
the images appear.
RGB 8Color
RGB8 color file types are 3 bit types in which
each pixel can have one of 8 colors. The RGB8
color images are automatically transformed
into indexed 16 color images whereby the 8
colors are retained but space for further 8
colors is created. It is not possible to transform
an existing file into an RGB8 color file type.
RGB Color Model
Monitors use additive mixing of the three basic
colors red, green and blue to create images on
the screen with an infinite number of colors.
Image data is therefore processed via data for
RGB color combinations. The combinations of
the three basic colors create a color model
whose origin is the colour black and the
opposite value is the color white.
RGB True Color
RGB stands for red - green - blue. All the
colors that are used in this file are created
additively mixing parts of the three basic colors.
The parts of the three basic colors can be
varied in 256 steps. If you mix all these colors
together a total of 16.7 million possible color
combinations is attainable (3x8 bits = 24 bits, 2
to the power of 24 = 16.7 million). As the
human eye can not tell the differences between
color hues from about this level, such an image
is termed 'True Color', i.e. 'as in real life'.
ROM
Read Only Memory; memory space in your
computer for storing permanent operating
instructions.
Sample Frequency
If the data bandwidth is fixed then the incoming
signal to a processing unit can be assigned to
a whole number (value). The quantity of such
values (samples) that can be taken per second
is referred to as the sample rate or frequency.
Sampling Depth
Describes the number of bits used for each
sampled value of the sound input. 8 bits are
suitable for microphone recordings, 16 bits give
higher quality but require twice the memory
storage space.
Sampling Rate
Analogue accustic signals are digitized by the
analogue/digital converter (ADC) on your
sound or video board. The ADC component
samples the audio signal in extremely short
time intervals and stores the measured values.
The number of sampled values per second is
the 'sampling rate'. The usual rate for a lowquality recording of speech is 11.025 kHz.
Better quality speech recordings or low-quality
music recordings are sampled at 22.05 kHz.
CD quality is attained at 44.1 kHz.
Saturation
The saturation refers to the purity of a color. A
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color with a high saturation value is optically
very intensive. A color with a low saturation
value appears weak (i.e. with less color
content).
Scaling
Transformation of image data to different sizes.
Secondary Display
The monitor connected to the graphics card
that is co-resident with another card/monitor in
your computer system. Is not active upon
booting your system.
Sound Files
The most common file type for sound files
under Windows are WAV files.
Sync
The stable condition that exists when two
repetitive events maintain a constant time
relationship; your monitor is in sync with the
signals from your board when the display is
correct and stable.
Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR)
Programs that are run once then remain in
memory in order to be activated by a sequence
of key strokes or a 'hotkey.' It is possible that a
TSR may take up too much memory and cause
conflicts with other programs.
TGA (Targa)
Developed by the company True Vision
especially for ist true color video boards
(especially the Targa board), this is a format
preferred by many specialists.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format)
This format was developed by Aldus and
Microsoft in order to promote the use of
desktop scanners and DTP systems.
Uncompressed TIFF files are hardware and
software-dependant, however there are
different incompatible compression methods.
Select this format for the maximum
compatibility with other applications and to
improve the compression level.
TrueColor
The ability to display 16.7 million simultaneous
colors. It is believed that the human eye can
discern no more than 16.7 million colors. See
'palette'.
Variable Frequency Display (VFD)
A monitor that is capable of displaying a wide
range of resolutions through it's ability to sync
to a wide range of horizontal and vertical scan
frequencies.
Vertical Frequency
The rate at which the monitor screen is
refreshed. Usually measured in hertz (Hz).
VGA
The IBM Video Graphics Adapter.
Video CD
The VideoCD specification was published in
1993 by JVC, Matsushita, Sony and Philips as
the so-called 'Whitebook' standard. Using this
up to 74 minutes of digital video compressed
with the MPEG 1 technique can be stored on a
CD. The image resolution is 352 x 240 pixels
and 30 frames per second for the NTSC
standard and 532 x 288 pixels at 25 fps for
PAL.
Video Connector
The standard 15-pin monitor output connector
located on the board.
Video Electronics Standards
Association (VESA)
industry-wide consortium organized to
standardize graphic modes. Your board
supports the VESA standards.
Video Keying
This term refers to the process of mixing two
video and computer graphics signals.
YUV Color Palette
The image information of individual frames is
comprised of a brightness part and 2 color
parts. The color part is calculated by evaluating
the difference to the brightness value. This
method was first utilized in television
technology.
YUV Signal
A video signal that is comprised of a brightness
part (luminescence Y) and two color parts
(chrominance U and V). Due to the
characteristics of the human eye, it is enough
to transfer the color parts with a lower
resolution. This mixture is technically achieved
by only evaluating 2 chrominance signals U
and V compared with the 4 values calculated
for the luminescence. This results in
statements in the format 4:2:2. Other
constellations are possible.
Zooming
Increased display of an image section.
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Index
A
Address............................................................5
Audio Out......................................................... 9
C
CD ROM ........................................................22
Company Address ...........................................5
Connections................................................... 17
Copyright.......................................................... 2
D
Delivery Scope Checklist ................................. 5
E
External Equipment .........................................9
F
Feature Connector........................................... 8
G
Glossary.........................................................23
H
Hi-Fi system..................................................... 9
I
I/O Addresses ................................................ 17
Installation with a sound card.........................10
Installation without a sound card....................11
IRQ setting..................................................... 17
L
Loudspeakers ..................................................9
M
Media Player.................................................. 15
Media-Gallery CD ............................................2
MediaStation.................................................. 15
MJPEG............................................................. 9
N
NTSC ...............................................................6
O
Outputs ..........................................................17
Overlay.............................................................6
Overlay Technology .......................................14
P
PAL ..................................................................6
Playback.........................................................16
PlayTune ........................................................14
Problems?........................................................4
Q
Quick Installation..............................................4
R
README..........................................................5
S
Sound board.....................................................9
SPEA Movie Bus........................................ 9; 18
SPEA WinTools .............................................13
Support.............................................................5
System Configuration.......................................7
T
Technical Data ...............................................17
timing adjustment...........................................14
Troubleshooting .............................................19
V
VGA loop through cable...................................8
VGA Video Output Connector........................18
Video processor ...............................................6
W
Warranty ..........................................................5
34
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