# | README file for | | ELSA Videosoftware for Windows 95 | | | Copyright (c) 1996-97 ELSA AG, Aachen (Germany) | | ELSA AG Internet : http://www.elsa.de | Sonnenweg 11 LocalWeb : +49-(0)241-938800 | D-52070 Aachen | | ELSA Inc. Internet : http://www.elsa.com | 2231 Calle De Luna | Santa Clara, CA 95054 | USA | | ELSA Asia Inc. Internet : http://www.elsa.com | 7F-11, No. 188, Sec. 5 | Nanking East Road | Taipei 105 | Taiwan, R. O. C. | | ELSA Japan Inc. Internet : http://www.elsa.com | Mita Suzuki Building 3F | 5-20-14 Shiba, Minato-ku, | Tokyo, Japan 108-0014 | | 12.05.98 CSkopinski Table of Contents 1. Overview 2. Installation 3. Videoviewer 4. Recording Videos 5. Notes ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Overview This file describes the installation and handling of ELSA Videosoftware. The Videosoftware consists of: - Video for Windows Capture Driver. - Software for previewing video. - Software for viewing teletext. - Software for selecting video-input and -format. All videocomponents are started from the WINman suite. The Videosoftware requires DirectX 5. The Teletextsoftware requires a PAL and WST (World Standard Teletext) compliant videosignal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Installation Use the CDïs Setup.exe to install the Videosoftware ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Videoviewer After starting Videoviewer searches all video-inputs for a connected video-source. It stops and shows, if an active video-source is found. If you like to select another source, use menuitem "Video Source" described later. This Videoviewer is handled clicking the left or right mouse- key. When clicking the left mousekey, the windows systemmenu appears. When clicking the right mosuekey, a specific context-menu appears. 3.1 Functions 3.1.1 Teletext... Selecting this menuitem starts the Teletextviewer. 3.1.2 Videosource... Selecting this menuitem opens a dialog, where you can select a video-source or correct the video-colors. 3.1.3 Videoformat... Selecting this menuitem opens a dialog, where you can select the size of the video and a video-format. 3.1.4 Screenshot Saves a BMP-File of the current picture into the temporary file directory ( e.g. C:\TEMP ) of your harddisc. The file is named SCRNxxxx.BMP. xxxx is a number, which is automatically incremented to preserve the file from being overwritten when making a series of screenshots. Alternatively you may use the 'S' hot key for saving instead of the menu. 3.1.5 Always on top Selecting this item keeps the Videoviewer window always on top of all other windows. Its always visible. 3.1.6 Hide Titlebar Selecting this menuitem hides the Videoviewers titlebar. 3.1.7 Resize to input Selecting this menuitem resizes the window to the actual video input size. "Videoformat" allows selection of video input size. 3.1.8 About... About ELSA... Selecting this menuitem shows information about the program and ELSA. 3.1.9 Exit Quits the Videoviewer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 Recording Videos The programme MainActor is included for video recording. However, any "Video for Windows"-compatible software can be used for recording videos. Large amounts of data are created during video recordings. The following tips may help you to achieve a drop-free recording: - Close all other programmes and especially DOS boxes during video recording. - Defragment the hard disk before recording. - Use a separate hard disk for recording. - Use the ELSA Video Compression. - Deactivate the audio recording function if you do not wish to record sound. 4.1 Data formats You can record videos using various data formats. You can determine which data format you wish to use in the dialogue "video format", which can be called up using the WINman Suite or out of your video application. You can choose from the following data formats: - RGB16: The data format RGB16 works in the RGB colour space. 5 bits/pixel are stored for each of the three colour components. In addition one filler bit per pixel is stored, which results in a storing capacity of 16bits/pixel. The colour resolution of such a picture is equivalent to a Real-Colour-Picture under Windows. The advantage of RGB16 is that this format is directly recognised by Windows. The disadvantage is an extremely high storage requirement. A picture with a resolution of 320x240 pixels occupies 150kB. A picture with 640x480 pixels requires four times the amount of data, i.e.600kB. - YVU9 requires less storage room. namely 9 bits/pixel. It works in the YUV colour space and offers 256 grey gradations per pixel (in comparison to 32 grey gradations with RGB16). Compression is achieved by reducing the colour resolution. A colour mean is stored for each 4x4 pixel. The human eye can detect anomalies in brightness much better than anomalies in colour, foso that optically there is hardly any difference to an uncompressed picture. A YVU9 picture with 320x240 pixels requires approximately 84kB. A YVU9 picture with 640x480 pixels requires four times the amount of data, 336kB. In order to portray a video recorded with YVU 9 on your system, you must have installed an Intel Indeo(tm)-Codec or you must use the supplied MainActor programme. Reports such as "data format cannot be read" or "No compatible driver is installed" mean that an Intel Indeo(tm)-Codec is not installed. - The ELSA Video Compression reduces the amount of data compared to YVU9 even further. A special process results in only ca. 3-5 bits/pixel being stored. As with YVU9 ELSA Video compression works in the YVU colour space. The compression ratio depends on the picture material to be compressed. Noise-free picture material is simpler to compress than noisy picture material. Picture material with large, single colour areas is simpler to compress than a detailed multicoloured picture. Using the ELSA Video Compression a picture with a resolution of 320x240 pixels requires between 20kB und 40kB. A picture with 640x480 pixels generally achieves a higher compression than a picture with 320x240 Pixel and requires ca. 120kB. 4.2 ELSA Video Compression (ELSA Quick Codec) in operation. The ELSA Video Compression is dealt with by your computer while you record a video in real time. Using the ELSA Video Compression has several advantages: - Videos with higher refresh rates can be recorded. - The drop rate decreases. - Videos can be recorded with a higher resolution. - Longer video sequences can be recorded on a hard disk than would otherwise be possible without compression. AVIs which have been recorded with the ELSA Video Compression require a Codec installed in the system in order to be played back. This is a programme which transforms the compressed information into a Windows- compatible standard format. Such a Codec is supplied on your ELSA CD and is automatically installed when the video software is installed. While recording a video, you should proceed in two stages: - Initially record a video using the ELSA Video Compression in order to benefit from the advantages described above. - Then transform the AVI with MainActor into a commonly used compression format such as MPEG, Indeo (tm) or Cinepak (tm). If you want to play back a video recorded with ELSA compression, it is recommended that you use the Media Player from Windows and a Real or Truecolour graphic mode. Using a monitor setting of 8 bits/pixel will possibly result in the video being screened or reproduced with a reduced colour count. You cannot play back AVIs recorded with ELSA Video Compresion on systems on which the ELSA Video Compression has not been installed. MainActor in the version 1.6 (or higher) is necessary to portray the ELSA Video Compression. The decompression of the ELSA Video Compression is optimized for maximum picture quality so that recompression is achieved as loss-free as possible. As a result, playback in real time with MainActor is only possible on the fastest computers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Notes 5.1 The videosoftware requires invisible offscreenmemory. This requirement changes with videoresolution. On the other side, the free offscreenmemory changes with desktop resolution. Therefore the videosoftware capabilities change with changing desktop resolution. 5.2 Recommended Desktop resolutions: - 800x600 Pixel, 16bpp, 75Hz - 1024x768 Pixel, 16bpp, 75Hz 5.3 Switching desktop resolution or colordepth without restarting the system leads to system crash, if videosoftware has been used before. 5.4 Switchwing between DOS-window and -fullscreen leads to system crash, if videosoftware has been used before and a TV-Set is connected. 5.5 To view ELSA compressed video you need MainActor Version 1.6 (or higher).