Chip 2000 November/Chip_2000-11_cd2.bin/sharewar/Slunec/app/16/mimic.CAB/Mimic.txt

Text File | 2000-01-10 | 14KB | 385 lines

Mimic    Version: 1.10, Jan 10/2000
=====    (C)2000 Steve J. Gray  <[e-mail]>
    http://www.ryerson.ca/~sgray

Program Documentation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mimic: Multi-Interface Mediaplayer with Integrated Components

Note: ActiveMovie, Netshow, DirectX Media, and Windows Media
    are all basically the same thing. They are all built on
    and around the ActiveMovie engine. They are all trademarks
    and/or copyright Microsoft Corporation.

Requirements
------------

* Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 or higher (IE5 recommended)
* Microsoft Media Player 6.0 or higher (6.4 recommended)
* May require editing of system files to enable ActiveMovie.
  If you know for sure that MediaPlayer is installed and you get
  the message "not a registered MCI device" do the following:

  << Windows 95 >>
     Edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
     In the [MCI] section add the line: ActiveMovie=mciqtz.drv
  << Windows NT >>
     Use REGEDIT to add the following key:

     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\Windows NT\
    CurrentVersion\MCI32\ActiveMovie

     Set the value to: mciqtz32.dll

* Windows NT users must install a special driver to allow direct
  access to hardware in order for the FM Tuner component to function!
  Please refer to the file "winnt.txt" for more info!


Introduction
------------

  Welcome to Mimic! Mimic is an all-in-one accessory program that can mimic
most other programs of it's type using "skins". Skins are a collection of files
that define the entire look of the user interface. Mimic contains one of the most
powerful skin engines of any program. It allows buttons and labels of any size,
tooltips for all buttons, graphical digit displays of any size and supports
non-rectangular windows. Also, unlike most other programs that are limited to
large BMP files, Mimic allows the use of GIF and JPEG files to save hard drive space!
There is a special Winamp skin (winamp.skin) to import and use Winamp skins!

Mimic includes the following features:

  Common Features:
    * Powerful skins with buttons of any size and placement
      (only two bitmap files required! Can be GIF or JPG to save space)
    * Multi Non-Rectangular regions for main form
    * Graphical Digits and Text
    * Right-click menu for access to most function even if not specifically
      included in the current skin
    * Tray icon
    * Keyboard control
    * Tooltips for all buttons and text.

  Media Player:
    * Able to play almost any format including:
        MPEG Audio: MP2, MP3, MPA
        MS Audio:    WMA, ASF
        Wave Audio: WAV, SND, AU
        MIDI:    MID, RMI, KAR
        Video: AVI, MOV, QT, DAT (mpeg)
        And more....
    * Visual Playlist Selector (great for CD compilations)
    * Album cover features
    * Include bitmap files (BMP, GIF, JPG) in playlist
    * Intelligent conversion of filenames in playlist
    * MP3 IDTag display/editor with cover bitmap
    * Volume Control
    * Continuous Playback (adjustable song overlap)
    * Direct selection of song via keyboard
    * Karaoke Lyrics Playback (preliminary)
      (compatible with SJGPlay when files renamed to .LYR)

  CD Player:
    * Preliminary CDDB and CDPLAYER.INI support (read only)
    * Use Menu to toggle between CD and Media Mode

  FM Tuner:
    * Supports The following Cards:
        - Aztech / Packard-Bell / CompExpress
        - RadioTrack I / Reveal RA300
        - RadioTrack II
    * Unlimited Presets
    * Allows descriptive station names
    * Displays Station Logo bitmap
    * Direct access to station or preset via keyboard

  Clock:
    * Current Time (12 or 24 hour mode)
    * Date with Day of Week
    * 10 independent Timers with Lap function

  Calculator:
    * Basic Calculator functions
    * Memory
    * Unit Conversions, with loadable definitions

  Notepad:
    * For quick notes
    * Load, Save, Print

  Web Browser:
    * Uses Internet Explorer engine
    * Supports Java, downloading
    * 10 Quick URL buttons
    * URL History

  Web Radio:
    * Compatible with MS MediaPlayer streams
    * Unlimited Stations
    * 10 Preset Station Buttons

  Screensaver:
    * Separate component (install to windows directory)
    * Clock functions
    * Animations
    * Picture viewer (to be implemented)

And much more!...

Future Planned additions (depending on user feedback):
    * Lyrics Editing/Synch'ing capability for player
    * More Karaoke functions
    * Jukebox features
    * Voice Recorder
    * Calendar with To-Do lists
    * Multiple alarms for clock
    * User suggested features.... e-mail me your suggestions!


About MCI
---------

  For those not familiar with MCI (Media Control Interface), it is
the mechanism that the Microsoft Media Player (and others) uses to
play various media files that are out there. This means that you need
an MCI driver to play specific file types. MCI drivers for some of the
common types of files such as WAV, MIDI, AVI etc come standard with
Windows, whereas other types such as MPEG Video, Quicktime etc need
to be installed separately. This is where ActiveMovie comes in.
ActiveMovie is the engine behind Microsoft's DirectShow, Netshow, and
the new Media Player. ActiveMovie attempts to combine all the various
formats into one player.

  Mimic requires MediaPlayer 6.0 or higher. Version 6.4 or higher
is required for Windows Media Audio files.

Note!: Version 6.0 is the only version that supports RealAudio/Video files.


Supported Media Formats
-----------------------

  Mimic is a complete multi-format media player, with features favoring
the very popular MP3 format. Because it uses the Microsoft MediaPlayer
engine it is able to play a wide variety of formats. MS MediaPlayer is
an open standard and can support future formats with the use of CODECS.
Mimic will automatically support all current and future formats supported
via MediaPlayer. The following file types are supported:

    MP2, MP3
    WAV, AU, SND, AIF, AIFC, AIFF
    MID, RMI
    RA, RM, RAM, RMM (with MS Mediaplayer 6.0)
    AVI, MOV, QT, M1V, MPA, MPE, MPEG, DAT
    ASF, ASX

Additionally support is included for the following formats using
other 3rd-party MCI drivers:

1) Modules: MOD, MTM, FAR, 669, OKT, STM, S3M, NST, WOW, XM
   (requires Mod 4Win MCI driver available from www.mod4win.com)
2) AutoDesk Animator: FLI, FLC
   (MCI driver available with Autodesk Animator)
3) Golddisk Animation: AWA, AWM
   (MCI driver source unknown)
4) Multimedia Movie: MMM
   (MCI driver source unknown)


Using the program
=================

Prefs
-----
* Info
    - Displays current skin info
* Manual
    - Display documentation
* Options
    - Startup: Lets you specify a playlist or directory to load
    - Shutdown: Save window position option
    - Window:
        * Always on Top makes the window stay above all others
        * Snap to ViewPort makes the window snap to the edges
    - Misc:
        * Scroll Songname - only works for Winamp skins or skins
            with a graphical song title display
        * Load Album using ID3Tag - looks for a corresponding album
            cover bitmap using info from MP3 file ID Tag
        * Use Friendly names - strips out underlines, extensions
            and track numbers from the filename
    - External Display
        * Sends the track title to a Prolite LED sign
* Auto On/Off
    (not implemented)
* Paths/Fav
    - Skins:
        * Default Path for Mimic or VB-Amp Pro Skin files
    - Vis PL Selector:
        * Default Path for the Visual Playlist Selector
    - Favorite Skins:
        * Lets you pick a favorite skin for each "component"
    Note: Click the "..." button to browse and select a directory.
* Player
    - DirAdd Extensions:
        A list of extensions separated by spaces. Determines
        which file types are added to the playlist when you
        add a directory or drag a folder.
    - Device:
        Lets you select which MCI device to use;
        MPEGVideo or ActiveMovie

        Use MPEGVideo unless you have installed a device
        that has replaced the MediaPlayer driver (such as a
        DVD playback card). If you have, please refer to the
        README for instructions on installing ActiveMovie).
    - Continuous Playback:
        The number of milliseconds to overlap the end of one
        track and the start of the next. Zero to disable.

* FMTuner
    - Tuner Card:
        * Selects the card type and address
    - Startup:
        * Lets you select a preset or frequency to tune
    - Shutdown:
        * Lets you control if the radio is left on or muted
          when the program ends
    - Registration:
        * The FM Tuner is the only component of Mimic that
          requires registration ($15 US). The radio will become
          non-functional after 5 minutes unless registered!

Skins
-----

  Skins are loaded by selecting a ".skin" file. Skins can be in the
same directory as the program or you can define the skins path in the
preferences. Some skins (like the default) use skin linking. Linked
skins should all be in the same directory since they usually share
bitmap files.

  If you create a unique skin please e-mail it to me so I can add it
to the skin download page.


Album Covers
------------

  The program makes extensive use of "Album Cover" bitmap files. The
cover files can be either BMP, GIF or JPG format. Skins can contain
the cover display in the main window itself, or if not used the
program will open a separate window when a cover bitmap is found.

  When you load a playlist, the program will automatically look for
a matching album cover bitmap.

 Example:
    Playlist: "Phil Collins - Hits.m3u"
    Cover...: "Phil Collins - Hits.jpg"

  You can also include Album Cover bitmaps (or any bitmap for that
matter) right inside the playlist. When the program sees the bitmap
it "plays" it for 5 seconds before continuing with the next song.

  Album Cover's will also display, if available, when displaying the
MP3 IDTag, which is a special tag that may be available in some MP3
files.

  When the "Display Album Cover using IDTag info" option is selected
the Album cover bitmap is updated whenever the IDTag exists and a
matching bitmap file is found. The bitmap file must exist in the same
directory as the MP3 file and it's name must correspond to one of the
following formats:

    1) AlbumTitle.xxx
    2) Artist-AlbumTitle.xxx
    3) Artist - AlbumTitle.xxx

    Where xxx is the extension (BMP, GIF or JPG).


Visual Playlist Selector (VPS)
------------------------------

 The main purpose of this feature is for CD compilation discs, where
many CD's have been MP3'd and put on a single disc. The idea is to
scan each album cover and create a playlist for the album, then the
program will display thumbnails of all the albums on the disc so you
can choose which to load and play. Up to 16 covers can be displayed on
a page. You can page up/down through an unlimited amount of playlists.

 What you need to do is:
    1) Convert the CD tracks to MP3 format
    2) Place them in a folder (optional, but recommended)
    3) Load the MP3 files and create a playlist
    4) Scan the album cover (BMP, GIF, or JPG format)
    5) Save the album cover with the same name as the playlist.

 Now, in the preferences "Paths" tab, enter the path to your files or
your cd-rom drive (ie: D:\). When you insert the compilation CD click
on the "Visual Playlist Selector" button and watch all your virtual
CD's appear on the screen!

 Categorizing Playlists:

 You can also categorize your playlists in the VPS. Say you want to
split your playlists into genres like "Pop", "Rock", "Country" etc.
Create a folder for each category then create a ".DIR" file with the
same name and (optionally) a bitmap with the same name. Now, when the
VPS sees those ".DIR" files it will only display those entries and NOT
playlists in those subdirectories until they are selected. The ".DIR"
file can be any file (like a text file) as only the name is important.

  Example:
    Folder : Rock
    Dirfile: Rock.dir
    Bitmap : Rock.jpg  (optional)

  Bitmap files should be SQUARE and can be any size (ie: 64x64 pixels).
They will be scaled to fit, so if they are not square they will be
distorted. Be warned, that the bigger the file the longer it will take
to load each into the VPS screen. Also be careful; JPG files can expand
to very large files! Large bitmaps can cause an out of memory error
when 16 are loaded in at once!!!


Continuous Playback (Mixing)
----------------------------

  This allows you to play two MP3's (or other media) at the same time
by overlapping playback. You can specify up to 10 seconds
(9999 milliseconds) of overlap. You will need a fast machine and hard
drive...

Note: This feature has been tested and works on my machines:
    * Pentium2, 266MHz, 64MB, Awe64, Win98, and MSMediaPlayer 6.x
    * Pentium MMX, 200MHz, 32MB, SIS Built-in Audio,
      Win98, No additional software.

 Your milage may vary:-) Please let me know if it works or not, and
your system configuration. I would appreciate the feedback!


Drag and Drop / Add Directory
-----------------------------

  You can drag files, folders or even entire drives into the playlist.
When adding directories Mimic will add all files with extensions that
are listed in the "DirAdd Extensions" field in the prefs. Extensions are
listed separated by spaces. For example: "MP3 MP2 MPA WAV MID QT".

You can also drag and drop playlist files (M3U). Mimic will add all
entries from all playlists. Note: When adding files Mimic does not check
if a file is already in the playlist, therefor it's possible to have
multiple entries for a single file.

Please send all corrections, suggestions, bug reports or thanks to:
    [e-mail]

Thanks!

<END>