home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
-
- Welcome to PlayCD!!!
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- LEGAL STUFF
-
- PlayCD © Elaborate Bytes, Oliver Kastl
-
- This software has been licensed to bsc büroautomation AG for use with
- their hardware.
-
- All other rights reserved.
-
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
- GENERAL
-
- PlayCD is a small but versatile player program for audio CDs.
- It will only work with the tandem package and with Mitsumi CD-ROM drives.
- This program will refuse to work with Kickstart or Workbench versions
- below 2.04.
-
-
-
- INSTALLATION
-
- Use the supplied installation program to install PlayCD.
- PlayCD uses an own font for its display. However, if you don't want to copy
- the PlayCD font files to your fonts: directory, you may instruct the
- installation program to do so.
- PlayCD will look for the font specified in its tooltypes, where FONT=default
- will use the system's default font.
- If it can't find a specified font or you didn't specify one, it will use the
- screen font.
-
-
-
- STARTING PLAYCD
-
- Double-click on the program's icon to start.
- The program will get the proper device and unit number out of its ToolTypes.
- The installation program has entered the correct values here.
- Further it will read the "SKIP" value (The value how many seconds are
- "skipped" when you hit the SKIP FORWARD [>>] or BACK [<<] gadgets, see below)
- and PEEKTIME value (see the ToolType value PEEKTIME for details).
- When starting from the CLI, you must specify the proper device name und unit
- number. You may also specify the skip value.
- If you don't enter anything, PlayCD will default to DEVICE=tandemcd.device,
- UNIT=0, SKIP=1, screenfont, PEEKTIME=20.
-
-
-
- ERRORS WHILE STARTING:
-
- If the program refuses to start, there might be something wrong.
- For the most common errors during startup, an error message will be displayed:
-
- "NO BOARD FOUND":
- The tandemcd.device refused to open, because it couldn't find the bsc tandem
- card. Please check the hardware installation! Check also the UNIT tooltype!
-
- "CDROM NOT FOUND":
- The tandemcd.device refused to open, because it couldn't find the cdrom drive
- connected to a bsc tandem card. Probably it is not powered up. Please check
- the hardware installation and cabling! Check also the UNIT tooltype!
-
- "OPEN DEVICE ERROR":
- The tandemcd.device couldn't be opened for some unknown reason.
- Please check the proper software installation! Use the installation program!
- Check also the DEVICE and UNIT tooltypes!
-
-
-
-
- QUITTING PLAYCD
-
- To get rid of PlayCD you can:
-
- 1. Hit the close gadget
- 2. Select "QUIT" from the menu Items
- 3. Use right-Amiga-key + Q from the keyboard
-
- However, if the drive is already playing, it will continue playing linear
- from the current position until the end of the CD and then stop.
- If you restart PlayCD while audio is playing, PlayCD will not disturb the
- audio play. Nice, isn't it?
-
-
- DISPLAY
-
- The Display shows you program status information.
- If a CD is inserted, the display shows:
-
- No ss of tt
- xx:xx yy:yy
-
- This means, the laser is currently at track number ss. On this CD are tt
- tracks available.
-
- xx:xx is the time position from the beginning of the current track.
-
- yy:yy is the time position from the beginning of the CD.
-
- If no disc is inserted, the message "NO DISC" will be displayed.
-
- Other possible messages are:
-
-
- HYBRID DISC:
- A hybrid disc (a disk capable to hold multiple sessions) is inserted.
- As there are no audio tracks on these discs, PlayCD will completely
- ignore them.
-
-
- TIME OUT:
- The CD-ROM didn't response to a command in the given amount of time.
- Very unlikely.
-
- BAD STATUS:
- The drive returned bad status to a command. This should never happen.
-
-
- DATA TRACK:
- You tried to play or program a data track. This is not possible.
-
-
- READ ERROR:
- Error reading disc information or table of contents.
-
-
- PLEASE WAIT:
- Drive is busy, wait a moment.
-
-
- CLEAR SHUFFLE:
- Current shuffle play is cleared. This happens usually, if all tracks on a
- disc are played.
-
-
- CLEAR PROGRAM:
- Current program is cleared. This happens usually, if all programmed
- tracks on a disc are played.
-
-
- TABLE FULL:
- You cannot program more tracks, because the allocated memory is exhausted.
-
-
- NO TRACK:
- You tried to play or program a track, which does not exist.
-
-
- TRACK nn PROGRAMMED:
- An acknoledgement for you, that you have successfully programmed a track in
- PROGRAM mode.
-
-
-
-
- THE MENUES
-
- MODE:
-
- The menu item "MODE" configures PlayCD, which kind of play mode you wish to
- perform. The possible options are "CONTINUE", "PROGRAM", "SHUFFLE" and "TRACK".
-
- The default mode is CONTINUE, when the program is started.
-
- To change the play mode, simply activate one of the four subitems of MODE.
- You may also use the keyboard shortcuts right-Amiga-key and C,P,S or T.
- A checkmark left to the menu subitem shows the current mode.
- These modes are mutually exclusive.
-
- Subitem CONTINUE:
- An Audio CD is played "linear". If the play operation is started, it will play
- all following tracks until the end of the CD.
-
- Subitem PROGRAM:
- You can program different tracks. If you start the play operation by hitting
- the Play gadget, the PlayCD will play the tracks in the order you have entered
- them. You can either use the number gadgets to program the tracks, or the number
- keys on your keyboard. If you program via the keyboard please note that you have
- to enter 2 digits for each track (e.g. 02 for track 2), or 2 followed by enter.
- (See also "Keyboard shortcuts" later in this document).
-
- Subitem SHUFFLE:
- In this mode, a random generator will choose the tracks that will be played.
-
- Subitem TRACK:
- In this mode, only a single track will be played - playing will stop, after the
- track is finished.
-
-
- REPEAT:
- Enabling REPEAT will repeat play. This affects all modes described above:
- In "CONTINUE" mode, the whole CD will be played again and again.
- In "PROGRAM" mode, your programmed tracks will be repated.
- In "SHUFFLE" mode, the CD will be played randomly again and again.
- In "TRACK" mode, the single track you chose will be endlessly repeated.
- You may also use the keyboard shortcut right-Amiga-key and R to toggle Repeat.
- A checkmark left to the REPEAT item shows, if reapeat is active or not.
-
-
- INQUIRE:
- This menu item will give you verbose information about the exec device driver
- in use, the Unit number and the version of your CD-Rom drive
- You may also use the keyboard shortcut right-Amiga-key and I to pop up the
- information requester.
-
- ABOUT:
- This menu item gives you information about the PlayCD program.
- You may also use the keyboard shortcut right-Amiga-key and A to pop up the
- information requester.
-
-
- QUIT:
- This will quit the program. It has the same function as hitting the close
- gadget. You may also use the keyboard shortcut right-Amiga-key and Q to quit.
-
-
-
- THE GADGETS:
-
- [|>]
- This is the PLAY gadget. It will start audio play from the beginning of
- the current track.
- In PROGRAM mode, it will start the play of your programmed tracks or,
- if already playing, seek to the next program step.
- In SHUFFLE mode, it will start the random play or, if already playing,
- play the next track in the "shuffle sequence". You can use "CURSOR DOWN"
- as a shortcut on your keyboard.
-
- [|-|]
- This is the STOP gadget. It will stop the play and position the drive to track
- one. In PROGRAM mode, it will clear the running program. You can use "CURSOR
- UP" as a shortcut on your keyboard.
-
- [||]
- This is the PAUSE gadget. It will pause audio play. Hitting it again will resume
- play at the position, where you paused. You may use the space bar on your
- keyboard as a shortcut.
-
- [<<]
- This is the SKIP BACK gadget. You can use "CURSOR LEFT" as a shortcut on your
- keyboard. The value, how many seconds will be skipped can be specified via
- tooltypes or from the cli.
-
- [>>]
- This is the SKIP FORWARD gadget. You can use "CURSOR LEFT" as a shortcut on
- your keyboard. The value, how many seconds will be skipped can be specified via
- tooltypes or from the cli.
-
- [|<<]
- This is the SEEK BACK gadget. It will seek to the track before the one currently
- playing and play this track immediately. In PROGRAM mode, it will SEEK BACK
- on program step. You can use "B" as a shortcut on your keyboard.
-
- [>>|]
- This is the SEEK NEXT gadget. It will seek to the next track following the one
- currently playing and play this track immediately. In PROGRAM mode, it will
- go to the next program step. You can use "N" as a shortcut on your keyboard.
-
- [^]
- This is the EJECT gadget. It will open/close the cd tray on Mitsumi FX001
- drives. With LU005 drives it is ghosted and inoperational.
- You can use "E" as a shortcut on your keyboard.
-
- VOLUME SLIDER
- It will adjust the audio volume on Mitsumi FX001 drives. With LU005 drives it
- is ghosted and inoperational. It hast no keyboard shortcut.
-
- [NUMBER]
- These gadgets are for direct playing/programming of tracks. Tracks greater as
- 20 must be entered via the keyboard.
- (See also "Keyboard shortcuts" later in this document).
-
-
-
- KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS:
-
- Most operations can be controlled with the keyboard.
- For these shortcuts to work, the PlayCD window must be active.
-
-
- GADGET SHORTCUTS:
-
- CURSOR LEFT = [<<] (SKIP BACK)
- CURSOR RIGHT = [>>] (SKIP FORWARD)
- CURSOR DOWN = [|>] (PLAY)
- CURSOR UP = [|-|] (STOP)
- SPACE BAR = [||] (PAUSE/RESUME)
- B = [|<<] (SEEK BACK)
- N = [>>|] (SEEK NEXT)
- E = [^] (EJECT)
-
- MENU SHORTCUTS:
-
- Right Amiga key + C = Continue
- Right Amiga key + P = Program
- Right Amiga key + S = Shuffle
- Right Amiga key + T = Track
- Right Amiga key + R = Repeat
- Right Amiga key + I = Inquire
- Right Amiga key + A = About
- Right Amiga key + Q = Quit (same as hitting the close gadget)
-
-
- OTHER KEYBOARD OPERATIONS:
-
- DEL = Zip window (make it big or small)
- HELP = run "sys:Utilities/AmigaGuide playcd.guide"
-
- Instead of clicking on one of the number gadgets to play or progam a track,
- you may use the keyboard instead. This is very important to know, if you want
- to program track numbers greater than 20.
- To do this, simply enter the number on your keyboard, e.g. [2] and [1] for
- track 21. If you want to enter a track number below ten, you have to either
- enter a leading 0 (e.g. [0] and [5] for track 5), or enter [5] followed by
- the carriage return or the enter key.
- If you have entered a wrong first digit (e.g. you want to program track 21,
- but accidently typed 1 first), you can press backspace [<-] on our keyboard
- to erase the wrong entry (In our example this would be [1] oops! [<-]
- [2] [1]).
-
-
- TOOLTYPES
- Here are the tooltypes of the PlayCD.info file listed:
-
- DEVICE=name.device
- Name of the exec.device driver. The Installation program should have filled
- in the correct name. Device names could be "tandemcd.device",
- "tandemcd_come.device" or "tandemcd_pcmcia.device". If no device name
- is given, the program defaults to "tandemcd.device".
-
- UNIT=number
- Unit number of your driver. The Installation program should have filled
- in the correct unit number (usually 0).
- If no unit number is specified, the program defaults to unit 0.
-
- SKIP=number
- Amount of seconds to skip when hitting SKIP FORWARD [>>] or SKIP BACK [<<] or
- their keyboard equivalents.
- If no value is specified, the program defaults to 1.
-
- FONT=name
- Uses this font, if possible. Enter "default" for the system default font.
- If the specified font can't be loaded or if this tooltype is mising, PlayCD
- will use the current screen font.
-
- FONTSIZE=number
- Size of your preferred font. If you want to use the system's default font size,
- enter 0 for the size.
-
- PEEKTIME=number
- Interval (in 1/100 of a second), the drive will be asked for the current
- position during playback. Default is 20 (0,2 secs).
- Should never be higher than 100 (1 second) for proper operation.
- Lowering the value will make the "non-linear" playback modes (Track, Shuffle,
- Program) more accurate, but will use more CPU time.
-
- PUBSCREEN=name
- The name of the public screen, you wish PlayCD to open its window.
- If this screen cannot be found or no screen is specified, the default public
- screen will be used.
-
-
- END OF DOCUMENT
-
-