Windows NT 4.0 IBM MPEG-2 driver for ThinkPad 760ED/760XD ========================================================= Release date : 5/6/1997 Version : 1.00 What This Diskette Does ----------------------- This driver diskette contains the IBM MPEG-2 Multimedia Driver for Windows NT 4.0. After you install the MPEG-2 driver, you will be able to playback the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 HHR compatible MPEG video clips using Windows NT Media Player. This hardware MPEG Feature will provide you the better performance for the motion pictures, animations with the less system/CPU overhead. The following models are supported: - ThinkPad 760ED and 760XD Released Version ---------------- Version 1.00 First Release Summary of Changes ------------------ Where: Diskette version (For example, 1.00 means Version 1.00) (New) New function or enhancement (Fix) Correction to existing function (Restriction) Remaining restriction <1.00> -(New) Initial release. Installation instructions: -------------------------- When you install the Windows NT 4.0 MPEG Feature Diskette, you must also install the following device drivers/utility program: - Windows NT Mwave/DSP Feature Diskette V2.42 - Windows NT 4.0 Display Driver V1.00 - Windows NT ThinkPad Feature Program V3.50 or higher Note: To support the suspend/resume feature using MPEG driver, ThinkPad Feature program must be installed as the pre-requisite software. - If you install the PC Card Director for the hot plug features, it is recommended to install V1.01 or later version to get the better video/audio performance. If you have not installed these updated driver, please get the latest driver from IBM Web site and install it first. Installation information and detail technical information is available in this web site. How to get the drivers/utility program, access to www server on Internet: http://www.us.pc.ibm.com/support/tps/tpwnt.html Installing MPEG Feature Diskette -------------------------------- Following are the steps to be carried out to install the driver from the installation diskette. 1. Run "Start Menu" --> "Settings" --> "Control Panel". 2. Double click the mouse on "Multimedia" icon in the "Control Panel" window. 3. "Mutimedia Properties" window shows up. Click the mouse on "Devices" tab. Click the mouse on "Add..." button. A window titled Add shows up. It shows a List of Drivers. Select "Unlisted or Updated Driver" by double clicking the mouse on the entry. 4. Click the mouse on OK button or hit the Enter key. "Install Driver" window shows up. Enter the drive letter, e.g. a:, corresponding to the Floppy Drive containing our installation diskette, in the window. Click the mouse on "OK" button or hit the Enter key. The window titled "Add Unlisted or Updated Driver" will show up the following device : "(MCI)IBM MPEG-2 Decoder" Click on "OK" button or hit the Enter key. 5. System does some processing to install the driver. It takes a few seconds and then the window titled "Installationn" panel shows up. This panel shows the version number of the driver. Click the mouse on "OK" button or hit the Enter key. The window disappears and you are back in the Control Panel window again. The installation procedure is over. How to verify the installation ------------------------------ Please carry out the following steps for verifying that installation has taken place correctly: 1. Run "Start" Menu --> "Settings" --> "Control Panel". 2. Double Click the mouse on "Devices" button. A window titled "Devices" shows up. Look for an entry by name "mpegcd1" under the device column in this window. This entry corresponding to "mpegcd1" should show the Status as "Started" and Startup as "System". Click the mouse on "Close" button or hit the Enter key. 3. Run "Start" menu -->"Programs" -->"Accessories" ->"Multimedia" -> "Media Player". 4. Click the mouse on the "Device" Menu button on this window. You should be able to see an entry corresponding to MPEG driver. The entry would be having the name, "IBM MPEG-2 Decoder" 5. Click "File" and click "Open..." and select any MPEG1 or MPEG2-HHR file that want to play. After few seconds, MPEG video clip window should come on the sreen. Click play button (>) to start playing back he MPEG file you opened. 6. MPEG file should be started playing with sound/video. Helpful hints how to use the MPEG driver on Windows NT 4.0 --------------------------------------------------------- When you use the MPEG driver on Windows NT 4.0, the following items should be considered since some limitations exist in the driver. 1. Any multimedia player application provided by a third party or a custom player application created for Windows NT is not guaranteed to work with this driver. Only the "Media Player" application (mplay32.exe) is tested and verified. 2. MPEG-2 Main Profile/Main Level is not supported. MPEG-2 HHR(Half Height Resolution) with Transport Stream media is the only supported MPEG-2 feature with this current release. 3. Running more than one video application which shares the same video hardware is not supported. For example, while an MPEG file is in play, the video capture application will not work. Run one or the other at a time. 4. When IBM MPEG-2 Decoder is selected on the Device menu on the Media Player, opening the another Media Player for the Sound/MIDI/Video for Windows/CD Audio is on hold. If it requires using other devices concurrently with MPEG device on Media Player, select these devices first before selecting the IBM MPEG-2 Decoder. 5. Displaying the video window to the external CRT or to TV(NTSC/PAL) is supported. When the video is displayed on these screen, following is the limitation. External CRT: Setting the video mode to the following is not supported: - 1024x768/256 colors/75 Hz Refresh Rate, - 1024x768/64K colors/75 Hz refresh Rate, - 1280x1024/256 colors - 16 colors (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768) External TV (NTSC or PAL): - Set the scan mode to "overscan" when Enhanced Video is enabled using the ThinkPad Feature Program. Setting to "underscan" mode shows the partial clipped image on the video window. 6. To get better audio/video performance when playing MPEG-2 files, please consider the following: Playing MPEG-2 is sensitive to the available CPU time in the system. If you run applications that require a large amount of CPU resources, it will affect the audio/video latency for the MPEG playback. So, try to avoid running other applications as much as possible during the playback of the MPEG-2 files. Another known limitation occurs when using the PC Card Director, version 1.00. This affects the audio/video latency because of its CPU overhead. This problem is fixed by the PC Card Director, version 1.01 which is available in BBS or IBM web site. If you use the version 1.00 of the PC Card Director, please do the following as a work around: - Go to Windows NT Control Panel - Double click "Devices", search "PC Card Pnp Filter" in the device list - Select "PC Card PnP Filter" and select "Stop" PC Card Director will be stopped when you press "Stop" button - Select "Startup..." and change the startup type from "Automatic" to "Disable" - Click "OK" and Close "Devices" Control Panel By disabling the PC Card Director, MPEG audio/video latency problem will be resolved. It is recommended that you will install the latest PC Card Director when you need the PCMCIA hot plug feature. *** End of the README file *******************************************************************