README.TXT For REALmagic Xcard(TM) Release 1.3 (Build 151) - Dec 23rd, 2002 ======================================== Congratulations on your purchase of REALmagic Xcard DVD/MPEG2/ MPEG4/DivX multimedia playback card. This file contains important information in addition to the Quickstart and Users' Guides. __________________________________________________________________ FOR FUTURE DRIVERS UPDATES AND INFO VISIT OUR WEB SITE www.sigmadesigns.com __________________________________________________________________ Please read your Quickstart Guide for Hardware & Software Installation. More details are in the Users' Guide in the same folder. These guides are in the documents folder of your CD. ===============================================================| &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& INSTALLATION NOTE &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&| ===============================================================| BEFORE INSTALLATION OF THIS RELEASE YOU NEED TO UNINSTALL THE | PREVIOUS RELEASE : | | &&&&&&&&&&&&&& ONLY IF PREVIOUS RELEASE WAS 1.1 : &&&&&&&&&& | THERE WAS A BUG IN THE PREVIOUS RELEASE 1.1. DURING UNINSTALL,| IT WILL REMOVE THE REGISTRY ENTRIES FOR APPLICATIONS THAT START| AT BOOTING TIME SUCH AS AN ANTI-VIRUS PROGRAM. TO AVOID THIS,| IF YOU HAVE SUCH AUTO START APPLICATIONS, RUN REGEDIT (BE | CAREFUL WHEN DOING SO) AND RENAME THE FOLLOWING FOLDER "RUN" | TO "RUNX" : | | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run | AFTER RUNNING FULL UNINSTALL, RUN REGEDIT AGAIN TO RENAME BACK | "RUNX" TO "RUN". REBOOT AND INSTALL THE NEW RELEASE. | | IF THESE STEPS ARE NOT FOLLOWED, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO RE-INSTALL | THESE APPLICATIONS. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE. | | THIS CURRENT RELEASE DOES NOT HAVE THIS BUG. | ===============================================================| ===================================== IMPORTANT NOTES : ===================================== - PLEASE RIGHT-CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON TO SELECT BETWEEN PLAYLIST MODE AND DVD/CD-ROM DRIVES. IN FACT, MANY BUTTONS HAVE A USEFUL RIGHT-CLICK MENU. - PLEASE DO NOT USE THE FLOPPY DISKETTE FOR THE REMOTE CONTROL DRIVER (if included). IT'LL GET INSTALLED AS PART OF THE REALMAGIC XCARD DRIVERS ON THE ENCLOSED CD DISC. SOFTWARE RELEASE NOTICE for Release 1.3 ======================================== - A new utility "FiltersControl" is included (see section below) - Even though the AVI Check can identify a Microsoft WMA audio, still the Xcard does not decode it. - An AVI file on a CD will be played automatically if the play mode is pointing to the CD/DVD drive. - If you want the drivers to release the TV output, SPDIF output, or/and the SCART output, you can change in the Registry the three following values from 1 to 0. HKLM\Software\SigmaDesigns\REALmagic\20\General\ TVEnableAtClose, SpdifEnableAtClose, ScartEnableAtClose (please exercise caution and backup when you modify the Registry) - Support for bookmarks for DVD movies and MPEG files - Fix for instantaneous changing of height with some MPEG files - Support for multiple audio streams in AVI files - Support for different FourCC such as XviD, just accept it the first time it plays and it'll be added as a supported FourCC. - New Help file. IMPORTANT NOTE FOR DIRECTSHOW USERS (see Filters_Control below) =================================== DirectShow version 8 and later impose high priorities for the software MPEG 1 decoder filter and the Windows splitter filter affecting also the playback of some MPEG 2 files connecting the software audio decoder filter to the MPEG1 audio stream of these MPEG 2 files. In this case the Xcard is not used for the decoding. For this reason, the Setup application renames the string quartz.dll to quartz.dll.xxx in the two following entries : [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{4A2286E0-7BEF-11CE-9BD9-0000E202599C} \InprocServer32]@="C:\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM\\QUARTZ.DLL.xxx" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{FEB50740-7BEF-11CE-9BD9-0000E202599C} \InprocServer32]@="C:\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM\\QUARTZ.DLL.xxx" Or "C:\\WINDOWS\\SYSTEM32\\QUARTZ.DLL.xxx" for Win XP. This will not affect the use of Quartz.dll for the playback of other multimedia files such as WAV files. If you are using your own application where you build your own graph by forcing filters and not auto rendering, then you can rename these two entries back to their original name. (see filterscontrol below) Note : installing Adobe Premiere 6.5 will add a DirectShow filter that overrides any filter in the system. This will affect the use of the Xcard in any application other than Xmedia PLayer. If you want the Xcard to be used you'll need to unregister the Adobe filter with the commands: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 (or SYSTEM for Win 98)\regsvr32 -u mcspmpeg.ax C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 (or SYSTEM for Win 98)\regsvr32 -u mcdsmpeg.ax ===================================== FILTERS CONTROL FOR DIRECTSHOW ===================================== There is the application FiltersControl.exe in the folder where you installed the software, Program Files\REALmagic by default. This application allows you to control whether or not to use the REALmagic DirectShow filters in applications other than the Xmedia Player. It also allows you to reverse the Registry modification described above concerning quartz.dll. - Windows Media Player WMP can use the Xcard to play MPEG 1, MPEG 2, and MPEG 4 files but not DivX files (playback on TV set only). If you want WMP to "NOT" use the Xcard, please run FiltersControl.exe described below and check off the use of the proper filters and the renaming of quartz.dll. To restore the functionality of the Xcard with applications other than Xmedia Player run the same application again re-enabling the proper filters and the checking on the renaming of quartz.dll. PLAYBACK OF AUDIO CDs ===================== At this time, audio CDs can be played through Xcard with an Audio CD player, digital output of DVD connected to SPDIF-in of Xcard, if: 1. Xmedia is not open. (win98 or 2K) 2. Digital CD audio is not enabled in the Device Manager \DVD\CD ROM drives\DVD\Properties. (win2k) You can play Audio CDs also with WMP7.x or later if the Digital Playback in WMP\Tools\Options\CD Audio is not checked. SOFTWARE RELEASE NOTICE for Release 1.21 ========================================= - A fix for a bug on systems running the software DivX AVI codec versions 3.xx. Some of the DivX AVI 3.xx were not correctly played with Windows Media Player if the Xcard drivers were installed. They were played correctly with the software players such as The Playa. SOFTWARE RELEASE NOTICE for Release 1.2 ======================================== *************** The release of this driver coincides with the release of the Sigma Designs' RMP4, the MPEG 4 video software encoder/decoder posted for the free use on the web site WWW.SIGMADESIGNS.COM. Any MPEG 4 contents or movies encoded with this RMP4 encoder are compatible and fully supported by this drivers release of the Xcard. *************** - A new AVI Splitter DirectShow filter for the playback of MPEG 4 AVI's named : "Sigma Designs AVI Splitter". - The DivX AVI files do not need to have the extension AVI. They'll get recognized by AVI Checker. - Smoother playback of DivX files 5.xx with B-frames. - Better recognition of DivX 5.xx files with AC-3 audio and not mistaking them as including the GMC feature. - Support for alphabetically sorting the Play List. Right-click the list. - Support for multiple audio tracks in SVCDs. - Inserting a DVD/CD disc in the drive will launch the Xmedia Player and will start the playback (provided autoplay is turned on) even if the last use of the player was in Play List mode. - You can use the "Title" button on the Remote Control or the keyboard to get the "Display Info" in the OSD display. This is not applicable when playing DVD titles since, in this case, it triggers the Title menu of the DVD contents. - More descriptive error messages. - No support for Variable Bit Rate VBR MP3 files. SOFTWARE RELEASE NOTICE for Release 1.1 ======================================== - Implementation of a Help feature - press F1. - Implementation for the aspect ratio of DivX files playback. This will fix the stretching vertically of these movies. You now are able to scale the video manually if the displayed aspect ratio is incorrect. Press the Up/Down buttons on the Remote Control or the keyboard for such effect. - Faster loading of Xmedia Player. - Support for MP3 bit rates below 96 KHz as well as mono audio streams within DivX files/movies. - Support for DivX files with frame size 720x576. - Support for DivX files encoded in "cropped" PAL mode. - More descriptive...
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