AVI_IO D 03.01 released

[Markus Zingg]

Hi all

I just wanted to inform you that I released AVI_IO D 03.01. I meanwhile sent
out this version to all registerd users. Note, this is NOT YET the long
awaited DV version of AVI_IO, but it's having some significant new features
which made me think it's worth sending it out to all users.

The following new main features are available with AVI_IO D 03.01

- Capture session numbers. This feature makes AVI_IO create new unique file
names for each capture run.
- Custom Frame Sizes. This is very handy to capture to SVCD format's or
other non standard avi sizes right away.
- Free Capture window. This feature let you watch the video at a different
size during capture than the size you capture. That's handy to watch a movie
nearly full screen while it's captured in say SVCD size.
- Capture timers. You can define up to 100 timers in a very convenient and
easy way. The timers allow you to define say "record every saturday at 8pm
for 20 minutes on channel 5"
- TV Tuner support. Note, support is limited to capture boards who's drivers
work with "Intercast" (r) technology. This covers most brooktree based
boards running under Windows 9x unfortunately Matrox Marvel does not work here, but I'm considering interfacing directly to the drivers to achive the same effect.
- A toolbar to access the most often used AVI_IO functions quickly and in a
convenient way.
- Configurable start message boxes.
- Repeating and endless playback of avi files
- Support for command line arguments.
- Higher compatibility with OpenDML 1.02 files in the player.

There are also some other smaller things changed.

The latest documentation for AVI_IO is updated and available at:
http://www.nct.ch/multimedia/avi_io/


Thanks for your attention.

Markus




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[RoGuE]

Hopefully it should be sitting in my inbox when I get home. I look forward to trying it out.

Thanks Markus

[wkulecz]

Crashed my windows 2000 to a black screen reboot!

The previous version worked fine!

ASUS P2B-D
dual P-III 500
512MB RAM
20 GB WD IDE hard drive Primary master
Pioneer 6X DVD-ROM Seconday Master
PCI ATI AIW-Pro using drivers built into w2k
AGP G200 Millineum as secondary display
Bay Networks FX310 10/100 ethernet
UMAX 1220P scanner on parallel port
HP photosmart printer on USB printer adaptor
PS/2 mouse
Cyberpower2000 UPS on COM2
X10 controller on COM1
Adaptec 2940 SCSI
/ Teac 532S CDROM
/ Yamaha 8824 CD-RW
/ Nikon LS-20 scanner

The system is pretty loaded and does everything *but* video editing for me, although it has been convienent to be able to do a quick capture occasionally for which I've used MSPro6ve to make an ASF or MPEG1

I'm out of time tonight but will investigate later.

It left the system in a state where I get "capture device in use" when I tried using the previous version after rebooting :-(

--wally.




[This message has been edited by wkulecz (edited 03 August 2000).]

[Markus Zingg]

Hi Wally

You should give me more information about the crash - probably a dump or such and the information at which operation it crashes would help. I have intesively tested AVI_IO D 03.00 on my W2K system and have found it to run stable.

Markus

[Markus Zingg]

If there is a bug in the driver code, then there is nothing I could do about other than (like you guys) wait for the fix.

The difference between 03.00 and 03.01 is a fix with the newly introduced segm chunk which makes VirtualDub recognize a whole bunch of avi_io captured files in one step. The problem was that Tmpeg (a freeware MPEG encoder) aparently is having a bug in it's riff parser for the header part of an avi. The effect was that Tmpeg only encoded black video. Users which have 03.00 (aproximately half of them) can request an upgrade. The difference between 03.01 and 03.02 (that's the current version) is a fixed bug in fullscreen playback if the start message dialog box is not presented and the playback was initiated over the toolbar. In this situation one could not hit ESC to abort the playback. It's related to the player window not having the focus. A workaround (aside from requesting an update) is to hit "ALT-TAB" and select AVI_IO as the current application. Then hit ESC. Again, that's meanwhile fixed.

Markus


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[wkulecz]

Markus, it crashed so hard, I've little to go on. I'll make sure Dr. Watson is setup correctly and try again tonight.

LvR, I didn't try it on my Marvel. The ATI AIW-Pro *has* WDM capture drivers built into w2k, presumably "blessed" by MicroSoft, its just that there are no TV or PC-VCR like apps for it yet. The previous verison of AVI_IO seemed to work great with it and with the audio level indicators off works well enough as a TV viewer application. The new timer recording would make it about perfect if it worked. My main complaint is the driver doesn't save the last TV channel, but instead seems to go to chan 4 on every startup :-( I assume this is a driver problem not an AVI_IO problem, although AVI_IO could fix it if it initilized the the driver to the same state it left it at.

Markus, right now you have a potential captive market of ATI AIW-xxx owners who've a board with drivers but no apps under w2k. Make a more convienent channel changer and add an option for pure video window with no title, status, or tool bars with popup menus for the basic controls (like Hauppauge Win/TV) and you're better than anything I've seen yet! A post of such availablity to alt.comp.periphs.videocards.ati should get a good response!

--wally.

[Markus Zingg]

Wally

I do have an ATI AIW 128 installed on my W2K system. No problems whatsoever! No crashes no nothing! Are you sure you haven't screwed your installation? Then, AVI_IO DOES remember the last channel. Simply click on save settings. It will then go to this channel next time you start it up. Fullscreen viewing is on the wish list. What's wrong with the channel selection? Are you after a toolbar with +/- ?

Markus


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[LvR]

Markus

Trust you still remember our communication regarding the crashing, on exit, of any capture software that uses VFW and not the custom PCVCR capture utility under W2K.

I had this hassle before, and with the new version D3.00 just received, the problem continues – Matrox (Haig) has in the mean time acknowledged the existence of the bug and will apparently have a fix in the new drivers.

I have however picked up as well that the new version D3.00 causes the system to crash mid capture process – no information available – just dies and reboots.

Version D3.00 and D3.01?


------------------
Lawrence

[wkulecz]

Markus,

Must of been a corrupt file transfer/unzip.

I re-installed it from the original zip file you Emailed and 3.01D works fine now. Except can't change the channels without bringing up the VideoSettings>Source>TVtuner dialog.

Unfortunately version D 3.01 doesn't remember the channel setting -- always starts up on 4. If it started on 3 I'd be OK since I have cable now and its convertor only plays on channel 3. Quick selection of the composite/SVHS inputs would be for the VCR/camcorder. It does seem to remember all the other settings.

As a TV viewer app it'd be nice to be able to switch channels and input sources quickly with a keyboard shortcut, top level buttons, or popup menu (like Hauppauge).

Great job! To me a no-title unadorned window showing only video to conserve screen space is more important than full screen (If I want full screen I'll watch a real TV :-)

As a capture utility its fine, but since ATI lacks viewer software on windows 2000, I think these changes could give you a larger market -- to fund AVI_IO-DV development :-)

Why no 352x240 and 640x480 NTSC capture size options? As long as I'm dreaming, 720x480 would be great for sending to the Fasttrack for later conversion to DV as a poorman's DVMC.

--wally.

PS Just discovered that it also returns to channel 4 after playing back a captured file!

A 320x240 capture played back full screen in media player looks very very good! Much better than any VCD I've seen but then ~300MB/minute vs 11 MB/min should buy you something! :-)


[This message has been edited by wkulecz (edited 04 August 2000).]

[Sciascia]

wkulecz,
I haven't tried it myself, but there is a custom frame size option in the capture settings window. Is that what you are looking for?

[Markus Zingg]

wkulecz

I should have been more carefull in reading. The ATI board does not provide intercast functionality under W2K. So the antenna button should be greyed out. It works like a charm though under W9x. I'm going to implement DirectShow support under which tuner functionality is available. The tuner support as it's implemented by now is mostliy limitted to brooktree based boards under W9x. Sorry for the confusion.

My point was that crashes do not occure with the ATI AIW 128 under W2K on the system I have. I would be happy if you could give me more information about such problems - especially at what operation it crashes.

Markus

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[LvR]

Markus

Sorry if I came across as blaming your software for this – I know it is a problem with the current beta W2K Marvel G400 Matrox drivers.

Just wanted to let the guys know that there are more people having the same hassles


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Lawrence

[wkulecz]

Sciascia,

Of the two capture boards I've tried with W2k (Hauppauge Win/TV and ATI AIW-pro) both are NTSC and lack the 352x240 "VCD" capture option (instead they have the PAL 352x288).

Also, neither offer a "custom" option in the w2k driver capture dialog box. Both do under win9x. On w2k, Hauppauge is VfW driver model, ATI is WDM.

This is for me a rather major limitation and was hoping that Markus could be the hero again if he knew a fix for it.

--wally.

[Markus Zingg]

Wally

The custom framesize option is under Capture settings.... :-) It's there and working!

Markus

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[Sciascia]

Wally

It is under File>capture settings. There is a box on the right hand side that says custom size. Check it and the greyed out section will clear. Enter your res there.