Kino Preferences
Defaults
The defaults contain the settings for DV encoding used by the FX mode.
- Normalisation
- Select the desired video signal format: NTSC or PAL.
- Audio
- Choose the audio sampling frequency. We recommend 48khz.
- Aspect Ratio
- Typical video is 4:3. Movies and new digital television standards
use 16:9 (widescreen).
Capture
- Base File Name
- Enter the path where you want to store captured video
followed by a file name stem. Do not add the extension.
Kino generates a sequence number and optionally a timestamp
that it appends to the stem file name. It also generates
the file extension, currently only .avi.
- File Type
- Currently, Kino only supports Raw DV and DV AVI file formats. You can
choose between standard DV1 or DV2 formats. DV2 is more compatible
with other applications because it creates a separate interleaved
audio stream. However, if you are only capturing for Kino use or
for another program that supports DV1, then choose it because DV
natively interleaves audio with the video and the audio stream
in DV2 is wasteful. MPlayer and Avifile only playback DV2 AVI.
Current versions of Windows DirectShow do support DV1, but
Windows application support for DV1 is inconsistent.
The OpenDML option only applies to DV2. OpenDML allows for very
large files (greater than 1GB). DV1 is natively OpenDML.
- Auto Split Files
- Generate a new file whenever Kino detects a new scene
while capturing video.
- Put Timestamp In File Name
- If enabled, during capture, Kino appends a date and time to the base
file name specified above.
- Frames per File
- Set the maximum number of frames a single AVI is to contain. While
Kino has recently added support for reading large files, it
does not support writing large files. The default is 7000 frames,
which should be safe for PAL DV2 files. An NTSC DV1 file can hold
9000 frames.
- Write Every n Frame
- This is time-lapse record function. If entered, Kino skips
n frames between capturing a single frame and adding it to the AVI.
- Max File Size
- Not yet implemented.
IEEE 1394
- video1394 Device
- video1394 is used to export DV over IEEE 1394. Depending upon your
version of video1394, or if you have more than one adapter, you can
set the video1394 device file name. In general, if you are using kernel
2.4.18 or older, set this to "/dev/video1394". If you are
using kernel 2.4.19 or newer, then follow the video1394 devfs naming
convention and set this to "/dev/video1394/0".
- IEEE 1394 Interface
- This provides support for multiple IEEE 1394 host adapters,
NOT the individual plugs on a single adapter. Nothing needs to
be done to address a plug on a single adapater, as 1394
automatically takes care of this. This is a zero-based number.
- IEEE 1394 Channel
- This provides support for selecting an isochronous channel for
capture and export. The default is 63 because that is the broadcast
channel. All other channels are for point-to-point communication.
Only advanced users would ever need this.
- Capture Buffers
- The maximum number of complete frames that can be buffered by the IEEE 1394
capture thread.
- VCR (AV/C) Control
- Kino detects all cameras on the bus that support the AV/C command
set. Select one from the list. It attempts to read the name of the
device from its Configuration ROM, but not all devices implement it.
If the name is not readable, then the numeric node is used. Most users
only have one AV/C device connected anyway. You do not need a camera
supporting AV/C to capture video! It is only used to control the
tape transport mechansim.
- Disable AV/C Device Control
- If you have a device such as a Analog-to-DV converter that does not
respond to device control, then select this. Also, if you have general
stability issues in Capture mode, then you might try selecting this.
- DV Export/Frame Buffers
- The number of DMA buffers used by the video1394 device. Set this to a
higher value if you experience buffer underruns.
- DV Export/Timing
- These two timing entry fields let you tweak the parameters of the
DV export algorithm to achieve successful results. A value of
0 for either field selects its built-in default, which has been
deemed compatible for most users based upon current feedback.
However, if you need to adjust them, then it helps to know the
built-in values to use as a starting point for experimentation:
Setting |
PAL |
NTSC |
Increment |
1 |
2436 |
Threshold |
16 |
38400 |
- DV Export/SYT Offset
- video1394 must generate a timestamp in DV transmission
stream that must be a fairly precise offset of the bus'
master cycle timer. This can vary on systems due to latency
or device compatibility. Values between 18000 and 20000 seem
to work for most users.
Display
- Display Method
- GDK: very compatible with X servers and the X Windows
client/server architecture. Not very fast.
Does not maintain frame aspect ratio.
XVideo (Xv): requires XFree86 4.x and supporting hardware
and X server. Run 'xvinfo' from the shell to get information about
support on your system. Very fast and Kino maintains both frame and
pixel-accurate aspect ratio. You can not take a screen capture of
the video preview in this mode. XVideo is similar to Microsoft
DirectDraw.
Reduce Xv: Similar to XVideo above with the same advantages
and disadvantages. This variation, however, uses half of the data
bandwidth that is needed for compatibility on some X servers and
hardware. The reduction in data bandwidth does invoke a scaling
CPU overhead thereby affecting performance.
- Enable preview during capture
- To reduce the chance of dropped frames during video capture
to disk, disable this option. If you have a fast enough system,
you can turn this om and get a live preview of the video being
captured.
- Drop video frames as needed
- When enabled, Kino uses sophisticated algorithms and threads
to sacrifice the video frame rate in order to provide better
audio quality of play back and to provide an overall playback
rate that is consistent and true with time. Basically, only
disable this if you are interested in seeing if you machine
is fast enough to decode DV in realtime. If you machine is not
fast enough, then your will hear audio clicks and gaps.
- Fix Image Size
- This keeps the video preview area the same size as you enlarge
the Kino window. Sometimes it helps to improve performance to keep
a smaller video window, but you want more working space in the Kino
interface. Also, at 100%, this prevents any possible distortions caused
by scaling for a more accurate view of the video.
- DV decode quality
- You can adjust the quality of the DV decoder to reduce
the processing overhead for increased playback performance.
This does not affect the quality of DV exported over
IEEE 1394 back into your camera.
- DV decode quality/Add NTSC setup
- Normally, NTSC DV electronic equipment adds a base level of
7.5 IRE luma (brightness) on its analog video outputs,
per the American NTSC standard.
This is sometimes also referred to as "pedestal."
However, some countries that use NTSC, particularly Japan do not
add luma--i.e., there is no "setup." Interestingly enough, the
NTSC DV standard is based upon the Japanese NTSC standard.
As a result, when you view NTSC DV on your computer, it often
appears darker than normal. This options adds a 16/255 luma
setup during DV decoding. Japanese NTSC users should not use
this option; most others will. This option does not even apply
to PAL video, and is ignored. It is interesting to note that one
is not supposed to add setup when exporting video to other formats
or during image processing operations such as in FX mode. If enabled,
then FX rendering counter-compensates for this affect; however, it
really should be disabled to avoid the luma shifts back and forth.
- DV decode quality/Clamp luma values
- DV decode quality/Clamp chroma values
- ITU-R 601 specifies that the legal range for luma is 16-235 and
for chroma is 16-240 regardless of NTSC, PAL, or setup issues. However,
some users take advantage of the footroom or headroom below or above
these ranges to encode additional information for things such as
luma keying. The luma and chroma clamp options permit the range checking
to be disabled to preserve the superblack and superwhite.
These options also apply to the encoder used by the FX
renderer.
Audio
You can enable or disable audio and set the OSS device file
to use for your machine. Kino only supports OSS at this time.
If you are running a sound server in your desktop environment
such as esd for GNOME, or aRts for KDE, then Kino cannot open
the sound device unless your driver explicitly supports it.
The SoundBlaster Live series cards and driver support
multiple opens.
- Enable Audio Scrub
- Normally, audio only plays in the Edit and Trim modes
when you choose playback, regardless of speed or direction.
However, it does not play audio as you navigate using
the keyboard or scrub bar (and the transport state is
stopped or paused.) Enable this option to play audio
as much as possible, if only for brief moments.
- Enable Audio Off Timing
- If you disable audio, or if Kino is unable to open the
audio device, then this option attempts to compensate and
normalize play back speed.
Jog/Shuttle
Enable this if you have a Contour Shuttle Pro or Sony USB
Jog/Shuttle controller. See the README_jogshuttle to build
the kernel module and its dependent modules.
V4L
V4L is an acronym for Video For Linux. It is a standard video
API used by many TV tuners, web cams, and MJPEG video capture
boards. Kino can display the video from a V4L device, change
channels, and capture. Charlie Yates has more information.
Other
- Disable Key Repeat
- If you find that your keystrokes are buffering and you
inadvertently have to wait for Kino to process all of them,
then you might enable this option. If enabled, Kino only operates
on the oldest event in the queue and discards all pending events.
On the other hand, enabling this option may require you
to use the keys more slowly in order for Kino to receive the
ones you do intend it to process.
- Enable time code display on startup
- By default the video clip timestamp and timecode display
is turned off for performance reasons. You can click the
timecode field labels in the main window to turn them on,
but Kino does not automatically remember that. Enable this
option to make Kino always start with the timecode display
active.
- Default Project Directory
- Set the default directory used by the File/Open and File/Save
dialog. This default is used until a new directory is chosen during
the current Kino session. Then, on the next session, Kino reverts back
to your default project directory.
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