OS/2 Shareware BBS: Multimed/Multimed.zip/ctavos2.zip/CREAFAV.EXE/CTMOVIE/CTMOVIE.HLP

OS/2 Help File | 1995-05-29 | 44KB | 423 lines

ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Overview ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

      What is CreativeAV?
      About CreativeMovie


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.1. What is CreativeAV? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

CreativeAV is a suite of playback utitlities that allows you to control the
multimedia devices on your PC.  It consists of five players: CreativeWave,
CreativeMidi, CreativeCD, CreativeOverlay and CreativeMovie.

CreativeWave plays WAVE files, CreativeMidi plays MIDI files, CreativeCD plays
audio CD tracks, CreativeOverlay controls the video overlay device and
CreativeMovie plays digital video files.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1.2. About CreativeMovie ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

CreativeMovie is the digital video player in the CreativeAV suite of multimedia
playback utilities.  Some of the advanced features of this player are:

        "Touch-Sensitive" Display
        Multiple display formats
        Fast Track Selection
        Fine control of playing positions
        Different modes of Playlist playback: namely, Introduction, Repeat and
         Shuffle
        Playlist Management


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. The Interface ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The CreativeMovie interface appears as shown below:

Related Topics:

          "Touch-Sensitive" Display
          Fast Track Selector
          Playback Control
          Playlist Button
          Power-Off Button
          Menu Button
          Minimize Button


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.1. "Touch-Sensitive" Display ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The "Touch-Sensitive" Display consists of several "touch-sensitive" controls as
well as indicators that show the current playback status and track information.
By clicking on the "Touch-Sensitive" Display, you can toggle among the
different views.

CreativeMovie has three "touch-sensitive" views. They are:

View 1. Graphical display of player status
Playing a file
Not playing any files

View 2. Current playlist and track title.

View 3.Current track number and duration of the track.

In addition to the track and collection titles, Views 2 and 3 also offer the
following controls:
Volume Control
Repeat Mode Selector
Introduction Mode Selector
Shuffle Mode Selector
Progress Slider


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.2. Fast Track Selector ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Fast Track Selector buttons  allow direct selection of a movie sequence in the
playlist.

Related Topics:

          Playing Tracks
          Using Track Selector Buttons


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2.3. Playback Control ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Playback control buttons are:

      Stop button
      Play button
      Pause button
      Skip-Reverse button
      Rewind button
      Fast-Forward button
      Skip-Forward button

 Related Topics:

          Playing Tracks
          Using Track Selector Buttons


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Working With CreativeMovie ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

      Playing Tracks
      Using Track Selector Buttons
      Adjusting the Volume
      Changing a Track's Playing Position
      Compiling a Playlist
      Moving the CreativeMovie Window
      Keyboard Shortcuts


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.1. Playing Tracks ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The tracks in the current Playlist  are played in sequence.  You can start,
stop, or skip the playback of these  tracks by choosing the Playback Control
buttons on CreativeMovie.

If you wish to play a specific track, you can enter the track number by using
the Fast Track Selector buttons.

Note:
If you enter a track number that is larger than the number of tracks in the
movie player, the last track will be selected automatically.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.2. Using Track Selector Buttons ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

The Track Selector buttons let you play a specific track directly. To pick a
certain track, choose a button on the Fast Track Selector that has the right
track number.  After a brief delay of about one second, the track will start
playing.

To select a multi-digit track number, choose the buttons for the track number
one by one.  For example, if you want to select track number 128, choose 1
first, then 2 and then 8.  And as you choose the buttons, the track numbers
will be shown in the "Touch-Sensitive" Display.

However, the track selection logic uses a delay of one second to decide whether
the track selection process has completed.  Therefore, you must choose the
buttons quickly, each within a second of choosing the previous button.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.3. Adjusting the Volume ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can adjust the volume of the player using the Volume Control slider in the
"Touch-Sensitive" Display.

Volume Control behaves like a standard slider control in OS/2. To change the
volume, use your left mouse button to drag the slider up or down, as required.
Alternatively, you can also click your right mouse button at the desired level
to force a jump to that position.

You can also use the keyboard to adjust the Volume Control slider. The Up and
Down arrow keys move the volume up and down respectively.  For minimum volume,
press the Home key, and for the maximum, use the End key.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.4. Changing a Track's Playing Position ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can change the playing position of a track before you play it or while it
is playing.  If you want to start playing from a certain position of the track,
move the Progress Slider at the bottom of the "Touch-Sensitive" Display to the
corresponding position.

To change the track's playing position:

       1. Use your left mouse button to drag the Progress Slider to the
          position where you want the track to start playing.

       2. Release the mouse button only when the highlighted portion of the
          Progress Slider reaches the position that you have chosen.

       3. If your player is already playing, the player will immediately go to
          the position that you have chosen and start playing.  If your player
          is not playing, choose the Play button to start playing the track at
          the position you have chosen.

 Note:
 You can use hot keys to change the track's playing position. Press <G> to
 select the Progress Slider and use the left and right arrow keys to go to the
 position you want.

 Tip
 To force the Progress Slider to jump to a desired position immediately, click
 your right mouse button at that location.  This is more efficient than using
 your left mouse button to drag the slider to the desired location.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5. Compiling a Playlist ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

      What is a Playlist?
      The Playlist Dialog


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.1. What is a Playlist? ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

An CreativeMovie playlist is a collection of digital video files which might
reside in different drives or directories in the system.  It also serves as a
way for you to group and save tracks of a similar nature under a meaningful
name.

After a playlist has been compiled, you only need to choose the Play button
once to play all the tracks in the list sequentially.  You can also vary the
method of playback by choosing one of the three Mode Selector buttons: that is,
Introduction, Repeat or Shuffle.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.5.2. The Playlist Dialog ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

You can compile a list of tracks in CreativeMovie by using the Playlist dialog
box.

To bring up the Playlist dialog box, choose the Playlist button. You can
activate this button by using mouse or by pressing the <L> key.

Playlist Dialog Box

The playlist dialog box consists of the following components:

 Components                         Purpose

 Collection: combo box              Allows you to select a Collection. The
                                    current collection title is displayed in
                                    the combo box and the files in  the current
                                    collection are displayed in the Playlist:
                                    list box.
 List Files of Type: combo box      Allows you to select the type of files to
                                    be displayed in the Files: list box.
 Playlist: list box.                Displays the files in the current
                                    collection.
 Files: list box                    Displays the files in the current
                                    directory.  The type of files displayed
                                    depends on the type of files selected in
                                    the List Files of Type: list box.
 Drives:                            Allows you to select the drive.
 Directories: list box              Displays the directories in the current
                                    drive selected. To expand a listed
                                    directory, double-click on the directory
                                    name.
 Save button                        Saves the playlist into the curretly
                                    selected collection. This button is enabled
                                    only when the current collection is
                                    modified (that is, when files are added or
                                    removed).  Removing all files from the
                                    playlist  also disables this button.  In
                                    other words, you cannot save an empty
                                    playlist.
 Save As button                     Saves the playlist to a different
                                    Collection name.
 Delete button                      Deletes the current collection.
 Play button                        Plays the selected tracks in the Playlist:
                                    or Files: list box.
 Add button                         Adds the selected files in the Files: list
                                    box to the current collection. The names of
                                    the added files appear at the end of the
                                    Playlist: list box. This button is enabled
                                    only when one or more files in the Files:
                                    list box are selected.
 Add All button                     Behaves like the Add button, except that
                                    choosing this adds all of the files in the
                                    Files: list box to the current collection.
 Clear button                       Removes all the files from the current
                                    collection.
 Remove button                      Removes the selected files in the Playlist:
                                    list box from the current collection.  This
                                    button is enabled only when one or more
                                    files in the Playlist: list box are
                                    selected.
 Done button                        Confirms the compilation of the playlist.
                                    Any changes that you have made to the
                                    current collection are saved and the dialog
                                    box is closed.
 Cancel button                      Closes the Playlist dialog box and abandons
                                    all changes made to the current collection.
                                    The playlist reverts back to its last saved
                                    copy.
 Help button                        Displays this Help panel.

 Drag and Drop in Playlist Dialog Box
 The Playlist dialog box supports standard OS/2 drag and drop operations. To
 add more tracks to the existing playlist, simply select the required item(s)
 in the Files: list box and then drag them into the Playlist: list box.

 You can also drag and drop files from the Drives folder.  Just open the folder
 of the directory where you want to drag the files from.  Select the files that
 you want to include in the playlist and drag them into the Playlist: list box.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.6. Moving The CreativeMovie Window ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

To move the CreativeMovie window, use your left mouse button to drag the
CreativeMovie window to the new position.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3.7. Keyboard Shortcuts ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

 Press          To do this

 <A>            Pauses a track playback
 <Alt+Spacebar> Activates the Menu
 <B>            Plays the previous track
 <Ctrl+D>       Toggles the "Touch-Sensitive" Display mode.
 <F>            Plays the next track
 <F1>           Activates the on-line Help
 <G>            Activates the Progress Slider
 <H>            Toggles the Shuffle mode
 <I>            Toggles the Introduction mode
 <K>            Rewinds the track by one second per click
 <L>            Activates the Playlist dialog box
 <M>            Toggles the Repeat mode
 <N>            Minimizes CreativeMovie to an icon
 <O>            Quits CreativeMovie
 <P>            Plays a selected track
 <S>            Stops a track playback
 <V>            Activates the Volume Control
 <W>            Fast-forwards the track by one second per click
 <1,..9,0>      Enters a track number through the Track Selector buttons
                1,..9,0


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This is an ordered list of tracks. During playback, the player will
sequentially play the tracks in this list.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Name of a playlist.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Use this control to adjust the volume of your digital video device.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Use this selector to toggle the Repeat mode of the player. If this mode is
active, the player will start playing from the first track of the playlist
whenever it has finished playing the last track in the list.  If this mode is
turned off, the player will stop once the playlist is exhausted.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Use this selector to toggle the Shuffle mode of the player. When this mode is
on, the order of the tracks in the playlist is randomized.  When this mode is
off, the playlist is restored to its original  order.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Use this selector to toggle the Introduction mode of the player.  When this
mode is active, the player plays only the first few seconds of each track and
then skips to the next track.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

This slider indicates the percentage playback completion of the current track.
It can also be used to control the position of the current track.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose this button to stop a track that is being played.  The player will begin
from the first track in the playlist later.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose this button to start a playback of a chosen track.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose this button to pause the track that is being played.  Note that this
button can be chosen only when a playback is in progress.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose this button to make the player skip to the previous track.  If a
playback is in progress when this is selected, the player will start playing
the previous track.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose this button to quickly rewind the current track at one second per click.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose this button to fast-forward the current track at one second per click.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose this button to make the player advance by one track.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose the Power-Off button to quit CreativeMidi.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose the Menu button to display the System Menu.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose the Minimize button to reduce the CreativeMovie window to an icon.


ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden>  ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ

Choose the Playlist button to bring up the Playlist dialog box.