Cinematograph

for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98

Copyright ©1999 by Carl Verner Skou, All rights reserved


 

What is Cinematograph.


Cinematograph is a high performance and high quality movie viewer based on DirectShow/COM for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000. Cinematograph displays MPEG, AVI and QuickTime movies on a black background meaning no other pictures, windows will disturb the movies shown. You have the option for resizing the movies on the fly - if you love movies the widescreen format 16:9 is just for you - enter your own movie theater. You can collect your movies in a collection and set different options for each movie: Size, rating, alias name. Further you have an option for parental control, where you can specify from where your children can view movies ( folders, CD-ROM discs ).

An autosearch option gives your the possibility to search harddisks, CD-discs for movies supported by Cinematograph, the search result can be inserted directly into a movie collection.

Cinematograph is designed around a VCR-control with the well known play, pause, stop etc. for easy handling of movies. The design of the program makes it very user-friendly - and under the hood the advanced features of the Cinematograph engine and the DirectShow engine is running silently, ensuring you can enjoy your movies.

Cinematograph is a very popular program, and it entered the top ten download list on Rocket Download in just two weeks in the summer of 1999. You can find Cinematograph on all major download sites as i.e. Rocket Download, 32 Bit Resource Center, Download 32, CNet Download and Microsoft NT Resources.


How to install Cinematograph.

Run SETUP.EXE and follow the instructions.

Some distributors are repacking Cinematograph, this can mean, Cinematograph's setup-program cannot find it files, when you are trying to run SETUP.EXE from inside the unpacking program. Solution: Unpack all the files to a temporary folder or to a floppy disk and run SETUP.EXE from either the folder or the floppy disk.

The distributed shareware version of Cinematograph cannot make a silient Setup.

The following files are in the distributed shareware version:

If a file is missing, this is not the original distributed shareware version and you should inform either the distributor or the programauthor Carl Verner Skou ( e-mail: cvs@mail.dk ) about it. All distributors repacking the archive must ensure all the above files are available in the archive and that all files are the newest version.

It is not allowed to distribute any registered version of Cinematograph.


How to uninstall Cinematograph.

Open Control Panel, click on Add/Remove programs, click on Cinematograph, and follow the instructions.

If you have saved any movie collections in the folder containing Cinematograph, the folder and the movie collections are not removed. Remove the folder containing the movie collections with Explorer.


Conditions.

You are hereby granted a
license to use Cinematograph on an evaluation basis for a period of 30 days from the date of acquisition. If you like Cinematograph and wish to use Cinematograph after this period has expired, you must register it.

Cinematograph may not be sold or distributed for compensation without the express written consent of Carl Verner Skou.

Distributors must contact Carl Verner Skou



What is an evaluation version?

An evaluation version provides a way to obtain and evaluate software, and hereby gives the users the opportunity to try a program before buying it. You are allowed to use Cinematograph for 30 days, after using Cinematograph after 30 days, you must purchase a licensed copy or remove the program from your system.


Requires.


What kinds of movies are supported?

Cinematograph supports all the major movie-formats

Depending on the configuration of your system the quality and playback of the movies will be different. If you want to view MPEG movies in full screen without dropping of frames, a minimum system based on a Pentium II and a fast graphiccard ( AGPx2 ) is required. A smaller system Pentium I will properly drop frames or have delays showing MPEG movies in larger size than typical 320x240. Other movie formats will also vary, but as a rule of thumb AVI and QuickTime movies should be shown without problems.

Please see below for further instructions about MPEG and QuickTime.


DirectShow, MPEG and QuickTime.

Microsoft DirectShow is required to view AVI, MPEG and QuickTime movies. DirectShow is installed by the component Direct Media either by Microsoft Internet Explorer or Microsoft DirectX Foundation. DirectShow is the descendent to Video for Windows and ActiveMovie, and it improves speed, quality of supported movie formats in significant ways.

If you have installed
MS Internet Explorer version 4.0 and newer or DirectX version 5.x and newer, you should have DirectShow installed on your system. If not, either:

Install Internet Explorer and remember to select Multimedia as one of the components.

or

Install MS DirectX Foundation

Microsoft DirectShow/DirectX Foundation can be downloaded from Microsoft, please go the web-site:

http://www.microsoft.com/directx/

To view Microsoft Media Video movies/recordings ( *.asf, *.wmv ) you must have updated your system with latest
Windows Media Player. You can download the latest version from Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/



Apple QuickTime Movies.

Cinematograph should be able to display and play most of the QuickTime movies, except property QuickTime movies, which by definition are property and requires either a special program or special drivers. Also some rare older QuickTime formats are not supported by Cinematograph.


DVD Support.

The current version of Cinematograph does not support DVD - a version with DVD support is expected to be released in December 1999.


VCR controlbar, timedisplay, ruler.

You do all the basic operation with the VCR controlbar, which you can hide and restore with F3.

The timedisplay can be called with Ctrl+T, alternative Shift+F3. You can toggle the timedisplay between current, remaining and total time by clicking on the captionbar of the timedisplay. Remove the timedisplay again with Ctrl+T or Shift+F3.

The ruler is called by Alt+F3 and removed again by pressing Alt+F3 once again.

You can hide all controls ( VCR controlbar, timedisplay and ruler ) by pressing Ctr+H.

To get a popup menu with access to all functions, right click with the mouse anywhere on the screen. Alternative you can press Shift+F10 to call the popup menu.


Full view mode.

You have the option for hiding all controls when in full view mode. Just press any key, i.e. spacebar/ESC to get the VCR control back again.


Ruler view.

A ruler can be shown and is used to drag to a new position with the mouse, when a movies is shown or playing. The ruler will not be available in full screen view. If you are in full screen view and checks "Show ruler" in Properties, the view will be reset to the double size. If "Show ruler" is on and you change the size of the movie to full screen, the "Show ruler" check is removed.


Parental Control.

Parental Control is aimed at families with small children in the age 0-8.

Parental Control is a based on a password control, which enables you to control from which folders and CD discs, your children are allowed to watch movies with Cinematograph. Further it limits the functions: Internet access from inside Cinematograph, rename, delete, remove movies.

All non-allowed folders and CD discs are filtered out from the playlist, Cinematograph is using.

In the properties of each movie in a Cinematograph collection you can specify a movierating. If the movierating isn't
General all ages [G], the movie can only be shown after having entered the password, if Parent Control is enabled.

To enable Parental Control, you must specify a password, which later it used to change Parental Control and to set folders, CD discs allowed for the children.

Notice, Parental Control only works with movies shown by Cinematograph. You must use Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 to secure your system based on useraccounts, if you want to make a general protections of which movies can be shown by the system.

Hint: If you lose your parental password, just double-click with the right mousebottom on the yellow textarea in Parental control and you are asked, if you want to remove password and parental control.


NT 4.0 and Menu Command sounds.

If you have Menu Command sounds enabled in NT 4.0, then if you use the popup menu to open and play a movie in Cinematograph, the sound of the movie could be disabled. If this is the case, disable Menu Command sounds in NT 4.0, or press Play in the VCR control.


DirectShow/DirectX and drivers.

Be sure to have the latest drivers to your graphic adapter and soundcard, when using DirectShow/DirectX. If you have an older version of the drivers and they do not support the features in DirectShow/DirectX, you can experience lower performance and even programcrash.

You can diagnose your system with DXDIAG.EXE, if you have DirectX 5.x or newer installed.

DXDIAG.EXE is on Windows 95, Windows 98 found in the folder:

\Program Files\DirectX\Setup

on Windows 2000 in the sytemfolder

\WinNT\System32


Further instructions.

Read the help Cinematograph.hlp for further instructions. Examine the Trouble Shooter in the help, if you have problems.


Special features.


Y2K - year 2000.

Cinematograph is year 2000 compliant. You should update your Windows system with all Y2K fixes to ensure your system is full year 2000 compliant.

This year 2000 statement about Cinematograph version 2.0.2.5 and newer is given as it is without warrant either expressed or implied.


Support, shareware.

Read the online help for further instructions. All registered users will have free update to the later release version and all future versions of Cinematograph. Please read the
license agreement. Use Order to order and pay your own personal copy of Cinematoraph.

Best whishes for many pleasant hours with your movies and Cinematograph

Yours

Carl Verner Skou

October 1999

Internet: cvs@mail.dk "The Dolphin"


Updated 30th of October 1999. Copyright ©1999 by Carl Verner Skou cvs@mail.dk

No part of this document may be changed without the written permission of Carl Verner Skou