Indeo® Video 4 Release
Notes
Introduction
This version of the codec introduces a number
of benefits including performance improvements, quality
enhancements, and interactive features. The latest version
of the Indeo video 4 codec, along with documentation, sample
source code, the latest technical information updates, and
access to technical support are available on the Indeo
software website at http://www.ligos.com/indeo/
Performance Improvements
The performance of this codec has been enhanced
in several ways:
-The codec has been optimized for MMX(TM) technology.
MMX technology is a major enhancement to the Ligos
Architecture that will make mainstream PCs richer multimedia
and communications platforms.
This enhancement includes 57
new instructions that will allow Ligos processors to deliver
better performance for multimedia and communications
computation.
-The codec uses less memory.
The actual amount of memory
used by the codec when playing a given file will vary
depending on how that file was compressed, but the new codec
will use anywhere from 25% to 40% less memory to open and
play a file than the previous version.
-Files load and start playing faster. The actual time it
takes to open and begin playing a file on a given PC will
vary based on system performance features such as CPU speed,
RAM, L2 cache, etc., but on average the new codec will open
and start playing files 20% to 40% faster than the previous
version.
-Playback performance has improved. A number of
optimizations have been made to speed up playback of video
files, especially in 16-bit (65,000-color) display mode.
Compression Enhancements
Enhancements have been made to the offline encoder,
and a new compression mode called the Quick Compressor has
been added to make compressing video files much faster and
easier.
Online Help
An online help menu is now available in the encoder's
Configure dialog. This
will help guide the user through the
various options available for encoding video clips.
Offline Encoder Improvements
Improvements have been made to the offline encoder that will
allow compressed video clips to display better quality at
lower data rates. This
will be especially noticeable in
clips compressed at single-speed CD-ROM data rates
(~ 100-135 Kbytes/second) and lower, and in clips compressed
at 30 frames/second at double-speed CD-ROM data rates
(~ 200-250 Kbytes/second) and below. You must compress
clips with the new version of the codec to see these
improvements.
The Quick Compressor
Normal offline encoding can be time-consuming. The new
Quick Compress option allows Indeo video interactive to
encode video many times faster than it otherwise would.
Exactly how much faster depends on the specific content of
the source video and the other encoder options you've
selected. The compression
speed improvement, however, is
significant: compression
jobs that once took hours may now
compress in just minutes.
One reason the Quick Compressor is so much faster than the
offline compressor is that it uses a subset of the offline
encoder's compression techniques.
This speeds compression
but slightly reduces overall visual quality. The Quick
Compressor is also slightly less accurate at maintaining the
requested target data rate than the offline encoder.
If you choose Quick Compress several other options are
automatically disabled: bidirectional prediction,
transparency, quality, and minimum viewport size (local
decode). Also, the Quick
Compressor can encode video at
resolutions up to 640 x 480, whereas the offline encoder
supports resolutions up to 8192 x 8192.
The Quick Compressor is extremely useful for tasks such as
previewing edits and special effects, and for prototyping
multimedia applications.
It can also save time when creating
video for hard disk applications, where data rate control is
less critical. However,
after you've previewed the video and
made any required adjustments, it's best to use the off-line
encoder to compress the video for your final product. For the
best quality at lower data rates, or to achieve a steady data
rate without spikes, do not use the Quick Compressor.
The Indeo video 4 codec can play back any video clip
compressed with the Quick Compressor.
To enable quick compression, check the Quick Compress box in
the Encoder Controls area of the encoder's Configure dialog
box.
Playback Enhancements
The new version of Indeo video 4 offers enhanced playback
quality, and new features designed to enhance the
interactivity and video quality of Indeo video in multimedia
applications.
Playback Quality Improvements
Changes have been made to the decoder which will improve the
playback quality of both new and existing video clips:
-A problem which was causing a pinkish color shift in both
16-bit (65,000-color) and 24-bit (16.7-million color) display
modes has been eliminated.
-Zoom-by-two quality has been improved in 16-bit
(65,000-color) display mode.
A problem which was causing an
excessive dither pattern has been eliminated.
Alternate Line Zoom-by-two
Indeo video 4 supports alternate line zoom-by-two, a feature
that doubles the video window size by horizontal pixel
doubling and then drawing a row of black pixels in between
each row of image data.
This can help reduce some of the
"jaggies" caused by vertical pixel doubling.
Programming Interface Enhancements
A number of enhancements have been made to the ICM programming
interface. These changes
will give developers creating
multimedia playback applications improved control over the
codec's interactive features, especially transparency and
playback scalability.
Custom Palettes and Dither Patterns
A number of enhancements have been added to the codec to
support the use of custom colors and dither patterns when
playing video back in 8-bit (256-color) mode. Tools,
documentation, and sample code supporting these new
enhancements will be available shortly on the Indeo video
home page.
Installation Notes
The current version of the setup program installs only the
32-bit version of the Indeo video 4 codec, on Microsoft
Windows 95 and Windows NT machines.
Copyright © Ligos Corporation 2000. All rights reserved.