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.