Copyright: © 1998-1999 InterVideo, Inc. All rights reserved.
Citation: © 1998-1999 InterVideo, Incorporated. All rights reserved.


InterVideo's WinDVD

InterVideo Inc.'s WinDVD is a simple-to-use DVD player combining all the features you would expect to find in a standard consumer DVD player, in addition to some very advanced functionality, such as full VCD 2.0 support, full precision video decode, a choice of user interfaces, and video display options. You can play DVD titles or Video CDs - WinDVD automatically determines the type of disc in the DVD drive and uses the correct playback method.

Each DVD (Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is designed by the DVD author. Different authors create different features for their specific disc. WinDVD handles all of the features used by most DVD authors today.

Most DVD discs have menus through which you can navigate. WinDVD recognizes these features and lets you access them through the WinDVD user interface.

Use the topics below to get the most from your WinDVD Player.

Legal Info

About DVD Players and Digital Video Discs

The WinDVD Controls

Using WinDVD

Playlists

The Video Viewing Window

The Toolbar

The Statusbar

Keyboard Shortcuts

Customizing WinDVD

Glossary


The WinDVD Controls

Once WinDVD is launched and active, use the controls shown on the WinDVD panel to navigate through the DVD Title. The WinDVD controls are designed to look like controls on a standalone DVD player, so they may seem familiar to you. Keep in mind that not all options are available with all DVD Titles. Only the author of a title can include features. If a feature is not available with a particular title, it will be grayed out and inaccessible. Below is a description of each portion of the full WinDVD control panel.

Start/Eject

	Power off.
	Opens the Playlist window, letting you select a specific order and group of files. Select from .vob, .dat, .mpg, and .ac3 files. You cannot select a file while a movie is playing.
	Open the Properties window.
	In order: minimize, maximize, and close the WinDVD video window.
Directional Buttons

	Eject.
	Stop.
	Start playback of the disk.
	Pause the current playback.
	Single frame advance while in Pause mode
	Loop current title or chapter.
	Jump to previous chapter.
	Jump to next chapter.
	Play the disk in fast reverse mode.
	Play the disk in fast forward mode.
	Restart the same chapter.
	Opens the Audio and Video adjustment window.
	Opens the online help system.
Sliders

	Move to a specific time in the title.
	Increase or decrease the brightness of the video output.
	Increase or decrease audio output.
	Color Control Bar 1. Adjust the relative strength (balance) between video colors blue and yellow.
	Smooth slow motion and smooth fast forward.
	Color Control Bar 2. Adjust the relative strength (balance) between video colors red and green.
Counter

	The counter shows the chapter currently being played, and how much time has elapsed since the Title began playing.
Directional Arrows

	Use the directional buttons just as you would the mouse button or Tab key.  The arrows represent (clockwise from top): Navigate up, Navigate right, Navigate down, Navigate left. Center: Select or Enter.
Numeric Keypad

	The numeric keypad provides you with a method of selecting numbers. This is more likely to be used while playing a Video CD than a DVD disc.  Any time that you enter a numeric value, click the corresponding key on the numeric keypad and then click the green checkmark to accept that number.
Menu Items

	Displays all of the menus available (Root, Audio Language, Subtitles, etc.) on the DVD disc currently being played and allows you to select a menu to navigate.
	Opens a submenu showing you all of the titles available on the DVD disc currently being played and allows you to select a new title to play back.
	Opens a submenu showing you the chapter currently being played. You can select another chapter from this menu.
	Displays the current DVD discs audio track options. If multiple audio tracks or language are available, use this menu to select your choice.
	Displays the subtitle menu. If multiple language subtitles are available, use this menu to select your choice.
	When available, select the angle to view from a list of optional angles.
The Right-Click Menu

While you are viewing a movie, you can put the cursor on the display window and right-click to see a "video menu". The commands on this menu are the same as those in the regular menu. You can also use this window to show the main WinDVD control panel when it has been hidden by viewing full-screen video, or as set in the Properties section.  The Video menu is shown below.

	Play – Plays the current title, restores play after a pause. Stop – Stops the current playback. Pause – Pauses the current playback. Fast Forward – Plays the disk in fast forward mode. Fast Backward – Plays the disk in fast reverse mode. Previous Chapter – Jump to the previous chapter. Next Chapter – Jump to the next chapter. Repeat – repeats the disk play  Mute – Mutes the sound on the disk currently playing. Eject – ejects the disk from the drive. Menu – shows menu selections Title – shows title information Chapter – shows chapter selections Subtitle – shows subtitle selections Angle – shows angle selections Properties – opens the Properties window View – view tool bar, status bar and player About – shows version and copyright information. Exit – Closes WinDVD.


Video Viewing Window

The main viewing window for displaying video output. If you have selected View Toolbar in the General Properties tab, the toolbar appears at the top of the viewing window. If you have selected View Statusbar, the status bar is displayed at the bottom of the viewing window.


Using WinDVD

Viewing a DVD Title	Viewing a DVD Movie or Video CD
Creating a Playlist	Vocal options
Loading a Playlist	Playing a DVD Interactive Title
Hiding the Player	Setting Parental Control
Showing the toolbar and statusbar	Ejecting a disc
Changing Your Settings	Closing WinDVD
Viewing a DVD Title

To view a DVD title, put the disc into the DVD drive.  WinDVD will automatically begin playing the disk.

To launch WinDVD manually:

1.   Select Start > Program Files > WinDVD, or if you have created one, click the WinDVD desktop shortcut.

2.   Make your selections from the menu within the WinDVD window, or click [image]  (the Play icon) on the control panel.

Creating a Playlist

1.   With the disk in the drive, click [image]  (the Playlist icon)

2.   The Playlist window opens. Select File from the lower right set of options (File or Disc).  Move to the drive and directory in which the files are stored. Select the first file to be played.

3.   Click Add. Repeat this procedure with as many files as you want. Remember that these files will now play in the order in which they appear. Delete and replace files to create the correct order, if needed.

4.   Click Save to save your playlist for future use. Click Close to close the window. When you click Play, the playlist automatically plays the files in the order specified.  You can play .mpg, .vob, and .ac3 files.

Loading a Previously Saved Playlist

1.   With the disk in the drive, click the Playlist icon.

2.   The Playlist window opens. Click Load Playlist.

3.   The list of saved playlists appears. Select the playlist to load.

4.   Click Close to close the window. When you click Play, the playlist automatically plays the files in the order specified.  You can play .mpg, .vob, and .ac3 files.

Changing Your Settings

You may want to enable or disable certain features of your WinDVD. To change any properties and features of your WinDVD:

1.   Launch WinDVD and view the main control panel.

2.   Click [image]  (the Properties icon). The Properties window appears.

3.   Tab to the desired properties to be changed. Select from General properties, Audio properties, Parental Control properties, and Display properties.

4.   Select the properties you want. If you are unsure about what a particular property means, see the online help for that properties property page, or check the glossary. You can change these properties at any time.

5.   Click OK again to accept your changes.

Setting Parental Control

Parents may want to set the parental controls, allowing only those movies and titles that are age-appropriate to be viewed. (In some cases, movies can be shown in modified form to allow different ratings for the same movie.) To set movie rating limits on your WinDVD:

1.   Launch WinDVD and view the main control panel.

2.   Click (the Properties icon. The Properties window appears.

3.   Tab to the desired properties to be changed. Select Parental Control Properties.

4.   Select the desired age-appropriate level. This will be the highest level allowed. No titles with movie ratings higher than the one selected will be viewable. You can change this again at any time.

5.    If you have set a password, enter the password now, then click OK. You can change your password at any time.

6.   Click OK again to accept your changes. The parental control feature will now use the new settings.

Ejecting a Disk

To eject a disk from the player, click [image] (the Eject button) from the video viewing window or the toolbar.

Hiding and Viewing the Player

You can choose to only see the Video Viewing window. To hide the Player:

1.   Open the Properties page.

2.   Tab to General. Disable (remove the checkmark) View Player.

3.  The player is now hidden. Enable the option again to view the player. You can open the properties page from the right-click menu or from the toolbar on the video viewing window.

Enabling the Toolbar and Status bar

You can choose to include a toolbar and a status bar when using the Video Viewing window.

1.   Open the Properties page.

2.   Tab to General. Enable View Toolbar to see the toolbar in the video viewing window, and View Statusbar to see the status bar on the window.

3. You can remove the toolbar or status bar from the video viewing window by disabling the selected feature.

Viewing a DVD Movie or Video CD

Insert the Title into the DVD Drive. WinDVD reads the format of the disk and starts automatically.

Playing a DVD Interactive Title

Interactive DVD or MPEG2 video based titles require no special action from the user. Just install the application and it should properly call the WinDVD drivers to playback the DVD or MPEG2 video files embedded in the application.

Vocal options

When you insert a karaoke or other vocal disc into the DVD drive, WinDVD automatically reads and correctly decodes the type of disc. The audio output is determined by the Vocal Options properties you have selected.

Changing the Parental Control Password

To create a new password:

1.   From the Parental Control window, click Change Password.

2.   Type your desired password directly into the New Password text area.

3.   Type the same password again in the Confirm New Password text area. Be sure to type it exactly the same both times, or it will not be accepted.

To change your password:

1.   From the Parental Control window, click Change Password.

2.   Type your current password in the Old Password text area.

3.   Type your desired password directly into the New Password text area.

4.   Type the same password again in the Confirm New Password text area. Be sure to type it exactly the same both times, or it will not be accepted.

Closing WinDVD

To close WinDVD:

1.   Stop any DVD disc in the DVD drive.

2.   Click the Close icon.


Keyboard Shortcuts

Each button on the WinDVD has an equivalent keyboard control. These are called hot keys, or keyboard shortcuts.  These keys are only active when the focus is on the display window. (Focus means that the window is active, or selected.) When two keys are shown, hold down the first key and press the second key at the same time. Non-alphabetic keys are shown in [brackets]. Keyboard controls include:

Function	Keyboard Shortcut	Function	Keyboard Shortcut
Angle selection	G	Mute/Restore sound	M
Audio selection	A	Next chapter	[PgDn]
Chapter selection	C	Numeric keypad	1-9
Decrease brightness	-	Play/Pause	[spacebar]
Decrease volume		Previous chapter	[PgUp]
Eject	E	Rewind	R
Exit	X	Select	[Enter]
Fast Forward	F	Stop	[end]
Increase brightness	+	Subtitle selection	S
Increase volume		Title selection	T
Left, right, up, down	[Shift]	Toggle full screen or window	Z


Customizing WinDVD

Use the preference settings to control how WinDVD looks and acts. Click the Properties icon to open the tabbed Properties property sheet. This property sheet is composed of tabbed "pages", each with its own group of feature-specific settings.

General Properties lets you select the regional code to use, the drive letter assigned to the DVD drive, and the autoplay feature.

Audio Properties lets you control how WinDVD handles audio input and output.

Display Properties lets you select the way you want WinDVD to handle video display.

Parental Control  Properties provides you with a password-protected way to set limits on which titles can be played on the DVD player, based on the standard motion picture ratings guidelines.


DVD Primer

Digital Video Disc (DVD) stores and plays digital information, such as a movie, on a disc similar in size to the common CD-ROM disc. DVD output is clearer, sharper, and uses a higher color resolution than previous formats. Audio content is also sharper. DVD discs store up to nine hours of exceptionally high quality video and multi-channel surround-sound audio, interactive multimedia computer programs, or 30 hours of CD-quality audio.

DVD allows features that were impossible with movies (or games) on tape. DVD players can play from any point on the disc. It can also pause, play in slow motion or fast forward, or freeze frames. These random access features allow previously unheard of features such as multiple endings (selected by the viewer) for a movie, first-person interactive video games, and multiple camera angles.

Parental control allows parents to password protect programs that they do not want children to view. A variation of this lockout facility allows different versions of a movie to be stored on the same disc if the disc's producers choose. When transferred to DVD, some films include an R-rated version and a PG-13 version. Some even include the  director's cut.

Because DVD can store multiple sound tracks, it can support up to eight languages for a single movie. In addition, the format supports 32 closed caption tracks.

More Information

Understanding the DVD System

Aspect Ratios

DVD Audio

Regional Codes

DVD Compatibility Chart

NTSC and PAL


Understanding the DVD System

When you see the term "DVD", you mostly think of the DVD discs, such as movies and games. DVD is in reality several separate but codependent systems providing storage and DVD playback capability.

DVD Mastering

Any time that a movie, game, or other group of media has been created and it is decided that the storage and playback format will be DVD, the mastering process formats this data so that it can be read and decoded by DVD players.

Before formatting is complete to disc, digital video contains an extremely large amount of stored information.  Using the MPEG-2 digital video encoding standard, digital mastering can take this information and change it to a format much more manageable by the common DVD player. By eliminating redundancies (elements that are almost identical), encoding eliminates over 97 percent of the data without noticeably affecting image quality.

Digital Video Discs

A digital video disc is made up of a reflective aluminum foil encased in a clear plastic. Data is stored on the foil as a series of tiny pits formed in a tight spiral on the disc. The pits are formed in the foil by stamping it with a glass master. For a double-sided disc, two halves, each with their foil full of data, are bonded back to back.

DVD Players

DVD players consist of a disc reader, signal processor, decoder, and a microcontroller. Each part of the player controls one phase of the decoding and displaying process.

The reader is the physical motor which spins the disc and the laser which reads the information from it. Unlike audio CDs, DVD readers use red light.

The digital signal processor is an integrated circuit that translates the laser pulses back into electrical form that other parts of the decoder can use. The digital audio/video decoder reconstitutes the compressed data on the disc, converting it into output for computers, TV monitors, and stereo systems.

The microcontroller translates remote control, front panel, or other software input into commands for the audio/video decoder and the disc reader mechanism. The microcontroller is responsible for implementing parental lockout, dialing distributors for access codes and controlling decryption.

There is a difference between DVD-Video and DVD-ROM. DVD-Video (often simply called DVD) holds video programs and is played in a DVD player hooked up to a TV. DVD-ROM holds computer data and is read by a DVD-ROM drive hooked up to a computer. The difference is similar to that between Audio CD and CD-ROM. DVD-ROM also includes recordable variations (DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW;3). New computers with DVD-ROM drives can also play DVD-Videos


Region Codes

Motion picture studios want to control the home release of movies in different countries because theater releases aren't simultaneous. They have required that the DVD standard include codes that can be used to prevent playback of certain discs in certain geographical regions. Each player is given a code for the region in which it's sold. The player will refuse to play discs that are not allowed in that region. This means that discs bought in one country may not play on players bought in another country.

Regional codes are entirely optional for the maker of a disc. Discs without codes will play on any player in any country. Most DVD-ROM drives let you change the region code a few times, usually between 5 and 9. Once a drive has reached the limit it can't be changed again unless the vendor or manufacturer resets the drive.

There are 6 regions.

•	¡P	Canada, U.S., U.S. Territories

•	¡P	Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East (including Egypt)

•	¡P	Southeast Asia, East Asia (including Hong Kong)

•	¡P	Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, South America, Caribbean

•	¡P	Former Soviet Union, Indian Subcontinent, Africa (also North Korea, Mongolia)

•	¡P	China


NTSC and PAL

When the National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) prepared the standards for commercial television broadcasting in the United States, Canada, Japan, and parts of Central and South America, they decided on 525 lines of display at thirty frames per second. In most of Europe, Australia, and parts of Central and South America, however, the Phase Alteration Line (PAL) standard, using 625 lines at 25 frames per second, was used.

These two standards are not compatible, and DVD video has the same NTSC vs. PAL problem as its "predecessors" - videotape and laserdisc. The MPEG video that is on DVD discs may be stored in digital format, but it must be formatted for one of two mutually incompatible systems.

There are three differences between discs intended for playback on different systems: picture size and aspect ratio, display frame rate, and surround audio. Video from film is usually stored at 24 frames per second, but when transferred to DVD, it is usually preformatted for one of these standards. Movies formatted for PAL display are usually sped up by 4%, so the audio must be adjusted accordingly before being encoded.

Some players will only play NTSC discs, some players will only play PAL discs, and some will play both.  Because of the amount of storage available on DVD discs, many title producers include additional video and audio tracks, so that all formats are available.


DVD Compatibility Chart

The list below shows which types of discs are compatible with DVD Players.

	CD audio	All DVD players and drives read audio CDs.  The reverse is not true; CD players do not read DVD discs.
	CD-ROM	All DVD-ROM drives read CD-ROMs.
	CD-R	It depends on the disc. CD-Rs are "invisible" to DVD laser wavelength. Some disc manufacturers use two different wavelengths: one for reading DVDs and the other for CDs.
	CD-RW	Usually, if the DVD drive uses automatic-gain-control circuitry. Interestingly, most stand-alone CD players and many CD-ROM drives can't read CD-RW discs.
	Video CD	Sometimes. Video CDs are stored in MPEG-1 format. Any MPEG-2 decoder can decode MPEG-1. Although the resolution is different for DVD and VCD, most DVD players chop off the extra lines or add blank lines.
	Enhanced CD	DVD players will play music from Enhanced Music CDs, and DVD-ROM drives will play music and read data from Enhanced CDs.
	CDV	CDV, or video single, is a combination of CD and laserdisc. Part contains 20 minutes of digital audio playable on any CD or DVD player. The other part contains 5 minutes of analog video (and digital audio) in laserdisc format, playable only on a CDV-compatible system.


Aspect Ratios

Video can be stored on a DVD in any one of four ways:

•	¡P	Standard, which has a ratio of 4 to 3, widescreen, with a ratio of 16 to 9;

•	¡P	Letterbox, which uses a 16 to 9 ratio but displays in a standard size screen;

•	¡P	"Pan & scan", which crops parts of the display out of the visible image in order to fit into a standard size display. Video stored in 4:3 (standard) format is not changed by the player.

Letterbox video is shown in its theatrical aspect ratio. Since the viewing area is wider than standard TV, black bars are added to the top and bottom (60 lines each for NTSC, 72 for PAL). This creates a shorter but wider rectangle. In order to fit this shorter rectangle, the picture is squeezed vertically, using a letterbox filter that combines every 4 lines into 3. This compensates for the squeeze, allowing in the title to be shown full width.

For widescreen display, the size of the display window is resized to match the DVD title's ratio, or the actual TV set is built using the widescreen size ratio. If the title is being shown on a widescreen TV, no letterbox bars are displayed. Anamorphic (16:9) video can be displayed on widescreen equipment, which stretches the video back out to its original width.

Pan & scan means the smaller TV "window" is panned and zoomed around the wider movie picture, chopping off the sides. For automatic pan & scan mode, the video is unsqueezed to 16:9. A portion of the image is shown at full height on a standard 4:3 screen by following a "center of interest". This view is encoded in the video. All formatting done to the video prior to it being stored on the disc is transparent to the player. It merely reproduces the signal in standard form.

The pan & scan "window" is 75% of the full width, which reduces the horizontal pixels from 720 to 540. The pan & scan window can only travel laterally. This does not duplicate a true pan & scan process in which the window can also travel up and down and zoom in and out. Therefore, many DVD producers choose to put a separate pan & scan version on the disc in addition to the widescreen version.


DVD Audio

A DVD-Video disc can have up to 8 audio tracks, with each track being PCM, MPEG-2, or Dolby Digital.

PCM is uncompressed digital audio - the same format used on CDs. Having from one to eight channels, it can be sampled at 48 or 96 kHz with 16, 20, or 24 bits per sample. Audio CD is limited to 44.1 kHz at 16 bits, with a maximum bitrate of 6.144 Mbps.  DVD players support all the variations of PCM, but some of them may subsample 96 kHz down to 48 kHz, and some may not use all 20 or 24 bits.

MPEG audio is multi-channel digital audio, using compression with sample rate of 48 kHz at 16 bits. Both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats are supported. The variable bitrate is 32 kbps to 912 kbps, with 384 being the normal average rate. MPEG-1 is limited to 384 kbps. MPEG-2 surround channels are in an extension stream matrixed onto the MPEG-1 stereo channels, which makes MPEG-2 audio compatible with MPEG-1.

* Dolby Digital is multi-channel digital audio, with a sample rate of 48 kHz at up to 24 bits. The bitrate is 64 kbps to 448 kbps, with 384 being the normal rate for 5.1 channels and 192 being the normal rate for stereo, although most Dolby Decoders support a slightly higher bitrate.

NTSC-formatted discs must use PCM or Dolby Digital on at least one track. PAL-formatted must use PCM or MPEG audio or Dolby Digital on at least one track. Additional tracks may be in any format.

For stereo output, all players have a built-in 2-channel Dolby Digital decoder. This decoder mixes 5.1 channels down to Dolby Surround stereo. PAL players also have an MPEG or MPEG-2 decoder. Both Dolby Digital and MPEG-2 support 2-channel Dolby Surround. A DVD labeled Dolby Digital may only use the L/R channels for surround or "plain" stereo.

* Confidential Unpublished Works. Copyright 1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


the dialog boxes go here


Audio Settings
Audio Properties

The Audio Properties tab lets you tell WinDVD how to handle audio output.

Audio Channels

Mono, Stereo, *Dolby Surround, 3-D Audio -If you select mono, the two channels will be mixed into one. For stereo, all audio channels on the disc are mixed down to 2 channels. Dolby Surround gives you 2-channel plus Dolby Pro Logic Surround sound. 3-D audio gives you standard 3-D audio sound. Not all versions of WinDVD support these features. If the feature is grayed out and not selectable, then the feature was likely not included by your OEM.

4-Speaker Mode - If your system uses four speakers, this option will be available. WinDVD will automatically distribute four unique sound channels to these speakers, providing a true surround experience. Not all versions of WinDVD support these features. If the feature is grayed out and not selectable, then the feature was likely not included by your OEM.

6-Speaker Mode - If your system uses six speakers, this option will be available. WinDVD will automatically distribute 5.1 sound channels to these speakers, providing a truly remarkable surround experience. Not all versions of WinDVD support these features. If the feature is grayed out and not selectable, then the feature was likely not included by your OEM.

Enable S/PDIF output - Sends the stereo output through an S/PDIF compliant sound card to an external receiver. Not all versions of WinDVD support these features. If the feature is grayed out and not selectable, then the feature was likely not included by your OEM.

Current Audio Track

Format - Displays the current audio track format.

Attributes - Displays the current audio track attributes.

Vocal Options

Select the output type for karaoke or other vocal-type discs. You can only choose one output at a time.

No vocal - vocals are not output to any speaker.

Left vocal - vocals are output only to left speakers.

Right vocal - vocals are output only to right speakers.

Both - vocals are output to both sides.

Related Topics

Display Properties

Parental Control Properties

General Properties

* Confidential Unpublished Works. Copyright 1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Parental Control Settings
Parental Control Properties

You can set password-protected parental controls on your WinDVD. Note that you can have only one selection active at a time. From the list of motion picture ratings, select the most adult rating you want to allow for viewing. Choose from:

G - suitable for general audiences

PG - parental guidance suggested

PG-13 - parental guidance suggested, not suitable for children under 13

R - restricted

NC-17 - adult theme or content, not suitable for children under 17

When you have made your selection, enter your password or click Password to set a new password.

Related Topics

Audio Properties

Display Properties

General Properties


Set Parental Control Password

A password of at least one character is required to access, activate, and modify the parental control feature of WinDVD. To create a new password, type your desired password directly into the New Password text area. Type the same password again in the Confirm New Password text area. Be sure to type it exactly the same both times, or it will not be accepted.

To change your password, type your current password in the Old Password text area, then proceed as described above.


Display Settings
Display Properties

The Display Properties dialog box lets you tell IVI's WinDVD how to display DVD output.

Quality Settings

Low - When this selection is enabled, all features displayed in Custom Quality settings are turned off.

High - When this selection is enabled, all features displayed in Custom Quality settings are turned on.

Custom - Unlocks the Custom Quality section of Display Properties. Select only the specific features that you want to use. See Custom Quality Settings for details.

Custom Quality Settings

Smooth horizontal scaling - Displays a smoother video picture when the display window is horizontally resized on graphics adapters that do not provide for hardware scaling (enabling this feature may use some extra CPU bandwidth).

Smooth vertical scaling - Displays a smoother video picture when the display window is vertically resized on graphics adapters that do not provide for hardware scaling (enabling this feature may use some extra CPU bandwidth).

Software Bob (de-interlacing) - Controls video "jitter" for interlaced video content (30fps), enhancing the smoothness and sharpness of the picture quality.

Miscellaneous

Hardware Motion Compensation - Enable this feature to ensure that WinDVD will uses the hardware motion compensation which provide by your VGA card.

Lock Aspect Ratio - Enable this feature to ensure that when you resize the video window, the correct ratio is displayed. This means that the screen can only be resized in the same dimensions as the disc format. If you unlock the aspect ratio, you can still resize the window, but the picture may appear distorted.

Startup in full screen mode - If this feature is enabled, the WinDVD window  will automatically open in full-screen mode whenever WinDVD is started.

Related Topics

Audio Properties

Parental Control Properties

General Properties


General Settings
General Properties

The General Properties tab lets you tell WinDVD which drive is the DVD drive, and whether to autostart whenever a disk is inserted into the DVD drive.

Current Regions - select the region in which you reside. For more information about regions and regional coding, see Region Codes.

Remaining times until permanent - regional codes become permanent after a specified number of disks have been played. This feature shows you the number of times remaining until the region you have selected becomes your permanent region.

Default DVD Drive - select the drive letter that is designated as your computer's DVD drive. . A list of available disc drives drops down when you click the select button.

Autoplay - if you want WinDVD to launch automatically whenever a disk is inserted into the DVD Drive, enable this feature.

View > Toolbar – enabling this feature displays the toolbar across the top of the video window.

View > Statusbar - enabling this feature displays the status bar across the bottom of the video window.

View > Player - enabling this feature displays the WinDVD control panel.

Related Topics

Audio Properties

Parental Control Properties

Display Properties


Tool Bar

When you are viewing a DVD disc and select Show Tool Bar from the Properties menu, the tool bar displayed across the top of the screen.

These tools provide the same functionality as described in WinDVD controls.


Status Bar

When you are viewing a DVD disc and select Show Status Bar from the Properties menu, WinDVD displays the status bar across the bottom of the screen.

The following controls are available to you from the Status Bar:

	Move to a different time in the title
	Smooth Slow motion or fast forward
	Shows the current chapter.
	Shows the elapsed time
	Shows the disk type
	If continuous loop has been enabled, the Loop icon appears in the far right of the status bar.


Playlist Window

The Playlist window lets you select, order, and save a list of files that are then played in the order you specified. Any files on the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM are listed on the left side of the window. The right side displays the current selections for the playlist.

The playlist does not start until you start the play from the main control panel.

To create a playlist:

1.   With the disk in the drive, click [image]  (the Playlist icon)

2.   The Playlist window opens. In the lower right of the Playlist window, select File to enable the file viewer, or Disc to see only discs. Move to the drive and directory in which the files are stored. Select the first file to be played.

3.   Click Add. Repeat this procedure with as many files as you want. Remember that these files will now play in the order in which they appear. Delete and replace files to create the correct order, if needed.

4.   Click Save to save your playlist for future use. Click Close to close the window. When you click Play, the playlist automatically plays the files in the order specified.  You can play .mpg, .vob, and .ac3 files.

Add – Adds the selected file to the playlist

Delete – Deletes the selected file.

Move Up – moves the selected file up in the list.

Move Down – moves the selected file down in the list.

Save – saves your settings for future use.

Load – loads a saved playlist.


Basic DVD Control Panel
Main DVD Control Panel

This is the main display area. All WinDVD controls are available through this interface. Click any section of the graphic below to see a more detailed description.


Sliders

The six sliders displayed at the lower middle portion of the DVD Control Panel, just beneath the control buttons. Included are the Time Search slider, the Video Brightness control, the Volume control, the Color Control Bar 1 (blue/yellow balance), the Variable Playback Speed slider, and the Color Control Bar 2 (red/green balance).


Display Area

The display area of the WinDVD is located on the right-hand side of the control panel. It includes the counter, numeric keypad, menu options, and arrow controller.


AC-3

Dolby Digital Surround Sound System. This is a digitally compressed audio format characterized by its ability to offer up to 6 separate digital audio channels.


Bandwidth

The amount of data that can be transferred or processed per unit of time. The more bandwidth, the more data can be processed.


Bitmap

An image consisting of an array of pixels  that can be displayed on a computer monitor having color/brightness information.


CSS

Content Scramble System. The officially licensed DVD-Video digital encryption scheme.


Data rate

The speed of a data transfer process usually expressed in kilobytes per second. CD-ROM drives expressed as 10X drives are designed to have a data rate 10 times that of a standard CD-ROM drive.


Encode

In the context of digital video and MPEG-2, - converting the color space of a video clip from a full-bandwidth source to a compressed MPEG-2 file.


Frame

One image in a series. Film contains 24 frames per second. Video contains 25 (PAL) or 30 (NTSC) frames per second.


Interlacing

Display frames by alternately drawing the rows of each field. The alternative is progressive scan where only complete frames are drawn on the screen.


Jitter

The smoothness of frame delivery over time.


NTSC

National Television Systems Committee, the committee that prepared the standards for commercial television broadcasting in the United States, Canada, Japan, and parts of Central and South America. NTSC format is a color television format having 525 scan lines (rows) of resolution at thirty frames per second.


PAL

Phase Alteration Line, the standard for commercial television broadcasting in most of Europe, Australia, parts of Central and South America, and other countries. PAL format is a color television format having 625 scan lines (rows) of resolution at 25 frames per second.


Palette

A look-up table of color values.


Regional Coding

A provision in the DVD Specifications such that DVD players can be hard-coded to accept DVD discs that are authored and encoded for use in one of six designated world regions. This technique was developed to enable Motion Picture companies to release movies at different times in different regions.


Resolution

The width and height of the video window, in pixels.


Titles and chapters

Video programs can be split up into titles, and then further into chapters. For example, on a disc with multiple sporting events, each event may be designated as a separate title. Each period in the individual sporting event or title may be designated a chapter.


Alpha

Alpha objects are graphic objects with a set transparency coding. Enabling this option tells the viewer to overlay these objects over video using this alpha transparency information.


Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
AC-3	Dolby Digital Surround Sound System. A digitally compressed audio format characterized by its ability to offer as many as six separate digital audio channels. AC-3 is used for DVD-Video titles in the NTSC format. PAL titles use MPEG-2 audio compression standard.
Artifacts	Unusual or unwanted. Examples of artifacts include flicker, jitter, degradation of resolution, and aspect ratio abnormalities.
B
Bandwidth	The amount of data that can be transferred or processed per unit of time. In simple terms bandwidth is like pipe size - the larger the pipe, the more it can carry.
Bitrate	The data rate of the DVD title, expressed in Mbs (megabits per second). DVD bitrates are usually between 2 and 10 Mbs. The higher the bitrate, the more CPU required to playback the disc.
Brightness	The value of a pixel along the black-white axis. WinDVD allows the user to control the brightness of the video window.
C
CBR	Constant bit-rate. This type of compressed video signal uses the same amount of data to describe the video signal regardless of complexity.
Chapters	Video programs can be split up into titles, and then further into chapters. For example, on a disc with multiple sporting events; each event may be designated as a separate title. Each period in the individual sporting event or title may be designated a chapter.
Compression	Converting data into a more compact form for storage or transmission.
CSS	"Content Scramble System". The official DVD-Video digital encryption scheme. Only a CSS-licensed DVD player can unscramble the video data.
D
Data rate	The speed of a data transfer process, usually expressed in kilobytes (thousands of bytes) per second.
Decode	Decompressing a video clip and then converting its color.
Decompress	Converting video and audio data from a compressed form back into its original form.
Dolby Digital	* Dolby’s multichannel audio format, also know as AC-3. Dolby Digital is a standard for DVD audio encoding.
DVD	An acronym for Digital Versatile Disc, an optical-disc technology developed by the DVD Consortium. There are five specified DVD disc varieties. DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DVD-R (recordable), DVD-RAM (eraseable).
E
Encode	Converting the color space of a video clip from a full-bandwidth source to a compressed MPEG-2 file.
F
Field	One half of a video frame, consisting of every other scan line, in interlaced video content.
Frame	One video image in a series.
Frame rate	The number of frames per second at which a video clip is displayed.
Full motion video	Content that shows 30 (interlaced) or 24 (film content) frames per second.
G
Gigabyte	Literally, a billion bytes. A Gigabyte in DVD represents exactly 1 billion bytes of data.
H
Highlight	An active or focused subtitle. When you move your mouse pointer over a menu command, that command often changes color. It is then the "highlighted" subtitle.
I
Interlacing	Drawing a frame by alternately drawing the rows of each field. For example, an NTSC broadcast is expressed as 30 frames per second, but is actually made up of 60 half-frames displayed one after the other. The alternative is de-interlacing, where only complete frames are drawn on the screen.
J
Jitter	The smoothness of frame delivery over time.
L
Luminance	The part of a video signal that includes information about its brightness.
M
MPEG	Motion Picture Expert Group. MPEG-1 is used on video CD and CD-I as a video distribution medium. MPEG-2 and DVD offer better-than-laserdisc quality and twice the runtime per disc.
MPEG Audio	Compressed audio for use on DVD projects. PCM or MPEG stereo audio is required for PAL countries for DVD, but MPEG-2 audio is optional worldwide.
Multimedia	Any format that contains more than one media, such as text, still images, sound, animation, and video.
N
Navigation	Accessing the features of a DVD-Video disc using the specific commands.
NTSC	National Television Systems Committee. A committee of the Electronic Industries Association that prepared the standards for commercial television broadcasting in the United States, Canada, Japan, and parts of Central and South America. NTSC format has 525 scan lines (rows) of resolution at thirty frames per second (30 Hz).
P
PAL	Phase Alteration Line. This standard is used for commercial broadcasting in most of Europe, Australia, and parts of Central and South America. PAL format displays at 625 scan lines (rows) of resolution at 25 frames per second (25 Hz).
Pixel	Picture cell. This is the smallest independent unit of a digital image.
Pixel depth	The number of bits of color information per pixel.
R
Regional Coding	DVD players may be hard-coded to accept only DVD discs encoded for use in one of six designated world regions. This technique was developed to enable Motion Picture companies to release movies at different times in different regions.
Resolution	The number of pixels in the width and height of the video window.
S
Subtitle	Subtitles are the graphics displayed on top of video content. An example of a subtitle would be the menu choices displayed over the background graphic for many interactive games. When a subtitle is active, it is called a highlight.  Subtitles are also the actual text of the content, displayed on the bottom of the screen. These subtitles are often used for language translations.
T
Titles	Video programs can be split up into titles, and then further into chapters. For example, on a disc with multiple sporting events; each event may be designated as a separate title. Each period in the individual sporting event or title may be designated a chapter.
V
VBR	Variable bit-rate.  This allows DVD compression methods to use more or less compression according to the complexity of the picture.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

* Confidential Unpublished Works. Copyright 1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Focus

The highlighted or active selection.


The WinDVD Controls

Start/Eject

	Power off.
	Opens the Playlist window, letting you select a specific order and group of files. Select from .vob, .dat, .mpg, and .ac3 files. You cannot select a file while a movie is playing.
	Open the Properties window.
	In order: minimize, maximize, and close the WinDVD video window.
Directional Buttons

	Eject.
	Stop.
	Start playback of the disk.
	Pause the current playback.
	Single frame advance while in Pause mode
	Loop current title or chapter.
	Jump to previous chapter.
	Jump to next chapter.
	Play the disk in fast reverse mode.
	Play the disk in fast forward mode.
	Restart the same chapter.
	Opens the Audio and Video adjustment window.
	Opens the online help system.


Legal Info

© 1998 InterVideo, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. While every reasonable effort was made to ensure the completeness and correctness of this document, InterVideo Inc. makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including but not limited to any implied warranties. InterVideo shall not be liable for errors or omissions contained herein or for any damages relating to the use of this material.

WinDVD is a trademark of InterVideo Incorporated.

Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. All other brand or product names are trademarks of their respective holders

	"DVD" and the DVD logo are copyright The DVD Forum.
	This product includes technology manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. "Dolby" and the "Double-D" symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Confidential Unpublished Works. Copyright 1992-1997 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This document is protected by US copyright laws. No part of this document may be reproduced in any manner without written consent of InterVideo Inc.

InterVideo Inc.

440 Mission Ct, Suite 260

Fremont, CA 94539

Tel: (510) 651-0888

Fax: (510) 651-8808

www.intervideoinc.com


Eject

Ejects the current disk from the disk drive.


Play

Starts or resumes playing the disk.


Stop

Stops the current play.


Fast Forward

Play the disk in fast forward mode.


Fast Backward

Plays the disk in fast reverse mode.


Pause

Pauses the current play.


Previous Chapter

Returns to the previous chapter in the title.


Next Chapter

Skips to the next chapter in the title.


Root

Shows the root directory.


Mute

Mutes the title.


General Properties

Opens the General Properties settings window.


Audio Settings

Opens the Audio Properties settings window.


Display Settings

Opens the Display Properties settings window.


Parental Control

Opens the Parental Control Properties settings window.


Adjustment

Opens the adjustment window, letting you make changes to audio and video output.


Time Slider

Change the location of the video display. Moves the time in the title forward or backward.


Speed Slider

Change the speed at which the title is run.


Chapter

Indicates the chapter currently being played.


Time

Displays the amount of time that has elapsed since  play was sated.


Type

Indicates the type of media playing: DVD or VideoCd for example.


Repeat

Indicates whether the current title or chapter is set to repeat.


Select Up

Selects the item immediately above the currently selected item.


Select Down

Selects the item immediately below the currently selected item.


Select Left

Selects the item to the immediate left of the currently selected item.


Select Right

Selects the item to the immediate right of the currently selected item.


Select Enter

Enters your selection. This button acts like the Enter key.


Properties

Opens the Properties window. letting you make necessary changes to the WinDVD settings.


Menu

Opens the "menu menu", letting you select the Title, Root, Subtitle, Audio, Chapter, and Angle menus .


Step

Moves to the next step in the video.


Title Menu

Opens the title menu, letting you select the title. When multiple titles are included on a disk, you will see all of them listed .


Root Menu

Displays the root menu for the disk. This is from where the disk is begun. In the case of interactive video, it is the main menu.


Subtitle Menu

Opens the subtitle menu, letting you select which subtitle (if any) will be displayed.


Audio Menu

Opens the Audio menu.


Angle Menu

Opens the Angle menu.


Chapter Menu

Opens the Chapter menu.


Resume Play

Resumes play after play has been paused.


Time Slider

Adjusts the location of  the video being played


Speed Slider

Adjusts the speed at which the video is being played


Default

Restores the output settings to those set by the factory.


Disable

Disables the selected option.


Title

Video programs can be split up into titles, and then further into chapters. Opens a submenu showing you all of the titles available on the DVD disc currently being played and allows you to select a new title to play back.


Audio

Displays the current DVD discs audio track options. If multiple audio tracks or languages are available, use this menu to select your choice.


Angle

When a disk has been recorded with multiple camera angles, the angle can be selected from the Angle menu.


Subtitle

Displays the subtitle menu. If multiple language subtitles are available, use this menu to select your choice. Subtitles are the graphics displayed on top of video content. An example of a subtitle would be the menu choices displayed over the background graphic for many interactive games. Subtitles are also the actual text of the content, displayed on the bottom of the screen. These subtitles are often used for language translations.


Chapter

Select the chapter from the list of available chapters.


Resume

Resumes play that has been paused.


Repeat

Repeats the current title or chapter.


Play List

Opens the Playlist window, letting you select a specific order and group of files. Select from .vob, .dat, .mpg, and .ac3 files. You cannot select a file while a movie is playing.


Aboutbox

Displays version and copyright information.


Adjustment

Opens the adjustment window, letting you make adjustments to the audio and video output.


Basic Controls

Use the controls shown on the WinDVD panel to navigate through the DVD Title. The WinDVD controls are designed to look like controls on a standalone DVD player, so they may seem familiar to you. Keep in mind that not all options are available with all DVD Titles.

Start/Eject

	Power off.
	Opens the Playlist window, letting you select a specific order and group of files. Select from .vob, .dat, .mpg, and .ac3 files. You cannot select a file while a movie is playing.
	Open the Properties window.
Directional Buttons

	Eject.
	Stop.
	Start playback of the disk.
	Pause the current playback.
	Single frame advance while in Pause mode
	Loop current title or chapter.
	Jump to previous chapter.
	Jump to next chapter.
	Play the disk in fast reverse mode.
	Play the disk in fast forward mode.
	Restart the same chapter.