OS/2 Plug-in Pack (C) Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 1998. All rights reserved. (C) Copyright Netscape Communications Corporation 1995, 1998. All rights reserved. Welcome to the OS/2 Plug-in Pack. This README file contains the latest information about installing the Plug-in Pack. Note: To help you locate information in this README, you can use the Find option under the Edit menu of the OS/2 System Editor. You can print the file by dragging it to your printer object or by using the Print choice on the menu. CONTENTS 1.0 Hardware and Software Requirements 2.0 Installation Instructions 3.0 Function Included In This Release 4.0 Multimedia Plug-ins 5.0 Support for Windows 3.1 Plug-ins 6.0 Plug-in APIs and Toolkit 7.0 OS/2 Multimedia MPEG support 8.0 CID Installation 9.0 Known Problems 10.0 Service and Support 11.0 Trademarks 1.0 HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ================================================== Hardware Requirements: To install and use the OS/2 Plug-in Pack with Netscape Navigator for OS/2, your workstation needs to have: o 3MB free hard disk space (and 2 MB of temporary disk space), in addition to the Netscape Navigator for OS/2 requirements Software Requirement: o Netscape Navigator for OS/2 installed 2.0 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ================================================= After you install Netscape Navigator for OS/2, you can install the Plug-in Pack. Note: The following installation instructions do not install the Plug-in Pack onto the WorkSpace On-Demand product. 1. To start the installation program, type: INSTALL 2. Follow the online instructions. 3. Restart your system. Note: The installation can not complete if you are using the 4OS2 software package. Try double-clicking on the INSTALL.EXE located in the folder that represents the directory you want installed. Note: If you have a previous version of the Plug-in Pack for OS/2 installed in addition to this current version, you must take some additional steps if you uninstall any version, but do not uninstall all versions. After uninstalling any version, you must reinstall the OS/2 Plug-in Pack version that remains on your system by performing a Software Installer "update." Retrieve the version of the Plug-in Pack you have installed on your system and begin the install for it. The installation program prompts you with two or more choices. Choose the "Update the currently installed product" option. 3.0 FUNCTION INCLUDED IN THIS RELEASE ================================================= This release of the OS/2 Plug-in Pack for Netscape Navigator offers you: o Native OS/2 Multimedia Plug-ins o Support for Windows 3.1 Plug-ins o OS/2 Multimedia MPEG support 4.0 MULTIMEDIA PLUG-INS ================================================= The native OS/2 Multimedia Plug-ins in this package provide support for multimedia MIME Types and file extensions such as .MPEG, .avi, .voc, .aiff, .wav, and .midi. The Native OS/2 Multimedia Plug-ins provide support for streaming multimedia. This means that certain files that support streaming can be played while they are downloaded. A Multimedia Internet Manager program is provided to access these files and it can be started from the System setup folder after you install the plug-ins. The Multimedia Internet Manager stores temporary files in the [d:]\MMOS2\INETTEMP directory. This table describes the media types supported by the OS/2 Multimedia Plug-ins: File extension MIME type Support in Support in OS/2 Warp 3.0 OS/2 Warp 4 ============================= ================ ============= ============ avi with UltiMotion, Indeo 2.1, 3.1, or 3.2 encoding video/x-msvideo Yes Yes avi with Cinepak, RLE, or Video1 encoding video/x-msvideo Yes, Note 1 Yes, Note 1 mov, qt video/quicktime Yes, Note 2 Yes, Note 2 mpeg, mpg video/mpeg Yes Yes flc, fli video/x-flc, video/x-fli Yes Yes wav audio/x-wav Yes Yes au, snd audio/basic Yes, Note 3 Yes aiff, aif audio/x-aiff Yes, Note 3 Yes voc audio/x-voc Yes, Note 3 Yes iff audio/x-iff Yes, Note 3 Yes mid, midi audio/x-mid Yes Yes Note 1: This media type support requires additional software. One example is the AnpoCodec shareware package. Visit http://www.shareware.com and search in the OS/2 section for "codec". Note 2: This media type support requires additional software. One example is the QuickMovie package from Practice Corporation available at http://www.practice.xo.com. Note 3: This media type support requires additional software. Ensure that you have the Warp Bonus Pack or FixPack 17 installed. Notes: o If you prefer to use helper applications you can remove the native OS/2 multimedia plug-ins by renaming the following OS/2 Multimedia plug-ins DLLs in the plug-ins subdirectory of the install directory: NPOS2AUD.DLL - all audio formats except MIDI NPOS2MID.DLL - MIDI audio NPOS2VID.DLL - video For example, rename NPOS2AUD.DLL to NPOS2AUD.SAV. o When files are downloaded using the native OS/2 Multimedia Plug-ins, they can be retained by the system even after you have exited Netscape Navigator. This can cause additional disk space to be consumed. The Multimedia Internet Manager, in the System Settings folder, allows you to remove some or all of these files, as well as change the directory that contains this multimedia data. 5.0 SUPPORT FOR WINDOWS 3.1 PLUG-INS ==================================================== All versions of OS/2 Warp, OS/2 Warp Server, and OS/2 Warp Server Advanced Version 4 SMP Feature support the use of Windows 3.1 Plug-ins. Support for Windows 3.1 Plug-ins on OS/2 Warp Version 3.0 and OS/2 Warp Connect Version 3.0 requires installation of FixPak 26. If you need to install FixPak 26, remove Netscape Navigator for OS/2 from your system and re-install it. This ensures that the OS/2 Warp system updates are made in the correct sequence. Some Windows 3.1 Plug-ins require specific installation steps: Shockwave: The Shockwave installer should be run from WIN-OS/2 File Manager or from the Program Manager Command line. After installation is completed, exit Program Manager. Sizzler: Sizzler displays a test window for an extended period of time the first time it is used. A Timeout message box might display. Press Retry until the test window completes its test. Note: If you prefer not to use the Windows 3.1 Plug-ins support, you should rename the file NPPROXY.DLL in the plug-ins subdirectory of the install directory to NPPROXY.SAV. 6.0 PLUG-IN APIs AND TOOLKIT ==================================================== Developers who want to develop native OS/2 Plug-ins for the Netscape Navigator for OS/2 can use a Plug-in Toolkit that includes header files, libraries, and sample code for building OS/2 native plug-ins that can be downloaded. To download the toolkit, go to the URL: http://www.internet.ibm.com/browsers/netscape/warp and select OS/2 Plug-in Developers Kit. 7.0 OS/2 MULTIMEDIA MPEG SUPPORT ============================================================ The new IBM MPEG support includes software MPEG video file playback that does not require special MPEG hardware. 7.1 Software Requirements ------------------------- OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support requires OS/2 Warp Version 3 or later. However, OS/2 Warp Version 3 systems also require the OS/2 Warp Multimedia fixes that are available for this installation. 7.2 Recommended Hardware Configuration -------------------------------------- A Pentium hardware configuration is recommended because software MPEG is very CPU-intensive. Software MPEG can be used on a computer with a 486 microprocessor, but the video quality is minimal. Software MPEG audio support is available, but performs poorly on systems slower than a Pentium 90MHz. Hardware MPEG audio is supported with IBM MWAVE cards or ReelMagic cards. MPEG hardware is used transparently, if it is available. An updated ReelMagic driver set is provided and installable if the hardware configuration includes the ReelMagic drivers. These drivers should not be installed unless the hardware exists in the machine where the drivers are being installed. For hardware video support, VSDOM1.INI must be installed in the \MMOS2 directory. Using the OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support installation, select the MPEG card installed in the system. A 2-speed CD-ROM is required to play CD-i or Video CD content. This CD-ROM must support long reads. Some OS/2 CD-ROM drivers do not support the long reads that CD-i requires. CD-i content is not readable through the file system. Playing this content requires a dummy file named _VIDCDI.MPG. Playback quality is very jerky for polling CD-ROMs. 7.3 Installation ---------------- MPEG support can be selected during the installation of the Plug-in Pack. 7.4 Backward Compatibility for MCI applications ----------------------------------------------- A video MCD is provided for backward compatibility for existing applications that utilize the Media Control Interface (MCI). This means the existing media player provided with OS/2 Multimedia can be used to play MPEG content. 7.5 MPEG Limitations -------------------- o MPEG-2 Transport streams with buffered play only works with 188 byte size buffers. All others are rejected. o Playback from content on slow CD-ROMS (less than 4X) results in poor video playback quality. 7.6 Configurations With Existing MPEG Hardware Support ------------------------------------------------------ To configure OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support to be used as the default hardware MPEG device, do the following: 1. In the Multimedia Setup, on the Association page for the existing MPEG hardware, select the MPEG data type and remove all current extensions. 2. On the OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support Association page, select the MPEG data type and add the following extensions: MPG, CDI, VBS, DAT, M1T, M2T, M2P. 7.7 About Plugins -------------------- The About Plugins section states that you have QuickTime support. This means that QuickTime is enabled, but QuickTime plugins are not be supported unless a QuickTime support is installed. Companies that provide OS/2 QuickTime support are Practice Corp. and MainActor. 7.8 Software MPEG Performance ------------------------------- To decrease software MPEG usage, go to the Multimedia Setup notebook on the OpenMPEG page and change the synchronization factor to greater than 40 or to the maximum. This slider is not proportional in changes. Increasing the synchronization factor decreases the video quality, but improves CPU performance so that software MPEG is not taking the maximum out of the CPU. This synchronization factor has no effect on hardware MPEG. 7.9 Multimedia Setup Page ------------------------- If audio fails to play, try specifying the Software Only mode for audio for the OpenMPEG Video device in the Multimedia Setup object (in the System Setup folder). This change could be necessary for systems containing Audiovation sound cards. 7.10 Video CD/CD-i Support -------------------------- Video CD and CD-i content is supported with the Software Video CD icon in the Multimedia folder. Systems with MPEG hardware such as a Thinkpad 760 can already have a Video CD Player icon. This allows Video CD to run through the existing MPEG device. If the Software Video CD icon is used on systems with MPEG hardware, OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support attempts to play the content using hardware. Use the Software Video CD icon if the system has been customized with OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support as the default MPEG device. 7.11 Future Hardware Support ---------------------------- OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support installs hooks for the following hardware devices: o Thinkpad 760CD MPEG o Thinkpad 760ED MPEG o Sigma Designs ReelMagic o Sigma Designs ReelMagic Pro o Visual Circuits ReelTime If MPEG hardware is installed later, the VSDOM1.INI file must be created by running the MKVSDINI.CMD file in the \MMOS2 directory. For new MPEG hardware not in the preceding list, modify the MKVSDINI.CMD file with the appropriate PDD and VSD DLL. The PDD and VSD are defined in the MMPM2.INI file. Do not include the $ character for the PDD. In addition, if the DSP requires special loading, use the appropriate numbers for the .dsp field to signify the following 1 Load DSP Only 2 Load With MPEG Stream Info. 8.0 CID INSTALLATION ================================================ The following response file keyword must be specified to allow the OS/2 Plug-in Pack to be installed in a CID environment. The possible values for the keyword are TRUE or FALSE: NAV_PRESENT - Netscape Navigator for OS/2 has already been installed Refer to section 9.0 of the Netscape Navigator for OS/2 READ.ME file for additional CID installation details. The following is an example of a response file used to install Netscape Navigator for OS/2 Plug-in Pack where Netscape Navigator for OS/2 is installed in the C:\NETSCAPE directory and Multimedia support is installed in the C:\MMOS2 directory: COMP = OS/2 Multimedia Plug-Ins for Netscape Navigator * COMP = 16-bit Plug-In Support for Netscape Navigator * COMP = OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support * FILE = C:\NETSCAPE * AUX1 = C:\MMOS2 * CFGUPDATE = AUTO * DELETEBACKUP = NO * OVERWRITE = YES * SAVEBACKUP = NO * NAV_PRESENT = TRUE * * Indicates a required keyword. Do not include the "*" within the response file. Notes: o The FILE response file keyword should point to the directory where Netscape Navigator for OS/2 was installed. For example: FILE = d:\netscape o The AUX1 response file keyword should point to the directory where OS/2 Multimedia was installed. For example: AUX1 = c:\mmos2 o The value given in the COMP keyword in the response file must exactly match the string specified by the NAME keyword of the COMPONENT entry of the appropriate .PKG file. Refer to approximately lines 77 and 325 in the OS2PIP.PKG file, and approximately line 2 in the OS2MPEGC.PKG file for the possible component names to specify. 9.0 KNOWN PROBLEMS ========================= o Some Windows 3.1 Plug-ins require OLE 2.0. If you do not have OLE 2.0 for Win-OS2, you can install any 16-bit Windows 3.1 application that ships OLE 2.0 (such as the Netscape Navigator for Windows 3.1). o You may experience problems with the Digigami install program. You must have OLE 2.0 installed to use the Digigami Plug-ins. o The Software MPEG Plug-ins can cause your system to hang while attempting to close the movie player. o Sometimes pages that contain plug-ins do not display correctly. This happens because the webmaster for the server did not add the MIME types correctly to the web server software. o Some Windows 3.1 Plug-ins do not install under OS/2 because they check for the version of Netscape Navigator for Windows that is installed. You may need to install Netscape Navigator for Windows 3.1 before you install the plug-ins for OS/2. o Buffered play is not supported for MPEG-2 and single stream MPEG devices. o Sliders do not update with OS/2 multimedia applications on slower systems. o Poor video support for software playback with movies over a LAN. o Reel Magic Pro and Reel Magic may need a new AMPMXMCD.DLL fix which corrects the jerky video problem. o If video problems occur with the OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support installation on OS/2 Warp Version 3 systems with S3 cards, try renaming the YUV_LUT8.LUT file. o Some content from the Thinkpad CD Sampler has video corruption during playback of MPEG-2 Transport streams (files with 2_30 in filename). o Systems with installed MPEG hardware can hang when switching between the existing MPEG device and OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support on Warp 4. The workaround is to set up the associations (defined in previous section) for OS/2 Multimedia MPEG Support to be the default MPEG device. o Problems can occur when opening MPEG-2 content with MPEG-1 only hardware. 10.0 SERVICE AND SUPPORT =============================================== This Program is provided "AS-IS" and as such, IBM shall not provide any program services (i.e. corrective code) or technical support for this Program. 11.0 TRADEMARKS ================================================ The following terms are trademarks of the IBM Corporation in the United States or other countries or both: o IBM o OS/2 o ThinkPad The following terms are trademarks of other companies: Netscape and Netscape Navigator are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and the Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Java and HotJava are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Digigami is a trademark of CineWEB Corporation. QuickTime is a trademark of Apple Corporation. ReelMagic is a trademark of Sigma Designs, Inc. Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. IBM AND NETSCAPE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND MERCHANTABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. BY FURNISHING THIS DOCUMENT, NETSCAPE COMMUNICATIONS GRANTS NO LICENSES TO ANY PATENTS OR COPYRIGHTS.