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- Readme.txt for CU-SeeMe For Windows.
- 5/2/94
-
- The version of CU-SeeMe posted here is w0.33.b1
-
- The easiest way to get started is to download the .ZIP file in this
- directory. If you don't have a copy of the ZIP compression utilities
- you can download it from ftp.cit.cornell.edu in the pub/dos/util
- directory as pkz204g.exe. Then execute this file to extract the
- zip utilities.
-
- Double click on file cuseeme.hlp from the Windows File Manager.
- Cuseeme.hlp is a Windows hypertext help file, and contains setup and
- help information in the "Windows Help" format used in all Windows programs.
-
- This file contains much of the text found in cuseeme.hlp, and is provided
- for non-Windows folks seeking information on CU-SeeMe For Windows.
-
- CU-SeeMe For Windows
- --------------------
- System Requirements
- Setup
- Features
- How to tweak this Beta release
- Some things you may notice
- A bit more info
- CU-SeeMe mailing list
-
- System Requirements
- -------------------
- For receive-only:
- 1. 386SX processor or higher.
- 2. Windows 3.1 running in Enhanced Mode.
- 3. Windows Sockets compliant TCP/IP stack.
- 4. A 256 color (8 bit) video driver at any resolution (640x480,
- 800x600, 1024x768, or higher).
-
- To send as well as receive:
- 1. 386DX processor or higher.
- 2. Windows 3.1 running in Enhanced Mode.
- 3. Windows Sockets compliant TCP/IP stack.
- 4. A 256 color (8 bit) video driver at any resolution (640x480,
- 800x600, 1024x768, or higher).
- 5. Video capture board that supports Microsoft Video For Windows.
- 6. A video camera to plug into the video capture board.
-
- Setup
- -----
- Hostname
- --------
- Your Windows machine will need a hostname. CU-SeeMe for Windows will not
- work without it (this requirement may disappear soon). If you don't
- already have a hostname for your PC, you may want to contact your network
- administrator about getting one assigned. One quick way to provide a
- hostname is to make an entry into the hosts file (which should be in the
- directory that contains your Windows Sockets stack). An example of an
- entry in a hosts file is:
-
- <your IP address> <name for your PC>
-
- For example, you might decide to use the hostname WillieBob. If your IP
- address was 128.32.64.88, the entry in your hosts file would look like:
-
- 128.32.64.88 WillieBob
-
- Msvideo.dll
- -----------
- CU-SeeMe comes with the file msvideo.dll, which it uses for "device
- independent video capture". If you have Microsoft Video For Windows
- installed, you will want to delete the copy of msvideo.dll that comes with
- CU-SeeMe. Video For Windows will have already installed a copy of
- msvideo.dll in your Windows System directory. Having a second copy in your
- CU-SeeMe directory may cause some problems. Be sure to delete the copy of
- msvideo.dll in your CU-SeeMe directory, not the copy in your Windows System
- directory.
-
-
- Video Format
- ------------
- CU-SeeMe needs to capture video using image demensions of 160x120, and an
- image format called 8 bit palettized. This happens to be the default
- configuration for many video capture cards, so chances are you are all set.
- If you do get a strange image, or no image at all, the Video Format... menu
- item will display a dialog box that allows both image demensions and image
- format to be set.
-
- Features
- --------
- Flexible conferencing
- ---------------------
- CU-SeeMe For Windows provides a one-to-one connection, or by use of a
- reflector, a one-to-many, a several-to-several, or a several-to-many
- conference depending on user needs and hardware capabilities. It displays
- 4-bit grayscale video windows at 160x120 pixels or at double that diameter,
- and does not (yet) include audio.
-
- If you do not have a video capture board, CU-SeeMe will come up in Receive-
- only mode. You will be able to receive video, but not send. The title of
- the main window will say "CU-SeeMe (Receive-only)".
-
- Messaging
- ---------
- Typing with the local video window in the forground (while the local video
- window has the focus ) will cause the characters typed to be displayed at
- the bottom of the local video, and sent with your video.
-
- Participants
- ------------
- When connected, the main window will show of a list all the particpants in
- the conference. The main window can be moved and resized to meet any
- preference. The main window will show all senders (anyone sending video in
- the conference) and lurkers (anyone receiving but not sending).
-
- Senders are denoted with a [v].
- Lurkers are denoted with a [x].
-
- Closing video windows
- ---------------------
- Any video window (except the local video window) can be closed via that
- window's system menu. A participant with a closed video window is denoted
- with a [c]. Double clicking on a participant with a closed video window
- will reopen that video window.
-
- Brightness/Contrast
- -------------------
- If you are sending video, you can adjust the brightness and contrast of the
- local video window. There is a "brightness/contrast slider" (horizontal
- scroll bar) in the Preferences dialog.
-
- Minimizing video windows
- ------------------------
- Like most Windows programs, any window can be minimized to an icon:
-
- The local video window will stay "live", showing the upper left hand
- corner of the video window as the icon. Just for fun, try waving in
- the upper left corner of your picture while your video window
- minimized.
-
- All other video windows will show an icon of a camera, using the name
- of the sender as the caption. While minimized, the video in these
- windows will be "frozen". When restored, the video will be "un-
- frozen", and once again "live."
-
-
- Rates
- -----
- The following rates appear at the bottom of each video window:
-
- Frames per second (fps) - how many times per second the video window
- is updated (redrawn).
- Kilobits per second (kbps) - how much video is travelling across the
- netowork from that sender.
-
- The local video window will also show the current rate capTweakCS in
- parentheses.
-
- How to tweak this Beta Release
- -------------------------------
- Rate cap
- --------
- CU-SeeMe uses a adjustable rate cap to control how fast it sends video over
- the network. The rate cap has maximum and minimum settings. The maximum
- setting (Max kbits/sec) is highest speed at which CU-SeeMe will send. The
- minimum setting (Min kbits/sec) is the slowest speed at which CU-SeeMe can
- send. Both values are adjustable from the Preferences... menu item.
-
- Some things you may notice
- --------------------------
- CU-SeeMe will not currently display "high resolution video" from a Mac
- (although this feature will be added). A video window will appear, but no
- video will be displayed. If the Mac switches to "standard resolution",
- video will be displayed.
-
- If you are able to send video, the hourglass cursor will appear when CU-
- SeeMe is starting. The video capture driver is "initializing an 8 bit gray
- scale palette", and this can take anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds, depending
- on machine speed. The main window's status bar will say "Initializing
- capture palette..." during this time.
-
- CU-SeeMe will work on a "standard 16 color" VGA, or with any Windows video
- driver at any resolution that displays only 16 colors. The catch is, the
- picture will look, well, interesting; showing only black, white, and 2
- "shades" of gray.
-
- A bit more information.
- ----------------------
- All video capturing is done via the Microsoft Video For Windows Video-
- Capture API (that's why we use msvideo.dllMsvideoCS). This allows CU-SeeMe
- to capture video from any video capture board that supports Video For
- Windows. One caveat is that CU-SeeMe currently only knows how to deal with
- uncompressed 8 bit palettized images. Folks who have boards that don't
- support that image type (like Intel Indeo video capture cards) may get an
- upside down image that looks fuzzy.
-
- We have successfully tested the following video capture boards:
- Video Spigot for Windows (now sold by Creative Labs, formerly sold by
- SuperMac)
- Video Blaster (sold by Creative Labs)
-
- The following Windows Sockets compliant stacks have been successfully used:
- Chameleon by NetManage.
- Distinct by Distinct Corp.
- Trumpet WinSock by Peter Tattam.
- Windows NT 3.1 (built-in) by Microsoft.
-
- And also, PLEASE TREAT THE INTERNET KINDLY--keep bandwidth limits set down
- under 100kbps, or less if you share limited bandwidth with others. Many,
- many folks connected to the Internet can use CU-SeeMe with default
- settings and cause no problem to anyone else; but unfortunately, not
- everyone. If you don't know whether using CU-SeeMe will mess up the
- network for someone else, CHECK IT OUT first, please.
-
- CU-SeeMe For Windows is copyright 1993, 1994, Cornell University. The
- project leader is Dick Cogger. Programming is being handled by Steve Edgar
- and Rich Kennerly. CU-SeeMe For Windows is designed to work with its
- Macintosh counterpart (also called CU-SeeMe) written by Tim Dorcey.
-
- Since Oct. 1, 1993, the CU-SeeMe Project receives funding from the
- National Science Foundation. This material is partially based on work
- sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement
- No. NCR-9318337. The Government has certain rights in this material. Any
- opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
- publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
- views of the National Science Foundation.
-
- CU-SeeMe For Windows was written with Microsoft Visual C++, with some
- routines developed in 386 specific assembler with Microsoft Macro
- Assembler.
-
- Have fun. More speed and features to come.
-
- Steve Edgar - Cornell University
- Rich Kennerly - Cornell University
-
- Reflector sites
- ---------------
-
- The following reflectors are available for public use:
-
- reflector.cit.cornell.edu (192.35.82.96)
- nysernet.org (192.77.173.2)
- isis.dccs.upenn.edu (130.91.72.36)
- hilda.ncsc.org (128.109.178.103)
- gatekeeper.imagen.com (161.33.3.1)
- skyhawk.gte.com (132.197.10.74)
- norm.itn.med.umich.edu (141.214.20.107)
- fenris.dhhalden.no (158.36.33.3)
- sunten.wiezmann.ac.il (132.76.64.143)
-
-
- CU-SeeMe mailing list
- ---------------------
- For anyone interested in following developments in CU-SeeMe or its use, or
- in contacting other CU-SeeMe users, an automated maillist has been
- established. The list is provided for unrestricted discussion of the CU-
- SeeMe packet video software. Developers and project management all read
- the list. To date there has been little traffic, but we expect more as new
- versions are released over the next few months. We, and other users, would
- also like to hear about and discuss innovative uses of CU-SeeMe. Please
- write and tell us your story. To join the list, send a message with the
- following line as the entire message body to listserv@cornell.edu:
-
- subscribe cu-seeme-l <first name> <last name>
-
- (Substitute your actual name, please; it's amazing how many don't.) You
- should receive a confirming message with extensive instructions on use of
- the list.
-
- You can send mail to be distributed to the list to: cu-seeme-l@cornell.edu.
- Please be sure to send to this address ONLY when you want your message
- redistributed.
-
- BUG Reports / Problems
- ----------------------
- Please send bug reports for CU-SeeMe for Windows to:
-
- cu-seeme-windows@gated.cornell.edu
-
-