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- ********************************************
- PowerDVD 3.0
-
- (c) Copyright CyberLink Corp.1997-2000
- ********************************************
-
- Thank you for using CyberLink PowerDVD!
-
- This README file contains the latest information about PowerDVD. For complete
- PowerDVD instructions and usage, please refer to the online help or user's guide.
-
- - What's New in PowerDVD 3.0
- - Additional Features of PowerDVD 3.0
- - Hardware Compatibility
- - General Playback Performance and Quality Issues
- - Microsoft(tm) DirectShow Support
- - Limitations under Windows NT 4.0
-
-
- ==========================
- WHAT'S NEW IN PowerDVD 3.0
- ==========================
-
- For more details and further explanations of each function, refer to the online
- help or user's guide.
-
- * New Dolby Digital decoder with enhanced quality and improved decoding precision.
- Certified by Dolby Laboratory for 2/4/6 channel decoding (*)
-
- * Added Dolby Pro-Logic decoder for 4/6 channel sound card users (*)
-
- * Dolby Headphone support (*)
-
- * Enhanced MPEG video decoder for better clarity and exceptional viewing
- quality for VCD and DVD
-
- * Proprietary "Dual Subtitles" technology
-
- * New i-Power Pages for the latest DVD news and resources
-
- * Closed Caption decoder
-
- * Microsoft WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Lab) certified with Windows Millennium,
- Windows 2000 and Windows 98
-
- * AB repeat function
-
- * Digital Zoom function
-
- * "Toolbar" control for easier playback controls
-
- * Slow-motion reverse playback
-
- * Step backward frame function (key frame only)
-
- * Playlist enhancements
- - Added "Delete All" command
- - Supports playing "M3U" files (MP3 playlist)
- - Added "List All Files" command
-
- * Five built-in skins : Oscar, Neo, Fly, Eyeball and Submarine
-
- * DMA enabling tool for all kinds of system chipsets from Intel, VIA, SiS, ALi and
- AMD. Supports Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE and Windows 95
- OSR2
-
- * Supports Microsoft HID (Human Interactive Devices) interface for HID compliant
- multimedia keyboards, like those from Logitech, Microsoft, or other input devices
-
- * Supports Microsoft standard "WaveFormatExtensible" interface for 4/6 channel sound
- cards which enables decoded Dolby Digital or Dolby Surround audio output (*)
-
- * Improved DVD navigation and title compatibility
-
- * Revised audio/video synchronization mechanism
-
- * Supports Creative SBLive! family for 4 channel output under W2K (*)
-
- Note(*): Full multi-channel features, Dolby Pro-Logic decoder and Dolby Headphone
- are supported in the retail version but are optional in OEM versions.
-
-
- =================================
- ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF PowerDVD 3.0
- =================================
-
- * OSD (On Screen Display) support. Can change font type, font size, font color,
- display duration, display location and background OSD color.
-
- * System diagnostic tools
-
- * Information page regarding the player status, display mode, video/audio/subpicture
- attributes and complete hardware information.
-
- * Visual bookmark viewer and flexible bookmark management. No need to manually record
- scene descriptions for each bookmark.
-
- * Visual chapter viewer
-
- * Multi-user parental control and user management
-
- * Flexible screen capture to any folder, Windows desktop, or Windows Clipboard
-
- * Option of displaying widescreen movies in Letterbox or Pan&Scan mode. Under
- Pan&Scan mode, user can hold down the mouse button and drag to pan the video.
-
- * Plays a wide range of media files as well as audio CD and Video CD
-
- Audio CD Tracks (*.CDA)
- DVD-Video object files (*.VOB)
- DVD-Video recording object files (*.VRO)
- Dolby AC3 audio files (*.AC3)
- MIDI Audio files (*.MID; *.RMI)
- MPEG-1/2 files (*.MPG; *.MPEG)
- MPEG-1 Audio Layer-2 files (*.MP2)
- MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 files (*.MP3)
- Playlist files for MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3 (*.M3U)
- MPEG-1 Video files (*.M1V)
- MPEG-2 Video files (*.M2V)
- Microsoft Waveform audio files (*.WAV)
- QuickTime Movie files (*.MOV; *.QT)
- Windows Media files (*.ASF; *.WM; *.WMA; *.WMV)
- Video for Windows files (*.AVI)
- Video CD files (*.DAT)
-
-
- ======================
- HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY
- ======================
-
- * Complete 4/6 channel sound device support, including those made by Analog
- Devices, ALi, Aureal, Creative, Cirrus/Crystal, CMedia, ESS, Fortemedia,
- Hercules Game Theater XP, ICEnsemble, Philips/VLSI, Realtek/Avance Logic, SiS,
- TI, Yamaha and any other sound device that supports Microsoft WaveFormatExtensible interface
-
- Multi-channel output can only be activated under Windows 98 and Windows ME for
- most sound devices due to Windows 2000 driver limitations. Under Windows 2000,
- the Creative SBLive! family and Hercules Game Theater XP are supported (with
- latest version of Live!Ware for Windows 2000 installed).
-
- It is recommended that you install the driver from the original card/device maker
- but not to use any Windows built-in drivers for this function for it to work
- properly.
-
-
- * Complete S/PDIF sound device support, including, but not limited, to those made by
- Aureal, Creative, CMedia, Cirrus/Crystal, ESS, Fortemedia, Hercules Game Theater XP,
- Realtek/Avance Logic, Yamaha. Both DTS and Dolby Digital pass-through are supported.
-
- S/PDIF pass-through is supported under Windows 98 and Windows ME. Under Windows 2000,
- the Hercules Game Theater XP is supported.
-
- It is recommended that you install the driver from the original board/device maker
- for this function to work properly.
-
-
- * Supports Hardware Motion Compensation and Subpicture Alpha blending units provided
- by display chips or integrated chipsets from ATI, Intel, Neomagic, nVIDIA, S3,
- SiS, Trident and VIA.
-
- Display cards from 3dfx, 3DLabs, Matrox, Silicon Motion and any other vendor
- that provide DirectDraw overlay capability are also supported.
-
- For most display chips and integrated chipsets, Hardware Motion Compensation and
- Subpicture Alpha blending is only available for most display cards under Windows 98
- and Windows ME due to Windows 2000 driver limitations. Under Windows 2000, only
- SiS630 (integrated chipset) and SiS300 (display chip) are supported.
-
- It is recommended that you install the driver from original card/chip maker instead
- of using any Windows built-in driver in order for this function to work flawlessly.
-
-
- * PowerDVD 3.0 is fully optimized for multimedia instruction sets such as
- AMD 3D Now!, Enhanced 3D Now!, Intel MMX and Streaming SIMD Extensions(SSE).
-
-
- * Compatible with any DVD-ROM or DVD-RAM drive with ATAPI, SCSI, 1394 or CardBus
- interface, as long as the drive conforms to the SFF8090 command set and SBP-2
- (if applicable)
-
-
- * Compatible with all Slot1, Socket370, SlotA, SocketA and Super7 chipsets from
- Intel, VIA, SiS, ALi and AMD
-
-
- ===============================================
- GENERAL PLAYBACK PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY ISSUES
- ===============================================
-
- * Enabling the DMA mode of DVD-ROM drive to enhance playback performance
-
- It is HIGHLY recommended to enable the DMA function of your DVD-ROM in order to
- reduce the CPU loading which accesses the DVD discs. Windows 2000, Windows ME,
- Windows 98, Windows 98SE and Windows 95 OSR2 all contain built-in DMA support.
-
- The CyberLink system diagnostic utility will be automatically launched after
- PowerDVD is installed to help you activate the DMA option.
-
-
- * Display issues
-
- PowerDVD supports Microsoft(tm) DirectDraw, DirectSound and DirectSound3D. It
- is recommended to run PowerDVD with the latest Microsoft(tm) DirectX Runtime
- installed.
-
- PowerDVD requires the existence of the DirectDraw overlay surface for optimal
- playback performance and video quality. Almost all display cards nowadays
- support this feature.
-
- If the DirectDraw overlay surface cannot be created, PowerDVD will prompt you with
- this message: "Current display mode is not supported" and show an error code with
- the value F6F00018. It is either because the color depth, desktop resolution or
- screen refresh rate is too high and leaves insufficient bandwidth to sustain the
- creation of an overlay surface, or the display card requires the installation of
- the latest DirectX Runtime. You can try lowering the desktop resolution, color
- depth and refresh rate and then try again.
-
- It is suggested not to run PowerDVD under a 640x480 desktop resolution, since DVD
- titles' video resolution is higher than 640x480.
-
-
- =================================
- MICROSOFT (tm) DIRECTSHOW SUPPORT
- =================================
-
- * PowerDVD is Microsoft (tm) DirectShow complaint. Interactive DVD titles or games
- can utilize PowerDVD DirectShow filters to decode high-resolution MPEG-2
- video clips or high quality Dolby Digital audio files within such titles or games.
-
- The newest DirectX Media Runtime must be installed for the filters to work
- properly.
-
-
- ================================
- LIMITATIONS UNDER Windows NT 4.0
- ================================
-
- * Service Pack 3 or above must be installed for PowerDVD to work properly under
- Windows NT 4.0. For PowerDVD versions with Dolby Headphone support, Service Pack 5
- or above must be installed.
-
- * Toolbar control is not available under Windows NT 4.0.
-
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