The QuickTime MPEG extension works directly with QuickTime to provide complete playback and control of MPEG movies. After you've installed the extension, each time you open an MPEG movie, QuickTime automatically imports the content of the MPEG movie into a QuickTime movie as a single MPEG track. The MPEG track contains the video and audio streams of the MPEG movie.
Note:
The QuickTime MPEG extension does not contain a compressor component. You cannot use the QuickTime MPEG extension to compress a QuickTime movie to an MPEG file.
System requirements
To install and use the QuickTime MPEG extension, you must have the following:
• A Power Macintosh computer
• QuickTime 2.5 or later (available at http://quicktime.apple.com/sw/ )
• Approximately 2.5 megabytes (MB) of free memory per MPEG bitstream (for optimal playback)
Installing the software
The QuickTime MPEG Installer places the QuickTime MPEG extension in your System Folder. It also installs the MoviePlayer application in a new QuickTime folder on your local hard disk. The MoviePlayer application can be used to play QuickTime content as well as MPEG files. The Installer also installs Thread Manager 2.1.5. This version of the Thread Manager is required to use the QuickTime MPEG Extension.
To install the software, follow these steps:
1. Double-click the Installer icon to open it.
2. Read the message that appears, then click Continue.
3. In the window that appears, read the software license agreement, then click Agree.
4. In the dialog box that appears, make sure Easy Install is selected in the pop-up menu. Then click Install.
Note that by installing the software, you accept the terms of the license agreement.
5. When the installation is complete, click Restart.
Using the software
• Playback performance depends on your model of computer. A Power Macintosh 7100/80Mhz/601 gets approximately 10–12 fps at a window size of 320 x 240, while a Power Macintosh 8500/120MHz/604 gets approximately 24 fps at a window size of 320 x 240.
• For best performance, make sure your sound is set to 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo and your video monitor is set to 256 or thousands of colors. Turn virtual memory and RAM Doubler off.
• Some MPEG files are encoded at 15 or at 7.5 fps instead of the normal 30. If your file appears to be playing much too fast, rename the file ".m15" and/or ".m75" and see if either of those speeds looks correct. For example, rename the file "movie.mpg" to "movie.m15" or "movie.m75."
• After you've installed the QuickTime MPEG extension, you can use the QuickTime Plug-In v1.1 (available at http://quicktime.apple.com/sw/ ) to play back MPEG movies within your Web browser application (such as Netscape Navigator).
• Blacklining is intentional. With large window sizes, blacklining saves CPU cycles. If you want to turn blacklining off, enable High Quality mode. While you're playing a movie in MoviePlayer, choose Get Info from the Movie menu. Choose the MPEG track from the left pop-up menu. Choose High Quality from the right pop-up menu and close the Info window. Blacklining should now be turned off.
• The QuickTime MPEG extension only supports layer II audio streams.
• To play a .DAT file from a CDi or a Video CD, you must open the file from within MoviePlayer by choosing Open from the File menu. Dragging and dropping the file onto your hard drive or onto the MoviePlayer icon will result in an error. Double-clicking the file will also result in an error.
• If you have a MPEG hardware decoder card you must remove the QuickTime MPEG Extension from your Extensions folder to use your card. The QuickTime MPEG Extension will disable your card while it is in your Extensions folder.
• You can find the latest versions of the QuickTime MPEG extension and other QuickTime software at the QuickTime (WWW) Software site, located at the following address: http://quicktime.apple.com/sw/
Known problems
• Non-Apple CD drivers may have problems reading CDi and Video CD discs. We are working with third-party CD-ROM vendors to solve this problem.
• CDi and Video CDs with dual audio tracks encoded in the separate stereo channels may play one track out of each speaker. We are working to fix this problem in a future release. Please use the MoviePlayer Get Info (Command-I) option to access the MPEG track. Choose Volume, and adjust the pan control all the way to the left or the right.
• ClarisWorks’ Text Preview extension (installed by ClarisWorks 3.0 and 4.0) interferes with the MPEG file preview. When you open an MPEG file, the Open dialog box displays text symbols rather than a movie clip in the preview window.
• Use Save As, not Save, when you are saving changes to a raw MPEG bitstream from MoviePlayer. Using Save results in an error message.
• Apple Video Player does not play the sound in an MPEG movie (sound only or video-and-sound).
• The MPEG version of Return To Zork does not play properly with the QuickTime MPEG extension. This title's MPEG movies are tuned to specifics of a hardware decompressor.
• The Performa 6205CD may hang when playing long (CDi or Video CD) movies. We are working to solve this problem.
• Some third-party audio boards interfere with synchronization. If you are having synchronization problems and have your sound output from a device other than the internal sound out, try changing to the internal sound device.
• Video CDs with audio tracks are encoded in such a way that the Audio CD Access extension prevents you from seeing the MPEG movies. Remove the Audio CD Access extension, restart your computer, and you should be able to see the MPEG movies on such a disc.
For additional information, consult the QuickTime World Wide Web (WWW) site, located at the following address: http://quicktime.apple.com/
Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ClarisWorks is a registered trademark of the Claris Corporation. Netscape Navigator is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corp.
