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OS/2 Help File
|
1997-01-21
|
133KB
|
1,361 lines
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 1. Introduction ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Albatros Media Player for OS/2
Albatros Media Player is a multi-threaded digital media player.
Albatros Media Player supports the playback of any media directly supported by
the MMPM/2 system as well as MOD and AUDIO MPEG file types. All that is
required is that the MMPM/2 multimedia extensions must be installed.
A digital capable audio adapter is required.
Albatros Media Player is capable of playing songs in the background while you
get real work done with a minimum of interruption (aside from the wonderful
music of course).
You will be able to listen to your favorite modules and still have a responsive
system at your fingertips.
You can create and save list of your favorite media elements. You can mix
modules,MPEG Files, Videos, WAVE, MIDI files all in one SongList! These
SongLists can be saved to be loaded at a later date.
Supoorted File formats
Audio Formats
- MODule Formats
- MOD 4 Channel, 15 Samples NoiseTracker, ProTracker, SoundTracker
etc.
- XM Modules from Fasttracker 4,6,8,16 and 32 Channel FastTracker
- STM Modules from Scream Tracker 2.x
- S3M Modules from Scream Tracker 3.x
- MTM Modules from MultiTracker 1.x
- ULT Modules from UltraTracker
Wav
Voc
MID
AU - Suns AU files (only on warp4)
AIFF - AIFF files (only on warp4)
Audio Mpeg Layer I + II (internal handling)
Video Formats
AVI (os/2) with regular MMPM/2 codecs
AVI - Windows with APCODEC Codecs
MPEG 1 movies (with IBM's Openmpeg codecs)
FLC / FLI
Quicktime Movies : with an Additional QT Codec from Practice CORP. or IBM
Requires
Warp 3 or Warp 4
MMPM/2 installed
Dart if you whish to use Direct Sound Output
Newest Releases
are available from
http://www.bmtmicro.com
ftp://ftp.bmtmicro.com
http://www.filepile.com
ftp://ftp-os2.cdrom.com (after they sort it in, it will propably be in
"/.4/os2/mmedia")
This Software was written by Norbert Heller
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 2. Main Panel ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Click on an area to see the explanation on the display of Albatros Media Player
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 3. Main Popup Menu ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
By clicking the right mouse button on the main display panel, you will see a
popup menu with several options
Options - Settings
Opens the Options Notebook
play / stop / pause
Does exactly what is says
"<" - ">"
Next and previous track
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 4. Listbox ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
General Behaviour of the listbox
Double click on a listbox entry when player is currently playing
Stops playback of the currently playing file, loads the new file and continues
playback
Double click on a listbox entry when player is currently stopped
Displays the new file in the main display (to play this file you have to press
"PLAY")
popup menu
By clicking the right mouse button on the listbox, you will see a popup menu
with several options
files
Opens a file requester where you can select one or more files to be added to
the playlist
playlist - shuffle
Shuffles the currently loaded playlist (puts the sequence in random order)
playlist - playlist (1-5)
Loads the playlists 1-5 that are defined in the playlist settings page
(un) follow
While you are playing the tracks, the listbox may follow the currently playing
file.
You might want to switch to (unfollow) when you want to select a file from the
beginning or the end of the loaded playlist (otherwise the listbox might be too
fast and jumps back to the currently playing file).
delete
Deletes the selected file from the playlist (you have to save the new playlist,
if you want to save the changed playlist)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5. Options Notebook ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Here you can specify several options for the general behaviour of the media
player
page "Info"
page "mod options"
page "options"
page "audio filetypes"
page "video filetypes"
page "playlists"
page "about"
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.1. Page "Info" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This page shows an information about the currently loaded files.
All files are shown with their full path names.
In case you have loaded a playlist with a comment, this comment for the file
will also be shown.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.2. Page "mod options" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This page will set up the options for the mod player part and specifies how mod
file types will be played.
44 / 22 / 11 khz
here you can specify which sampling rate should be used to play MOD files.
16 / 8 bit
here you can specify which bitrate should be used to play MOD files.
stereo / mono
here you can specify if the MOD file should be played in mono or stereo
DART / MMPM/2
here you can specify if you want the new Dart method for playback or the "old"
MMPM/2 Playlist method.
If you choose MMPM/2 for playback, please note that this method will start
playback after a few seconds delay (when the Buffers are filled) and can be
affected by higher system load (this will result in unexpected "hickups" or
loops)
Therefore make shure that you can choose DART (with the appropriate DLL's
installed) to receive the best playback sound, even when the system is heavy
loaded
Interpolate
When this option is selected, MOD file effects will be resampled, which may
result in better sound quality on some audio cards, but will also increase the
CPU load.
When you cannot hear any difference in sound playback, with this switch, you
are probably already using a good quality soundcard. In this case, it is
recommended to turn interpolation off.
Note
The higher you set these values, the better will be the quality of the played
sound, but also the CPU load will be higher.
Also no check is performed if your sound card is able to play back the sound in
the quality you specified.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.3. Page "options" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Double click to close
Here you can specify if you have to double/single click on the "POWER" button
to close the player
Small Bitmaps
This option is intended to be used on smaller display resolutions (640 or 800)
or on "patched" displays (e.g. with a patched 1024 display driver), where the
icons are no longer 40*40 , but 32*32 in size, and all dialog boxes appear a
little bit smaller in size.
Small display
This option is intended to be used on "patched" displays
Note
Changes in these settings will take effect the next startup
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.4. Page "audio filetypes" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Here you can specify, which audio files you wish to play.
checkmark
Click on the checkmark to de/activate the appropriate filetype
"suffix" entryfield
In the entryfield, type in the "suffixes" of the files, that you want to play.
name
Here you can specify, which which MMPM device you want to play back the
appropriate filetypes
Note
you usually do not have to change anything here, except click on the
checkboxes
in case you have e.g. an AUDIO MPEG file with the suffix "MPG", you can
type in the suffix in the entryfield of the appropriate filetype
a suffix must not appear twice (do not setup the suffix "MPG" for Audio
Mpeg and Video Mpeg !)
only the choosen filetypes will be loaded, when a new playlist is
created, or when an already created playlist is loaded again
in case e.g. your MIDI device is not "sequencer01", specify the correct
name for this device here. If you are not shure, what your devices are
named, please check the names in the MMPM/2 setup
Only file types with the installed codecs will be played (if you want to
play QUICKTIME or VIDEO MPEG, make shure, that an appropriate CODEC is
installed on your system !)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.5. Page "video filetypes" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Here you can specify, which video files you wish to play.
checkmark
Click on the checkmark to de/activate the appropriate filetype
"suffix" entryfield
In the entryfield, type in the "suffixes" of the files, that you want to play.
name
Here you can specify, which which MMPM device you want to play back the
appropriate filetypes
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.6. Page "playlists" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
load
Selects a playlist file. This playlist file will be loaded when you click on
the appropriate "tray" on the main display
Entryfield
The name of the selected playlists will be displayed here
Save
Saves a currently loaded playlist (check on page info) with a new filename
Note
A Playlist is a file, which contains the filenames of other files you wish to
play in sequence.
Example for a playlist file
//
// PLAYLIST File for ALB Media PLAYER
//
C:\s3m\AMBIANCE.S3M Very good File
C:\s3m\BEYONDCH.S3M
C:\s3m\CHASEME.S3M Great Bass
C:\s3m\D-EDUC.S3M
C:\s3m\FATAL.S3M
H:\SONGS\ADELANTE.MP2 5:10
H:\SONGS\ANYTHING.MP2
This example playlist contains
Comments
//
// PLAYLIST File for ALB Media PLAYER
//
Anything at the from the beginning of a line, which cannot be identified as a
file, will be treated as a comment
Filename
C:\s3m\AMBIANCE.S3M Very good File
Anything at the from the beginning of a line until the first occurrence of a "
" (blank), which can be identified and verified as a file, will be treated as a
filename
File Comment
C:\s3m\AMBIANCE.S3M Very good File
Anything after the first occurrence of a " " (blank), after a verified
filename, will be treated as a comment for this file
Note
only existing files will be loaded, which means files are verified when
the playlist is opened
only such files are loaded, which types are "checked" in the filetypes
setup
this means, even if a valid filename is given in a playlist, it might not
be loaded, because this filetype is omitted in the setup
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 5.7. Page "about" ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Type in your registration name and code number when you have received your
registration key.
This information is saved when the Settings Notebook is closed.
In case the entered data is correct, the player will be "registered" the next
time you start it.
Note
In case the player still displays "UNREGISTERED" the next startup, make sure
you entered the data in the correct form as shown here
An example of an incorrect form
The easiest way is to copy/paste the data into the appropriate entryfields,
when you received an email registration
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 6. WPS Integration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Drag&drop of files
You can drop files from the WPS to the main window or onto the listbox to
create a playlist of songs
Drag&drop of colors
You can drop colors from the color palette to the display elements
This will work for all display elements shown in the main display
Drag&drop of fonts
You can drop fonts from the font palette onto the listbox
This will not work for the text elements shown in the main display, because
here no regular OS/2 fonts are used.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7. MPEG Audio ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
General MPEG Audio Information
Mpeg Audio Layers
MPEG Audio Encoder
ENCODE_ALL Sample Script
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.1. General MPEG Audio Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Introduction
At the end of the eighties the audio and video industry faced the prospect of
saturated markets and over capacity. What was required was new products and
services that would capture consumers' imagination. The data capacity of
existing digital storage media and their transmission links limited its
potential for further exploitation without a generic coding scheme for video
and its associated audio.
The existing JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) standard for bit rate
reduction had been developed for still pictures, and was clearly inadequate for
moving pictures. To avoid a crippling standards battle, the Moving Pictures
Expert Group (MPEG) was formed to devise a suitable coding scheme for
transmitting moving pictures and recording them in standard digital storage
media, i.e. CD-ROM, CD-i, Multi-session CD, Video CD.
A meeting between the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1992 resulted in a standard
for audio and video coding, known as MPEG1 (ISO/IEC 11172).
Today MPEG2 delivers picture and sound quality equal to TV studio standards.
How does MPEG audio work?
In devising a coding method, the basis had to be the human ear. Unfortunately
this is not a perfect device for acoustic reception but is the best that we
have. Advantage was taken of one of the human ear's shortcomings: its
non-linear and adaptive threshold of hearing.
The threshold of hearing is the level below which a sound is not heard. It
varies with frequency and, of course, between individuals. Most people's
hearing is most sensitive between 2 and 5 kiloHertz. Whether a person hears a
sound or not depends on the frequency of the sound and whether its amplitude is
above or below that persons hearing threshold at that frequency.
The threshold of hearing is also adaptive, being constantly changed by the
sounds heard. For example, an ordinary conversation in a room is perfectly
audible under normal conditions. However, the same conversation in the vicinity
of a loud noise, such as an aircraft passing low overhead, is impossible to
hear due to the distortions introduced to the hearing thresholds of the
individuals concerned. When the aircraft has gone the hearing thresholds return
to normal. Sounds that are inaudible due to dynamic adaptation of the hearing
threshold are said to be "masked".
This effect is universal but is of particular relevance in music. An orchestra
instrument playing fortissimo will, to a greater or lesser extent, make the
sound of some other instruments inaudible to the human ear. When the music is
recorded, however, all the frequencies go on the medium because the response of
the recording device is flat, i.e. it is not dynamically adaptive. When the
recording is played the masked instruments will not be audible to the listener,
so might as well not be there. A linear recording, as used on CD, is
inefficient in this respect. To make the most use of a recording medium the
parts of the medium that contain inaudible data can better be used for audible
data. In this way the amount of the recording medium needed to contain the
music can be considerably reduced without any loss of audio quality.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.2. Mpeg Audio Layers ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
For audio, MPEG defines three operational modes known as Layers I, II, and III.
Each layer offers increased compression but also Increased encoding complexity.
MPEG I layer
Layer I is the simplest layer which is suitable for consumer use. It features
subband filtering with 32 equal-width subbands, adaptive bit allocation and
block companding. Bit rates range from 32 kbit/s (mono) up to 448 kbit/s
(stereo). Depending on the complexity of the encoder, a high (near CD) audio
quality requires a bit rate of about 256 - 384 kb/s per stereo program. The
complexity of the decoder is low, the encoder complexity is about 1.5 to 3
times as high.
MPEG II layer
Layer II offers more compression than Layer I. Layer II has numerous
applications in both consumer and professional audio, such as audio
broadcasting, television, telecommunications, and multi-media.
Bit rates range from 32 - 192 kb/s for mono, and from 64 - 384 kb/s for stereo.
Depending on the complexity of the encoder, a high (near CD) audio quality
requires a bit rate of about 192 - 256 kb/s per stereo program. The complexity
of the decoder is about 25 % higher than for Layer I decoder, the encoder
complexity is about 2 to 4 times higher.
The encoding range is extended to 8 kbit/s for mono and stereo. A near CD audio
quality can be achieved at 128 kbit/s.
MPEG III layer
Layer III offers even more compression. Layer III extends MPEG1 applications
into narrow band ISDN telecommunications and certain specialist areas of
professional audio.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.3. MPEG Audio Encoder ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
This Program converts WAV files into Audio MPEG Files
Make sure that the source Wav File is 44100 hz, 16 bit, stereo
Encoding will take a VERY long time (an 4 minute Wav file takes about 10
minutes on a P-150)
Usage
in Batch mode
Encode <infile> <outfile> [-switch]
or standalone mode
Encode
here you will be asked for all options
infile
filename of a Wav File (source)
this can be a file in the current directory or in a different directory
outfile
filename of the MPEG File to produce (target)
Switches
-s
followed by the sampling rate (or default of 44100 is used)
-b
followed by the total bitrate (valid bitrates are eg. 384, 192, 96)
-m
followed by the mode (stereo/dual channel/joint stereo/mono)
-p
followed by the psychoacoustic model number (I or II)
-d
followed by the de-emphasis flag (<n>)one, (5)0/15 microseconds, (c)citt j.17
-c
followed by the copyright/no_copyright flag
-o
followed by the original/not_original flag
-e
followed by the error_protection on/off flag
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 7.4. ENCODE_ALL Sample Script ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
ENCODE_ALL
sample script to enode all *.WAV files from
a certain directory
Usage :
ENCODE_ALL
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8. MOD Files ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
General MOD File Information
ALL The mod file type ALB MP can play
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.1. General MOD File Information ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A .MOD file is a digital music file that contains a score plus digitized
samples of instruments, unlike MIDI files which only contain the score and rely
on your soundcard's FM chip or your synthesizer's sound bank to supply the
instruments. It's also different from a .WAV file, which is just a single
digitized sound or instrument. A MOD player uses a simple form of Wavetable
synthesis, adjusting the pitch of each digitized sample to produce the
different notes as they are called by the score. All of this digital mixing
takes place on your computer's CPU and not on the sound card itself (except for
the Gravis UltraSound (GUS), which has a special chip to take the load of the
main CPU) meaning that your computer will feel slower during playback of a song
-- after all it's trying to pump upwards of 44k per second of data to the sound
card.
Also different from .WAV files is the size of .MOD files. A 30 minute song
could easily be under 300K since most of the file's bulk is used to store the
digitized instruments.
Also unlike MIDI files, MODule files don't always sound the same on different
players. Given the wide range of file formats, each one with different features
and effects, you may find that while one player can render a song perfectly
another may stumble over an effect or technique it wasn't programmed to handle
properly.
To complicate matters further, some players are much more bullish on CPU usage
than others. The introduction of DART -- Direct Audio Real Time -- in Warp 4.0
(the .dll libraries necessary are also available for Warp 3) means that players
can send data to the sound card directly, rather than going through OS/2's
MMPM, resulting in much smoother, uninterrupted playback with lower CPU load.
A little history
MODs came from the Commodore Amiga, that amazing computer from the mid 80's
that practically invented Multimedia and showed the world what tight code and
clean engineering could do. The Amiga's still around with a cult following that
keeps it alive (sound like anyone you know, you OS/2-ers out there?) not to
mention a cozy niche in TV production and broadcasting. (Watch Babylon 5 and
catch a load of those computer generated space scenes, that's Amigas at work
there.)
The MODs themselves are generated with programs such as SoundTracker,
NoiseTracker, ProTracker, ScreamTracker and others. There are actually many
formats too, including the original 4-channel SoundTracker .MODs,
ScreamTracker's 16-channel .S3M, and FastTracker's .XM format with its 32
channels and other unique features such as envelopes and an instrument/sample
model.
This ability for people to cheaply and easily compose music, then distribute it
for free over the Internet has created a whole new culture some would say.
Looking through the messages hidden in the instrument lists you start to pick
up the names of prolific composers, working under aliases like "Deathjester",
"Feekzoid" and the almost godly "U4ia" (pronounced, of course, "euphoria").
Some advertise their skills for writing video game scores, some are members of
"Demo" groups, while others work alone cranking out tune after tune after tune.
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 8.2. ALL The mod file type ALB MP can play ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
SUPPORTED MOD FORMATS :
* MOD 4 Channel, 15 Samples NoiseTracker
* MOD 4 Channel, 15 Samples NoiseTracker, ProTracker, SoundTracker etc.
* XM Modules from Fasttracker 4,6,8,16 and 32 Channel FastTracker
* STM Modules from Scream Tracker 2.x
* S3M Modules from Scream Tracker 3.x
* MTM Modules from MultiTracker 1.x
* ULT Modules from UltraTracker
SOME GOOD FTP SITES FOR MOD FILES ARE:
kosmic.wit.com /kosmic/songs
ftp.cdrom.com /demos/music/songs/199?/S3M
/demos/music/disks
/.21/demos/music/songs/1995/mtm
http://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminet/dirs/mods.html
(warning, this site is HUGE)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9. Registration ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
The Program can be registered at the following locations
BMT Micro
Heller Germany
Pricelists and other articles
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.1. BMT Micro ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Mail Orders To: BMT Micro
PO Box 15016
Wilmington, NC 28408
U.S.A.
Voice Orders: 8: 00am - 7: 00pm EST (-5 GMT)
(800) 414-4268 (Orders only)
(910) 791-7052 (Orders / Order Inquires)
Fax Orders: (910) 350-2937 24 hours, 7 days a week
Online Orders via BBS: (910) 350-8061 10 lines, all 14.4K
(910) 799-0923 28.8k v.FC
via Compuserve: Thomas Bradford, 74031,307
via Internet: orders@bmt.wilmington.net
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diner's Club,
money order, cashiers checks, and personal checks. We also accept
DM and British currency via registered mail.
Personal checks are subject to clearance.
We accept purchase orders from educational institutions,governmental
agencies and other verifiable businesses. Terms are "Due Upon
Receipt" with a $250 minimum.
Name: ____________________________________________________________
Company: ____________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
City: _______________________ State/Province: __________________
Country: ____________________________ Postal Code: __________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________
Fax: ____________________________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________________________
Quant Code Product Quantity Price Total
[ ] alb1 Albatros CD Player each 25$ ____________
[ ] alb2 ALBATROS MEDIA PLAYER each 25$ ____________
[ ] alb3 BOTH CD : MEDIA PL. each 40$ ____________
[ ] alb4 UPDATE CD PLAYER each 15$ ____________
Serial Nbr of v1.x : _________________________________
[ ] alb5 UPDATE MEDIA PLAYER each 15$ ____________
Serial Nbr of v1.x : _________________________________
[ ] alb6 Email Registration FREE
specify Email Adress : _________________________________
[ ] alb7 Diskette each 5$ ____________
[ ] alb8 CD Rom each 30$ ____________
[ ] alb9 CD TITLES Archive each 40$ ____________
--------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL : ______________
North Carolina residents, please add 6% sales tax: +$____.___
Shipping (check one):
___ Email (subject to credit card verification) Free
___ Fax (subject to credit card verification) Free
___ 1st Class ................................. Free
___ Airborne (Next day most places, USA Only)..+$___7.00_
___ Federal Express (USA Only).................+$__13.00_
___ Federal Express (Canada/Mexico)............+$__25.00_
___ Federal Express (Europe/Japan).............+$__30.00_
___ Express (Outside USA) .....................+$__20.00_
Total: $____.___
For credit card payment only:
Circle one: VISA / Master / Discover / AMEX / Diner's Club
Credit card number: _____________________________________________
Expiration date: ___/___
Authorization signature: _____________________________________________
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.2. Heller Germany ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Registration form for Albatros Player(s)
Norbert Heller
Gersten Str 2c
70599 Stuttgart
(Germany)
Products :
Quant Code Product Quantity Price Total
[ ] alb1 Albatros CD Player each 25$ (30DM) ____________
[ ] alb2 ALBATROS MEDIA PLAYER each 25$ (30DM) ____________
[ ] alb3 BOTH CD : MEDIA PL. each 40$ (50DM) ____________
[ ] alb4 UPDATE CD PLAYER each 15$ (20DM) ____________
Serial Nbr of v1.x : _________________________________
[ ] alb5 UPDATE MEDIA PLAYER each 15$ (20DM) ____________
Serial Nbr of v1.x : _________________________________
[ ] alb6 Email Registration FREE
specify Email Adress : _________________________________
[ ] alb7 Diskette each 5$ (10DM) ____________
[ ] alb8 CD Rom each 30$ (40DM) ____________
[ ] alb9 CD TITLES Archive each 40$ (50DM)____________
--------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL : ______________
Please include cash or a check made payable to Norbert Heller,
or transfer the money to the following bank account in Germany
KTO : 3897739 [ ] Yes I have transferred the money !
BLZ : 600 501 01 (LG Stuttgart)
first Name_________________last Name___________________
Company _______________________________________________
Adress _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Phone _______________________________________________
Email _______________________________________________
Please write CLEARLY !! First and Last Name are REQUIRED !!
I have Albatros MP Version __.___ from : _________________
I have Albatros CD Version __.___ from : _________________
I have read the license agreement and agree:
Signature ___________________________________________
Please include coments or suggestions on an extra page.
For volume discounts, site licenses or technical questions
please contact Norbert Heller
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 9.3. Pricelists and other articles ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
PRICELISTS FOR ALBATROS CD/MEDIA PLAYER
Albatros CD Player and MEDIA PLAYER are "Separate Products" !!
which means you can order only one product or both at the same time.
A Word to Foreign (DOLLAR) Checks
=================================
I (Norbert Heller) can no longer accept checks other than "DM" checks
If you want to Register e.g. with a Dollar check, please sent it to BMT Micro !!
If you still send a check in Dollar to Norbert Heller (Germany) i will instantly
return it and not proceed you registration!
Reason : Cashing in a check (which is not in DM) costs me 12$ !!
If you purchase an Update, this would leave me 3$
Now add 2$ P&P for the Registration letter, this would leave me 1$
The most convenient procedure of registration is to Order per Credit Card
at BMT MICRO !
Registration Procedure :
========================
Please fill out any of the *.REG files to register for the product(s)
(the GERMAN.REG applies for Registration in GERMANY)
(the BMTMICRO.REG applies for Registration in the USA)
To make life easier, there is a PRODUCT CODE in front of every single
product you wish to order
Example :
=========
you want to order an update of both the CD : MP UPDATE, want a Diskette
plus the CD ROM Titles archive
(you want to pay credit card at BMT Micro -> you fill out the BMTMICRO.REG)
Quant Code Product Quantity Price Total
[ ] alb1 Albatros CD Player each 25$ ____________
[ ] alb2 ALBATROS MEDIA PLAYER each 25$ ____________
[ ] alb3 BOTH CD : MEDIA PL. each 40$ ____________
[1 ] alb4 UPDATE CD PLAYER each 15$ 15__________
Serial Nbr of v1.x : 14252522____________________
[1 ] alb5 UPDATE MEDIA PLAYER each 15$ 15__________
Serial Nbr of v1.x : 14252522____________________
[ ] alb6 Email Registration FREE
specify Email Adress : -----------_________________
[1 ] alb7 Diskette each 5$ 5 __________
[ ] alb8 CD Rom each 30$ ____________
[1 ] alb9 CD TITLES Archive each 40$ 40__________
--------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL : __75 _________$
Single Registration for Albatros CD / MP :
==========================================
Code Product Quantity Price Number of copies
alb1 ALBATROS each 25$ (30 DM) 1-5 copies
CD PLAYER each $22,00 (25,00 DM) > 5 copies
alb2 ALBATROS each 25$ (30 DM) 1-5 copies
MEDIA PLAYER each $22,00 (25,00 DM) > 5 copies
(site licenses : please ask !)
Order Both Products at the same time :
======================================
Code Product Quantity Price Number of copies
alb3 ALBATROS each 40$ (50 DM) 1-5 copies
CD : MEDIA PLAYER each $35,00 (40,00 DM) > 5 copies
(site licenses : please ask !)
UPDATE PRICES (update for Albatros 1.x Registered users only !)
===============================================================
Code Product Quantity Price Number of copies
alb4 ALBATROS each 15$ (20 DM) each copy
CD PLAYER
UPDATE from Albatros 1.x
alb5 ALBATROS each 15$ (20 DM) each copy
MEDIA PLAYER
UPDATE from Albatros 1.x
(site licenses : please ask !)
ADDITIONALS (applies only when you directly order one of the above)
PART 1
===================================================================
Code Product Quantity Price
alb6 - Internet or CIS or
Fido Email Registration FREE
(If don't have EMAIL, you will
receive a letter with the
REG Number(s))
alb7 - Diskette each 5$ (10 DM)
containing the newest
shareware versions of
Albatros CD : MP
PLUS the Registration Codes
ADDITIONALS (available only for REGISTERED USERS)
PART2 (of any of the above product)
==================================================
Code Product Quantity Price
alb8 - CD ROM each 30$ (40 DM)
containing the newest
shareware versions of
Albatros CD : MP
PLUS : all the newest additional
MMPM/2 CODECS
PLUS : around 1000 of the finest
MOD/S3M/MTM Files
PLUS : some of the finest FLI/FLC/MPEG/AVI
MOVIES
alb9 - CD TITLES ARCHIVE each 40$ (60 DM)
The Additional CD Rom Title Archiv contains
approximately 80.000 already entered
CD ROM Titles. These can be imported directly
into Albatros (v1.70, 2.0 and higher)
(an ALB file is not neccessary here !)
Contents
approx. 50.000 CD titles : Rock, Pop
approx. 15.000 CD titles : Classic, Jazz
approx. 15.000 CD titles : Schlager, Blues, Oldies, New Age, etc..
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 10. License ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Albatros CD/Media Player is shareware. You are allowed to test and use this program for
30 days. After this period you must register your copy, if you want to continue to
use it. This 30 day period applies only to versions 2.x and above.
You may distribute the shareware version of Albatros CD/Media Player, either through
electronic media e.g. BBS's or on diskettes. You may charge for the
distribution, but not more than $2. You may distribute only the complete
and unaltered archive as supplied by the author.
You may install the registered version on more than one machine. However, you
must make sure that it is only used on one machine at a time. As soon as one license
is used on more than one machine at a time, you need additional licenses.
The author does not guarantee for the correctness of the program. The author
also may not be held responsible for any loss of data or other damages caused by
the use of Albatros CD/Media Player. The author does not guarantee that the program can be used for a
specific purpose.
If you like to distribute the program in conjunction with commercial software
or hardware ("bundling"), you must have a written permission of the author
to do so.
If Albatros CD/Media Player is to be included in a collection of other freeware or
shareware programs on CD-ROM or diskette, written permission by the author is required
and a free copy of the cd rom has to be send to the author as a proof of the shareware concept.
If you aquired this licence to update a licence for a previous version,
the licence for the previous version thereby expires.
A licence always is a version licence, i.e. it is valid for all versions
of the program that have the same major version number. You need to
aquire a new licence when the new version has a major version number that
is different from that of the older version.
You're not allowed to give a registration key to third parties.
If you distribute this program in compressed form ("archived"), you must use
a format that supports long file names and extended attributes.
Program Versions that are explicitely labeled "BETA" are NOT to be put on any CD ROM nor are
they to be sold for ANY AMOUNT of money.
norbert heller (1997)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 11. Author's Details ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
ALBATROS was written by
Norbert Heller
E-mail: heller1@ibm.net
home: http://www.bmtmicro.com/heller
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 12. CREDITS ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Credits go out to
All Registered Users for Support
Thomas Bradford (BMT Micro)
Filippo Sartori - Special Support
Scott Jentsch - Special Support and a good "filepile"
All "Private" Beta Testers
- Chris Hocking
- Hans Holm
- Joerg Berg
- Markus Zangerle
- Martin Neumann
- Michael R. Delahoz
- Rene Ertzinger
- Thomas Lieven
- Thomas Rush
Chris Wenhan - for writing test reports
Ronny Ko - "The Reporter"
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 13. DART ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
DART means Direct Audio Real Time, which means
A better interface to sound output
Easier programming (approx 1/3rd of a MMPM playlist approach)
For the user, DART consists of 2 DLL's
AMPMXMCD.DLL
AUDIOSH.DLL
which replace the already existing files (544 byte) in your
/mmos2/dll
directory.
Unfortunately, IBM behaves very strange about these DLL's, means that it is
not legal to distribute them with the software product (i don't know why ??)
I have tried to get a permission from IBM to include these DLL's with my
software for more than 9 Months now (the DLL's i have are from August.25.1995
!!)
I therefore suggest, that you get them from somebody who has :
Devcon (try CD 3)
\toolkits\warptlkt\toolkit\beta\samples\entoolkt\audio\daudio
Internet
http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/Henry/Files/DART.zip
MERLIN
/mmos2/dll
PLEASE do not ask ME for these DLL's, go and bug IBM!!
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 14. Limitations in the unregistered Version ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
If you have not registered Albatros Media Player, then you will have to face up
to a few limitations.
Especially, since some people did not seem to value my prior engagement in the
Shareware concept and decided to crack some of my software
These limitations may seem critical, however, they do not interfere with the
evaluation of the program.
The current limitations are as follows:
Intro and Final dialog
Only one playlist may be loaded (five playlists in registered version)
I hope that you do not find that these limitations are too restrictive. You
should still be able to determine whether or not you wish to use the program
even with these restrictions.
Due to these limitations, many people may quickly dub this software as
'Crippleware' or the like. Be that as it may, I have made a serious investment
in the development of Albatros Media Player and I must protect that investment
(or the next version will not be an OS/2 Shareware version any more).
I have tried to do so in the most benign manner possible
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ 15. Cracked versions ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Since some of my prior shareware programs have been "cracked" or distributed as
"registered versions", I will give a REWARD in the form of lifetime licences of
all my shareware programs to that person, that can tell me the correct adress
of
Dark Wing - from "OOA"
DoH Enterprise (fake Company, of course)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Loads the playlists 1-5 that are defined in the playlist settings page
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays all currently loaded files. See also a closer description for the
Listbox
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays the number of currently loaded files in the playlist
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
A Button labeled "time"
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Opens the mixer for the soundcard (if you specified one in the settings
notebook)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Decreases the current playback volume
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Mutes the sound
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Inreases the current playback volume
Automatically "unmutes" the sound if mute was pressed before
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Opens the Options Notebook
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Turns the power off (exits the Albatros Media Player)
You can specify in the options settings, if you want to use double click or
single click to close the player
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
MOD FILES
Go back a pattern in the sound
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Start playing the currently selected files from the playlist
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
MOD FILES
Advance a pattern in the sound
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Play the previous file in the current playlist
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Stop playback of the current file
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Play the next file in the current playlist
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Ejects all files (empties the currently loaded playlist)
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
MOD FILES - AUDIO MPEG FILES
Pauses current playback
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
MOD FILES
Displays name of song
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays filename of currently playing file
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
MOD FILES
Displays type of tracker used to create song file
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
MOD FILES
Displays speed of current song in BPM (Beats per Minute)
Audio MPEG Files
Displays channels / bitrate used for recording
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
MOD FILES
Displays current position in song
Audio MPEG Files
Displays frequency used for recording
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays current track in playlist of files
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays current playing position of the playback
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays current volume setting of song
ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ <hidden> ΓòÉΓòÉΓòÉ
Displays title, version and author of player