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Audio Visual Connection(TM) (AVC) Version 1.0
The Audio Visual Connection is a PS/2(R) application enabling program
providing authoring software, file management capability, and a runtime
facility so that applications can communicate with users through hypertext
techniques and digitized, high quality (between AM and FM Level) audio and
photo-like color images. A multitude of sound, display, and motion effects
are provided to make this interchange eye-catching, fast-paced, and
attention-holding. The AVC can be used to develop stand-alone applications
or as a presentation service for other programs. Highly interactive
cooperative processing is allowed, through the AVC's interface with the
host expert system product, KnowledgeTool 2.1.1. The AVC, in conjunction
with the Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/As and Video Capture Adapter/A
provides a total audio-visual solution for the application developer. The
AVC runs under OS/2(TM) EE 1.1 or 1.2, OS/2 SE 1.1 or 1.2, or DOS 4.0 with
expanded memory support.
(TM) Trademark of the International Business Machines Corporation.
(R) Registered trademark of the International Business Machines
Corporation.
Planned Availability: September 29, 1989.
Refer to the Ordering Information section of this announcement for the
scheduled shipping date.
Program
Number Description
15F7133 Audio Visual Connection Version 1.0
HIGHLIGHTS
o Desktop audio-visual capability using high quality photo-like color
images and high quality (between AM and FM) audio
o Access to many types of images, drawings and text screens using Video
Capture Adapter/A, scanned image, image conversion and copy screen
programs
o High quality presentation text - anti-aliased, kerned, proportionally
spaced, multiple styles and sizes
o Audio options - voice quality, music quality, stereo music quality
o Highly interactive applications allowed through the use of the
Audio-Visual Authoring language
o Hypertext-like link capability
o HyperHelp(TM) - a hypertext-like on-line help for animated demos of
product functions
o Runtime component distributed at no additional charge
o PS/2 audio-visual presentation services front-end for IBM host Expert
System product - KnowledgeTool
o All editors and capture facilities designed for ease of use
o Flexible user interface - keyboard or mouse
(TM) Trademark of the International Business Machines Corporation.
DESCRIPTION
The AVC is a PS/2 application enabling program providing authoring
software, file management capability, and a runtime facility so that
applications can communicate with users through hypertext techniques and
digitized, high quality audio and images. Emphasis has been placed on
photo-like color images and high quality (between AM and FM level) audio to
interactively present information. The photo-like quality image is
hereafter referred to as "real" image to distinguish it from graphics
"drawn" images or text images. All AVC display of graphics, text and image
is presented in PS/2 all points addressable (APA) PS/2 graphics modes.
All of the AVC components are integrated into one seamless product. A user
can move back and forth - through the use of a hot key - from one
functional area (such as story scripting) to another (such as image
enhancement) - points of departure are remembered and restored upon return.
An on-line interactive help facility (HyperHelp) based on hypertext
concepts is provided. It utilizes AVC presentation features - color,
motion, highly visual explanations and illustrations - to present help in a
new and exciting way.
There are two modes of operation:
o Authoring - the creation and editing of images, audio, and stories
o Presentation - the final application delivery or runtime delivery of the
completed story with accompanying images and audio.
The AVC provides an object oriented information system consisting of
digital Image and digital Audio Objects which are tied together with Story
Objects for interactive communication of information.
The Video Capture Adapter/A
allows Image Objects to be captured with a video camera or be
transferred from videotape or videodisc. Image Objects can also be
imported from other image formats or can be provided through use of the AVC
Copy Screen component which captures images being displayed on a PS/2
screen. All Image Objects can be modified using various edit commands.
Images can be resized, can be combined using cut and paste commands, colors
can be altered, drawing and text can be added. Image Objects can be
created using draw commands or powerful text commands. Captured images,
drawings, and text can all be combined in any way the user desires.
The text provided is a special anti-aliased presentation text - created
using color graduation techniques to soften the curves and diagonals. This
text - available in multiple type styles, sizes and colors - is
proportionally spaced and kerned, with italicizing optional.
Audio Objects can be created from microphone or from audio tape, CD,
videodisc, or other audio sources through the line-in connection of the
Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/As. The Audio Objects can be edited,
allowing for clipping and combining of sounds end-to-end or one on top of
another.
Image and Audio Objects are tied together for presentation in a meaningful
fashion through the scripting language (Audio-Visual Authoring language -
AVA) resulting in a story which is stored as a Story Object. This language
allows the user to control the sequence of images and audio, to control the
time between images and the time for special effects, and to sync images
with audio. The sequence and selection of images used can vary based on
user input and/or calculations and logical decisions built into the story.
Runtime interaction can be provided via keyboard or mouse.
Each of the objects can be maintained from a single mixed object library.
The user can browse or modify any object in the library thru a point and
select user interface. When an object is selected the appropriate object
editor is automatically activated (Image, Audio, or Story) to review or
modify the Object. An OS/2 EE LAN file server system can effectively be
used as a common repository for AVC objects.
The completed Image, Audio, and Story Objects can be packaged and
distributed with the standalone runtime module allowing for the free
distribution of applications developed with the AVC Authoring product.
AVC Components
Following are the AVC components and additional information about their
functions.
Story Editing and Audio-Visual Authoring (AVA) Language
The Story Editor allows creation or modification of application
presentation dialogs, hereafter called stories, using the powerful AVC
Audio-Visual Authoring (AVA) language. These stories which make use of AVC
Image and Audio Objects are saved as Story Objects.
AVA is similar to and is based on a subset of the SAA Procedures Language
(reference SAA Common Programming Interface Procedures Language Reference
SC26-4358) with extensions added for processing audio and image. The SAA
Procedures Language is a subset of the Virtual Machine/System Product
(VM/SP) System Product Interpreter and the Restructured EXtended eXecutor
language (REXX). AVA is designed so that a non data processing
professional can use the language with just a small subset of the full
language functions. At the same time, an experienced programmer is offered
a wide range of function. AVA provides capability and logic to act on user
input data provided during an interactive session (from keyboard, file or
calculations), and thereupon invoke appropriate image, audio and processing
activities based on decisions made relative to this input.
AVA allows for the development of highly interactive AVC presentation
sequences. Entire fields of keyboard entry can be accepted, whereupon AVA
variable and calculation facilities enable powerful processing and decision
logic to be applied to this data. A hypertext-like "link" ability can be
built into images to enable user selection of image icons, areas or text
words at runtime to invoke other images, audio or stories. These linkages
can be constants built into the image or they can be variable and assigned
dynamically at runtime.
"Presentation" features are a major part of the AVA language. A rich set
of story options are provided for full or partial images to display with a
variety of "eye catching" special effects. Image display can be
synchronized to audio or audio to image display.
The contents of presentation text fields within a given image can be
determined at display time, echoing back user input data and/or data
derived by calculation or file lookup during the session. Output of data
to a file is also supported. Thus AVA allows conventional data processing
in conjunction with image, audio, motion and color to enhance the
application interface.
The AVA language supports AVC story Calls to other PS/2 programs (such as
programs in C, Pascal or Assembler) to perform external processing, with
return back to the calling story. Data can be exchanged between AVA and C
programs. For Example, audio-visual databases can be developed by linking
AVC stories to OS/2 Extended Edition databases.
Conversely, under OS/2, a non-AVC program can be in control and call an AVC
story to provide a presentation interface to the user.
The Story Scripting feature has been designed to facilitate the maximum
productivity of the application developer in creating presentation and
processing sequences (using the AVA language). Image display and
sequencing, audio synchronizing, and special effects are specified through
table entries/selections.
AVC Runtime Interpreter
This is the application delivery (or runtime) component required for end
user running of an application developed using the AVC authoring
components.
The runtime interpreter consists of an AVA language interpreter which
allows a user to run audio-visual applications. The AVC Story Object is
interpreted to control the display of AVC Image Objects, the playing of
Audio Objects, the input and output of data, interaction with the user, the
linking to activities triggered by hypertext-like selections, and all other
aspects of story running. Hypertext-like selections can be made using the
keyboard or mouse.
Text entered by keyboard during runtime or obtained by file lookup or
calculation during runtime, is converted for display to special APA
"presentation" anti-aliased text (in one of the multiple sizes, styles and
colors established for the field when the text image was created).
The ability to enter data, do lookups and calculations, and make logical
decisions on this data at runtime enables the creation and operation of
highly interactive applications.
Image Digitizing
Images can be digitized using a video camera, videotape, videodisc or color
slide/negative reader in conjunction with the Video Capture Adapter/A
(Product Announcement NDD89-352 dated June 20, 1989). These digitized
real images are stored in an AVC Image Object file format for later use by
other AVC components.
The image digitizing process takes full color (16 bits per pixel RGB)
images and converts them to mapped (8 bits per pixel) images which can be
run on standard PS/2 systems. A major feature of image digitizing is the
special algorithms used to convert and compress images captured with 64
thousand colors to a PS/2 image containing up to 256 colors - the maximum
number of colors supported by PS/2 graphics adapters. This conversion
process results in the selection of a custom palette of colors chosen to
retain the original image quality. Alternatively, one can use the standard
palette which is included with the product. Use of the standard palette
during the capture process may decrease image quality somewhat, but allows
easier combination of images during image editing and presentation.
Image quality is highly dependent on how well color mapping is done. When
using either a custom palette or the standard palette, the special AVC
algorithms yield images of outstanding quality.
Image Conversion
Images created by other programs may be converted for use with the AVC.
Image formats supported for conversion are some of the more common ones in
use today. This allows the AVC to obtain images digitized by scanner or
other image digitizing programs such as those using the Truevision(1)
Targa(2) image digitizing cards. Image formats supported as inputs are the
Image Data Stream format (IMDS) and Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) for
scanners, and Targa Image File formats (TGA). These images are converted
to AVC mapped image format and stored as AVC Image Objects. (Note: several
common forms in these formats are imported, but not necessarily all
permutations).
Image Objects of one AVC mode can be converted to another AVC image mode.
Palette conversions can be made as well. Outstanding black and white
images are possible by converting 640 x 480 images with 256 colors to 640 x
480 images with 16 shades of gray.
(1) Registered trademark of Truevision, Inc.
(2) Trademark of Truevision, Inc.
Copy Screen
This component allows the user to take a "snapshot" of a screen being
displayed with another program running on the PS/2. This snapshot is saved
to disk in AVC Image Object format and is thereafter accessible by the
other AVC functions. The Copy Screen component and the program from which
the user wishes to capture screens must both be resident at the same time.
The user simply presses a specified key to capture an image of the current
screen being displayed. Both text mode and APA mode displays can be
captured. Text mode captures are converted to APA text images before being
stored as AVC Image Objects. They can then be combined with other
graphical or Image Objects.
Examples of use for this component would be to capture images from PS/2
displays of PC Storyboard and Storyboard Plus.
With image digitizing, image conversion, and copy screen capability, the
AVC can serve as a common presentation medium for a vast array of various
types of images, drawings, and text screens.
Image Enhancement and Text Creation
Images may be enhanced using a variety of functions such as cut and paste,
draw, alter color, rotate, mirror, resize, etc. Modifications can be made
to all APA image types, i.e., real, drawn, and text images.
A user can create text images or add text to existing real images - all in
high quality presentation text. This text uses a variety of AVC provided
anti-aliased fonts, each in a number of different sizes and able to be
shadowed and/or outlined as desired. Text is proportionally spaced and
kerned - with italicizing optional. The AVC simulates separate planes for
image and text to allow text to be superimposed on an image. This enables
text to be added, adjusted or changed without interfering with the
background image. There is a powerful set of features provided to maximize
user productivity when creating or modifying text. For example the
original ASCII text entered is saved (Text Object) in addition to the APA
text image to allow a user to later insert or correct any words or
characters in a full screen of "presentation text" (without having to
re-enter the entire text as is required in many other graphics text
programs and without impacting the underlying image). Style templates are
provided to enable easier switching among various text styles and sizes and
to provide convenient "starter" sets or "standard" layouts.
The AVC may be used as a "draw program" to create drawn graphics images or
to draw graphics on existing real images. Drawn graphics can be created
with 3 basic shapes - boxes, ellipses and lines. Free draw as well as
single pixel draw (particularly useful in zoom mode) are also available.
Line width and color are adjustable for boxes, lines, and ellipses. All
can be anti-aliased (again providing for smoother curves and fewer
"jaggies" on diagonals).
A number of functions are available for use with drawn graphics or captured
images. The fill function, which allows filling with image or with color,
starts filling at a given pixel and fills out in all directions until a
pixel color change is encountered - thus allowing for irregular shapes to
be filled. Erase allows one to erase everything in a boxed area to a
specified color.
A fundamental "cut and paste" is provided to take a copy of one image
portion and paste it down elsewhere on another image portion. A cut
portion can be resized - smaller or larger, rotated or mirrored in
conjunction with its pasting down on the image plane. If "transparency" is
in effect during a paste, the transparent pixels in the paste portion do
not replace the image plane pixels they would normally overlay - i.e., the
image plane pixels in place "show through" the transparent pixels.
Transparency allows irregular-shapes to be pasted down without including
their surrounding border areas.
The user interface provides a convenient way to cut a portion from a stored
image and paste it onto the current one. This enables images and graphics
to be copied off of stored Image Objects and pasted onto images under
development.
A zoom feature allows an image to be zoomed up (enlarged) a series of
levels all the way to the equivalent of only a few giant pixels per screen
display. The user can work continuously at whatever zoom level is in
effect - all actions are operable within any zoom level. Another feature
allows working with only one plane (either text only or image only)
displayed at a time as an alternative to the normal display of both planes
simultaneously.
Every image has a palette attached to it. The palette information includes
a number of text characteristics (such as spacing and styling) and a number
of color characteristics (such as anti-alias levels and total number of
colors) for the image. New palettes can be created and existing ones - the
provided style templates or user created palettes - can be edited.
Palettes can be re-assigned to individual images, as well.
Within a palette, individual colors can be altered. This includes "custom
colors" (colors associated with what typically come from a digitized
picture) and "art colors" (typically a standard set of colors for
anti-aliased text and drawing colors). For any selected color the user can
vary the hue, intensity and saturation of the color to achieve the color
blend desired.
Audio Digitizing and Enhancement
Audio can be recorded from a microphone or line-in audio input jack on the
Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/A(non Micro Channel PS/2's) or on the
Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/A (Micro Channel PS/2's) (Product
Announcement NDD 89-352 dated June 20, 1989). Sound from an analog source
(i.e., tape recorder, microphone, CD player, etc.) is digitized and stored
as sound in an Audio Object file format for later use by other AVC
components.
Three audio options are available for each channel (A and B) - a voice
level which is near AM quality, a music level which is between AM and FM
quality, and a stereo level which is the same quality as the music level
but in 2-track stereo.
Audio may be recorded using text scripts documented as part of the Audio
Object. Recorded music and sound can be annotated as well. Audio sync
labels can be inserted at 0.1 second intervals allowing synchronization of
audio and image in stories. Sound, scripts, sync labels, and volume levels
are all stored as part of the Audio Object.
A simple interface is provided to allow modification of existing Audio
Objects. Audio Objects can be cut and pasted (spliced together), just as
one can cut and paste image, to create new Audio Objects. Silence can be
inserted, sound can be deleted, voice tracks can be re-recorded, or music
or voice could be completely rearranged - any 0.1 second interval of sound
can be moved or deleted. Two tracks are available for recording - allowing
stereo music or synchronization of separate voice and music tracks. Voice
tracks can be combined with background music using volume controls that
enable fading each track up or down separately. Two tracks can be mixed to
one for later use in an AVC story.
Object Management and Library Editor
Libraries and directories of the Image, Audio and Story Objects may be
browsed via the AVC. AVC users reference these objects via a point and
select interface and are relieved of many of the complexities of PC
Operating System files and paths.
The number of objects used in an AVC application can be quite large.
Consequently there is a need for good naming, searching and organizing
facilities. Object names can be extended to 25 characters in length (first
8 must be unique) and can include an additional 35 character description
for key words or comments. These 60 characters of identification can then
be interrogated by query and search functions to locate names, key words
and other strings. Searches can even be conducted on information stored
off-line since the system keeps references to off-line objects as well as
on-line objects. Objects selected are displayed in lists. Lists indicate
the object type, name and description. These lists can be saved for later
reuse and reference.
All Objects, whether used in a single story or in many stories, can be
managed as a group and stored only once. The object management facilities
of the AVC even allow references to objects that are on remote storage
devices. This allows a user to arrange objects into logical application
sets. Actions such as copy, move and delete can be performed on entire
lists or individual items on a list. From these lists the AVC will
automatically manage and access objects - which can be on various storage
devices or in different file directories - without the need for repeated
pathing designations.
KnowledgeTool PWS Connection
The KnowledgeTool Programmable Work Station (PWS) connection allows highly
interactive cooperative processing between the AVC running on a PS/2 and an
expert system application running on the host.
KnowledgeTool Version 2 Release 1.1 allows development and delivery of
knowledge applications on a host computer and provides PWS services that
allow an AVC story to be used as an interactive audio-visual front-end to
the application. Knowledge applications created with KnowledgeTool can run
under VM/System Product, VM/XA System Product, MVS/XA, and MVS/ESA;
further, these applications can interact with databases and networks
running on the host.
KnowledgeTool Version 2 Release 1.1 is a software tool for developing and
delivering knowledge applications. The tool provides a rule-based
language, an inference engine, and a full screen windowing debugging
environment that can be used to develop knowledge applications.
Application programmers can use PWS services to direct presentations that
run under the AVC on the PS/2. The AVC enables knowledge applications to
present high quality images and animation effects, play specified audio
segments, and provide a guided learning process. The combination of
KnowledgeTool and AVC provides the opportunity for cooperative processing -
interactive audio-visual on the PS/2 driven by inferencing that takes place
on the host.
MARKETING INFORMATION
Product Positioning
The Audio Visual Connection is a PS/2 application enabling program
providing authoring software, file management capability, and a runtime
facility so that applications can communicate with users through hypertext
techniques and digitized, high quality audio and color images. It is
designed for use by the non-data processing individual, as well as the data
processing professional. The Audio Visual Authoring (AVA) language
synchronizes image and audio while providing many special effects. It
enables highly interactive audio-visual applications by integrating into
dialogs (stories) the facilities for logic, file input/output, variables,
and calculations. Screen input/output is also supported and features a
hypertext-like "link" capability which allows random traversing of
information.
Uses range from a standalone non-interactive presentation application to an
audio visual workstation front-end in an application requiring extensive
interaction with the workstation user and complex supporting application
code.
The AVC's features are oriented towards Information Delivery applications.
Examples of applications which can be developed using the AVC are marketing
and education presentations, self study courses, expert systems diagnostics
and training, image data bases, merchandising, kiosk information systems,
point-of-purchase advertising, and news dissemination.
The AVC was designed as an OS/2 product and has been optimized to run in
the OS/2 vs DOS environment. The AVC image and audio data files require
significant disk space making the AVC a natural application choice to use
an OS/2 EE LAN server as a repository for these files.
PUBLICATIONS
The following publication is shipped with the product. Additional copies
can be ordered at product availability by contacting your IBM Marketing
Representative.
Order
Number Title
S15F-7134 Audio Visual Authoring
Language Reference for the
Audio Visual Connection
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Specified Operating Environment
Machine Requirements:
Authoring System
o IBM OS/2 Environment - Extended Edition or Standard Edition
- PS/2 Model 30 286 (8530-E01), 50 (8550), 50Z (8550), 55SX (8555), 60
(8560), 70 (8570), P70 386 (8573), or 80 (8580).
- Recommended memory (See IBM OS/2 Information and Planning Guide,
G360-2650. Also see Memory and Fixed Disk Storage Requirements
sections herein for the AVC requirements.)
- A minimum of 30 MB fixed disk (See IBM OS/2 Information and Planning
Guide and Fixed Disk Storage Requirements section herein for disk
capacity required)
- PS/2 Color Display (8512, 8513, or 8514)
- Optional:
-- IBM PS/2 Display Adapter 8514/A with IBM PS/2 8514 Memory
Expansion Kit (not available for 8530 or 8573)
-- Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/A (Note 1)
-- Video Capture Adapter/A (not available for 8530)
-- IBM PS/2 Mouse
-- printer (Note 2)
o IBM DOS 4.0 Environment
- PS/2 Model 50 (8550), 50Z (8550), 55SX (8555), 60 (8560), 70 (8570),
P70 386 (8573), or 80 (8580).
- Minimum memory (for DOS 4.0 and AVC only) - 640k main memory plus 2MB
to 4MB of expanded memory depending on AVC options chosen. (See
Memory, Fixed Disk Storage Requirements, and Limitations sections
herein for additional information)
- A minimum of 30 MB fixed disk (See Fixed Disk Storage Requirements
section herein for disk capacity required)
- PS/2 Color Display (8512, 8513, or 8514)
- Optional:
-- IBM PS/2 Display Adapter 8514/A with IBM PS/2 8514 Memory
Expansion Kit (not available for 8530 or 8573)
-- Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/A (Note 1)
-- Video Capture Adapter/A (not available for 8530)
-- printer (Note 2)
Note 1: All references to the Audio Capture & Playback Adapter assume the
Audio Capture & Playback Adapter for the IBM PS/2 will be used for the 8530
and that the Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/A for the IBM PS/2 will be
used for the other PS/2 models supported by the AVC.
Note 2: PS/2 printer support is provided for printing stories, audio
scripts, and object library directories only. AVC images can be printed
using OEM color image printers that can be cabled to the graphics adapter
allowing for PrtSc printing of AVC images.
Presentation System
o IBM OS/2 Environment - Extended Edition or Standard Edition
- All Authoring Systems can be used as Presentation Systems
- Recommended memory (See IBM OS/2 Information and Planning Guide,
G360-2650. Also see Memory and Fixed Disk Storage Requirements
sections herein for the AVC requirements.)
- A minimum of 30 MB fixed disk (See IBM OS/2 Information and Planning
Guide and Fixed Disk Storage Requirements section herein for disk
capacity required)
- PS/2 Color Display (8512, 8513, or 8514)
- Optional:
-- IBM PS/2 Display Adapter 8514/A with IBM PS/2 8514 Memory
Expansion Kit (not available for 8530 or 8573)
-- An Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/A is required for playback of
audio
-- IBM PS/2 Mouse
o IBM DOS 4.0 Environment
- All Authoring Systems can be used as Presentation Systems
- In addition the PS/2 Model 30 286 (8530-E21) can be used.
- Minimum memory (for DOS 4.0 and AVC only) - 640k main memory plus 1MB
to 1.5MB of expanded memory depending on AVC options chosen. (See
Memory, Fixed Disk Storage Requirements, and Limitations sections
herein for additional information)
- A minimum of 20 MB fixed disk (See Fixed Disk Storage Requirements
section herein for disk capacity required)
- PS/2 Color Display (8512, 8513, or 8514)
- Optional:
-- IBM PS/2 Display Adapter 8514/A with IBM PS/2 8514 Memory
Expansion Kit (not available for 8530 or 8573)
-- An Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/A is required for playback of
audio
-- IBM PS/2 Mouse
Graphics Modes Supported by the AVC
Resolution
Horz-Vert-Colors Can Present On These PS/2's
320 x 200 x 256 8530-E01, 8550 and up (VGA)
640 x 480 x 16 8530-E01, 8550 and up (VGA)
640 x 480 x 256 8550 and up (with 8514/A Adapter) *
* 8514/A not available on 8573
Programming Requirements: In either the Presentation or Authoring
environments the AVC requires one of the following programs:
o IBM Operating System/2 (OS/2) Extended Edition 1.1 or 1.2
o IBM Operating System/2 (OS/2) Standard Edition 1.1 or 1.2
o IBM Disk Operating System (DOS) 4.0 (LIM EMS expanded memory option
required)
For the AVC to operate in an OS/2 EE LAN environment with AVC images and
audio stored on a LAN server the OS/2 LAN Server Version 1.0 program is
required in addition to OS/2 EE.
The AVC KnowledgeTool PWS services component in order to communicate with
the MVS or VM host requires:
o Authoring Environment
- OS/2 Extended Edition 1.1 or 1.2
o Presentation Environment (one of the following)
- OS/2 Extended Edition 1.1 or 1.2
- DOS 4.0 and IBM PC 3270 Emulation Program Entry Level V 1.2
Limitations:
o Hardware
Certain PS/2 systems will impose hardware restrictions that can limit
which AVC features can be utilized due to card slot limitations.
- 1.5 slots - 8573
- 3.0 slots - 8530, 8550, 8555, 8570
- 7.0 slots - 8560, 8580
Possible card slot usage follows:
- Audio Capture & Playback Adapter/A
- Video Capture Adapter/A (not available on 8530)
- 8514/A (not available on 8530 or 8573)
- extra memory card required on 8550, 8560, 8580-041,-071(2)
- LAN card(2)
- 3270 card(2)
- backup/restore or offload device such as tape which could take up a
card slot(2)
- etc.
o OS/2 - Extended Edition or Standard Edition
No restrictions other than those imposed by hardware limitations.
o DOS 4.0
- LIM EMS memory requires 64k memory space from D000 - DFFF. This
imposes an additional adapter card "fit" restriction on the DOS user.
OS/2 users can use C000 - DFFF address space for adapter cards, DOS
users are restricted to C000 - CFFF. Some card combinations may not
work depending on the model of the PS/2 being used.
- AVC Authoring cannot run in a DOS LAN or 3270 communications
environment due to the AVC memory space required.
- the AVC Presentation system may or may not be able to run in a DOS
LAN or 3270 communications depending on AVC options chosen, e.g.,
image type, audio vs no audio, etc.
- the AVC cannot be "called" from another PS/2 program in a DOS
environment and therefore cannot be used as a presentation services
front-end for another PS/2 program.
(2) The appropriate cards are dependent on the PS/2 system chosen. Refer
to hardware announcements or IBM Personal Systems Reference Guide
(G360-2669) for cards available for each system.
Performance Considerations: Performance is highly application dependent.
The following factors, among others, influence performance:
o Image format - 640 x 480 x 256 color image vs 320 x 200 x 256 color
image requires more processor speed and storage to realize the same
image presentation speed. VGA images (640 x 480 x 16 color) have the
poorest display performance.
o Image size - full screen vs. half screen vs. quarter screen. Full
screen images require more processor speed and storage than smaller
images.
o Image type - photo like images require more processor speed and storage
than text images against a solid background.
o Audio - presentations including audio and image place a higher demand on
the processor to drive audio and image display at the same time. Higher
quality audio requires more processor speed and storage than lower -
stereo requires more than music which requires more than voice.
o Presentation speed - rapidly changing images including the use of
animation requires more processor and disk speed than presentations
where images remain on the screen for at least several seconds. The
amount of memory available can greatly influence the performance since
the AVC has the ability to buffer many image segments in main memory for
very fast transitions.
Memory Estimating Guidelines:: The AVC program requirements are for rough
sizing at this time. More detail will be provided at availability.
OS/2 - Extended Edition or Standard Edition
The amount of main memory available to the AVC can have a significant
effect on performance. The IBM OS/2 Information and Planning Guide
(G360-2650) should be used to determine the amount of memory to have on the
system.
The maximum program size in the authoring system is largely dependent on
the image size being used. The program size requirement is therefore
stated in terms of maximum size image that will be used by the authoring
software. The sizes stated below are approximate.
Authoring System
Program Size
and
Image type Data Space
8514/A (640x480x256 colors) 2.6MB
VGA (640x480x16 colors) 1.8MB
VGA (320x200x256 colors) 1.4MB
Presentation System
Program Size
and
Image type Data Space
8514/A (640x480x256 colors) 1.9MB
VGA (640x480x16 colors) 1.6MB
VGA (320x200x256 colors) 1.4MB
DOS 4.0
Memory stated here is for AVC program and AVC data space requirements for
main memory and expanded memory. The DOS supervisor space is included in
the main memory figure and has been allocated 128k in the AVC design. This
128k space includes the DOS supervisor, the LIM EMS software, the 8514/A
support software, a print program, a mouse driver, and some expansion
space. Some of this space could be available depending the application.
The maximum program size in the authoring system is largely dependent on
the image size being used. The program size requirement is therefore
stated in terms of maximum size image that will be used by the authoring
software. The sizes stated below are approximate. More detail will be
provided at availability.
Authoring System
Program Size
and data space
Main LIM EMS
Image type Memory Memory
8514/A (640x480x256 colors) 640k 2.5MB
VGA (640x480x16 colors) 640k 2.0MB
VGA (320x200x256 colors) 640k 1.5MB
Presentation System
The main memory space assumes an average to large story size. It is
possible that small stories with limited AVC function could free enough
main memory space to allow other small programs to co-reside, e.g., 3270
communications using IBM 3270 Emulation Entry Level V 1.2.
Program Size
and data space
Main LIM EMS
Image type Memory Memory
8514/A (640x480x256 colors) 640k 1.5MB
VGA (640x480x16 colors) 640k 1.0MB
VGA (320x200x256 colors) 640k 1.0MB
An additional 50k of main memory is available if audio is not used.
Fixed Disk Storage Estimating Guidelines: The following disk space is
required:
o Authoring
- AVC programs - 5MB
- HyperHelp - 7MB
- User Libraries - see below
o Presentation System
- AVC programs - 2MB
- User Libraries - see below
User libraries space will vary depending on a number of factors. In order
to calculate the space required the user must consider the image mode(s) to
be stored, and whether audio is to be used and at what quality level. The
primary users of disk space are the image and audio files. In order to
size the disk space needed the user should calculate the images and audio
that will be required on-line.
For rough sizing purposes the following numbers can be used. These are
average sizes for AVC compressed images.
Full Full
Captured Text
Image type Image Image
8514/A (640 X 480 X 256 color) 180k 50k
VGA (640 X 480 X 16 color) 100k 25k
VGA (320 X 200 X 256 color) 50k 20k
Full Captured Images are those digitized with a video camera. Full Text
Images are full text screens created on a solid background with the text
creation functions of the AVC
For partial images or mixed image and text, the averages can be adjusted
accordingly, e.g., an 8514/A full screen image averages 180k and a half
screen image is 90k.
For sizing audio, the disk space required for each second of audio can be
calculated from the following.
Audio quality level Bytes Per Second
Stereo music level 22k
Music level 11k
Voice level 6k
Packaging: Audio Visual Connection Version 1.0 is distributed as one
package containing the following materials:
o Audio Visual Connection User's Guide
o Audio Visual Authoring Language Reference for the Audio Visual
Connection
o Seven 3.5 inch diskettes (1.44 MB)
o IBM Program License Agreement
o License Information Booklet
o A Registration Card
o A Customer Comment Card
Security, Auditability, and Control
The AVC uses the security and auditability features of the Personal
System/2.
User management is responsible for evaluation, selection, and
implementation of security features, administrative procedures, and
appropriate controls in application systems and communication facilities.
Warranty:
Programs: Yes.
Media: 3 months