MacFormat 1994 September/macformat-004.iso/Demos/videojuggler1.2/Users'.Guide.text

Text File | 1994-05-23 | 26.8 KB | 646 lines | [TEXT/MSWD]

THE VIDEOJUGGLER (TM) USERS' GUIDE
For VideoJuggler Version 1.2.0

This file contains a text-only, condensed version of the
VideoJuggler Users' Guide, and is included with the software as a
reference should you lose or misplace that guide.  Some additional
general tips and hints and some notes about this version of the
software are included in Section 7.

We welcome comments from all users.  Please direct these to:
University of Michigan Software,  Wolverine Tower, Rm 2071,
3003 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1280,  U. S. A.

E-mail:  [e-mail];  Subject: VideoJuggler
FAX:  [phone];  Attention: VideoJuggler

Copies of VideoJuggler can be ordered through the mail.
Phone [phone] for information on how to place your order.

© 1993 by The Regents of the University of Michigan.
All Rights Reserved.  Patent Pending.


CONTENTS OF THIS FILE:

1.0  Introduction
2.0  Installation
3.0  Creating and Using VideoJuggler Notes
4.0  Example Control Notes
5.0  Video Control Functions
        5.1  Basic CAV Functions
        5.2  Basic CLV Functions
        5.3  CAV Playback Speed Control.
6.0  Text Editor Functions
        6.1  Pull-down Menus.
        6.2  Edit Window Controls
        6.3  Transfers to and from other editors
        6.4  Putting Pictures in your Notes
        6.5  CAV Frame Relocation
7.0  Some Final Tips and Hints
        7.1  Notes for this Version


1. INTRODUCTION

The VideoJuggler provides a quick and easy-to-use method for linking-
up and accessing videodisc frames, using notes written in a simple text
editor as the interface.  Both constant angular velocity (CAV) and
constant linear velocity (CLV) formats are supported, using Pioneer
videodisc players.

The VideoJuggler's user interface has two main control windows:

The video control window lets you control the videodisc player right
from your computer screen.  You can scan forward or reverse, play,
pause, and control player speed much as you would with the disc
player's hand-held remote.

VideoJuggler's edit window lets you access a built-in text editor.  With
this editor you can construct talk notes, tables of contents and other
files that describe and refer to video still-frames and moving video
clips on your videodiscs.

Markers for relevant frames and clips can be quickly and easily inserted
in your notes using special buttons in the video control window
named Mark Frame, Mark Begin, and Mark End  (and Mark Time, in
CLV mode).

Pushing Mark Frame inserts a marker for the currently viewed
videodisc frame into the edit window at the location of the flashing
cursor mark.

Similarly, pushing Mark Begin at the beginning of a moving video
clip, and then pushing Mark End at the end of the clip, automatically
inserts a control marker for that moving video clip into your notes at
the cursor location.

These control markers can then be used to quickly access the associated
still frames or real-time clips:  To show the frames or play the video
clips, you "double click" the mouse button on the desired marker.

1.1  Overview of this file:

Section 2 of this file describes the system requirements, how to set up
your hardware and how to install the VideoJuggler software.

Section 3 describes how to build VideoJuggler control files and notes.

Section 4 references examples of control files and talk notes.

Section 5 summarizes the video control window functions.

Section 6 summarizes the basic text editor functions, and
also describes the editor's advanced formatting, frame
relocation, and picture insertion capabilities.

Section 7 lists some tips and hints for users, and some details about
this current version of the VideoJuggler.


2.0  INSTALLATION

2.1  System Requirements

VideoJuggler runs on Apple Macintosh computers under
Mac system software version 6.0.5 or higher.  It controls Pioneer
CLD-V2400, LD-V2200, LD-V4200, LD-V4400 and LD-V8000 videodisc
players in CAV and CLV modes.  See also Section 7.1 at the end of this
file for further details on this current version of the software.

2.2  Documentation

The VideoJuggler package contains a copy of the Users' Guide.  The
VideoJuggler floppy disc contains this text-only version of the Users'
Guide, along with a basic "Read-Me First" text file and the VideoJuggler
software itself.  "Balloon help" information is accessible while running
VideoJuggler by clicking the question mark [?] icon at the far top right
of your screen.

2.3  Connecting the Mac and Videodisc Player

Connect the Mac's modem port to the disc player using a Pioneer #CC-
04 cable.  This cable can be ordered directly from Pioneer at (708) 285-
4500.  Control is carried out at a 4800 baud rate.

2.3  Software Installation

To install the software, find the icon for the VideoJuggler software file
on the floppy disk, and then drag that icon and drop it into a folder of
your choice on your desktop.

Once you've installed the software, cabled the Mac to the disc player,
and connected the disc player's A/V outputs to a TV, you're all set to
"juggle your videos"!

3.  CREATING AND USING VIDEOJUGGLER NOTES

A good first step towards creating control files for a videodisc is to build
a basic table of contents for part or all of your disc.  The table can then
be used as a resource for browsing the disc to find and mark key frames.
The key frames and markers can then be used as the starting
information for building various disc control files.

3.1  Making a table of contents

You can begin by writing a rough draft of the table of contents, based on
any available information about the disc's contents and the ways you
plan to use it in the future.  Enter some text for any major sections of
material on the disc, and for each known clip or still frame that you
may want to access later.

3.2  Browsing the disc to find clips and place markers in the contents

You are now ready to browse your videodisc, and insert control
markers into the draft table of contents for relevant video frames and
clips.  You can use either the VideoJuggler's video control or the
videodisc player's manual video remote control to browse through the
disc to find these clips.

As you find relevant clips on the disc, find or create an associated text
entry in the table of contents.  Put the cursor at the start or end of that
text, and press "Mark Frame".  The frame number will be inserted in
curly brackets (example: {14235}) as a marker in your text file at the
cursor's location.  If you are using a CLV disc, the "Mark Frame"
control button will be labeled as  "Mark Time", and pressing "Mark
Time" will insert the relevant time-code marker into the text file.

To mark a sequence of frames, find the first frame, click Mark Begin,
move to the last frame, and click Mark End.  The begin-end frame
numbers will be inserted coded in a marker in your text file.

3.3  Accessing your clips

To play any marked video clip in the table of contents,  double-click on
the code inside the marker brackets { } next to the relevant text entry.
The still-frame or moving video clip will appear on your video monitor.

3.4  Creating and editing talk notes

 Once you've created a table of contents for a disc, you can then copy,
paste and edit parts of it to begin to build other text files to be used as
notes for talks, etc.  Thus you can now customize different talk notes to
"juggle" various subsets of the video clips in different ways for
different talks.

The VideoJuggler functions are so quick and easy to use that you can
enter newly-marked clips into your notes interactively during a talk,
for later reference during that same talk.


4.  EXAMPLE CONTROL NOTES:

Refer to the Users' Guide for detailed examples of control notes for
various sorts of talks and presentations.  These examples include figures
containing screen images showing in detail how to use the video control
window and edit window to prepare your talk notes and present your
videodisc materials.


5.  VIDEO CONTROL FUNCTIONS

5.1  Basic CAV Control Functions

Videodiscs in constant angular velocity (CAV) format let you directly
address, pause on, and  show the individual video frames, with each
video frame stored on one circular track on the disc.  Most presentation
and multimedia applications use CAV discs to exploit this crystal clear
"still-frame" capability.

A 12 inch CAV disc is composed of 54,000 concentric tracks, and has a
capacity of 54,000 still images, or 1/2 hour of full motion video.  Frames
have addresses from 00001 to 54000.

In addition to direct addressing of individual frames by number, CAV
mode can address major blocks of video by "chapter" number, and
some discs you encounter will have such "chapters".

When you insert and play a CAV videodisc, the video control window
presents the following buttons that can be used to control the videodisc
player and to place control markers into your text file:

EJECT,  PLAY, STOP, PAUSE - These buttons control the player like the
similar ones on the hand-held remote control.

STEP REV -1/STEP FWD +1 - Steps videodisc image display backwards
or forwards one video frame.

STEP REV -6/STEP FWD +6 - Steps backwards/forwards six frames.

REWIND/FAST FWD - Click, and repeat click to quickly scan a disc.

MARK FRAME - Inserts a marker holding the current frame number
into the text at the cursor location (or in front of any active selection).
Double-clicking on this marker causes playback of the frame.

MARK BEGIN - Stores the current frame number as the beginning of a
real-time motion videoclip.

MARK END - The current frame number is stored as the end of a clip.
If a Mark Begin has also been stored, then a begin-end marker for the
motion videoclip is inserted into your file at the cursor.  Later selection
of this marker causes instant playback of this clip.

DISPLAY - Toggles on/off the disc player's on-screen status display of
frame, chapter, time information.

GO TO FRAME, GO TO CHAPTER - Pressing either of these buttons
causes a dialog box to appear.  Type in the number of the desired frame
or chapter, press OK, and the player will go to that location on the disc.

AUDIO 1, AUDIO 2 On/Off - Use these buttons to turn the left or right
audio channels on and off.

SPEED - See section 5.3 for details.


5.2  Basic CLV Control Functions

On constant linear velocity (CLV) videodiscs, the video frames are
stored in a spiraling format that provides a more efficient use of
videodisc storage capacity than does CAV format, enabling as much as
sixty minutes of video to be stored on a 12-inch videodisc.
Because of this capacity advantage, CLV format is often used for
movies and entertainment video.  However, with most videodisc
players you can't show "still-frames" of individual video frames using
CLV format discs.

CLV disc material is addressed as HMMSS, where H is the location
time in hours, MM is the location time in minutes, and SS is in
seconds.  Note that H can be larger than one, since it can be used to
locate times on consecutive discs (in movies, for example).

Pioneer videodisc player on-screen displays shows a colon between the
hour and minute codes, and a period between the minute and second
codes.  For example 1hr, 5min, 13sec is displayed as 1:05.13.

As with CAV format discs, the CLV format provides random access to
major blocks of video stored as separate "Chapters" on some discs.

When you insert and play a CLV videodisc, the video control window
offers the following buttons that can be used to control the videodisc
player and to place control markers into your text file:


EJECT, PLAY, STOP PAUSE -  These are standard player control
commands also found on the hand-held remote control.

REWIND, FAST FWD - Click, and repeat click to quickly scan a disc
backwards or forward.

MARK TIME - Inserts a marker containing the significant digits of the
disc location's time code, into the text file at the cursor location.  For
example, {1205} is the marker for 12 minutes, 5 seconds on a CLV disc.
Double clicking on this marker causes the disc player to go to and pause
at this location.  Press PLAY to then start playback from this location.

MARK BEGIN - Stores the current time code as the beginning of a real-
time motion videoclip.

MARK END - The current time code is stored as the end of a videoclip.
If a Mark Begin code has also been stored, then a Begin-End marker for
the motion videoclip is inserted into the text file at the cursor location.
Double-clicking on this marker will cause playback of that clip.

DISPLAY, GO TO CHAPTER and the AUDIO 1, AUDIO 2 On/Off
controls all function the same as in CAV mode (see Section 5.1).


5.3  CAV Playback Speed Control

Normal playback speed for video is 30 frames/sec.  However, videodisc
players can playback video at a very wide range of other speeds when in
CAV mode (but not in CLV mode).

In CAV mode, VideoJuggler enables you to control the playback speed
using the Speed buttons in the video control window.

VideoJuggler starts up at the normal speed (30 frames per second).
However, using the Speed buttons, you can cause all successive clips to
run faster or slower than normal speed.

Available speeds range from 90 frames/second down to 1 frame every
two seconds.  This corresponds to a range from 3 times faster than
normal speed down to a slow-motion that is 1/60th of normal speed.

The approximate player speed in frames/second is displayed in the
speed button window (the actual player speed is interpolated by the
player to be close to the displayed number in frames/second).

Even while a disc is playing, you can immediately select a new speed by
bumping the up/down speed buttons (you don't need to click play again).

Note, however, that the player's audio output is disabled when any
playback speed of other than 30 frames/second is in effect.

If you return from a non-normal to the normal 30 frames/second
speed while a disc is playing, the sound is then restored.

You can also control player speed for individual video clips, by using
encoded speed codes inserted right into VideoJuggler markers for those
clips in your text files.  This is done by inserting a letter 'S' into the
Begin/End marker, followed by the required speed in frames/sec.

A marker {B1111E2222} in your file plays video from frame 1111 to
frame 2222.  You can code this marker to play video at half speed, i.e.,
15 frames/second, by manually inserting "S15" into the marker, so it
looks like this:  {B1111E2222S15}.

You can insert the S15 anywhere in the code, as long as it doesn't break
up a frame number.  For example:

OK:  {B1111S15E2222}, or  {S15B1111E2222}

Not OK:  {B11S1511E2222}, or  {B1111E222S152}.

Note: If normal speed has been selected using the speed control
buttons, then speed codes in any selected markers will take effect.

However, if a speed other than normal has been selected using the
speed control buttons, then the speed control buttons take precedence
over any speed codes in markers in the text.


6.0  TEXT EDITOR FUNCTIONS

The edit window accesses Video-Juggler's text editor, providing
support for a wide range of editing, formatting and printing functions.

Text appearing in the edit window is automatically seen in "page
layout format", for convenience in visualizing margins, columns and
page breaks.  Familiar pull-down menus control file handling, editing
functions, font and style selection and text formatting.

Help balloons are included with pull-down menu items.  To access
these help balloons, select the "?" item at the top right of the screen,
pull-down a menu, and select "show balloons".

6.1  Pull-Down Menus

6.1.1 File:

This pull-down menu controls the standard Mac file operations:
New, Open, Close, Save, Save As, Save As Text, Page Setup, Print, Quit.

6.1.2  Edit:

This pull-down menu provides the following text and picture editing
functions and mode selections:

Undo - Undo last edit operation.

Cut -  Cut the selected text or picture and place it in the clipboard.

Copy - Copy the selected text or picture to the clipboard.

Paste - Paste clipboard contents in text at insertion point.

Clear - Clears selected text or picture without changing clipboard.

Select All - Selects all the text (but no pictures) in the current file.

Find - searches for text-strings in your file.

Find again - Use for repeat finds.

Replace - Substitutes one text string for another, using a dialog box.

Get Picture - Provides a dialog box for finding and opening a PICT file
as a picture in your text file.  The picture opens in "selected mode".  It
can easily be resized by "pulling on its handles", and it can be moved
and "dropped" into any location in the text document.  See section 6.4.

Picture type - This item opens a dialog box to set the type of interaction
between selected picture(s) and the text.  You can choose to have text
"wrap" around a selected picture(s) , "jump over it", or "overlay it".

Select all pictures - Selects all pictures (no text) in the current file.

Enable/Disable Playback - The software starts in "enable playback"
mode, in which double-clicking a marker causes video to be played to
your video monitor. Clicking the enable playback line switches it to
"disable playback" mode, in which selecting a marker will not cause
playback.  You can use this mode to edit text and markers without
player output.  Re-click this line to re-enter "enable playback" mode.

Relocate frames - See Section 6.5 for details on this advanced option.

6.1.3  Font:

This menu lets you choose from among the listed fonts.  If any text in
your file is selected, only that selected text will change to the new font.
Otherwise, the new font applies to all new text entered.

6.1.4  Style:

This pull-down menu enables selection of font style, character sizes,
the style of borders and spacing of paragraphs, and the selection of  colors
for text characters.

Font styles - Any listed font style may be applied to the text.  If text is
selected, only the selected text will change to the new style.  Otherwise,
the new style applies to all new text entered.  Note that styles are
additive;  that is, text can be both Bold and Italic.

Point sizes - Offers menu selections to set sizes of text characters.  Only
selected text and/or new text changes to the new size.

Paragraph - this item accesses a paragraph-formatting dialog box,
enabling you to pick borders and spacing for selected paragraphs.

Color - this menu-item accesses a color-control dialog box for picking
colors of selected text.  Move the sub-menu's scroll bar up and down to
set brightness. Put the cursor on the color chart, move it around, and
release it to select a color.

6.1.5  Document:

This pull-down menu provides document formatting options:

Insert Page Break - Choose this item to insert a page break at the cursor.

Columns & Margins - This item accesses a dialog box that provides for
selection of the number of columns, the placing of vertical lines
between columns, and the setting of margin sizes in inches.

Show Invisibles - Choose this menu item to display text formatting
information.  Click again to make "invisible" again.

6.1.6  Window:

When just editing text, if you don't need video control, you can toggle
the Video Remote item to turn it off.  Click again to turn it back on.

The second item under window lists all open VideoJuggler files.  A
click on any one of these files brings it "up front" into the edit window.

6.2  Edit Window Controls

Several basic formatting controls are accessed within the top bar of the
edit window, as follows:

Ruler:   The ruler at the top of the window can be used to measure
margins, position tabs, etc.

Tabs:  Tab arrows and paragraph margins can be moved to and set at
indicated positions along the ruler.

Justification:  Click on these four boxes to control setting of either left,
center, right, or full justification of selected text.

Line spacing:  Click on these three boxes to set selected lines to single,
double or triple spacing.

6.3  Transferring files to and from other word processors:

Sometimes you may want to exploit materials originally written using
another word processor, by transferring the text into a VideoJuggler file.

Before a file written in another word processor, such as Word, can be
read into a VideoJuggler file, it must be saved as "Text Only".

Similarly, before a VideoJuggler file can be read by another word
processor, it must be saved in "Text Only" form.

File Transfers from VideoJuggler to Microsoft Word:

1.  Open file in VideoJuggler
2.  Select Save As Text in File Menu
3.  Supply a new name for the file
4.  Save the file

The resulting file can be opened in Word, but note: all formatting
information has been removed.

File transfers from Microsoft Word to VideoJuggler:

1.  Open your file in Word
2.  Select "Save As..." in File Menu
3.  Supply a name for the new file
4. Select "Text Only with Line Breaks" as the file type.
5.  Save the file

The resulting file can be opened by the VideoJuggler, but again, all
formatting information has been removed.

Thus you can move text  to and from other word processors, but the
required "Text Only" format means that no information is saved about
which characters are bold, italicized, etc., about which fonts are used, or
about pagination, etc.  Only the raw text is transferred.

6.4  Putting pictures in your notes

Use the "Get Picture" edit menu item to insert any PICT file directly
into a VideoJuggler file.

You can create such pictures by using a video capture board to digitize
video inputs, then using software to crop, size, edit and save the pictures
as PICT files.  Small PICT images can be used next to the marker for the
corresponding video frame.

6.5  CAV frame relocation

This advanced option is included for users who make their own
custom CAV videodiscs.  Such users may wish to re-use certain
blocks of video from one disc to the next.  However, if a particular
block of material on one disc starts at a different start frame-location
on another disc, the markers for that block would have to be
manually updated in the notes, marker by marker.

Using "Frame Relocation", all frame codes in  VideoJuggler markers
can be updated to compensate for the shifting of those frames to a
different location on the later videodisc.

On command, the relocation function scans the text file, and adds a
fixed offset to every frame code contained in bracketed markers.

To calculate the relocation offset, first find some frame on the new
videodisc that is already encoded for the old disc.  Then find that
frame's code in your control notes for the old disc.  The offset is the
new disc's frame number minus the old notes' frame number (the
offset can be either positive or negative).

Now if you select Relocate Frames (at the bottom of the "Edit" pull-
down menu), a dialog box appears.  You can insert an offset calculated
as above, and "Apply" it to the file by using this relocation dialog box.

An offset can be automatically found using the relocation dialog box:
First, find a frame using the video control.  Then find and select the
corresponding (old) marker. The offset is then found by pressing
"Calculate" in the dialogue box.  That offset can now be "Applied" to
make the adjustment.

7.0  FINAL TIPS AND HINTS

This section lists additional tips and hints for users.  It also documents
decisions we've made when implementing the VideoJuggler that you
may want to take into account when using the software.

We've found that the double and triple column features are very useful
when first making a large table of contents about a disc, since they let
you put a lot of markers in a small amount of page space.  It will be
easier later on to visually search for topics when using such multi-column
lists.  It will  also be easier to cut and paste items from such lists while
preparing VideoJuggler talk notes about your disc.

We recommend that you learn to coordinate the use of the VideoJuggler,
the Pioneer Hand-Held Remote Control and Pioneer Bar-Code Readers.
Then, for example, you will be able to quickly access materials that are
already in bar-coded form, and easily capture the frame and clip codes
into VideoJuggler notes.  Such coordinated uses of controls can also be
applied in your presentations when using existing bar-coded files.

A useful tip: You can create BEGIN-END clips that play backwards by
simply marking smaller END frame numbers than BEGIN frame numbers.

7.1 Notes for this version of VideoJuggler

7.1.1  Double-clicking on any number to select it, even on numbers
without curly brackets, {  }, causes the software to issue a command to
the player to go to the corresponding frame and play it (if the number is
within the proper range for a videodisc frame).  This feature enables
users to very quickly insert known frame numbers by hand for later
selection by double-clicking, without having to include the brackets.
We include the brackets on "marked frames" in order to provide users
with visual cues to the media markers.  The brackets are also used by
the frame relocation function when searching for frames to be relocated
(without changing any other non-bracketed numbers in the text file).

7.1.2  The REWIND and FAST FORWARD buttons on the Pioneer hand-
held remote enable you to quickly, continuously scan video materials
at high speed, as long as the buttons are held down.  REWIND and FAST
FORWARD on Video Juggler's video remote work differently:  They cause
a quick scan, forward or reverse, of about 500 frames, and then pause,
independent of how long you hold them down (this is an artifact of the
Pioneer players' computer control interfaces and command sets).

7.1.3  VideoJuggler uses separate modes of editing for text and pictures,
and only lets you select one of these types of entities for editing at a time.
The editing mode is determined by the type of objects that are selected
(either text or pictures, but not both).

7.1.4  If you delete a page break, you may need to scroll up in your
document to bring the cursor back into view.

7.1.5  The UNDO function applies to all edit, font and style operations,
except that for there is no UNDO currently implemented for TYPING.
If you type something incorrectly, you'll need to UNDO it manually.

7.1.6  Note that printer-dependent margin offset information in stored
with the VideoJuggler file when it is saved.  So if you page setup for one
printer, and later want to print to another, then do another page setup.

7.1.7  The following ranges of parameters are enabled by the software:

Character size range is 5-127 points;
Chapter number range is 0 - 79;
CAV Frame number range is 0 - 65535;
CLV Time range is 0 - 9:59.59  (i.e., 9 hr, 59 min, 59 sec);
When using the Pioneer CLD-V8000, the  CLV Frame number range
       is 0 - 9:59.59 29  (9 hr, 59 min, 59 sec, 29 frames);
Number of VideoJuggler documents you can open simultaneously = 9;
Maximum number of characters in a VideoJuggler document is
       limited only by available system memory.

END OF THE VIDEOJUGGLER USERS' GUIDE (TEXT-ONLY VERSION).