The QuickTime MPEG extension works directly with QuickTime to provide complete playback and control of MPEG movies. After you've installed the extension, each time you open an MPEG movie, QuickTime will automatically open the MPEG movie into a QuickTime movie containing a single MPEG track. This one MPEG track references both the video and audio streams of the original MPEG movie.
Note:
This version of the QuickTime MPEG extension enables playback of MPEG-1 files. You cannot use the QuickTime MPEG extension to convert QuickTime movies into MPEG files.
System requirements
To install and use the QuickTime MPEG extension, you must have the following:
Ñ A Power Macintosh computer
Ñ QuickTime 2.5 or later (available at http://quicktime.apple.com/sw/ )
Ñ Approximately 2.5 megabytes (MB) of free memory per MPEG bitstream (for optimal playback)
Installing the software
The QuickTime MPEG Installer places the QuickTime MPEG extension in your System Folder. It also installs the MoviePlayer application in a new QuickTime folder on your local hard disk. The MoviePlayer application can be used to play QuickTime content as well as MPEG files. The Installer also installs Thread Manager 2.1.5. This version of the Thread Manager is required to use the QuickTime MPEG Extension.
To install the software, follow these steps:
1. Double-click the Installer icon to open it.
2. Read the message that appears, then click Continue.
3. In the window that appears, read the software license agreement, then click Agree.
4. In the dialog box that appears, make sure Easy Install is selected in the pop-up menu. Then click Install.
Note that by installing the software, you accept the terms of the license agreement.
5. When the installation is complete, click Restart.
What's new in QuickTime MPEG v.1.0.1?
Ñ The QuickTime MPEG extension has been enhanced to fully support the MPEG media produced by Hitachi's MP-EG1A digital camera. Using this software, it is now possible to open and play MPEG layer-I audio-only files (filenames that often end with ".MPA"). Additionally, when opening these MPEG audio files, QuickTime will now automatically search for still-image files that having the same name but ending with either a ".JPG", a ".JPA", or a ".GIF" suffix. QuickTime will automatically combine the still image file and associated audio file into a single movie. This behavior greatly simplifies working with files created by the Hitachi camera when it is in "audio-annotated still-image" mode.
Ñ The QuickTime MPEG extension has been enhanced to support MPEG-1 still image files on VideoCD discs. Using this software, QuickTime can now open these VideoCD image files.
Ñ Previously, it was not always possible to access all the MPEG files on a VideoCD if that disc contained more than 32 MPEG files. With this version of the software, this limitation has been fixed.
Using the software
Ñ Playback performance depends on your model of computer. A Power Macintosh 7100/80Mhz/601 will achieve approximately 10╨12 frames per second (fps) playback at a window size of 320 x 240, while a Power Macintosh 8500/120MHz/604 will achieve approximately 24 fps at a window size of 320 x 240.
Ñ For best performance, make sure your sound output is set to 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo and your video monitor is set to 256 or thousands of colors (thousands of colors will usually produce the best combination of image quality and playback performance). Turn virtual memory and RAM Doubler off.
Ñ Some MPEG files are encoded at 15 or at 7.5 fps instead of the normal 30 or 24. If your file appears to be playing much too fast, rename the file ".m15" and/or ".m75" and see if either of those speeds looks correct. For example, rename the file "movie.mpg" to "movie.m15" or "movie.m75."
Ñ After you've installed the QuickTime MPEG extension, you can use the QuickTime Plug-In v1.1 (available at http://quicktime.apple.com/sw/ ) to view MPEG movies within your Web browser application (such as Netscape Navigator).
Ñ At larger window sizes, QuickTime utilizes a performance optimization called "black-lining". With black-lining, only every other image line is drawn to the screen. Utilizing this technique, significant playback performance improvements can be achieved on some systems.
In some situations, it may be preferrable to disable black-lining. This can be achieved by turning "High-Quality" playback mode using the following steps:
1) Using the MoviePlayer application, choose the Get Info item from the Movie menu.
2) Choose the "MPEG Track" menu item from the leftmost pop-up menu in the "Get Info" window.
3) Choose the "High Quality" menu item from the rightmost pop-up menu.
4) Click on the check box item to select High-Quality mode.
5) Close the "Get Info" window.
6) Black-lining should now be disabled.
Note: If you save this modified movie, it will automatically use High-Quality playback mode the next time it is opened.
Ñ The QuickTime MPEG extension currently supports layer-I and layer-II audio streams.
Ñ To play a .DAT file from a CDi or a Video CD, you must open the file from within MoviePlayer by choosing Open from the File menu. Dragging and dropping the file onto your hard drive or onto the MoviePlayer icon will result in an error. Double-clicking the file will also result in an error.
Ñ You can find the latest versions of the QuickTime MPEG extension and other QuickTime software at the QuickTime (WWW) Software site, located at: http://quicktime.apple.com/sw/
Known problems
Ñ The QuickTime MPEG Extension is not currently compatible with other QuickTime MPEG playback solutions. If you have an Apple or third-party MPEG hardware playback card installed in your computer and you wish to continue to use it, you should remove the QuickTime MPEG Extension from your Extensions folder to use your card.
Ñ Some non-Apple CD drivers may have problems reading CDi and Video CD discs. Apple is working with third-party CD-ROM vendors to solve this problem.
Ñ CDi and Video CDs with dual audio tracks encoded in the separate stereo channels may play one track out of each speaker. We are working to fix this problem in a future release. Please use the MoviePlayer Get Info (Command-I) option to access the MPEG track. Choose Volume, and adjust the pan control all the way to the left or the right.
Ñ ClarisWorks╒ Text Preview extension (installed by ClarisWorks 3.0 and 4.0) interferes with the MPEG file preview. When you open an MPEG file, the Open dialog box displays text symbols rather than a movie clip in the preview window.
Ñ The Apple Video Player application does not currently play the sound in an MPEG movie.
Ñ The MPEG version of Activision's "Return To Zork"CD-ROM title is not currently compatible with the QuickTime MPEG extension.
Ñ The Performa 6205CD may hang or freeze when playing long CDi or Video CD MPEG movies. We are working to solve this problem.
Ñ Some third-party audio boards may interfere with audio/video synchronization. If you are having synchronization problems and are not using the internal sound output, changing to the internal sound device should fix the problem.
Ñ Video CDs with audio tracks are encoded in such a way that the Audio CD Access extension prevents you from seeing the MPEG movies. Remove the Audio CD Access extension, restart your computer, and you should be able to see the MPEG movies on such a disc.
For additional information, consult the QuickTime World Wide Web (WWW) site, located at the following address: http://quicktime.apple.com/
⌐ 1997 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.
Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ClarisWorks is a registered trademark of the Claris Corporation. Netscape Navigator is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corp.
