S3/XingMPEG Player Contents

Click a topic below for more information.

The S3/XingMPEG Player Program

The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver


The S3/XingMPEG Player Program Folder
S3/XingMPEG Player Contents

Click a topic below for more information.

The S3/XingMPEG Player Program

-	About the S3/XingMPEG Player

-	S3/XingMPEG Player Controls

-	Opening and Closing MPEG Files

-	Playing MPEG Files

-	Configuring the S3/XingMPEG Player

-	Diagnostic Tools

The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver


The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver Folder
S3/XingMPEG Player Contents

Click a topic below for more information.

The S3/XingMPEG Player Program

The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver

-	About The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver

-	Configuring the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver


The S3/XingMPEG Saver Folder
S3/XingMPEG Player Contents

Click a topic below for more information.

The S3/XingMPEG Player Program

The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver


About the S3/XingMPEG Player

Introducing the S3/XingMPEG Player

Starting the S3/XingMPEG Player


Introducing the S3/XingMPEG Player

The S3/XingMPEG Player program (S3XMPLYR.EXE) is a Windows application with which you control the playback of MPEG files. The S3/XingMPEG Player features:

-	VCR-style controls for playing MPEG files;

-	flexible display modes;

-	Diagnostic and Benchmark tools.

The S3/XingMPEG Player controls playback of MPEG files by sending MCI commands to the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver. Because most of these MCI commands are defined in the Microsoft's MPEG Command Set for the Media Control Interface (commonly known as the "MCI MPEG Specification"), the S3/XingMPEG Player can control any MCI driver that conforms to the MCI MPEG Specification (e.g., an MCI driver provided with a hardware-based MPEG decoder). A few of the MCI commands used to control the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver are custom commands (i.e., they are not defined in the MCI MPEG Specification), and any features of the S3/XingMPEG Player that rely on these custom commands are disabled when another MPEGVideo driver is used.


Starting the S3/XingMPEG Player

As with any Windows application, you can start the S3/XingMPEG Player in a number of ways:

-	from the Windows 3.x Program Manager, open the S3/XingMPEG Player icon in the S3/XingMPEG Player program group.

-	from the Windows 95 Start menu, choose the S3/XingMPEG Player entry from the S3/XingMPEG Player sub menu.

-	from the Windows 3.x Program Manager's File menu or the Windows 95 Start menu, choose the Run command and enter the pathname of the S3/XingMPEG Player program (S3XMPLYR.EXE), e.g., "c:\mpeg\s3xmplyr.exe".

Read Opening Files With Command Line Parameters for instructions for automatically opening an MPEG file when starting the S3/XingMPEG Player.


S3/XingMPEG Player Controls

S3/XingMPEG Player Buttons and Controls

Menus

S3/XingMPEG Player Track Bar

S3/XingMPEG Player Display Modes

Keyboard Equivalents


S3/XingMPEG Player Buttons and Controls

The following buttons and controls appear in the S3/XingMPEG Player. Some buttons are unavailable in some display modes; read S3/XingMPEG Player Display Modes for details.

Button	Description
	Begins playback of the loaded file.
	Pauses playback of the loaded file.
	Steps forward one frame in the loaded file.
	Steps backward one frame in the loaded file.
	Sets the current position to the start of the loaded file.
	Sets the current position to the end of the loaded file.
	Opens the File Information window.
	Saves the current video frame as a bitmap (.BMP) file.
	Sets the zoom factor one step higher
	Sets the zoom factor one step lower
	Adjusts audio playback volume.
	Toggles the Audio Mute setting.
	Pops-up the display mode menu.
	Closes the S3/XingMPEG Player program.
	Minimizes the S3/XingMPEG Player program.
	Pops-up the Control menu
	Pops-up the File menu


Menus

The following menu items appear in the S3/XingMPEG Player. Some items are unavailable when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Bar mode; read S3/XingMPEG Player Display Modes for details.

File Menu Items

View Menu Items

Settings Menu Items


File Menu Items

The S3/XingMPEG Player's File menu contains the following items.

Item	Description

Open…	Opens an MPEG file.

Open VCD/CD-i Movie…	Opens all MPEG data on a mounted VCD/CD-i disc.

Close	Closes an open MPEG file.

Info…	Opens the File Information window.

Export…	Saves the current video frame as a bitmap (.BMP) file.

Exit	Exits the S3/XingMPEG Player program.


View Menu Items

The S3/XingMPEG Player's View menu contains the following items.

Item	Description

Zoom -> 50%	Resizes the Video Display window to display video frames at half their native dimensions.

Zoom -> 100%	Resizes the Video Display window to display video frames at their native dimensions.

Zoom -> 200%	Resizes the Video Display window to display video frames at double their native dimensions.

Zoom -> Full Window	Resizes the Video Display window to fill your current Windows Display Driver's resolution (similar to maximizing the window).

Zoom -> Full Screen	Hides the Video Display window's title bar and window frame, and stretches video frames to fill your current Windows Display Driver's resolution.

Snap Video to [Bar,Panel]	Causes the Video Display window to snap to the S3/XingMPEG Player window.

Basic Panel	Switches the S3/XingMPEG Player's window to Basic Panel mode.

Standard Panel	Switches the S3/XingMPEG Player's window to Standard Panel mode.

Advanced Panel	Switches the S3/XingMPEG Player's window to Advanced Panel mode.

Standard Bar	Switches the S3/XingMPEG Player's window to Standard Bar mode. NOTE:  This item is unavailable under Windows 95.

Advanced Bar	Switches the S3/XingMPEG Player's window to Advanced Bar mode. NOTE:  This item is unavailable under Windows 95.


Settings Menu Items

The S3/XingMPEG Player's Settings menu contains the following items.

Item	Description

Audio -> Mute	Toggles the Audio Mute setting.

Audio -> Increase	Increases audio playback volume.

Audio -> Decrease	Decreases audio playback volume.

Playback…	Opens the Playback Settings dialog.

Diagnostics…	Opens the Diagnostics dialog.


S3/XingMPEG Player Track Bar

The Track Bar is a rectangular control representing the currently opened MPEG file. The left edge of the Track Bar represents the start of the file. The right edge of the Track Bar represents the end of the file.

The Slider is an arrow-like control that indicates the current position within the file. When the file is played, the Slider moves across the Track Bar to reflect the current position.

The Scale is a graduated line that appears below the Track Bar. The labels below the scale indicate either frame numbers or time offsets in the file. The Scale appears only when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Advanced Panel or Advanced Bar mode.

Read Changing the Scale for instructions for switching the scale between frames and time.


S3/XingMPEG Player Display Modes

The S3/XingMPEG Player has five display modes (read Controlling the S3/XingMPEG Player's Appearance for instructions for switching display modes). NOTE: the Standard Bar and Advanced Bar modes are unavailable under Windows 95.

Basic Panel

Standard Panel

The standard panel is the same as the basic panel, but adds the following controls: Info Button, Current Position Indicator, Zoom controls, Audio Volume control, Audio Mute button, Display Mode pop-up menu.

Advanced Panel

The advanced panel is the same as the standard panel, but adds the following controls: Scale, Seek to Start/End buttons, Export button.

Standard Bar

Advanced Bar

The advanced bar is the same as the standard bar, but adds the following controls: Scale, Export button, Info button, Seek to Start/End buttons, Audio Volume control.


Keyboard Equivalents

Playback Control Equivalents

Keys	Description

Ctrl-p	Same as clicking the Play button.

Ctrl-s	Same as clicking the Pause button.

File Menu Item Equivalents

Keys	Description

Ctrl-o	Same as the Open item.

Ctrl-i	Same as the Info… item.

Ctrl-e	Same as the Export… item.

View Menu Item Equivalents

Keys	Description

Ctrl-1	Same as the Zoom -> 100% item.

Ctrl-2	Same as the Zoom -> 200% item.

Ctrl-3	Same as the Zoom -> Full Window item.

Ctrl-4	Same as the Zoom -> Full Screen item.

Ctrl-5	Same as the Zoom -> 50% item.

Ctrl-F1	Same as the Basic Panel item.

Ctrl-F2	Same as the Standard Panel item.

Ctrl-F3	Same as the Advanced Panel item.

Ctrl-F4	Same as the Standard Bar item.

Ctrl-F5	Same as the Advanced Bar item.

Settings Menu Item Equivalents

Keys	Description

Ctrl+	Same as the Audio -> Increase item.

Ctrl-	Same as the Audio -> Decrease item.


Opening and Closing MPEG Files

Opening an MPEG file

Closing an MPEG File

Displaying Information about an MPEG file


Opening an MPEG file

To open an MPEG file in the S3/XingMPEG Player, use one of the following techniques:

Opening Files With Menu Commands

Opening Files With Command Line Parameters

Note Regarding VideoCDs (Including CD-i movies and Karaoke CDs)

MPEG files on a VideoCD are located in the \MPEGAV directory and are named with a .DAT file extension. If, when opening one of these files, your PC produces an error message (e.g., "no CD" or "CD not ISO-9660 or High-Sierra compatible"), you may have an older CD-i movie that lacks a standard file system; to play such CDs, use the S3/XingMPEG Player's "Open VCD/CD-i Movie" command.


Opening Files With Menu Commands

After starting the S3/XingMPEG Player, you can use standard menu commands to open an MPEG file:

-	Choose Open from the File menu. A dialog appears and asks you to select an MPEG file.

-	Use standard Windows techniques to select one or more MPEG files, and click the OK button.

When you open more than one file, only one file at a time is displayed in the Video Display window; read Playing Multiple Files for instructions for viewing the other opened files.

Opening VideoCDs (Including CD-i movies and Karaoke CDs)

If you have inserted into your PC's CD-ROM drive a VideoCD or CD-i disc, you can use the following technique to open the MPEG files on the disc:

-	Choose "Open VCD/CD-i Movie" from the File menu.

When this menu item is chosen, the S3/XingMPEG Player automatically locates and opens all readable MPEG files on the currently mounted VideoCD or CD-i disc. After opening the MPEG file(s), the S3/XingMPEG Player behaves as if a single large MPEG file is opened.


Opening Files With Command LIne Parameters

You can cause the S3/XingMPEG Player to automatically open an MPEG file by specifying the pathname of an MPEG file as a command line parameter. Some common methods for passing command line parameters are:

-	Choose Run from the File menu in Program Manager or File Manager (under Windows 95, choose Run from the Start menu), and make the following entry in the Command Line field:

<PLAYERPATH>\MPEGFILE

Where <PLAYERPATH> is the pathname of the S3/XingMPEG Player program (S3XMPLYR.EXE) and MPEGFILE is the name of an MPEG file.

-	Create a new Program Manager item (under Windows 95, create a Shortcut), and make the following entry in the item's Command Line property:

<PLAYERPATH>\MPEGFILE

Where <PLAYERPATH> is the pathname of the S3/XingMPEG Player program (S3XMPLYR.EXE) and MPEGFILE is the name of an MPEG file.

-	Associate appropriate file extensions (e.g., ".MPG") with the S3/XingMPEG Player program; e.g., if you are running Windows version 3.1, you associate filename extensions with programs through the "File Manager" program:

-	Launch the "File Manager" program and choose "Associate" from the "File" menu. The "Associate" dialog appears.

-	Enter in the "Files with Extension" field a three character extension; enter in the "Associate with" field the pathname of the S3/XingMPEG Player program; and click the "OK" button.

If an MPEG file is already opened in the S3/XingMPEG Player when you use one of these techniques, the S3/XingMPEG Player automatically closes the previously opened file before opening the file specified in the command line. Only one MPEG file can be specified in the command line, i.e., you cannot open multiple files with these techniques.


Closing an MPEG File

To close an MPEG file that is opened in the S3/XingMPEG Player, use one of the following techniques:

-	Choose Close from the File menu.

-	Open another file; the previously opened file is automatically closed.

-	Exit the S3/XingMPEG Player.


Displaying Information about an MPEG file

To display information about an MPEG file that has been opened in the S3/XingMPEG Player, use one of the following techniques:

-	Choose Info… from the File menu.

-	Click the [image] button.

This button is not available when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Basic Panel or Standard Bar mode.

The Information Window appears and displays the following information about the opened file:

-	File Size - the total size of the MPEG file measured in Kilobytes.

-	File Length - the total number of video frames in the MPEG file.

-	File Duration - the temporal length of the MPEG file expressed in SMPTE Timecode format.

-	Frame Rate - the number of video frames in the MPEG measured in frames/second; valid values (as specified in the MPEG standard) are 30, 29.97, 25, 24, and 23.976.

-	Video Data Rate - the amount of video data in the MPEG file measured in kilobytes/second.

-	Audio Data Rate - the amount of audio data in the MPEG file measured in kilobytes/second.

-	Total Data Rate - the total amount of data in the MPEG file measured in kilobytes/second.

-	Audio Format - the format of audio data in the MPEG file; valid values are Mono, Stereo, Joint Stereo, and Dual Channel.

-	Video Width - the horizontal size of video frames in the MPEG file measured in pixels; typical SIF MPEG files have a width of 352 pixels.

-	Video Height - the vertical size of video frames in the MPEG file measured in pixels; typical SIF MPEG files have a height of 240 pixels (or 288 pixels for PAL standard video).

-	User Data - optional data that may be stored in the MPEG file's header by the MPEG Encoder that created the file.

When multiple files are open, the Information Window displays information about the current MPEG file (i.e., the file currently displayed in the Video Display window.


Playing MPEG Files

Starting and Stopping Playback

Navigating an MPEG File

Controlling the Video Display Window

Controlling Audio Playback

Playing Multiple Files


Starting and Stopping Playback

After opening an MPEG file, use the following techniques to control playback:

-	To begin playback, click the [image] button (or press Ctrl-p).

-	To stop playback, click the [image] button (or press Ctrl-s).

-	To cause a loaded file to be played in a continuous loop, activate the The Auto Repeat Option.


Navigating an MPEG File

The Track Bar, Slider, and Scale

The Current Position Indicator

Navigation Controls

Saving a Video Frame as a BMP File


The Track Bar, Slider, and Scale

The Track Bar is a rectangular control representing the currently opened MPEG file. The left edge of the Track Bar represents the start of the file. The right edge of the Track Bar represents the end of the file.

The Slider is an arrow-like control that indicates the current position within the file. When the file is played, the Slider moves across the Track Bar to reflect the current position.

The Scale is a graduated line that appears below the Track Bar. The labels below the scale indicate either a frame number or time offset in the file. The Scale appears only when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Advanced Panel or Advanced Bar mode.

Read Changing the Scale for instructions for switching the scale between frames and time.


The Current Position Indicator

The current position indicator displays the current position within the file as a frame number or SMPTE Timecode value. This field is not available when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Basic Panel mode.

Current Frame Display

SMPTE Timecode Display

Read Changing the Scale for instructions for switching the displayed data between frames and time.


Navigation Controls

To change the current position within an MPEG file that has been opened in the S3/XingMPEG Player, use the following techniques:

-	Drag the Slider across the Track Bar to the desired position.

-	Click on the Track Bar to move in increments equal to approximately 1/16 the total duration of the current file.

-	Press the navigation buttons:

	Steps forward one frame in the file.
	Steps backward one frame in the file. If the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver is your current MCI MPEG Driver, video frames may not be displayed until you step back to an Intra Frame.
	Sets the current position to the start of the file. This button is available only when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Advanced Panel or Advanced Bar mode.
	Sets the current position to the end of the file. This button is available only when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Advanced Panel or Advanced Bar mode. If the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver is your current MCI MPEG Driver, clicking this button actually sets the current position to the last Intra Frame in the file, so the current position indicator may not be set to the end of the file.
When you use these techniques, the Current Position Indicator displays the new position.


Saving a Video Frame as a BMP File

To save an individual video frame as a Windows Bitmap (BMP) file, use one of the following techniques:

-	Choose Export… from the File menu.

-	Click the [image] button.

This button is available only when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Advanced Panel or Advanced Bar mode.

A dialog appears and asks you to specify the name and destination of a new (24-bit color) BMP file. The dimensions of the exported bitmap file are always equal to those of the frame in the MPEG file; resizing the Video Display window does not affect the size of the BMP file.


Controlling the Video Display Window

When you open an MPEG file that contains video data, the Video Display Window appears and displays the file's first video frame. Read the following topics for instructions for controlling the Video Display window:

Selecting a Zoom Percentage

Stretching the Video Display Window

Positioning The Video Display Window

Video Frame Quality


Selecting a Zoom Percentage

To resize the Video Display Window by selecting a zoom percentage, use the following techniques:

-	Choose a zoom percentage from the Zoom item in the View menu. This menu item is available only when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Panel mode.

-	Press the zoom up and zoom down buttons:

Sets the zoom percentage one step higher;

Sets the zoom percentage one step lower;

These buttons are not available when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Basic Panel mode.

-	Click the Right mouse button over the Video Display window to access the pop-up menu, and choose a percentage.

The predefined percentages are:

-	50% - video frames are displayed at half their native dimensions; e.g., half of a typical SIF MPEG file's dimensions is 176x120.

-	100% - video frames are displayed at their native dimensions; a typical SIF MPEG file has horizontal/vertical dimensions 352x240 pixels (or 352x288 pixels for PAL standard video).

-	200% - video frames are displayed at double their native dimensions; e.g., double a typical SIF MPEG file's dimensions is 704x480.

-	Full Window - the Video Display window is resized to fill your current Windows Display Driver's resolution (similar to maximizing the window).

-	Full Screen - video frames are stretched to fill your current Windows display driver's resolution; the Video Display window's border and title bar do not appear in this mode.


Stretching the Video Display Window

To resize the Video Display Window by stretching the Window, use standard Windows techniques for resizing the window frame. Holding the SHIFT key while you stretch the Video Display window constrains the Window to 100% or 200% zoom percentages.

Note Regarding Playback Performance and Quality

Depending on the nature of your PC's Display System, arbitrarily stretching the Video Display window may impact video playback performance or quality (e.g., some DCI-compliant display systems may lose Hardware Stretching capabilities at arbitrary sizes). If you experience performance or quality degradation when stretching the Video Display window, restore the Video Display window to a standard size by Selecting a Zoom Percentage.

NOTE for WINDOWS 95 USERS: Under Windows 95, DCI acceleration is unavailable with most Display Systems. If you are using such a display system, you must obtain a Direct Draw version of the S3/XingMPEG Player and DirectDraw drivers for your PC's Display System to access video acceleration (including hardware stretching and color space conversion). Read the README.TXT file included on your S3/XingMPEG Player installation disk for more information.


Positioning The Video Display Window

You can reposition the Video Display window with standard Windows techniques and by using the following S3/XingMPEG Player features.

The Snap to [Bar, Panel] Feature

When this feature is activated, the Video Display window is automatically repositioned to touch the S3/XingMPEG Player window:

-	when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is changed as described in Controlling the S3/XingMPEG Player's Appearance.

-	when the Video Display window is resized as described in Selecting a Zoom Percentage.

To toggle the Snap to [Bar, Panel] feature, use the following techniques:

-	Choose Snap to [Bar, Panel] from the View menu.

-	Click the Right mouse button over the Video Display window to access the pop-up menu, and choose Snap to [Bar, Panel].

Closing the Video Display Window

Closing the Video Display window hides the window but does not close the currently opened MPEG file; read Closing an MPEG File for instructions for closing an MPEG file.

Full Screen Video Display

When the Video Display window's zoom percentage is set to Full Screen, use the following techniques to switch between the Video Display and S3/XingMPEG Player windows:

-	Click the left mouse button over the Video Display window (or press Ctrl-h) to bring the S3/XingMPEG Player window to the foreground.

-	Click the left mouse button over the Video Display window (or press Ctrl-h) again to bring the Video Display window to the foreground.


Video Frame Quality

The appearance of video frames in the Video Display window is largely determined by your PC's Windows display driver and MCI MPEG Driver.

Windows Display Driver

-	MPEG video contains 24-bit (True Color) data. If your Windows display driver is not set to 24-bit (millions of colors), the appearance of video frames is less than ideal.

-	Typical SIF MPEG files are intended for full-screen playback at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. If your PC's Windows display driver is set to a higher resolution, the appearance of video frames stretched to full screen dimensions may be less than ideal.

-	The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver is designed for use with video-accelerated display boards with DCI-compliant Windows display drivers. Make sure you are using the appropriate DCI-compliant Windows display driver for your display board.

NOTE for WINDOWS 95 USERS: Under Windows 95, DCI acceleration is unavailable with most Display Systems. If you are using such a display system, you must obtain a DirectDraw version of the S3/XingMPEG Player and DirectDraw drivers for your PC's Display System to access video acceleration (including hardware stretching and color space conversion). Read the README.TXT file included on your S3/XingMPEG Player installation disk for more information.

To identify or change your Windows display driver, use the Windows Setup program or your Display System's setup program.

MPEGVideo Driver

-	Make sure the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver is using DCI by running the DCI Diagnostic tool.

-	If you are using a third-party MPEGVideo MCI driver, make sure it is properly configured.


Controlling Audio Playback

When you play an MPEG file that contains audio data, the S3/XingMPEG Player plays the audio through your PC's Windows Sound System and provides controls for muting audio playback and adjusting audio playback volume. If the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver is your current MCI MPEG Driver, you can control the characteristics of the WAV audio data sent to your PC's Windows Sound System as described in Audio Decoder Settings.

Muting Audio Playback

To toggle the Mute setting, use the following techniques:

-	Choose Mute from the Audio item in the Settings menu.

-	Click the [image] button.

This button is not available when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Basic Panel mode.

Adjusting Audio Playback Volume

To adjust the audio playback volume, use the following techniques:

-	Choose Increase or Decrease from the Audio item in the Settings menu.

-	Drag the Volume Control's slider to the left to decrease volume; drag it to the right to increase volume:

This control is not available when the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Basic Panel or Standard Bar mode.


Playing Multiple Files

When multiple files are open in the S3/XingMPEG Player:

-	to play all opened files - start playback as described in Starting and Stopping Playback.

-	to skip a file during playback - seek to the end of the file as described in Navigating an MPEG File; the next opened file is loaded and played.

-	To cause the opened files to be played in a continuous loop, activate the The Auto Repeat Option.

-	The Video Display window's title bar displays the current file's name and ordinal position in the set of opened files, e.g., "TEST.MPG (2 of 10)."


Configuring the S3/XingMPEG Player

Controlling the S3/XingMPEG Player's Appearance

Setting Playback Options


Controlling the S3/XingMPEG Player's Appearance

You can switch the S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance between two general modes:

-	Panel Mode - The S3/XingMPEG Player appears as a standard Windows application with a title bar, and menu bar:

There are three variations of the panel mode: basic, standard, and advanced. The basic panel mode is shown above. In panel mode, the S3/XingMPEG Player window can be repositioned with standard Windows techniques.

-	Bar mode - The S3/XingMPEG Player appears as a special window without title and menu bars (Note: The bar mode is unavailable under Windows 95):

There are two variations of the bar mode: standard, and advanced. The standard bar mode is shown above. In bar mode, the S3/XingMPEG Player window is anchored to the top or bottom of your PC's monitor--To move the window: drag it; or click the Right mouse button over the S3/XingMPEG Player window and choose "Align Top" or "Align Bottom" from the popup menu.

Read S3/XingMPEG Player Display Modes for more information about the five display modes.

Switching Display Modes

To switch between the S3/XingMPEG Player's five display modes, use the following techniques:

-	Choose an item from the Video menu, or press its corresponding keyboard combination (i.e., Control-F1, Control-F2, Control-F3, Control-F4, or Control-F5).

-	Press the [image] button to access the display mode pop-up menu, and choose an entry.

-	Click the Right mouse button over the S3/XingMPEG Player window to access an abbreviated display mode pop-up menu, and choose an entry.

-	Double-click the S3/XingMPEG Player's client area to cycle through basic, standard, and advanced modes.

-	In panel mode, you can also switch modes by resizing the window frame.


Setting Playback Options

You can control several playback options through the Playback Settings dialog:

-	Auto Repeat - Read The Auto Repeat Option for details.

-	Scale - Read Changing the Scale for details.

-	MPEG Driver Setup - Opens the Setup dialog for the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver (or any MPEGVideo driver you have installed). Read Configuring the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver for details.

To open this dialog, choose Playback from the Settings menu.


The Auto Repeat Option

Activating the Auto Repeat option causes a loaded file to be played in a continuous loop.

To toggle the Auto Repeat option:

-	Open the Playback Settings dialog as described in Setting Playback Options.

-	Click the Auto Repeat checkbox.

-	Click the OK button.

When multiple files are open, this option causes all loaded files to be played in a continuous loop.


Changing the Scale

You determine the type of scale that appears below the Track Bar through the Playback Settings dialog:

-	Open the Playback Settings dialog as described in Setting Playback Options.

-	Click the Frames or Time button in the Scale field.

-	Click the OK button.

Read The Track Bar, Slider, and Scale for details.

Your selection also determines the type of data displayed in The Current Position Indicator:

-	When the Scale is set to Time, the current position indicator displays the current position in SMPTE Timecode format.

-	When the Scale is set to Frames, the current position indicator displays the current frame number.


Diagnostic Tools

Video Performance Diagnostic

DCI Diagnostic

Installation Diagnostic


Video Performance Diagnostic

The Video Performance Diagnostic tool tests your PC's video playback performance (by playing a test MPEG file) and reports test results in the following fields:

-	overall frame rate - the rate (in frames per second, "fps") at which video frames were displayed on your PC's monitor;

-	subsystem performance - the amount of time (measured in milliseconds) dedicated to each of three subsystem processes.

The data in these fields can help you identify potential problem areas should you experience lower than expected video playback performance on your PC.

Read the following topics for instructions for using this tool.

Test Setup

Running The Test

Interpreting Test Results

Using the What If… Dialog

Note Regarding the TEST.MPG File

An MPEG file named TEST.MPG must be present in the S3XMPLYR.EXE working directory in order for the Video Performance Diagnostic to operate correctly.  Due to space limitations, this file has not been included on the S3/Xing NativeMPEG Driver Installation Diskette. To create this file, copy an MPEG-1 file (constrained parameter system stream) to the S3XMPLYR.EXE working directory and rename it TEST.MPG.


Test Setup

Before running the Performance Diagnostic test, you can set the test parameters by modifying the following fields:

-	Drive Selection - Select from the popup menu the name of the disk drive from which the test MPEG file is read.

-	Video Size - Determines the size at which video frames are displayed during playback of the test MPEG file. Select "1x" to display video frames at their native dimensions; select "Full Screen" to stretch video frames to fill your current Windows Display Driver's resolution.


Running The Test

Click the "Run Test" button to begin the Performance Diagnostic test. While the test is running:

-	The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver's Rate Control feature is temporarily disabled (to force display of all video frames in the test MPEG file).

-	The Video Display window appears, and the test MPEG file is played.

Because the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver's Rate Control option is disabled during the test, no audio playback occurs.

To insure valid test results, do not take any actions while playback of the test MPEG file is in progress, e.g., do not click your PC's mouse buttons or press keys on your keyboard.

Note

When you run the Performance Diagnostic test, the following message may appear:

"Overall Performance and subsystem values do not correspond"

This message indicates that the S3/XingMPEG Player's internal calculations of overall performance and subsystem values encountered inconsistencies. The most likely cause of such inconsistencies is an inordinate amount of background processing concurrent with the test; e.g., if one or more other Windows programs are running at the same time as the test. It is also possible that some unique element of your PC's configuration may conflict with these internal calculations. If this message appears, try the following steps to achieve more accurate test results:

-	Make sure that no other programs are running when you start the test.

-	Restart Windows and run the test again.

-	Restart your PC and run the test again.


Interpreting Test Results

There is no better method for measuring the acceptability of your PC's video and audio playback performance than using your own eyes and ears. The results of the Performance Diagnostic test are intended to help you identify potential problems and better understand how the various parts of your system affect overall performance. Remember that while 30 frames/second is ideal, video playback performance can still be very acceptable at much lower frame rates.

When playback of the test MPEG file is complete, the Video Display window disappears, and the results of the performance test are displayed in the following fields.

-	Overall Performance - indicates the rate (in frames/second, "fps") at which video frames were displayed on your PC's monitor--This value is commonly referred to as the "Frame Rate". Typical MPEG files (e.g., those on a VideoCD title) are encoded at a frame rate of approximately 30fps, so full-motion playback of such files requires that your PC achieve a playback frame rate of 30fps. If the playback frame rate indicated in the overall performance field is significantly lower than 30 fps, video frames are dropped (i.e., they are not displayed on your PC's monitor) as needed to maintain synchronous playback of video and audio; at low frame rates, video playback may not appear smooth.

-	Subsystem Performance - indicates the amount of time (measured in milliseconds) dedicated to each of three subsystem processes. Click the topics below for more information about these values:

Disk Subsystem

CPU Subsystem

Display/Bus Subsystem

Reference System Values

The Reference System values are provided to help you determine how you can improve the video playback performance of your PC. Because the ideal playback frame rate for MPEG files is 30 frames/second, the reference system was designed to achieve this frame rate. To achieve this ideal frame rate, your PC requires the following (or comparable) subsystem components:

-	CPU - Intel Pentium-90 with 8 megabytes of DRAM;

-	Disk - Double-speed CD-ROM drive with SCSI controller;

-	Display/Bus - a high-performance PCI display board with Hardware Stretching and native support for YUV4:2:0 color space with DCI -compliant Windows display driver running in 16.7 million color mode installed into a PCI Bus slot on an Intel motherboard.


Disk Subsystem

This field indicates the time (in milliseconds) dedicated to reading compressed data from the test MPEG file and placing the data into buffers in your PC's memory.

Reference System

Double-speed CD-ROM drive with SCSI controller

Notes

SCSI and Enhanced IDE CD-ROM drives should perform near the nominal level of the reference system. Older IDE CD-ROM drives may run slower. Hard disks typically run faster than the reference drive. Differences of a few hundred milliseconds will not significantly impact performance, but very slow drives will hurt overall frame rate.

The S3/XingMPEG Player attempts to reset any resident disk caching utilities (e.g., DOS SMARTDRV) before running the performance test. If your disk performance varies dramatically from one run to the next, check to see if disabling your disk cache yields more repeatable results.


CPU Subsystem

This field indicates the time (in milliseconds) dedicated to actual MPEG video decode operations.

Reference System

Pentium-90 with 8 megabytes of DRAM

Notes

This test result is primarily a function of CPU speed, therefore less powerful Pentium chips and 486-based PCs typically run slower than the reference system. Motherboard and memory system design considerations play a secondary, but important role in this test. Differences of less than a few hundred milliseconds will not significantly impact performance, but a Pentium-90 CPU running markedly slower than the reference system is probably being hindered by a non-optimal motherboard or memory system design. Improper CMOS setup may also contribute to poor CPU decode performance.


Display/Bus Subsystem

This field indicates the time (in milliseconds) dedicated to:

-	converting pixels from YUV to RGB color space;

-	resizing video frames to fit the Video Display window;

-	transferring the video frames from your PC's memory to your display board via your PC's Bus.

Reference System

High-performance PCI display board with Hardware Stretching and native support for YUV4:2:0 color space with DCI-compliant Windows display driver running in 16.7 million color mode installed into a PCI Bus slot on an Intel motherboard.

Notes

Display performance is a function of Bus bandwidth and video acceleration features of your display board. Specific display board features which improve performance include:

-	PCI Local Bus - PCI Local Bus does not guarantee high performance; e.g., early PCI motherboards that used a VL-Bus bridge and typically featured both VL-Bus and PCI-Bus expansion slots deliver very poor PCI performance.

-	DCI-compliant Windows display driver - Use the S3/XingMPEG Player's DCI Diagnostic tool to verify that the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver is properly accessing DCI.

-	hardware color space conversion - If your display board support hardware color space conversion, the DCI diagnostic should report a YV12, YUY2, or UYVY color space. If the DCI diagnostic reports an RGB color space, then hardware color space conversion is not available.

-	Direct support for YUV 4:2:0 (also known as YUV12 or YV12) - The YV12 format most closely matches MPEG's native internal format and thus provides slightly better speeds.

-	hardware stretching - Use the S3/XingMPEG Player's DCI Diagnostic tool to determine if hardware stretching is available. Run the performance diagnostic with Video Size set to both "1x" and "full screen" to determine the effectiveness of your display board's hardware stretching. If performance slows dramatically in full screen mode, your board may not support hardware stretching, or the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver may not be accessing the stretching circuitry through DCI.

Even if your PC's DCI-compliant display system supports hardware stretching and color space conversion, its level of support can change from moment to moment, e.g., hardware stretching might be unavailable under some conditions (e.g., if the Video Display window is partially off-screen, or overlapped by another window). The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver automatically detects the current availability of DCI features and adjusts its display methods accordingly. If the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver must resort to non-DCI methods for sending video frames to your PC's display system, video playback performance suffers.

NOTE for WINDOWS 95 USERS: Under Windows 95, DCI acceleration is unavailable with most Display Systems. If you are using such a display system, you must obtain a DirectDraw version of the S3/XingMPEG Player and DirectDraw drivers for your PC's Display System to access video acceleration (including hardware stretching and color space conversion). Read the README.TXT file included on your S3/XingMPEG Player installation disk for more information.


Using the What If... Dialog

This dialog lets you predict how changes to subsystem performance values will impact your PC's overall playback performance.

When you open this dialog, values from the Performance Diagnostic dialog's subsystem fields are automatically copied into the corresponding fields in the What If... dialog (these values indicate the total amount of time, in milliseconds, devoted to each subsystem during playback of the test MPEG file). To modify these values, click each field's up/down arrows or type new values directly into the fields; as you modify the values in these fields, the predicted frame rate value is updated. Click the Reset button to restore the subsystem fields to their original values.

For example, if your PC scored poorly (compared to the 30fps reference system) in the Disk subsystem, you can use the What If... dialog to predict how improvements in your PC's Disk subsystem will impact your PC's overall playback performance: open the What If... dialog; modify the Disk subsystem field; observe the predicted frame rate.

Note

Because the calculation of overall frame rate accounts for background processing overhead, you may find that setting the subsystem values equal to those of the reference system does not produce a predicted frame rate of 30fps.


DCI Diagnostic

The DCI Diagnostic tool reports the current state of your PC's DCI support as determined by the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver.

-	DCI not detected - If the DCI Diagnostic tool reports that DCI is not currently in use by the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver:

-	make sure the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver's "Use DCI" option is selected as described in Setting Playback Options;

-	make sure your current Windows display driver supports DCI; contact your display board vendor if you have problems enabling DCI support.

-	DCI detected - If the DCI Diagnostic tool reports that DCI is currently in use by the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver, the following fields appear and display data about your PC's DCI-compliant Display System:

-	Surface Type - indicates the type of DCI surface provided by your PC's display system; valid values are "Offscreen" and "Primary".

-	Stretch Capable - indicates if your PC's display system supports Hardware Stretching.

-	Color Space - indicates if your PC's display system supports Hardware Color Space Conversion; if it does, this field should display "YV12," "YUY2," or "UYVY"; if your PC's display system does not support this feature, this field displays one of several "RGB" color spaces.

-	Surface Address - indicates the DCI surface memory address of your PC's display system.

NOTE for WINDOWS 95 USERS: Under Windows 95, DCI acceleration is unavailable with most Display Systems. If you are using such a display system, you must obtain a DirectDraw version of the S3/XingMPEG Player and DirectDraw drivers for your PC's Display System to access video acceleration (including hardware stretching and color space conversion). Read the README.TXT file included on your S3/XingMPEG Player installation disk for more information.


Installation Diagnostic

The Installation Diagnostic tool reports:

-	the name and version of your currently-installed MPEGVideo MCI device driver;

-	your current version of the S3/XingMPEG Player program.


About The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver

The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver is an MCI driver for playback of MPEG files within the Windows environment. The S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver provides the basic MPEG playback capability used by multimedia applications that control "MPEGVideo" devices. Unlike most MPEGVideo drivers that require hardware MPEG decoders, the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver features a high-performance software MPEG decoder. This driver was developed in compliance with Microsoft's MPEG Command Set for the Media Control Interface which is a subset of the Digital Video Command Set for the Media Control Interface (Microsoft Part No. 098-37538). Applications developers (or any user who wants to directly control the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver) should consult these documents (as well as Microsoft's Multimedia Developer's Guide) for specific information about MPEG playback through MCI.


Configuring the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver

Disabling DCI Support

Disabling Rate Control

Audio Decoder Settings


Disabling DCI Support

By default, the "Use DCI if Available" option is active. When this option is disabled, the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver sends video frames to your PC's display without the benefit of DCI. Because of the significant benefits of using DCI, you should disable this feature only in rare situations, e.g.:

-	You are instructed to do so by technical support staff.

-	Your DCI display driver is incompatible with the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver; contact your display driver provider for an update of their DCI-compliant Windows display driver.

-	You want to perform video playback tests.


Disabling Rate Control

When Rate Control is "On" the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver plays the loaded MPEG file at normal speed (i.e., at the Frame Rate specified in the file's header). If the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver can not maintain the frame rate, it skips video frames and gives priority to playing audio (if any) in the loaded file. When Rate Control is "Off" the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver ignores the frame rate specified in the file's header and displays every video frame in the loaded file. No audio playback occurs when rate control is off.

To toggle the Rate Control option:

-	Open the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver Setup dialog with one of the following techniques:

-	Open the Playback Settings dialog as described in Setting Playback Options, and click the MPEG Driver Setup button to open the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver Setup dialog.

-	Select the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver in the Drivers applette within Windows Control Panel, and click the Setup button.

-	Click the On or Off button in the Rate Control field, and close the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver Setup dialog.

-	Click the OK button.

Because rate control maintains proper video playback speed (and audio playback), you should disable this feature only in rare situations, e.g.:

-	You are instructed to do so by technical support staff.

-	You want to scan every video frame in a file.


Audio Decoder Settings

When you play an MPEG file that contains audio data, the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver converts the MPEG audio data to WAV audio data that is sent to your PC's Windows Sound System. You can determine the characteristics of the WAV audio data generated by the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver by modifying the following fields in the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver Setup dialog:

-	Sampling Rate (11kHz, 22kHz, 44kHz) - Specifies the sampling rate of the WAV audio data. Setting this field to "11" causes the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver to generate WAV audio data with a sampling rate of 11kHz (i.e., 1/4 the typical 44kHz sampling rate of MPEG audio data). Setting this field to "22" causes the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver to generate WAV audio data with a sampling rate of 22kHz (i.e., 1/2 the typical 44kHz sampling rate of MPEG audio data). Setting this field to "44" causes the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver to generate WAV audio data with a sampling rate of 44kHz. When the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver decodes MPEG audio data with a sampling rate other than 44kHz, the sampling rate of the generated WAV audio data is either 1/4, 1/2, or 1x the sampling rate of the MPEG data.

-	Channels (Stereo, Mono) - Specifies the number of channels in the WAV audio data. Setting this field to "Stereo" causes the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver to generate stereo WAV audio data when decoding stereo MPEG audio data (monaural MPEG audio data is always decoded as monaural WAV audio data). Setting this field to "mono" forces monaural playback of all MPEG audio data.

The characteristics of the audio you actually hear depends also on the nature of your PC's Windows Sound System; e.g., some older audio boards may not be able to achieve stereo playback at a sampling rate of 22kHz.

Audio Decoder Settings and Playback Performance

The characteristics of the WAV audio data generated by the S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver can affect your PC's overall playback performance; e.g., WAV audio data with a sampling rate of 22kHz contains twice as much data as 11kHz WAV audio. Depending on the nature of your PC's Windows Sound System, the overhead processing associated with transferring this additional data to your PC's sound board may adversely affect overall playback performance. Similarly, playback of stereo WAV audio places a greater load on your PC than playback of monaural WAV audio and may slow your PC's playback performance. If you experience unexpected results with audio playback, try adjusting the Sampling Rate/Channels fields until you achieve acceptable results.


MPEG

The popular name for ISO/IEC DIS 11172, the video compression standard
developed under the auspices of the International Standards Organization
(ISO) by the Moving Picture Experts Group. MPEG-1, the first algorithm to
be completed, covers compressed video and audio at data rates up to 1.8
Mbits/sec. The primary design goal for MPEG-1 was SVHS quality video
playback from CD-ROM.


MCI

Media Control Interface; the standard interface through which Windows
applications control Multimedia devices.


SMPTE Timecode

Society for Motion Picture and Television Engineers; a standard time
encoding format designed specifically for film and video applications. The
SMPTE timecode expresses time as
     "h:m:s:f"
where h=hour, m=minute, s=second, and f=frame.


PAL

Phase Alternation Line; the European standard for color television broadcast
signals.


SIF

Source Input Format; the most common video frame resolution used
by MPEG encoders.


DCI

Display Control Interface; a driver-level software interface designed to
improve the video playback performance of applications under Windows 3.1.


DirectDraw

A driver-level software interface designed to improve the video
playback performance of applications under Windows 95.


S3/Xing Native-MPEG Driver

Software-only MPEG decoder and MPEGVideo MCI driver for playback of
MPEG files within the Windows environment. This driver was developed in
compliance with Microsoft's MPEG Command Set for the Media Control
Interface.


Display Driver

Software responsible for managing the transfer of data between Windows
and your PC's display board. Windows provides several standard display
drivers (e.g., "VGA"), however you should use a DCI-compliant display
driver designed specifically for your PC's display board.


Encoder

Any hardware/software that creates MPEG files by encoding digitized
video/audio data.


Slider

An arrow-like control that indicates the current position within a loaded file.
When a file is played, the Slider moves across the Track Bar to reflect the
current position.


Track Bar

A rectangular control representing the currently opened MPEG file. The left
edge of the Track Bar represents the start of the file. The right edge of the
Track Bar represents the end of the file.


Current Position Indicator

A text field that displays the current position within the file as a frame
number or SMPTE timecode. This field is not available when the
S3/XingMPEG Player's appearance is set to the Basic Panel mode.


Video Display Window

A window that appears when you open an MPEG file that contains video
data. When you play an MPEG file, video frames are displayed in this
window.


Display System

Hardware and software responsible for sending data to your PC's monitor. A
typical display system consists of a display board and compatible Windows
display drivers.


Hardware Stretching

A capability of some display boards that allows resizing of video frames to be
performed by the display board rather than application software running on
your PC. This capability improves video playback performance when video
frames are displayed at non-native dimensions.


Hardware Color Space Conversion

A capability of some display boards that improves video playback performance
by allowing color space conversion (conversion of YUV color data to RGB
color data) to be performed by the display board rather than application
software running on your PC.


MCI MPEG Driver

A popular term describing any MCI device driver developed in compliance
with Microsoft's "MPEG Command Set for the Media Control Interface."
These drivers enable playback of MPEG files, within the Windows
environment, by multimedia applications that control "MPEGVideo" devices.


Windows Sound System

Your PC's audio board and related software drivers that enable audio
playback within the Windows environment.


MPEGVideo

The device TYPE specified for MCI device drivers developed in compliance
with Microsoft's MPEG Command Set for the Media Control Interface.


Bus

The physical interface into which expansion boards are installed. The most
common expansion Bus architectures are ISA, EISA, VESA, PCI, and MCA.


Frame Rate

The number of video frames (in frames/second) in an MPEG file; legal
frame rate values (as specified in the MPEG standard) are 30, 29.97, 25, 24,
and 23.976.


Intra Frame

Also called "I" or "Key" frame; A type of MPEG video frame that contains a
complete description of the video frame's pixels without reference to other
frames in the MPEG stream.