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    AST RESEARCH, INC.          TECHNICAL BULLETIN # 1463               3-15-96

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    	   Advantage! Block Buster Entertainment Video Files Distorted

    PROBLEM

    When videos are played from Block Buster Entertainment Movies and Videos
    software bundled with some Advantage! units, the videos appear choppy and
    distorted.  NOTE:  Block Buster Entertainment Videos are in the MPEG format.

    CAUSE

    The CPU usage level in ATI Player is set to a lower level for resource
    conservation.  NOTE:  Block Buster Entertainment Movies and Videos uses
    the ATI player to run the MPEG files.

    SOLUTION

    Follow the steps outlined below to increase the CPU usage.  These settings
    will effect the way Block Buster Entertainment plays the MPEG files
    associated with the program.

    NOTE: Increasing the usage will reduce the resources available to other
    applications when running at the same time as the ATI Player.

    1.  From the Windows 95 desktop, click on the  button.
    2.  Highlight "Programs", "ATI Multimedia", and "ATI Player".
    3.  Double Click on "ATI Player" to launch the application.
    4.  Click on the  button located at the bottom of the viewer.
    5.  Select "D:" from the drive list.  (Make sure that the Block Buster CD is
        in the CD-ROM drive.)
    6.  In the "Directories" area, double click on "Media".
    7.  Double click on "Videos" to list available video files.
    8.  Choose any one of the video files listed by clicking on it and then
        click "OK".
    9.  Click on the icon at the bottom of the viewer that looks like a computer.
    10. Click on the  button in the "ATI Player Settings" view.
    11. Move the "CPU Utilization" slide bar to 90%.
    12. Click "OK" to exit the MCI ATI Configuration utility.
    13. Click "OK" to exit the "ATI Player Settings".
    14. Click on the triangle in the lower left corner of the viewer to test video.
    15. Exit "ATI Player" when MPEG plays satisfactorily.

    SYSTEMS AFFECTED
    AST Part Number and Description

    501976-XXX      Advantage! 628
    501975-XXX      Advantage! 626/625
    501974-XXX      Advantage! 624/623
    501969-XXX      Advantage! 628
    501968-XXX      Advantage! 828
    501967-XXX      Advantage! 826/826E
    501966-XXX      Advantage! 824/823
    501965-XXX      Advantage! 626/625
    501964-XXX      Advantage! 624/623/624E
    501963-XXX      Advantage! 822/821
    501962-XXX      Advantage! 621