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December 11, 1996
These Release Notes include important information about your new video hardware, software (Software Essentials and Video Development Environment), and documentation from Parallax Graphics. This information supercedes the README file on your CD. The Release Notes include:
NOTE: For system requirements (supported workstations, framebuffers, etc.), click here or see Chapter 1 of your Hardware Installation Guide. If you have any questions, please contact Parallax Graphics technical support.Return to Top Bugs, Anomalies or Restrictions We have identified the following bugs, anomalies or restrictions: Pre-Installation 1. Moving from One SBus Slot to Another Re-Installation: If you have previously installed and used your video overlay card in a different SBus slot in your workstation, you must follow these steps: 1.1. Move the video overlay card to a new slot. 1.2. Execute the command "boot -r" to configure the video overlay card into the kernel. (continued) 1.3. Log in as root, and change directories to /kernel/drv. Execute the command "./addtv3". Now you can use the video card in its new SBus slot. 2. Multiple Parallax Graphics Overlay Cards Not Supported Pre-Installation: This release of software for SBus overlay cards does not support using multiple Parallax Graphics overlay cards on one workstation. 3. Parallax Graphics Framebuffer Cards Not Yet Supported Pre-Installation: The current release of server/driver software for SBus framebuffer cards does not support using a Parallax Graphics overlay card with a Parallax Graphics framebuffer card (for instance, VideoTool does not work correctly). We hope to support this functionality in a future release.
Return to Top General 4. Black Rectangles in Video Window General: Creator and Creator 3D (FFB) with a 1280x1024 pixel @ 76 Hz display: If you have calibrated your overlay to "ffb 1280x1024x76" then you may get black rectangles in your video window when you manipulate the window. To correct this problem, re-launch OpenWindows with the -bs (backing store) command line option turned on ("openwin -bs").
Return to Top MovieTool 5. Memory Requirements: 48 MB for Full-Size Recordings MovieTool: If you record a MovieTool movie at full size (640x480 pixels for NTSC, 768x576 pixels for PAL or SECAM), then you will usually need at least 48 MB of memory for good performance. If you have less memory, we recommend recording movies at quarter size or smaller. 6. Recording and Playing Back a Movie: Don't Use Output In Between MovieTool: If you plan to record and play back a MovieTool movie in one session of MovieTool, do not use video output between recording and playing back. If you record the movie, and turn on output before playing it back, then it will not play back correctly. It will stop and start, and drop most of the frames. If you have this problem, you can exit and re-start MovieTool and then play back the movie correctly. 7. Avoid Low Audio Sample Rate (Such as 8000) MovieTool: If you use the -sampleRate command line option to start MovieTool with the audio sample rate set low (8000) and try to record a movie, you will get an error message, "Recording was stopped due to a problem recording audio for frame 0. Please try recording again." To avoid this problem, use an audio sample rate of 9600 or higher (start MovieTool with a higher -sampleRate), or do not specify the audio sample rate. (For more information, see your Multimedia User's Guide, Appendix B: UNIX Command Line Options.) 8. Image_Quality and Movie Window Interference MovieTool: If you place the Image_Quality window over the MovieTool movie window, and then select the movie window, the movie window will come to the foreground except where the Image_Quality window overlaps it. This problem occurs with the OpenLook window manager, but not with Motif. If you are using OpenLook, you can use the -bs (backing store) command line option to avoid this problem ("openwin -bs").
Return to Top MovieTool and VideoTool 9. Video Freezes with SX Framebuffer MovieTool and VideoTool: If you are using an SX framebuffer and you move another window on top of a video input window, the video will freeze. To restore live video: type "xrefresh" in a terminal window, or select "refresh" from the workspace menu, or move the other window off the video input window, or bring the video input window to the front. 10. Squeezed Video: Extra Line at Bottom of Video Window MovieTool and VideoTool: When live video is squeezed, the video window may have an extra line at the base of the video area. This extra line will either look black or will show previously displayed video, which may be less noticeable. To show previously displayed video, move the video window so that the extra line is over an area that previously had live video in it. 11. Zoom_2X: Re-Select S-VHS Input MovieTool and VideoTool: If you are displaying S-VHS (YC) video input, and then you choose Zoom_2X, the video window zooms but the video stays the same size, in the upper-left corner of the window. To fix the problem, after selecting Zoom_2X, use the input menu to re-select the S-VHS input. 12. Zoom_2X: Confusion Between Composite and S-VHS MovieTool and VideoTool: If you are in Zoom_2X mode, the software interface may incorrectly identify a Composite video source as an S-VHS (Y/C) source. Also, if S-VHS video source/s are not available and Composite source/s are available, and you are in Zoom_2X mode-if you select an S-VHS video input source, the software will display a Composite source instead.
Return to Top VideoTool 13. Creator 3D and OpenWindows: 8-bit versus 24-bit Video Freeze VideoTool: If you are using Creator 3D and OpenWindows in the default 8-bit mode, do not place a 24-bit window over a video input window, because it will cause the video to freeze. If you are using 24-bit mode, do not place an 8-bit window over a video input window, because it will freeze the video. To restore live video: type "xrefresh" in a terminal window, or select "refresh" from the workspace menu, or move the other window off the video input window, or bring the video input window to the front. 14. Displaying Still Images: Off Top/Left Edge of Screen VideoTool: If you are using VideoTool to display a JFIF or JPEG still image and you place the still image window so that part of the it runs off the top and/or left edge of the display ( x and y coordinates are negative), the still image won't display correctly. It will appear to show parts of different images. Move the window so that all of it appears on the display. 15. Documentation: No Save_Current_Settings_To Documentation for VideoTool: The SBus overlay cards do not have a Save_Current_Settings_To option in the Input_Settings panel (Multimedia User's Guide, page 2-6).
Return to Top Video Development Environment 16. Documentation: Multiple Video Operations in a Window Now Works Documentation for Video Development Environment: With this release (version 1.1), developers can now run more than one video operation from a window/xv port/xid at one time. For example, you can display live video in a window and simultaneously send video out from the same window. The Video Development Environment Reference Guide still reflects the previous release where each video operation required a separate window/xv port/xid. The pages that need correction are: page 1-9 (chart: add "Yes" to "Multiple Video Operations in a Window" under "Sun Overlay"), page 1-23 (multiple video operations now work for Sun overlay/XVideo Xtra; XVideo Xtra now falls in the same category as HP version 9.3 and higher), and page 1-25 (porting between Sun overlay and HP version 9.3 or higher: multiple video operations is no longer an issue, and also ImageMagick convert and display utilities are now included in the Sun overlay release).
Return to Top Tested Hardware This hardware and software has been tested on the following systems from the Sun SPARCstation line of workstations: * SPARC 5 (Model 70, 85) * SPARC 10 (Model 40) * SPARC 20 (Model 51, 61, 150) * UltraSPARC 1 (Model 170, 170E) NOTE: Please use a SPARCstation 5 or above with your XVideo Xtra card. SPARCstation 2 or earlier machines (4C architectures) are not supported. With the following framebuffer cards: * SX, GX, TGX, TGX+, Creator, and Creator 3D (FFB) framebuffer cards And the following monitor display resolutions and rates: * 1280x1024 pixels @ 76 Hz (SX, TGX+, Creator, Creator 3D) * 1152x900 pixels @ 76 Hz (SX, GX, TGX, TGX+, Creator, Creator 3D) * 1152x900 pixels @ 66 Hz (SX, GX, TGX, TGX+, Creator, Creator 3D) * 1024x768 pixels @ 76 Hz (TGX, TGX+, Creator, Creator 3D) If you have questions about using your XVideo Xtra card with another kind of Sun SPARCstation, please contact our technical support engineers.
Return to Top Fixes or Enhancements We have incorporated the following improvements over the 1.0 release: 1. Updated Libraries We have updated the complete Parallax software libraries in this release to fix bugs, to be consistent with our releases on other platforms, and to make it easier to develop cross-platform applications with Parallax. 2. Added ImageMagick convert and display We have added the ImageMagick freeware "convert" and "display" utility programs for your convenience. "convert" converts still images to a variety of standard image formats, including EPS, GIF, JPEG, PICT, Sun Raster, and TIFF. "display" displays still images in a similar range of formats. For more information about convert or display, in a terminal window type the command "convert -help" or "display -help." 3. Fixed Six Bugs We fixed the following bugs from version 1.0: 9. Video input window shows through part of movie window 14. Output and Select_Region: wrong region 15. Output and Select_Window: black bar 16. Output and Input_2: use Input_2 first 17. Saving still images: TIFF format needs ImageMagick 19. Must have unique window IDs
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Copyright 1998 Parallax Graphics, Inc. All rights reserved.