Copyright: ATI Control Panel & Compatibility Help v7.0  ©2000 ATI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Citation: ATI Control Panel & Compatibility Help v7.0  ©2000 ATI TECHNOLOGIES INC.


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Help file for the Control Panel Application component of ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER 7.0

•	Numbered lists are implemented using the "BulletText_HLP" style (no autonumbering);
the numbers are dark blue, 11-point, TrueType Wingding font.

•	The Help file uses two windows: main for major topics, and taskwin1 for How To procedures.

main is the default window specified in the.CNT file.  Topics are footnoted to force them
into the taskwin1 window, where required.

NOTE:  The "How to" and "Related topics" buttons look for a specific Help file.  If the Help file is renamed, the button code must be changed, too.


Overview

When the Multimedia Center is running, you access settings via the Settings dialogs.  You can also use the Multimedia Center Control Panel to access DVD settings and diagnostics for the following purposes:

To modify settings that do not regularly change

To change settings and run diagnostics when the Multimedia Center is not running

To modify advanced settings that should only be changed if absolutely necessary.

To open the Multimedia Center Control Panel application

•	In Windows Taskbar, Click Start.

•	Point at Settings, then click Control Panel.

•	Double-click ATI Multimedia Center.

The ATI Multimedia Center control panel opens.


Multimedia Center Control Panel

The DVD settings page provides controls for:

Video settings

Audio settings

System compatibility check


Video settings

De-Interlacing affects the way video frames are decoded and displayed.  Five settings are available in the Multimedia Center Control Panel :

Smart Select	The DVD decoder automatically selects playback mode, based on DVD content.
Force Interlaced	Interlaced mode is always selected.
Force Progressive	Progressive (weave) mode is always selected.
Prefer Interlaced	Interlaced mode is selected when possible.
Prefer Progressive	Progressive mode is selected when possible.


Audio settings

Three audio settings are available in the Multimedia Center Control Panel:

Enable dynamic compression	Applies dynamic compression to the overall dynamic range of the audio. Useful for low-volume listening and for smaller speakers.
Output surround compatible (Dolby  ProLogic) signal	Encodes the 2-channel stereo output with Dolby ProLogic information. Useful for external surround speakers.
Add low- frequency effects channel into downmix	Includes the LFE (subwoofer) channel in the 2-channel stereo downmix. May be useful if you have external subwoofers, or want more bass.  This only affects DVDs with true LFE data in the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound tracks.


System compatibility check

The System Compatibility check evaluates your computer system to determine if it is correctly set up for multimedia playback.

To start the system compatibility check

•	In Windows Taskbar, Click Start.

•	Point at Settings, then click Control Panel.

•	Double-click ATI Multimedia Center.

The ATI Multimedia Center control panel opens.

•	Click the System Compatibility Check button.

A warning dialog appears.  This dialog identifies any pre-test requirements that you should be aware of.

•	To start the tests, click the OK button.

The tests last approximately 45 seconds.

When the tests are complete, you can click the Details button to see a list of test results.


System Compatibility check results

The System Compatibility Check Details page has the following, four sections:

Passed	Your system is ready for multimedia playback.
Failed	Entries here mean that multimedia playback (especially DVD) could be compromised.
Warnings	Entries here indicate areas for improvement, and do not necessarily indicate compromised playback.
Memory Bandwidth Results	Reports memory throughput numbers.  Currently, there are no recommended memory bandwidth values, but the results may be useful in analyzing playback problems.
Click here for detailed explanations of the System Compatibility Check results.


What the test results mean

The following table describes the results of the System Compatibility Check:

MMX Architecture	Checks that the CPU supports MMX instructions.  MMX refers to new instructions that Intel introduced in the Pentium MMX processor for efficiently manipulating and processing video, audio, and graphical data.
Processor Speed 300MHz or better	Verifies that CPU speed is at least 300MHz (recommended for satisfactory DVD playback).
RAM at least  32 Mbytes	Verifies that 32Mbytes of main memory is installed. This amount of memory allows for smooth operation of the multimedia application and operating system.
Sound card with clock stability better than +/- 0.2%	Sound card clock stability can affect DVD and video synchronization.  The sound card clock is used during DVD audio decoding and playback; if the clock is erratic, it may force video frame delaying or dropping to compensate for the effect.
Windows 95,  Windows 98, or Windows 2000	Checks the operating system version. Windows 95 or greater is required.
DX Version  6.0 or more  recent	Checks the installed DirectX version.   DirectX 6.0 or greater is recommended for proper multimedia playback.
DX Media Version 6.0 or more recent	Checks the installed DirectX Media version.   DirectX Media 6.0 or greater is recommended for proper multimedia playback.
Graphics Chip: ATI RAGE PRO or LT PRO or more recent	Checks the installed graphics hardware.   An ATI RAGE PRO or LT PRO is the minimum acceptable configuration for full multimedia playback support.
DVD-ROM Drive	Checks if CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives are installed, and if DMA is enabled, and reports the following: Drive description  Drive letter, drive manufacturer. DMA state  Enabled or disabled. DMA should be enabled for the DVD-ROM drive in order to support the data read bandwidth required for proper DVD playback. If DMA is not enabled, you should try to enable it.  Note: enabling DMA on some older systems can cause undesirable results.  Please contact your DVD-ROM manufacturer or provider if you are concerned about enabling DMA, or if you experience difficulties during the procedure.   Auto insert notification  Enabled or disabled.
Memory Read Bandwidth /  Memory Write Bandwidth	Runs read and write tests to identify approximate memory throughput.
Hard Drive	Detects if DMA is enabled for each hard drive in your system.


Enabling DMA for your DVD-ROM drive

To enable DMA for Windows 95 / 98

1.	Right-click My Computer, then click Properties.

2.	Click the Device Manager tab.

3.	Click the + beside CDROM.

4.	Right-click your DVD-ROM drive, then click Properties.

5.	Click the Settings tab.

6.	In the options section, check the DMA checkbox.

If DMA is already checked, click Cancel to exit the dialogs.

Note: In some cases, the System Compatibility Check DMA test may incorrectly report the state of your DVD-ROM drive.

If the DMA checkbox is greyed-out, your DVD-ROM may not support DMA, or your DVD-ROM drive requires updated drivers [image] please contact your DVD-ROM manufacturer or provider for more information.  Click Cancel to exit the dialog.

A dialog may appear, warning you that changing this setting may have undesirable effects.

A dialog may appear, indicating that a restart is required, or that you need to shut down your computer.

7.	If you want to proceed, click OK.

8.	In the DVD-ROM Properties dialog, click OK.

9.	In the System Properties dialog, click OK.

10.	If you are prompted to restart your system, click Yes.

11.	Verify that DMA is enabled by repeating steps 1 to 5.

Note that Windows 2000 uses a different method of checking the DMA state, which requires you to change IDE controller settings.  To avoid potential problems, it is suggested that you do not change these settings unless you are familiar with the procedures.


Enabling Auto Insert Notification for your DVD-ROM drive

To enable Auto Insert Notification for Windows 95 / 98

1.	Right-click My Computer, then click Properties.

2.	Click the Device Manager tab.

3.	Click the + beside CDROM.

4.	Right-click your DVD-ROM drive, then click Properties.

5.	Click the Settings tab.

6.	In the options section, check the Auto Insert Notification checkbox.

If Auto Insert Notification is already checked, click Cancel to exit the dialogs.


Interlaced video
Interlaced displays paint the screen in two passes – first the odd-numbered screen lines, then the even-numbered screen lines.


Progressive video
Progressive scanning refreshes the image one line at a time.


Dynamic compression
Dynamic compression enhances gain in quiet sections, and reduces gain during loud sections.


DMA
Direct Memory Access.  Method of transferring data directly in and out of main memory, bypassing the CPU.