Copyright: Video In Help v7.0 Copyright ©2000 ATI Technologies Inc.
Citation: Video In Help v7.0 Copyright ©2000 ATI Technologies Inc.


Introduction

WELCOME to Video In Help

Watch video in full-screen or in a window.  Capture and save video images, display and record closed-captioned text.

Using Video In

Setting up Video In

Capturing video and still images

Displaying closed-captioned text

Using HotWords

HOW TO ...

Display shortcut keys and/or tool tips

Have your computer watch video for you

Transcribe closed-captioned broadcasts, including pictures


Video In

The Video In control panel provides controls for capturing video from external video sources.

 Each control displays its function and any keyboard shortcuts when you point at it with your mouse.  Most controls also display a menu of options when you right-click them.

Display smooth, full-motion video in full-screen or in a window.  Use Video-In to:

Watch a videotape or laserdisc movie on your computer.

Capture, save, and print video images.

Display and record closed-captioned text.

Video In accepts a wide range of video inputs from just about any device that has a VIDEO OUT connector: VCR, Video camera, laserdisc, and video games.  Video is displayed in the Display panel.


Video In

When you click the logo in the upper left corner of the display panel, the "About …" notice appears.  If you have more than one feature installed [image] CD Audio, DVD, Video CD [image] a TaskList menu displays available and active features.


TV Magazine

Digital VCR

HotWords

Video Desktop

Schedule

On-screen Picture Adjustment

Secondary Audio Program (SAP)

TV Out

Resource conflict


Record video

Adjust and mute the audio volume

Set up Video In

Turn Closed Captioning on and off

Zoom and Pan

Capture still images

Use LaunchPad to start Multimedia Center features


Adjusting and muting audio volume

Move the volume control slider to increase or decrease the audio volume.

Click the Mute button to mute/turn on the audio.

Right-click the Mute button to change Secondary Audio Program settings (if available), specify stereo or mono audio, and to control Closed Captioning when muted.

Note

If you do not hear audio from the video source, try the suggestions in Troubleshooting.


Setting up Video In

Click the Setup button in the Video In control panel to open the user settings pages, where you can specify settings for Display, Video, Closed-Captioning, HotWords, TV Magazine, Digital VCR, Stills Gallery, and Schedule.

When you first start Video In, you must run the Initialization Wizard , which will help you set up your display, audio, and video capture.


Display panel

Each control displays its function and any keyboard shortcuts when you point at it with your mouse.

The Display panel is a familiar, TV-style display that you can resize and, place on top of other windows.

The controls in the upper right corner are standard Windows controls: Help, Minimize, Maximize, and Exit.

When you click the logo in the upper left corner of the display panel, the "About …" notice appears, and a menu displays available and active features.


Display settings

Sizing the Display panel

Capturing still frames

Zooming and panning

On-screen Picture Adjustment


Sizing the Display panel

You can resize the Display panel using:

Your mouse, to drag an edge,

the Maximize button in the Display panel, or

You can use the CTRL key to display these preset sizes:

160 x 120 pixels	CTRL + 1
240 x 180 pixels	CTRL + 2
320 x 240 pixels	CTRL + 3
640 x 480 pixels	CTRL + 4
Toggle between full-screen and current size.	CTRL + F ALT + F


Zooming and Panning

You can zoom in on the video in the Display panel  to enlarge a selected portion of the screen, and return your display to normal.  You can also pan in the zoomed area.

To Zoom in
Use your mouse to click and draw a rectangle on the Display panel.  The portion of the screen you selected is enlarged.

Or
Right-click the 1:1 button to open a menu where you can set the zoom level [image] Zoom x2, Zoom x4, or Zoom x8.

To pan in the zoomed area

Move your mouse within the zoomed area to pan horizontally or vertically.

To unzoom or use predefined zoom levels

Right-click the in the Display panel to open the control menu, then click Unzoom.

Or
Click the 1:1 button in the control panel to unzoom.


Displaying closed-captioned text

North American feature

To display closed-captioned text, click the Closed Caption button in the Video In control panel.

Closed-captioned text appears on top of the video in the Display panel and/or in its own window.  You set these options in the Closed Caption Settings in the Setup dialog.

Using the closed-caption window

If you position the scroller so that the "live" text, appears, the display scrolls to keep the most recent text visible.

If you scroll back into the text so that the "live" text is not visible, scrolling stops to let you easily read the text.

The display has a maximum capacity of 500 lines of text; if the display is full and you scroll to the end, the text will disappear off the top of the window.


Displaying closed-captioned text

North American feature

To close the closed caption window

Click the Exit button in the upper-right corner.

Right-clicking the Closed Caption button opens a menu where you can control the type of captioning: over video, in a window, display alternate text, TV Magazine, HotWords, captions when muted.


Transcribing closed-captioned text

Closed-captioning Look Back

HotWords


Capturing video and still frames

Still images.  You can capture full-color, 24-bit-per-pixel still images from video sources, save them on your computer's hard disk, and print them.  The images are placed on the clipboard, or you can display them "thumbnails" (miniature images) in the Stills Gallery.

You can save captured images in the following sizes:

Default size

Custom size

240x180

320x240

800x600

1024x768

Desktop size

640x480

Video In saves still images as Windows-standard bitmaps (.bmp).  It also supports most industry-standard graphics file formats, so you can insert the images into reports, presentations, letters, and other documents, to add impact to training applications and presentations.

To capture still images


Capturing video and still frames

Full-motion video.  You can use the Digital VCR to capture a clip of full-motion video plus audio from your video source and save it as an MPEG file or an .AVI file on your computer's hard disk.  Full-motion video files play in the File Player.

To record a clip of video and audio.

You can use the Digital VCR Custom Settings option to compress your captured video and save it in several industry-standard formats.


Digital VCR settings

Digital VCR custom settings

Capture Wizard

Capturing a clip of audio and video

Getting the best results with MPEG video capture

Capturing still frames

Preallocating file space

Saving and compressing captured files

Stills Gallery


Digital VCR

The Digital VCR provides simple controls and powerful options for capturing video and audio.

Full-motion video  You can use the Digital VCR to capture a clip of full-motion video with audio from your video source and save it as an MPEG file or an .AVI file on your computer's hard disk.  You can play captured files in the File Player.

Still images  You can capture full-color, 24-bit-per-pixel still images from video sources, save them on your computer's hard disk, and print them.  The images are placed in the Stills Gallery.

To change the Digital VCR settings

Click the Setup button in the Video In control panel, then click the Digital VCR tab to open the Digital VCR settings page.

To record full-motion video

Click the Record button in the Video In control panel.  The Digital VCR opens, and starts recording.

When you record, a recording status display shows the number of frames captured and the time remaining on your hard disk.


Digital VCR Custom Settings

Digital VCR Settings

Capture Wizard


Digital VCR settings

Use the Digital VCR Settings page to set up recording quality and duration for the Digital VCR.  The status box displays the amount of time available for recording, at the quality option you specify.

To open the Digital VCR Settings page, click the Setup button in the Video In control panel, then click the Digital VCR tab.

Recording Quality	Best Quality Good Quality  Longest Time Custom For extremely fine control, click the Set Custom… button to open the Custom Settings list, where you can create and modify preset capture formats.  Click the Create New button to create a new, preset capture format.  The Capture Wizard will guide you through the process.  Click the Edit button to modify an existing, preset capture format. The Capture Wizard will guide you through the process.
Disk  Space  Settings	Allocates the amount of disk for capture.  Record to Drive  Select the drive to hold captured video.  Amount of disk space to leave free  Use the slider to set the amount of space to leave on your hard drive.  Use this to prevent the recording from completely filling your drive.
Current Settings	Displays the video format, size, frame rate, and audio format for captured video.
Capture Still at  640 x 480	Capture still images in 640x480 true capture.
Prompt  Before  Recording	Do all capture setup, then display a dialog that starts capture.
Record  For	Check the box, then type the number of hours and minutes you wish to record.


Getting the best results with MPEG capture


Capture Wizard

The Capture Wizard guides you through editing existing capture formats and creating new ones.  You can capture in AVI or MPEG format.

To start the Capture Wizard

Click the Setup button in the Video In Control panel, click the Digital VCR tab, then click the Set Custom … button.

To create a new AVI capture format

Suggestion: edit an existing preset that is similar to what you want, then give it a new name.

Click the Create New… button.  Capture Wizard (Step 1) appears.

Enter a name and description (if desired) for the preset, and select the capture type (AVI).

Click Next >.  Capture Wizard (Step 2) appears, where you specify video and audio capture properties and AVI compression .

Select the Video Standard, Size, Frame Rate , Audio Format, and video codec.

Click Finish.  Your new, AVI capture preset appears in the Custom Settings dialog.


Capture Wizard

To edit an AVI capture format

Select AVI Capture in the Custom Settings dialog, then click the Edit… button.  Capture Wizard (Step 1) appears.

Enter a name and description (if desired) for the preset, then click Next.>.  Capture Wizard (Step 2) appears, where you specify video and audio capture properties and compression.

Select the Video Standard (NTSC, or PAL), FrameRate, and Size.

Select the Audio Format and video codec.  If you select  DV Video Encoder, you can click the Configure button to customize its settings.

Click Finish.  Your edited, AVI capture preset appears in the Custom Settings dialog.


Capture Wizard

To create a new MPEG capture format

Suggestion: edit an existing preset that is similar to what you want, then give it a new name.

Click the Create New… button.  Capture Wizard (Step 1) appears.

Enter a name and description (if desired) for the preset, and select the capture type (MPEG).

Click Next.  Capture Wizard (Step 2) appears, where you can set up audio stream properties and MPEG type.

Select the Video Standard Lines and Size.  To keep high resolution display during capture, check the box.

Select the Audio Format.

Select MPEG-1 or MPEG-2.

To deinterlace captured video, check the box.  To use Visual Masking, check the box.

Click Next >. Capture Wizard (Step 3) appears, where you can specify the frame sequence in the MPEG output stream.  For information on frame sequences, see Getting the best results with MPEG video capture.

Select the Number of P Frames in Group and the Number of B Frames in Subgroup.


Capture Wizard

Click Next >.  Capture Wizard (Step 4) appears, where you configure MPEG encoding parameters.  For more information, see MPEG technical notes.

Use the upper slider to set the Video Bit Rate. Use the lower slider to set Motion Estimation Quality.

Select the Horizonal and Vertical Motion Estimation Search Ranges.

Click Finish.  Your new, MPEG capture preset appears in the Custom Settings dialog.


Getting the best results with MPEG capture


Getting the best results with MPEG video capture

To access MPEG properties

•	Click the Setup button [image] in the Video In control panel, then Click the Digital VCR tab.

•	In Recording Quality, click the Set Custom … button.

•	Click Best Quality, then click the Edit … button.  Capture Wizard (Step 1) opens.

•	Enter a name and description (if desired) for the preset.

•	Click Next >.  Capture Wizard (Step 2) opens.

•	Select MPEG-1 or MPEG-2, then click Next >.  Capture Wizard (Step 3) opens.

To select I-frame-only MPEG capture

This uses less CPU, but requires 2 to 3 times the bit-rate, which produces larger files.

Click the I Frames Only button.  Click Next >, then click Finish.

To select I, B, P frame MPEG capture

This uses more CPU, but greatly reduces the bit-rate required to achieve good quality video.  In Capture Wizard (Step 3),

Set Number of P Frames in Group to 12.

Set Number of B Frames in Subgroup to 3.

To achieve full 29.97 frames/second capture performance in MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 format, we recommend the following settings (ranges are given, as some video compresses better than others, depending on the amount of rapid motion and the number of complex scenes).

Video Format	IBP Frames (Mbps)	Minimum CPU Required	I-Frame Only (Mbps)	Minimum CPU Required
176x144 QCIF	0.8 – 1.2	P200 - MMX	1.2 – 2.0	P166 - MMX
352x240 CIF	1.2 – 2.0	PII - 300	3.2 – 4.0	P200 -  MMX
352x480 Half-D1	2.0 – 3.2	PII – 400	3.0 – 6.0	PII - 350
640x480	3.2 – 4.0	PIII – 450	4.0 – 8.0	PII - 350
720x480 D1	3.2 – 5.0	PIII – 500	5.0 – 8.0	PII - 400

Mbps = Megabits (millions of bits) per second.  1 Mbps is approximately equal to 125 Kbytes per second.

The motion estimation slider can be used to control the quality of the video – a high setting (15 or more) uses more CPU, but provides better quality video.  A low setting (5 or less) speeds up encoding, but produces lower quality video at a given bit-rate.

The above bit-rate settings are based on a motion estimation setting of 10.

If your system is not capable of achieving smooth-looking video at 29.97, try the following:

  Capture I frames only.
  Capture at 24 fps.
  Capture using a smaller frame size.
  Capture video only, with no audio.

MPEG-2 is best suited for Digital VCR use.

MPEG-1 is suitable for video editing using MGI VideoWave II.

In Capture Wizard (Step 2),

For standard quality audio in mono, use 80kbps.

For standard quality audio in stereo, use 160kbps.

For high quality audio in mono, use 128kbps.

For high quality audio in stereo, use 212kbps.


MPEG technical notes

Real-time MPEG encoding


Stills Gallery

When you capture a still image, the Stills Gallery opens (if it is not already open), and the captured image is added to other captured images in the Stills Gallery.

You can save any image in a variety of graphics formats and sizes, but if you close the Stills Gallery without saving them, they are deleted.  The Stills Gallery controls let you save images, delete them, hide them, save them as wallpaper, and print them.

Double-click a thumbnail image to resize it to the actual size of the captured image.

For help on Stills Gallery, click here [image].


Saving and compressing captured files

You can use the Digital VCR tab's Custom Settings to compress your captured video and save it in several industry-standard formats.

Notes

When you compress a file, your original file is deleted.  If you want to keep the original file, save it under a different name.

YUV9 and YUV12 compression preserve image quality very well, but result in a high data rate, which may not play back acceptably on all machines.  YUV12 requires more space than YUV9.

If your computer uses a Pentium® III processor or a Pentium® processor with MMX technology, you can capture video and save it in MPEG format, in real time.


Capturing still frames

Click the camera button in the Video In control panel to capture the current frame and place it in the Stills Gallery.


Stills Gallery


Capturing video and audio

You can record a clip of full-motion video with audio.

To record a clip of video and audio

Right-click the Record button in the Video In control panel, and choose Stream Capture.

The Digital VCR opens, and starts recording video and audio to your computer's hard disk.

To stop recording, click the Stop button in the Digital VCR.  A Save As dialog opens, so you can name and save the captured video.

You can use the Digital VCR Custom Settings... to compress your captured video in real time and save it in several industry-standard formats.


Playing captured video

Double-click .AVI files to open them in the Windows Media Player.  If you have ATI File Player, you can use it to play AVI and MPEG files.


Display settings

Use the Display Settings page to set up your display's general appearance and functions.

To open the Display Settings page, click the Setup button in the Video In control panel, then click the Display tab.

Screen Size	Indicates the sizes available for the current panel.  If the current panel does not support resizing, the values are greyed-out.
Tool Tips	Show Tool Tips.  Show Shortcut.
Display Feature	Video Desktop  Fixed Aspect Ratio  Click to preserve the aspect ratio when you resize or zoom the display.  Crop Edges  Crop image edges.  Always On Top Display Video In on top of other applications.  Auto hide controls when in full screen  Hide Video In controls when displaying video in full screen.
Hide Player Hotkey	Enter a keyboard key that hides/displays Video In.
Initialization Wizard	Re-runs the Initialization Wizard.


Video settings

Use the Video settings page to select the video input connector and to adjust your display’s color.

To open the Video settings page, click the Setup button in the Video In control panel, then click the Video tab.

Connector	Selects the video input connector:  If you select Composite or S-Video, you must specify the Broadcast Standard. Composite Selects composite video  input. S-Video Selects S-Video  input.
Broadcast  Standard	Selects the TV broadcast standard: NTSC, PAL, SECAM.
About  Driver	Displays a current configuration dialog box.
Video  Properties	Color  Adjusts the amount of color in the image. Brightness  Adjusts the amount of white in the image.  Contrast  Adjusts the gradation of tones between light and dark areas.  Tint  Adjusts the balance of red-to-blue in the image.  Note that Tint is not adjustable for PAL or SECAM .


Closed Caption settings

North American feature

The Closed Caption settings page is only available for NTSC video in TV mode.  Use it to specify how closed-captioned text is displayed, and to set up the HotWords feature.

To open the Closed Caption Settings page

•	Click the Setup button [image] in the Video In control panel.

•	Click the Closed Caption tab.

Placement	External Window Displays closed-captioned text in its own window.  Click Font… to select the display font. Video Window Displays closed-captioned text superimposed on the video.  Click Font… to select the display font. Solid Background Displays closed-captioned text over a solid background. Shaded Background Displays closed-captioned text over a shaded background.
Hot Words	Enable Click this box to activate HotWords when Closed Captioning is turned on. HotWords Setup Opens the HotWords dialog.
TV Magazine	Enable  Activates the TV Magazine feature. TV Magazine Setup  Opens the TV Magazine Setup Wizard.
Closed Caption On Mute	Display closed-captioned text when the audio is muted.
Show  Alternate Text If  Present	If T1 mode closed-captioned data is present in the caption stream, checking this box displays a full page of T1-mode, scrollable closed-captioned text.  If you turn off Closed Captioning or change channels, the page is hidden.


HotWords

Closed captioning Look Back


HotWords

North American feature

Use the HotWords Setup Wizard to specify words and phrases that Video In will detect in closed-captioned text.  When they appear, you can:

Display the matched text

Restore video

Play a sound

Enable TV Magazine

You can enable HotWords, and then minimize Video In; when the specified words occur, Video In opens.  You can also have Video In automatically transcribe the text when the specified words occur.

To set up HotWords

•	Click the Setup button [image] in the Video In control panel.

•	Click the Closed Caption tab.

•	Click the HotWords Setup button.

To enable HotWords, check the Enable box.

The two-step HotWords Setup Wizard will guide you through HotWords setup.

First Word	Type the word that will open Video In.
Match Type	Choose the type of match you want: By itself   Open Video In when the Hot Word occurs. Followed By   Open Video In when the Hot Word occurs, and is immediately followed by the Optional Word you specify. Not Followed By   Open Video In when the Hot Word occurs, if it is not immediately followed by the Optional Word you specify. In Sentence With   Open Video In when the Hot Word occurs, if it is in a sentence with the Optional Word you specify.
Optional  Word	Type the word you want to match with the Hot Word.  (When you specify an Optional Word, the system only looks for the Hot Word+Optional Word combination.)
Partial	Check this box to start Video In when a part of the Hot Word occurs.
Use the Add and Remove buttons to add and remove words from the list.

Actions to take when your HotWords occur	Show Matched Text Displays the text that matches your Hot Word(s). Restore Player Opens Video In in its current state. Beep Beep when the HotWord(s) occur.
Recording	Enable TV Magazine Activates TV Magazine . Enable Digital VCR Activates the Digital VCR .


Displaying closed-captioned text

Closed-caption Settings

Closed-Captioning Look Back


End of "Hot Words"


START TROUBLESHOOTING


Video is unstable

Check that you’re using the correct broadcast standard format

Check the quality of your incoming video signal on another receiver; bad reception may be the cause.

For more information, see the Video Settings page.


Video is in black and white only

Check that you’re using the correct broadcast standard format.

Check the quality of your incoming video signal on another receiver; bad reception may be the cause.

For more information, see the Video Settingspage.


No video or audio

Ensure that your cable or antenna is connected.

Ensure that the video connector is connected to the correct source.

Check that the audio and video connectors are securely plugged into the correct jacks.

Check that your video card is securely seated in its slot.  Please refer to the user guide for the card location.


END TROUBLESHOOTING


START GLOSSARY DEFINITIONS


AMC
ATI Multimedia Channel.  The AMC is a 40-pin connector, located on the graphics board and AMC peripheral devices, which provides for multimedia expansion and VESA feature connector (VFC) backwards compatibility for the graphics board.  AMC connects ATI-TV to the graphics board via the AMC ribbon cable.


Aspect ratio
Relationship of width (x-axis) to height (y-axis).


.AVI
Audio-Video Interleaved.  Microsoft's specification for the integration of digital motion video under Windows.


Bitmap
Representation of characters or graphics by individual pixels arranged in row and column order.


Composite video
Video signal format that includes the complete visual waveform, including chromatic (color) and luminance (brightness) picture information, as well as control signals.


Compression
The process of reducing the size of data files to decrease storage and computer processing requirements.


Frame
A single, complete picture in television and video.


Frame rate
Number of video frames displayed per second.


INI files
Initialization files that provide Windows with information about your system configuration.


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


MPEG
Moving Pictures Experts Group.  Group under ISO auspices that defines standards for compression/decompression of digital video and audio.  MPEG-1 was optimized for CD-ROM or applications at about 1.5Mbit/sec.  The MPEG-2 concept is similar to MPEG-1, but includes extensions to cover a wider range of applications.  The most significant enhancement over MPEG-1 is the addition of syntax for efficient coding of interlaced video.


NTSC
National Television Systems Committee.  North American and Japanese television technical standards organization.  Frame rate is 30 per second.


Overscan
The area between the displayed image and the edge of the display screen.  Normally, this area is black.


PAL
Phase Alternate Line.  European (excluding France) television standard.


Pixel
Picture element.  The smallest addressable area of the computer screen.


RGB24
True color: Also known as RGB color or 24-bit color. True color graphics systems are usually equipped with at least 24 bits per pixel.  In the 24-bit system, for instance, three primary colors in the color graphics system - red, green, and blue - are allotted eight bits each, providing a palette of 16.7 million colors.


SECAM
Sequential Couleur A Memoire.  French color TV system (also adopted in Russia).


S-Video
Type of video signal used in Hi8 and S-VHS videotape formats.  It transmits luminance (brightness) and chrominance (color) portions separately, using multiple wires, avoiding the NTSC encoding process and the resultant loss of picture quality.  Also known as Y-C video.


StartUp file
A Windows StartUp file contains applications that start whenever you start Windows.  See Windows online help for more information.


Shortcut key
A key or combination of keys that provides one-stroke access directly to a command or dialog box.  Also called "Accelerator key" or "hot" key".


Tool Tips
Helpful aids for using programs that appear when you point at a control with your mouse.


D1
A digital recording and playback format that uses component video (S-Video).


Panning
Traditionally, rotating a camera about its vertical axis.  With digital video you can pan vertically, too.


END GLOSSARY DEFINITIONS


Video Desktop

When you select Video Desktop in the Display settings page, minimizing Video In replaces your desktop pattern with a video display.  Closed-captioned information is not displayed.

A Television icon appears in your Taskbar.  Click the icon to display a small control panel that you can use to change channels and control the volume.

To restore your desktop pattern and Television

Click the Video button in the Windows taskbar.


Display settings

TV Tray


On-screen picture adjustment

Use on-screen picture adjustment to fine-tune the picture quality on-screen.

•	To start adjustment, press the TAB key.

Each time you press TAB, one of eight values is available for adjustment.

•	Use the ·  keys to adjust the value.

Color Tint Brightness Contrast	Press ·  to decrease/increase from 0% to 100%  (decrease/increase 45 degrees for Tint). Note  Tint is not available for PAL or SECAM.
Reset	Press ·  key to reset video to default values.


Video settings


Schedule

The Scheduler lets you set up Video In to play particular files and/or watch or record selected TV channels, start TV Magazine, and capture video at times you specify.  If you have the features installed, you can also schedule events for CD Audio and Video CD.  For help on Schedule, click here [image].


Closed captioning Look Back

North American feature

Closed captioning Look Back is used with the HotWords feature, to allow you to see the item in the closed-captioned text that triggered HotWords.


TV Magazine

HotWords


TV Tray

When you minimize Video In in a video desktop, a Video icon appears in the "tray" [image] located in the lower-right corner of your screen [image] that holds the volume control, ATI icon and system clock. Click the icon to display the Video In control panel.

This control panel, containing volume and mute controls, is available.


TV Magazine

North American feature

Use TV Magazine to transcribe closed-captioned broadcasting [image] including pictures and text.  You can save files as RTF (Rich Text Format), which preserves formatting and can be used in many word processors, plain text (TXT), or HTML.

When TV Magazine is enabled, it transcribes closed-captioned text even if the Closed Captioning button is off.

To open TV Magazine

•	Click the Setup button [image] in the Video In control panel.

•	Click the Closed Caption tab.

•	Click the TV Magazine Setup button.

To enable TV Magazine, check the Enable box.

The first time you use TV Magazine, the two-step TV Magazine Setup Wizard will guide you through the setup process.

File Name	Type a name for the file.
File Format	Select a file format.
Options	Overwrite files  Check to overwrite existing files.  Uncheck to keep existing files. Remove Advertising Skip commercial advertising when displaying or transcribing closed-captioned text. This works best with programs that use scrolling transcripts rather than "text bubbles" to record closed-captioned text.  For example: Talk shows News broadcasts Sports Soap operas (Depending upon the closed-captioning format, commercials may occasionally be recorded [image] a little experimentation will show you how to get the best results.) Case Conversion Convert all characters to upper- or lower-case.
Stop Transcribing After	Specify the number of minutes to transcribe.
Select Layout	No Image No images are saved. Images on Left Images are placed on the left, text on the right. Images on Right Images are placed on the right, text on the left. Alternate Images Images and text alternate left and right. Use black & white pictures Save images as black & white, to save disk space. Image Density Specify the number of images per page.


Secondary Audio Program (SAP)

The Secondary Audio Program (SAP) can be used to broadcast, for example, language translations, reading services for the visually impaired, weather forecasts, or information about a show.

To hear the Secondary Audio Program, switch from stereo to mono, and show closed captioning when muted

Right-click the Mute button in the Video In control panel to display a menu where you can change audio settings.

Notes

Not all television stations broadcast stereo or SAP.

SAP is not available in Japanese versions of Video In.


TV Out

TV Out lets you display your PC output on a television.

To enable TV out

•	Right-click on your desktop, then click Properties.

•	In the Display Properties page, click Settings, then click Advanced.

•	Click Displays.

•	Click the TV checkbox.

•	Click OK.

To cancel TV Out, click the TV checkbox to clear it.

Note

You must attach a Television before enabling TV Out.


LaunchPad

The LaunchPad provides a convenient way to start all your Multimedia Center applications [image] just click the feature you want.  For Help on LaunchPad, click here [image].


Resource conflict

Video In, DVD, and Video CD use some of the same resources.  If you try to start one of these features while another is running, a message appears informing you of resource conflict.  You have four choices:

Run both features with reduced performance.

Suspend the first feature while the other feature is active.

Close the first feature.

Press Cancel to continue without starting the second feature.


Real-time MPEG encoding

If your computer uses a Pentium® III processor or a Pentium® processor with MMX technology, you can capture video and save it in MPEG format, in real time.

The Digital VCR Custom Settings provide four, pre-set MPEG recording settings, and you can customize video and audio settings for your particular purposes.

To customize MPEG recording settings

Note

You should have a good understanding of MPEG before changing these settings.  Of course, experimentation is a great teacher, and if the results are not to your liking, you can simply click the Cancel button to return to the pre-set values.

•	Click the Setup button [image] in the Video In Control panel, then click the Digital VCR tab.

•	Click the Set Custom… button.  The Custom Settings page opens.

•	Select the MPEG format you want to use.
To change preset values, click the Edit… button.  The Capture Wizard opens to guide you through making changes.
To create a new capture preset, click the Create New… button.  The Capture Wizard opens to guide you through making changes.

A comprehensive, technical discussion of MPEG is beyond the scope of this Help file, but for a brief overview, see MPEG technical notes.

There are many sources of information you can explore; a good starting point is the Moving Picture Expert Group’s website.


Getting the best results with MPEG video capture


MPEG technical notes

Capture Wizard (Step 3) lets you set up the Frame Sequence—the mix of I (intra) frames, P (predicted) frames, and B (bi-directional) frames in a GOP (group of pictures).  B frames take the longest to encode, followed by P frames, then I frames.

I frames consume the most space, producing the highest bit rate.  During playback, I frames take the most time to decode; this is not a concern if the same machine is used for capture and playback because encoding is far more computationally intensive than decoding.  It is a matter of balancing capture speed and disk space.  Most cases also allow settings that use only I frames.

Capture Wizard (Step 4) is used to set the video bit rate and motion estimation quality.  When capturing large images, increase the video bit rate.  The value is approximately 1.6Mbit for SIF (Source Input Format) images.  Usually, you must sacrifice some quality to achieve the speed required for real-time encoding.  For MPEG-2 capture, this can be up to 8Mbit/second.  The default is 0.8Mbit/second.

MPEG video’s temporal prediction technique is based upon motion estimation—in most cases, consecutive video frames will be similar except for changes introduced by objects moving within the frames.  The range for this setting is 1 (fastest) to 20 (slowest); depending upon your computer’s speed, you can increase this value to improve quality.

Capture Wizard (Step 2) is used to set the audio format.

Mono combines left and right channels, and uses a lower bit rate and CPU speed.

Stereo compresses left and right channels separately, and requires a high bit rate and medium CPU speed.

Dual Channel stores a monaural signal in two channels.

Joint Stereo finds redundancies between left and right channels, and achieves a higher compression ratio.  It works with a medium bit rate and a higher CPU speed (for example, Pentium III).


Sound Initialization Wizard

The Sound Initialization Wizard helps you set up your audio connection.  If you do not hear audio, ensure that the source is tuned to a broadcasting channel, and that you have made the correct audio connections.  See Troubleshooting for more information.


Initialization Wizard

The first time you start Video In, you must complete the Initialization Wizard.  After that, the Wizard will not run unless you want to re-run it.  The Initialization Wizard guides you through setting up Sound.

If you want to change the settings later, you can re-run the Initialization Wizard at any time.

To re-run the Initialization Wizard

•	Click the Setup button [image] in the Video In control panel.

•	Click the Display tab, then click the Initialization Wizard… button, and follow the Wizard’s instructions.


WebTV for Windows

WebTV™ for Windows

North American feature

WebTV for Windows adds TV to your computer.  With Windows 98 Second Edition and a TV Tuner card installed in your computer, you can watch TV and work on your computer at the same time, enjoy interactive television, and download information from the Internet.

If you do not have an internet connection, you can download the same program information over a cable connection!  You will want to use the ATI Multimedia Center Television for advanced features such as video capture, and WebTV to access interactive program guides and interactive web content.

To launch WebTV for Windows, click the TV icon in your Windows taskbar.


Troubleshooting

If you have problems with your Video In software, try these suggestions.

Audio problems …

I can’t hear the audio

If you have external speakers, ensure that they are plugged into your sound card.

Click here to test your speakers.  This will open Windows Media Player and play a sound.

If you still do not hear any sound, open the Volume Control [image] (click here to open the Volume Control) and ensure that the WAVE channel is not muted or set very low.  Also ensure that the MIDI (or Synthesizer) channel is not muted.

You can also open the Volume Control by clicking Start [image]  Programs [image]  Accessories [image]  Entertainment [image]  Volume Control.  Or, right-click the speaker icon [image] (usually in the lower-right corner of your screen), and click Open Volume Controls.


Troubleshooting

Captured video has no sound

Open the Volume Control (click here), click Options, click Properties, then click Recording in Adjust volume for.  Ensure that Line (or the Audio Input you selected in the Sound Initialization Wizard) is checked, then click OK.

The Recording Control opens.  Ensure that the Select box in Line is checked, and set the Volume slider at its mid-point.

Video problems …

Video is unstable

There is no video or audio

Video is black & white only