========================================================== Osprey Technologies, Inc. ViewCast Corporation Osprey-2000 MPEG/Capture Driver For Windows 2000 Version 2.1.0, build 372 02/01/2002 Sections in this file: - Introduction - Troubleshooting - Testing the Driver - Manuals and Help - Latest Drivers - Revision History - Known Issues in version 2.1.0 - Information - Upgrading from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000 - Osprey-2000 Windows 2000 Installation - Important Notice - Contact Information Introduction: ========================================================== ========================================================== This version of the driver is for Windows 2000 only. It is a MPEG Codec and Video for Windows Video capture driver that is plug and play compatible. This driver works only with cards from the Osprey Video Division of ViewCast Corporation. Troubleshooting ========================================================== ========================================================== If the installation program for this driver appears to hang, press Alt-Tab to ensure that the installation screen is not hidden. When uninstalling the Osprey-2000 software, you must uninstall the optional Runtime and SDK packages FIRST, and uninstall the 'Osprey-2000 Master' driver package LAST. This is necessitated by a known problem in InstallShield 6.0. When multiple boards are present in a machine while installing the driver, the user should wait 10 seconds before clicking the 'Yes' button when the 'Digital Signature Not Found' window for the Video portion of the driver appears for the 2nd, 3rd, etc Osprey-2000 card. Testing the Driver: ========================================================== ========================================================== Click on "VidCap32" in the Osprey-2000 program group to test the driver. Manuals and Help: ========================================================== ========================================================== The document SimulStreaming_Users_Guide.pdf contains general information about the SimulStreaming capabilities which are available at added cost in this driver version. Refer to the Osprey-2000 User's Guide for detailed information about the Osprey-2000 board, driver, and optional components. You can access this User's Guide, which is in PDF format, by opening the Osprey-2000UsersGuide.pdf file located at the root directory on the CD. After the driver has been installed, a shortcut to this User's Guide is placed in the Osprey-2000 program group. These manuals require the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available on your CD, or by download from www.adobe.com. The Help inside the Osprey driver is in HTML. This Help requires a frames-capable browser with JavaScript enabled, such as Microsoft IE 4.0 or later, or Netscape 4.5 or later. Latest Drivers: ========================================================== ========================================================== Before installing, check the ViewCast Corporation ftp site or the www.ospreyvideo.com website for the latest drivers: For the ftp site, go to: ftp://ftp.viewcast.com/pub/OSP-2000/win2000/latest/ For the website, navigate: www.ospreyvideo.com --> click on Downloads --> click on Software & Drivers --> select your board and operating system from the table If there isn't a newer driver at the time of your installation, please check the website or ftpsite frequently thereafter. Revision History ========================================================== ========================================================== Changes from 2.1.0 build 229 to 2.1.0 build 372: - While this release does not officially support Windows XP, some improvements have been made in this release in preparation for supporting Windows XP. - MpegVCR delays for 5-12 seconds before recording/loopback from a DV source. - There are known issues with OPI/MpegVCR and PAL DV that may make it work only intermittently. (#180) - It is necessary to uninstall a previous driver release before installing a new driver release. The installation program now detects whether a previous release is present and prompts the user to uninstall it. - When multiple boards are present in a machine while installing the driver, the user should wait 10 seconds before clicking the 'Yes' button when the 'Digital Signature Not Found' window for the Video portion of the driver appears for the second Osprey-2000 card. - In the installation program, the Back button now handles choosing between Typical and Custom installations correctly. - The DirectShow Decode to AVI applet previously only worked on NTSC files. It now supports PAL files. - Previous versions of the DirectShow decode filters would not size PAL video appropriately to the window size of the application. This has been corrected. - This release introduces beta-level support for control of additional MPEG encoding attributes in the DirectShow Encode_demo. - When encoding MPEG using DirectShow filters, if the audio sample rate selected by the user for digital inputs does not match the audio sample rate received from the attached digital device, then the Osprey DirectShow filter will temporarily change the audio sample rate to match the audio sample rate being presented on the hardware digital input selected. This will encode a properly formed MPEG2 file. The user's selection will not be modified and that selection will be attempted if another encode session is started. - DirectShow MultiEncode, DirectShow Encode_demo, and MpegVCR all support the 'top field first' MPEG parameter. - If the audio sample rate selected in MpegVCR does not match the actual sample rate of the digital source, MpegVCR will override the user's choice and encode a file using the source's sample. (#157) - The OPI programs MpegVCR and MPEGEncode now set the bitrate properly when encoding MPEG2 Transport streams with a bitrate below 5Mbps. (#206) - When using MpegVCR, or writing an OPI program to encode MPEG-1, the user must choose VBR, not CBR, for release 2.1.0. (#205) - Only VBR is supported for encoding MPEG VES streams (Video Elementary Stream). (#185) Changes from 1.0.5 to 2.1.0 build 229: ========================================================== - Versions 2.1.0 build 372 and later are capable of SimulStreaming. - A new applet 'DirectShow MultiEncode' has been added. This applet allows the user to use a single applet to control MPEG encoding on multiple boards. - A new feature, software de-interlace, has been added to the 'Advanced Features' page of the Osprey's video control dialog. De-interlacing is optimized for Windows 2000 and later; it will consume fractionally more CPU cycles when enabled under Windows NT. Please see Chapter 8 of the Osprey-2000 User's Guide for a description of de-interlacing. - Added 'top field first' MPEG parameter. - Improved quality of MPEG audio encode. - Improved compatibility with DVDit! version 2.5. - Added level meter and mute control to the audio Playback Control mixer. - The level meter in the audio Record Control mixer now works at all times, including during MPEG encoding. - Added CBR (constant bitrate) support for MPEG2 program and transport streams. - Added MPEG decode performance optimizations. - The parameter 'Access to Multiple Boards' on the Video Configuration page has been changed to 'Multiple Opens'. The meaning of this checkbox has also been changed. This checkbox should be selected when using the SimulStreaming feature of the driver. - When SimulStreaming, only 1 session can enable the Closed Caption 'Save to File' option. - Removed the min/max sliders from MPEG DirectShow encode demonstration applet. Refer to Osprey-2000 User's Guide for information about VBR usage. - The DirectShow encode and decode demonstration applets have been moved from the DirectShow program group to the Osprey-2000 program group. - Fixed a bug that caused Osprey-2000 to be set as the default audio playback device. - The Osprey-2000 User's Guide has been changed from HTML format to Adobe PDF format. - A new radio button which controls Field Order has been added to the Video Source Page of the control dialog. Refer to Osprey-2000 User's Guide for a description. - Fixed a bug in mixer driver that caused CPU utilization to hit 100% if card was installed in the same machine as a SoundBlaster Live card and an optional utility from Creative. Changes from 1.0.3 to 1.0.5: ========================================================== - Support for MPEG encoding bitrates of 8-10 Mbps has been added. - Authoring of cDVDs with DVDit! from Sonic Solutions (MPEG-1 and MPEG-2) is supported in this release. The user must select 'Non-Compliant' stream type. Please refer to DVDit! documentation for more information about cDVD media. - Editing of MPEG-2, MPEG-1, and AVI files is supported by the following software: - Adobe Premiere - Sonic Foundry's Vegas Video - Ulead Media Studio Pro Please contact the software vendor if you have questions about these software packages. - Support for Revision 4 of Osprey-2000 hardware has been added. - This release introduces beta-level support for control of additional MPEG encoding attributes in OPI and DirectShow. The MpegVCR application does not currently provide access to these attributes. - There is a known problem in MPEGvcr. When you change the video source (composite, SDI, etc.) and/or the Video Signal (NTSC/PAL) using the Options dialog in MPEGvcr, the change will not take effect in loopback video until after you have played live video. Therefore: (1) make the desired change; (2) select Live Video briefly; (3) select Loopback. Changes from 1.0.2 to 1.0.3: ========================================================== - The volume of audio in encoded MPEG files has been increased. - Encoded MPEG streams are properly terminated with an end code. - Decoding of PAL MPEG streams is supported for MPEG-2 height=576 and MPEG-1 height=144 and 288. - MPEG encode buffer size is no longer required to be a multiple of 32768 bytes. - Use of encoding applications on decode-only boards now fail gracefully. Known issues in version 2.1: ========================================================== ========================================================== - The uninstall program does not prompt the user to reboot after uninstalling the driver. The machine must be rebooted to complete the uninstall. - There are known issues with OPI/MpegVCR and PAL DV that may make it work only intermittently. (#180) - MPEG-2 encoding at audio sample rate 48kHz with audio bitrate set to 384Kbps may generate bad MPEG streams. - RealProducer / Heavy Load Problem: There is a known problem with RealProducer in which it adds video buffers to the capture device before RealProducer has finished processing the buffers. Typically under non-loaded CPU utilizations this is not a problem because the buffer can be processed by RealProducer before being prepared for capture. However, under heavy CPU load, the capture driver can prepare the buffer for capture before RealProducer finishes or even starts processing the buffer. The result is typically a processed image that has a multicolored pattern in the image. The size / height of this pattern depends on how far RealProducer has processed the buffer before it is prepared for capture. If you find this situation occurs first try to reduce your CPU load before contacting Osprey support. - When transcoding using RealProducer, sometimes a thread deadlock occurs in RealProducer if the user has turned on "View Input Source". Workaround is to turn that off, and view the output only. This workaround doesn't always fix it, so use of the "Application Capture" method of transcoding is recommended to avoid this Real bug. - MpegVCR is sometimes not able to change the audio sample rate after you have chosen an initial rate for a digital source. Use another application to change the audio port sample rate (#156) - You MUST uninstall the optional Runtime and SDK Osprey-2000 packages FIRST, and uninstall the 'Osprey-2000 Master' LAST. If you have accidentally uninstalled the Master package first, you can work around the problem by re-installing the Master package and rebooting. Sometimes the problem is not resolved until you have re-installed a second time. Information: ========================================================== ========================================================== - DirectX 8 Runtime is required for the DirectShow optional components to function. It has been included on the release CD. - The Osprey-2000 does not support simultaneous capturing of audio to the host while encoding MPEG. To listen to audio while encoding MPEG, connect your speakers to the audio out connector attached to the card. If you attempt to capture audio to the host while encoding MPEG, you will receive an error message that the device is in use. - DirectShow decoding of MPEG1 streams is left to the standard software decoder. If you want to use the Osprey-2000 to do hardware decoding of MPEG1 streams, change this property in the Osprey-2000 Bridge Filter property pages. - MPEG2 transport stream decode is not supported in this release. - Audio capture driver does not support independent control of left and right channels. Upgrading from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000: ========================================================== ========================================================== If the Osprey card(s) are now installed on a PC that was running Windows NT 4.0 and was upgraded to windows 2000, you will have to install this software. *The Windows NT 4.0 Osprey drivers are not compatible with Windows 2000.* Osprey-2000 Windows 2000 Installation: ========================================================== ========================================================== The Osprey-2000 installation consists of a base driver (required) and 5 optional components. During the course of this installation, you will be prompted choose whether to install the 5 optional components: - DirectShow Runtime - DirectShow Software Developer's Kit - OPI Runtime - OPI Software Developer's Kit - VFW Software Developer's Kit The text in the prompt windows explains the contents of each optional component. If you plan to use the Osprey DirectShow Software Development Kit (SDK), you should read the "Configuration of the development environment" section of the Osprey DirectShow SDK document for special instructions on installing the software. In particular, the Microsoft DirectX 8 SDK is required - the installation program generates a warning message if this component has not been installed. There are two methods for the installation of the Osprey-2000 drivers. Following are the different scenarios and their methods of installation: * TWO INSTALLATION OPTIONS There are two main situations that might apply to you: Option A: Run the Installation Program (Recommended) Option B: Use the Found New Hardware Wizard (Not Recommended) The most efficient and complete installation method is to run the setup.exe program on the product CD or in the web package that you downloaded. The setup program automates the Plug and Play steps required to install the drivers and ensures that they are performed correctly. It also installs the bundled applets and Users' Guide, and prompts you through installation of the 5 optional components. -- THE OSPREY-2000 CARD MUST BE PHYSICALLY INSTALLED BEFORE RUNNING THE INSTALLATION PROGRAM You have two methods of installation: Option A: Run the Installation Program (Recommended): When Windows 2000 is first started after the Osprey card is installed, the Found New Hardware Wizard will appear one or more times. Cancel out of these wizards. After Windows 2000 has finished starting, do the following: 1. Run the \Win2000\setup.exe file on the Osprey-2000 release CD. This will start the installation program. 2. Select Destination Folders and Program Folders when prompted. 3. One or more Digital Signature Not Found windows may appear during the installation process. Click Yes in each of these windows and continue. 4. You will be prompted to choose whether to install each of the 5 optional components. 5. When the installation is finished, you must restart your PC. If there are multiple Osprey cards in the system, this installation method will set up all of them at once automatically. Option B: Use the Found New Hardware Wizard (Not Recommended): This method is more complicated than Option A. It is particularly inconvenient if you are installing multiple cards at once, since each card has to be set up separately. When Windows 2000 starts it detects the new card(s) and starts the Found New Hardware Wizard. Note: For all Osprey cards, the Wizard detects two logical devices for each card- a Multimedia Video Controller device and a Multimedia Controller device. The Multimedia Video Controller is the video section of the device; the Multimedia Controller is the audio section. When the Hardware Wizard detects a device: 1. Note carefully whether the Wizard says Multimedia Video Controller or Multimedia Controller (audio device). Click Next. 2. Choose Search for a suitable driver... option and click Next. 3. Check the Specify a Location box and click Next. 4. Use the Browse... button to locate the INF file 2000drv.inf. This INF file is located in the same directory as the driver files that you are installing either on the CD or in the temporary directory where you expanded the web package. Then click OK. 5. Click Next. Highlight the description of the Osprey device you are installing. Click Next. 6. A Digital Signature Not Found windows will appear. Click Yes to continue. 7. Click Finish, then click Close to exit the Hardware Wizard. 8. If you are installing multiple Osprey cards, this sequence will appear once for each card. 9. If you wish to use the Osprey application software, or access the online Users' Guide from the Start Menu, you will still have to run the installation program after Windows 2000 has finished starting. Double click on the Osprey setup.exe file to run the install. Important Notice =============================================== =============================================== If you are using an Osprey-100 or Osprey-200 card in the same machine as your Osprey-2000 card, we strongly recommend that you upgrade the 100/200-family card to the version 2.0.0 or later driver. If you are using an Osprey-500 card in the same machine as your Osprey-2000 card, we strongly recommend that you upgrade the Osprey-500 card to the version 2.1 or later driver. Contact information: =============================================== =============================================== voice: 888-684-6622 fax: 919-319-9814 email: support@viewcast.com website: www.viewcast.com