========================================================== Osprey Video Division ViewCast Corporation Osprey-2000 MPEG/Capture Driver For Windows 2000 Version 2.2.0, build 815 9/20/2002 Sections in this file: - Introduction - Troubleshooting - Testing the Driver - Manuals and Help - Latest Drivers - Revision History - Known Issues in version 2.2.0 - 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. A new feature available in this release of the Osprey-2000 driver is the ability to test drive the Osprey SimulStream(TM) feature. Included in this release is a 10-day evaluation license for SimulStream. The 10-day period begins once the driver has been installed. There is a user option to toggle this capability on and off. While in evaluation mode a watermark will appear on the active video region which denotes usage of an evaluation version of Osprey SimulStream (TM). After the 10-day trial period has expired, one may renew the Osprey SimulStream (TM) evaluation by visiting our website at http://www.viewcast.com/simulstream/eval.html. 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. 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 372 to 2.2.0 build 815: - A new feature available in this release of the Osprey-2000 driver is a free 10-day test drive of the Osprey SimulStream(TM) feature. Included in this release is a 10-day evaluation license for SimulStream. There is a user option to toggle this capability on and off. While in evaluation mode a watermark will appear on the active video region which denotes usage of an evaluation version of Osprey SimulStream (TM). After the 10-day trial period has expired, one may renew the Osprey SimulStream (TM) evaluation by visiting our website at http://www.viewcast.com/simulstream/eval.html. - Added a new feature to control Video Output Configuration. This registry-configurable option controls what signal is presented on video out when the decoder is not in use. Immediately after reboot, the selected video input source will be looped to video out. If the MPEG decoder is never used, video out will always display video-in. However, if the MPEG decoder is used, video out will forever after be subject to the registry setting: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Osprey\Osprey2000\Device0\OMC\Decoder\VideoOutputConfig (Substitute Device1, Device2, etc. if you have multiple boards.) If this key does not exist, video out will switch to a black burst signal when the decoder is closed. Note that there is brief flicker because the video clock is switched. If this key is set to 1, a colorbar signal will be output instead of black burst; if set to 2, a blue field signal will be output; and if set to 3, the default behavior (black burst) will occur. If this key is set to 0, video output will switch to loopback of video-in immediately when the decoder is closed. This is probably undesirable when decoding, but this mode needs to be here for uses who don't use the decoder much, and want to retain the video loop-through capability. The driver installation does not create this registry key. - Added warning message to warn that no SimulStream license is present if user tries to open 1 board in multiple capture/encoding sessions without SimulStream feature enabled. - Added transport stream decoding. - DirectShow Encode_demo program now grabs video signal after the effects of Brightness, Contrast, Hue, and Saturation control sliders. - The Closed Caption checkbox is now disabled when the Video Standard in use is PAL format, since PAL does not support closed captions. - Fixed potential audio capture failure to start problem. - When matching audio and video devices, changed to use only the lower 4 bits of PCI bus. This fixes problem for Magma expansion chassis. - Fixed a bug which could result in a race condition when using SimulStream feature. - Fixed bug which could possibly crop incorrect vertical region if the user had enabled SimulStream capability but not CC decoding. - Fixed DirectShow audio mixer error; the Microsoft DirectShow audio mixer will now control Osprey cards. The DirectShow mixer is accessed from inside Windows Media Encoder 7/7.1, or any other application that displays DirectShow audio property pages. When multiple Osprey cards are present, this mixer only controls the first Osprey card. - Fixed NetMeeting audio tuning wizard error message "Your soundcard does not support a microphone volume control". - Fixed microphone check problem in Powerpoint 2000. When setting up an online broadcast presentation in Powerpoint, the error message "Powerpoint is not receiving sound from the microphone" has been resolved. - To make audio and video device driver names more consistent, a hyphen was added to the name of the Osprey audio device. For example, previous names were of the form "Osprey 2000 Audio", and are now "Osprey-2000 Audio". This may cause a problem with saved encoding profiles that have stored the old audio driver name. Applications such as the Windows Media Encoder, when loading a saved profile with this old name format, will issue an error and indicate that a device has not been found. The solution is edit the profile and change the audio device name. - Fixed memory access violation in driver. - Fixed a bug in resuming from power-down state. - A bug which caused audio failure on some machines where Device Properties address of PCI device was 0, has been fixed. - Fixed a bug which caused some Osprey-2000 cards not to initialize when more than 5 cards in a system. - Fixed a bug which made Closed Caption decoding produce blue screen crash on some systems when enabled while capturing with SimulStream feature under certain conditions. - Fixed a bug which caused RealSystem Producer 8.51 to crash on certain systems when software de-interlacing was enabled. - Fixed a bug which had required the user to select PAL/NTSC signal format before selecting DV port. - Improved MPEG audio decode sample rate detection. - Fixed a bug which produced 'pop' sound on audio-out port when selecting SDI or AES audio, or when closing MPEG decoder. - Changed MMX detection method to support older CPUs. - Fixed a bug where Automatic Chrominance Gain Control was not always enabled by driver, producing dark analog video input. - Corrected Saturation and Contrast settings for Video-out. - Renamed parameters on the Property Pages of the DirectShow Encoder advanced tab. Removed CBR from Property Pages when MPEG1 or Elementary Stream type has been selected. - Fixed a bug which did not allow DirectShow encode_demo or MultiEncode to work with DirectX 8.1. - Fixed OPI timestamp drift problem by resetting counters every 24 hours. - Fixed several OPI bugs. MPEGvcr now selects correct audio source and sampling rate for PAL/NTSC DV. OPI example programs now set transport stream bitrate correctly. MPEGvcr now correctly sets PAL/NTSC video standard after calling OPIPipeline::mapToDevices(). Changed OPIPipeline routines to not require deleting OPISystem every time OPIPipeline is destroyed and recreated. Removed 4GB filesize limit from MPEGvcr. - Fixed a problem where CBR bitrate dropped during long MPEG encoding session, and fixed CBR conflict with MPEG1 encoding. - Fixed a bug where MPEG encoder/decoder device was busy until next reboot after aborting an MPEG encode in DirectShow encode_demo. - Fixed bug which could cause corrupt audio PTS bits in MPEG stream after 26.5 hours of encoding. ========================================================== 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. - 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) Changes from 1.0.5 to 2.1.0 build 229: ========================================================== - Versions 2.1.0 build 815 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. - 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. - 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 2.2.0: ========================================================== ========================================================== - The uninstall program does not prompt the user to reboot after uninstalling the driver. The machine must be rebooted to complete the uninstall. - With the existing SimulStream architecture, you MUST pair your fastest desired framerate with your session with the largest pixel size resolution when creating multiple capturing/ encoding sessions using the optional SimulStream feature. This is explained in the SimulStreaming_Users_Guide.pdf as "...all frames must be scaled copy or none of the frames must be scaled copy." If you do not follow this guideline, some streams may fail to start encoding/capturing, or a blue screen crash could possibly occur. The driver will display a warning message if the Nth stream which you attempt to start violates this guideline. - MPEG-2 encoding at audio sample rate 48kHz with audio bitrate set to 384Kbps may generate bad MPEG streams. - RealProducer 8.51 / Heavy Load Problem: There is a known problem with RealProducer 8.5/8.51 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. - 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 2.2.0 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 2.2.0 or later driver. Contact information: =============================================== =============================================== voice: 888-684-6622 fax: 919-319-9814 email: support@viewcast.com website: www.viewcast.com