Contents
  MPEG Configuration Help

Information Box

Audio Quality

Audio Mode

Karaoke Mode

Screen Size

Disable Video

Disable Audio

Disable Video Synchronization

CPU Utilization

OK Button

Cancel_Button

Apply Button


Information Box

When you begin an MPEG session, the Information box displays video and audio information about the current MPEG file.  Video information is shown only if there is a valid video stream.  Audio information is shown only if there is a valid audio stream.

Video information includes:

Size (in pixels).

Aspect ratio correction.  (In many MPEG modes, the pixels are not square.  The native size of the image must be corrected.)

Bit rate of the video stream, in Kilobits per second.

Target frame rate, in frames per second.

Actual frame rate, in frames per second.  This is only available when the display goes through an accelerated path - in some modes, this value will not appear.

Audio information includes:

Type of MPEG-1 audio (layer 1 or 2).

Bit rate of the audio stream, in Kilobits per second.

Sample rate, in samples per second.

Audio mode: Mono, Stereo, Joint Stereo (partial stereo), or Dual-Channel (two separate channels).


Audio Quality

Slow frame rates or gaps in the audio can indicate that the CPU is being overtaxed.  It may also mean that bandwidth from the MPEG source (the CD ROM) is limited.

If MPEG playback is compromised by CPU limitations, audio quality can be sacrificed for reduced CPU cycles.  By reducing the sampling frequency, you will lose high-frequency audio information, but free more CPU cycles and bandwidth for Video decoding.  Similarly, choosing Mono over Stereo further reduces CPU bandwidth.

11 Khz - AM radio-quality audio.

22 Khz - FM radio-quality audio.

44 Khz - CD-quality audio.


Audio Mode

If MPEG playback is degraded by CPU limitations, audio quality can be sacrificed for improved playback.

Choose Mono to free more CPU cycles and bandwidth for Video decoding.


Karaoke Mode

Specifies how Karaoke disks will be played.  Some Karaoke disks have a dual-mode audio stream - one channel has music, and the other has music plus voice.  Other disks can have different languages on the two channels - you can select either channel, presented as a mono track.

Mix mixes both channels into mono.

Channel 1 plays only channel 1.

Channel 2 plays only channel 2.

Stereo plays the two channels as the left and right channel of a stereo signal.


Screen Size

You can select the default start-up size of the ATI Player. The Player window will return to this size each time you start a new play session

Due to memory constraints, in some windows resolutions and color depths, a video acceleration path (for example, Direct Draw or DCI) is not available.  If so, 2x and Full Screen playback will revert to 1x.  If this occurs, reduce windows resolutions and/or color depths.

1x	Play video in its native size.

2x	Play video at double size.

Full Screen	Play video in full screen.


Disable Video

Disable video if you want to test audio quality independent of video.

Click the disable video box to turn off video.


Disable Audio

Disable audio if you want to test video quality independent of audio.

Click the disable audio box to turn off audio.


Disable Video Synchronization

Normally, audio and video are synchronized.  If you click the disable video synchronization box, the video will be played as fast as possible without dropping frames. This may cause some audio glitches if audio gets out of sync.  Video frames will be dropped only if video falls behind audio.

If audio and synchronization are disabled, the video displays every frame as fast as it can.

If only synchronization is disabled, the audio and video can get out of synch, but there will be gaps in the audio or jumps in the video due to the interleaved nature of the MPEG stream.


CPU Utilization

Use the CPU Utilization slider to increase or decrease the CPU activity used by the video decoder.

Use the slider to increase or decrease CPU utilization.

If you are running other applications, you can decrease CPU utilization to reduce interference. Otherwise, keep the slider at MAX for the smoothest playback.

As CPU usage is increased, Windows becomes less responsive while video is being displayed.


OK Button

Click the OK button to save your MPEG configuration.


Cancel_Button
Cancel Button

Click the Cancel button to return to the previous settings without saving your MPEG configuration.


Apply Button

Click the Apply button to apply settings without saving them.