TerraTec TerraTValue BT878 User manual

TerraTValue PCI 1
Version BT878
Manual (english)
26.08.99

2TerraTValue
CE Declaration
We:
TerraTec Electronic GmbH, Herrenpfad 38, D-41334 Nettetal, Germany
hereby declare that the product:
ReceiverSystem TerraTValue
to which this declaration refers is in compliance with the following standards or standardizing documents:
1. EN 55022
2. EN 50082-1
The following are the stipulated operating conditions and environmental conditions for said compliance:
Residential, business and commercial environments and small-company environments.
This declaration is based on:
Test report(s) of the EMC testing laboratory
TerraTec®ProMedia, SoundSystem Gold, SoundSystem Maestro, SoundSystem Base1, AudioSystem
EWS®64, AudioSystem EWS88 MT, XLerate, XLerate Pro, Base2PCI, TerraTec 128iPCI, TerraTV+, TerraTV
Radio+, TerraTValue, WaveSystem, MIDI Smart and MIDI Master Pro are trademarks registered by TerraTec®
Electronic GmbH Nettetal.
In most cases, the designations used in this handbook for software and hardware are also registered
trademarks and are thus subject to the relevant regulations.
©TerraTec® Electronic GmbH, 1994-1999. All rights reserved (26.08.99).
Meticulous care has been exercised in the preparation of all text passages and illustrations in this User
Guide. TerraTec Electronic GmbH and its authors, however, accept no liability, legal or otherwise, for errors
or the consequences of such errors. We reserve the right to technical modifications.
All text passages in this documentation are copyrighted. All rights reserved. No part of this documentation
may be reproduced in any form whatsoever, by photography, microfilming or other process or rendered into
a language/form usable by computers without the prior, written consent of the authors. All rights for use
and propagation by presentation, radio and television are also reserved.

TerraTValue PCI 3
Contents
Contents ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Key features................................................................................................................................... 6
System Requirements ................................................................................................................... 6
Package Contents.......................................................................................................................... 6
Hardware Overview........................................................................................................................... 7
Installing the Hardware..................................................................................................................... 8
Windows 98 Installation ..................................................................................................................10
Step – 1 .........................................................................................................................................10
Step – 2......................................................................................................................................... 11
Uninstalling the Drivers................................................................................................................ 11
Windows 95 Installation OSR-1 / OSR-2 ..........................................................................................12
Installing the TV Software................................................................................................................12
Important System Settings for Operating the TV Card ....................................................................13
Important Settings for Sound Card Owners..................................................................................14
On the Search for Connections – The Connection of External Devices to the TV Card.....................15
Connecting an External Device with Antenna Out ........................................................................15
Connecting an External Device with Video-Out ............................................................................16
Connecting an External Device with SVHS-Out ............................................................................17
Connecting an External Device with Scart Out .............................................................................18
Attention! -Connecting Audio to the TV Card............................................................................... 20
The TV Software in Detail.................................................................................................................21
The Surface of the TV Software ....................................................................................................21
Shortcut Keys in the TV Software................................................................................................22
Touch of a Button – The Functions of the Right Mouse Button ................................................... 23
Quick Access – The Channel List in the Status Bar...................................................................... 24
Editing Channel Settings ............................................................................................................. 25
Adding Stations Manually ........................................................................................................... 26
The "File" Menu .......................................................................................................................... 27
The "View" Menu ........................................................................................................................ 28

4TerraTValue
The "Channel" Menu................................................................................................................... 29
The "Options" Menu ................................................................................................................... 30
Uninstalling the TV Software....................................................................................................... 35
Attention! – Recording Parameters of Video Sequences ................................................................ 36
The Big Picture – Important Information about the Video Format............................................... 36
Less is often More – The Number of Frames per Second to be Recorded ................................... 38
More or Less - Determine the Compression ................................................................................ 39
The Right Sound – The Audio Parameters for Video Sequence Recording.................................. 40
In Detail - More Video Recording Settings ...................................................................................41
Attention Trap – Recording a Video Sequence................................................................................ 42
Say Cheese - Recording a Single Frame.......................................................................................... 44
Always Informed – The Teletext Software....................................................................................... 45
The Surface of the Teletext Software .......................................................................................... 45
The Symbol Bar of the Teletext Software .................................................................................... 46
The "File" Menu .......................................................................................................................... 47
The "Teletext" Menu................................................................................................................... 48
Status / Error List - Teletext Decoding ........................................................................................ 50
The TerraTec Hotline........................................................................................................................51
FAQ.................................................................................................................................................. 52

TerraTValue PCI 5
Introduction
With the receiver system TerraTValue you have taken the next step towards a new multimedia
future. Watch your favorite television station while comfortably reading teletext, and, at the same
time, let IntelÒIntercastÒTechnology show you selected Internet sites. These can now be
transmitted over your television signal. Of course, the necessary software is included.
The performance of the included 32-bit applications ensures the completely stable, flicker-free
display of the TV picture on your PC monitor. The view of the display screen can be freely
adjusted up to a size of 768 x 576. If that's not enough, use the full-screen mode for maximum
screen area without distracting menus or tool bars. Are you looking for an interesting program?
The mosaic function can give you a hand by displaying an overview of up to 100 stations
simultaneously for fast navigation through the station jungle.
Forget about tiresome manual station selection. The TV software's scan function automates the
installation of stations without manual intervention. The integrated capture function lets you
make compressed recordings of running programs from a connected video camera or VCR. The
degree of compression is user-definable.
The included teletext software features high-speed display and very convenient handling. Forget
about long waits and keying in page numbers. Simply navigate the world of teletext with your
mouse. An internal buffer of the teletext software directly loads all available teletext pages for the
program currently running, so that these are available to you at the touch of a button.
TerraTValue proves itself to be connection-friendly through a coaxial antenna connection (just like
you are used to from your house antenna), a video-in for a video camera or VCR and a SVHS input
for high-grade SVHS components. The no fuss connection of a video camera or webcam to
TerraTValue makes it ideal for video conferencing via the Internet.

6TerraTValue
Key features
·Brooktree 878 chipset
·IntelÒIntercastÒTechnology – Receiving
Internet sites via TV signals
·High-speed teletext – teletext without
delay
·Recording of stills and video sequences
·TV screen scalable up to full screen size
·Multiple-station preview of up to 100
stations simultaneously
·SVHS and video inputs for external video
sources
·Win95/98 compatible
·Ideal for Internet video conferencing
·2 year warranty
System Requirements
·Pentium 90 MHz
·Windows 95 or 98
·1 free PCI 2.1 master slot
·Active speakers or a sound card
·1 free interrupt
·CD-ROM drive (to install the drivers and
software)
·1 PCI VGA card with Direct Draw drivers and
Video Overlay support
If your PC and equipment do not meet these requirements, the TerraTValue will not operate
correctly.
Package Contents
·TerraTValue Card
·External Audio Cable (for connecting to the
Line-in input of a sound card)
·TerraTValue CD-ROM with drivers,
TerraTValue Software, IntelÒIntercastÒ
Viewer, MS Netmeeting, Videotext
Software, DirectX 6.0, Acrobat Reader

7TerraTValue
Hardware Overview
SVHS-In
Video-In
Audio-Out
Antenna Terminal





8TerraTValue
Installing the Hardware
Install the hardware as follows:
1. Switch off your PC and all connected peripheral devices, such as printer, monitor and so on.
Leave the AC cord connected for the time being, so that your computer is still grounded.
2. Touch the metal chassis at the rear of the PC to ground yourself and discharge static. Now
unplug the cord from the AC mains socket.
3. Now remove the your PC's casing.
4. Look for a free PCI expansion slot. When selecting the PCI slot, note that TV cards should
not be plugged into PCI slot 1 in conjunction with an AGP graphics card, because PCI slot 1
is always assigned the same interrupt as the AGP slot. This would give both cards the same
interrupt, which can lead to crashes during operation! The numbers assigned to the PCI
slots are listed in your mainboard manual.
5. Carefully remove the card from its packaging and pick it up by the edges with one hand
while your other hand is touching a metal part of the PC. This will ensure that your body is
completely discharged through your computer and the TV card is not damaged.
6. Align the holder at the rear of the TV card in the expansion slot in such a way that the card’s
connectors are directly aligned with the slot’s socket (refer to the following illustration).
7. Push the TV card firmly into the slot, ensuring good contact.
8. Fasten the TV card with an appropriate screw.
9. If a sound card is installed, connect the TV card to it using the supplied jack-jack cable. Plug
one end into the audio output of the TV card and the other end into the Line-In terminal on
the sound card (refer to the following illustration).

TerraTValue 9
fig. 1: Connect the output of the TV card to the input of the sound card as shown
in this illustration.
If you connect the TV card to the sound card, be sure to read the section called Important
Settings for Sound Card Owners on page 14!
10.Replace the cover of your PC case.
11. Using the supplied adapter, connect the antenna cable (which you would normally connect
to the antenna input terminal on your television) to the antenna terminal on the TV card.
Reconnect the mains and all other cables. Make sure that your speakers are set to low
volume. Start your computer.

10 TerraTValue
Windows 98 Installation
Step – 1
1. Install the TerraTValue hardware and start Windows 98.
2. During startup, place the provided TerraTValue CD into your CD-ROM drive.
3. After Windows 98 has started, the TerraTValue is detected as a PCI Multimedia Video
Device. Confirm the message by clicking the Next button.
4. Using the mouse, select the Search for the best driver for the device. (Recommended)
option and confirm your choice by clicking Next.
5. Enable the check box next to CD-ROM drive. Confirm this setting by clicking Next.
6. Windows 98 now informs you that it has found the driver for the TerraTValue. Confirm the
message by clicking the Next button. Windows 98 then copies and installs all of the
required driver files.
7. When the installation is complete, Windows 98 informs you that all drivers for the device
have been installed. Confirm the message by clicking the Next button.

TerraTValue 11
Step – 2
1. When the first part of the installation is complete, Windows 98 finds a second device called
TerraTValue – Audio Section. Confirm the message by clicking the Next button.
2. Using the mouse, select the Search for the best driver for your device. (Recommended)
option and confirm your choice by clicking Next.
3. Enable the check box next to CD-ROM drive. Confirm this setting by clicking Next.
4. Windows 98 now informs you that it has found the driver for the TerraTValue – Audio
Section. Confirm the message by clicking the Next button. Windows 98 then copies and
installs all of the required driver files.
5. When the installation is complete, Windows 98 informs you that all drivers for the device
have been installed. Confirm the message by clicking the Next button. This concludes the
installation of the drivers.
Uninstalling the Drivers
The easiest way to uninstall the drivers is to use the Uninstall utility which you can find in the
\Drivers\Uninstall directory of your TerraTValue CD or at our Internet site at
www.terratec.net. Uninstall the drivers as follows:
1. To uninstall the TerraTValue drivers, run the Uninstall utility.
2. Click the Uninstall button.
3. Once all drivers have been uninstalled, a message is displayed informing you that the
uninstallation was successful. Confirm the message by clicking the Exit button.
4. This concludes the uninstallation of the TerraTValue drivers.

12 TerraTValue
Windows 95 Installation OSR-1 / OSR-2
1. Install the TerraTValue hardware and start Windows 95.
2. During startup insert the TerraTValue CD provided in your CD-ROM drive.
3. After Windows 95 has started, the TerraTValue is detected as a PCI Multimedia Video
Device. Confirm the message by clicking the Next button.
Enter as the installation path, for example E:\Drivers. Confirm by clicking OK. If necessary,
enter the installation path again. If your CD-ROM drive is designated by another letter, you will
have to adjust the path accordingly (for example, G:\Drivers, Z:\Drivers).
Installing the TV Software
TerraTValue includes high-quality, 32-bit TV software, which provides a colorful spectrum of
features and makes the operation of the individual TV functions more convenient. Install the
TV software as follows:
5. Start the TerraTValue Autostarter by placing the TerraTValue CD into your CD-ROM drive or
by running the Autorun.exe file located in the main directory of the CD.
6. Select the language to be used for the installation.
7. To install the TerraTValue software, click the TV software button. Follow the instructions of
the installation program. After installation you will find the TerraTValue software and the
online user manual in the program group TerraTValue.

TerraTValue 13
Important System Settings for Operating the TV Card
Observe the following items to ensure that the TV card provides optimal performance:
·The color depth for your graphics board should be set to a minimum of 16 bits or 65536
colors so that the TV image can be displayed in true-to-life color. You can change the color
depth setting for your graphics board under Control Panel > Display. For questions
regarding the configuration of the color depth, refer to the manual provided with your
graphics board.
·The TV card blends the TV/Video data directly into the memory of your graphics board
through the PCI bus. This requires direct access to the hardware of the graphics board.
Because direct access under Windows is only possible through a DirectX driver, your
graphics board must be equipped with a DirectX driver that supports Video Overlay. Video
Overlay refers to the blending of the TV data into the graphics board memory. If you are not
sure whether your graphics board driver supports DirectX, acquire the newest drivers for
your graphics board and then install the newest version of DirectX. The DirectX 6.0 drivers
are provided in the \DirectX directory of the TerraTValue CD!
·If you own a mainboard with VIA or SIS chipset, you should check certain settings in your
system BIOS. If you do not know what chipset is installed on your mainboard, refer to your
mainboard manual or try to locate large, obvious chips on your mainboard and compare
their labels with the following list.
Important:
You might find that the chipset on your mainboard matches one of the chipsets listed in the
following but that the corresponding setting is not available in your BIOS. In this case, try to
activate the corresponding options by acquiring a BIOS update. Another way of accessing the
corresponding settings is by using the TweakBIOS utility, which you can download from the
Internet. This tool allows you to enable hidden BIOS settings.
Chipset Note:
VIA VT82c598 MVP Set the CPU to PCI Write Buffer option to disabled. You can find
this setting in your BIOS under the PnP/PCI-Configuration item.
VIA VT82c598 MVP3 Set the CPU to PCI Write Buffer option to disabled. You can find
this setting in your BIOS under the PnP/PCI-Configuration item.
SIS 5582 Set the Peer Concurrency option to disabled. You can find this
setting in your BIOS under the Chipset Features Setup item.

14 TerraTValue
Important Settings for Sound Card Owners
If you have connected the Audio output of the TV card to the Line-In input of your sound card
using the provided jack-jack cable, you will have to make certain settings in the mixer for the
sound card so that you can hear and record the TV/Video tone.
fig. 2: Connect the TV and sound card as illustrated here.
To do so, proceed as follows:
1. Double-click the volume control icon illustrated here which is found on the
taskbar.
2. Be sure that the Mute option under the Line-In slider is not checked and that the Line-In
slider is not at the bottom of its range.
3. Select the Options\Properties menu item.
4. Set the Adjust volume for option to Record. Confirm your choice by clicking OK.
5. Now enable the check box below the Line-In slider and set the Line-In slider to its middle
position. By checking the check box below Line-In, you define the Line-In input of your
sound card as a recording input source. This is required if you want to record a video
sequence with sound!
Close Volume Control to complete the sound card configuration.

TerraTValue 15
On the Search for Connections – The Connection of External
Devices to the TV Card
In this chapter, you will learn everything you need to know about connecting external devices
such as VCRs, video cameras and satellite receivers. Generally, you can connect external
devices to TerraTValue through the antenna, video or SVHS inputs.
Which connection you can or should use depends on the type of device you want to connect.
So, first of all, check to see which outputs your device has. Refer to the following illustration:
Antenna Out Video-Out SVHS-Out Scart-out
Compare your device to the illustration shown to figure out your connection possibilities. To
connect the device follow one of the following segments. They will provide you with detailed
information on how to proceed with the connection process!
Connecting an External Device with Antenna Out
You can connect external devices with antenna out to the antenna in of the TV card by using a
standard 75 ohm antenna cable (see illustration 3).
fig. 3: 75 ohm antenna cable

16 TerraTValue
Connecting an External Device with Video-Out
External devices that have a Video-Out port can be connected to the Video-In port of
TerraTValue using a cinch/cinch cable (see the following illustration).
fig. 4: Use this cable to connect a device with a Video-Out port.
Proceed with the cable connection as follows:
1. Plug in the cinch cable with one end in the video out of the external device and the
other end in the video in of the TV card.
2. Under the menu point Options\Video Source in the TV software choose the setting
Composite , so that the video picture of the external device will be shown. You can
also set the video source Composite , by clicking on the V-interface which is shown
on the left side of the symbol bar in the TV software.
NOTE!
When attaching a cinch cable, please read the segment Attention! - Connecting Audio to the
TV Card at the end of this topic.

TerraTValue 17
Connecting an External Device with SVHS-Out
External devices that have a SVHS-Out port can be connected to the TV card by using a
connector cable with male plugs on both ends. (see the following illustration)
fig. 5: SVHS/SVHS cable
Proceed with the cable connection as follows:
1. Plug in the SVHS cable with the one end in the SVHS-Out of the device you want to
connect and the other end in the SVHS-In of the TV card.
2. In the TV software under the menu point Options\Video Source choose the setting
SVideo, so that the video picture of the external device is shown. You can also set the
video source SVideo, by clicking on the S-button shown to the left side of the TV
software's symbol bar.
NOTE!
When attaching a SVHS cable, please read the segment Attention! - Connecting Audio to the
TV Card at the end of this topic.

18 TerraTValue
Connecting an External Device with Scart Out
If you want to connect a device that has a scart out, you will need a special adapter cable to
make the connection to the TV cable.
Scart cable
The cable you will need must have a scart port on
one side which you plug into the external device.
The other side will have three male cinch plugs
(see illustration left). The three cinch plugs will
carry the left and right audio signals as well as the
video signal.
For you be able to connect the left and right audio
cables with the Line-In input of your sound card,
you will need
y-cable
the other two cinch connectors and a y-cable (see
illustration).
cinch connectors
Proceed with the connection to the TV card as follows:
1. Connect the cinch plug for video with the Video-In of the TV card.
2. Connect the scart cable's left audio and right audio to the two cinch connectors and
the y-cable.
3. Plug in the y-cable's jack plug to the Line-In input of your sound card.
4. In the TV software under the menu point Options\Video Source choose the setting
Composite, so that the video picture of the external device is shown. You can also set
the video source composite by clicking on the V-button on the left side of the symbol
bar in the TV software.
NOTE!
When attaching a scart cable, please read the following segment Attention! - Connecting
Audio to the TV Card.

TerraTValue 19
Important!
When purchasing an appropriate cable, you must pay attention its signal direction. There are
cables for feeds into the VCR (Video-In), and there are cable types for feeds out of the VCR
(Video-Out). Use a cable with the signal direction Video-Out! Preferably, you should buy a
model that allows you to switch from in to out. Appropriate cables can be found at specialty
stores for around EUR 15.

20 TerraTValue
Attention! -Connecting Audio to the TV Card
In attaching external devices through the Video-in or SVHS-In ports, you should note, that only
video signals (and not sound) can be transmitted over these two ports. For this reason, you
will need a second cable connection, which goes from the audio-out ports of the external
device to the Line-In input of your sound card. If you don't set up this connection, it won't be
possible to record a video sequence with sound from the external device.
The audio connection can be made most easily using an audio extension cord, which you can
find in any electronics store (see the following illustration). In addition, you will need a so-
called y-cable, an extension cable which has two cinch plugs on one end and a mini-jack plug
on the other.
Audio Out Audio Extension Cord Y-Cable
Proceed with the installation of the audio connection as follows:
1. Plug in the two male cinch plugs of the audio extension cord to the audio-out ports of the
external device.
2. Connect the two female cinch plugs of the audio extension cord with the y-cable.
3. Plug the mini-jack plug of the y-cable into the Line-In input of your sound card.
Important!
Make sure this audio connection is complete if you want to record a video sequence with
sound from your external device. Also, take a look at the topic Important Settings, to be sure
that your sound card is correctly installed for the recording of a video sequence with sound.