VideoLogic CaptivatorPro User manual

Contents 1
User Guide
&

2 Captivator Pro & Captivator ProTV User Guide
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 1994 by VideoLogic Limited.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be copied or distributed, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated
intoanyhumanorcomputerlanguage,in anyform orby anymeans,electronic, mechanical,
magnetic, manual or otherwise, or disclosed to third parties without the express written
permission of VideoLogic Limited.
Thetrademarksandanycopyrightorotherintellectualpropertyrightsofwhatevernaturethat
subsist or may subsist in the Software Package referred to in this publication (including but
not limited to all programs, compilation of command words and other syntax contained
therein) are and shall remain the property of VideoLogic Limited absolutely.
DISCLAIMERS
VideoLogicLimitedmakesnorepresentationorwarrantieswithrespecttothecontentofthis
documentandspecificallydisclaimsany impliedwarrantiesofmerchantabilityorfitnessfor
any particular purpose. Further, VideoLogic Limited reserves the right to revise this
publication and to make changes in it from time to time without obligation of VideoLogic
Limited to notify any person or organization of such revision or changes.
CAPTURING AND REPURPOSING IMAGES
VideoLogic Ltd recommends that you observe the rights of the original artist or publisher
oftheimagesyoucapture.Ifyouplantouseapreviouslypublishedimage,contacttheartist
or publisher for information on obtaining permission to reproduce/repurpose the image.
TRADEMARKS
Microsoft is a registered trademark,Windows,Video forWindows,VidCap andVidEdit are
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Sound Blaster is a trademark of Creative Technology
Ltd. VideoLogic, the VideoLogic logo, Captivator Pro, Captivator ProTV, 928Movie,
PCI Movie, SmoothScale, and TV Snap are trademarks of VideoLogic Limited.
All other product names are trademarks of their respective companies.
PRODUCT NOTICES
RefertoAppendixDforinformationaboutradioandTVinterference,EMC,productservice,
warranty information, and details of the software license agreement.
CREDITS
Thismanualwaswrittenby Huw Geddes. It isaproduct ofVideoLogicLimited,HomePark
Estate, Kings Langley, Hertfordshire WD4 8LZ, United Kingdom.
Printed in Singapore 47131
First Edition 15 November 1994

Contents 3
Contents
Introduction .......................................................................5
About Captivator Pro and Captivator ProTV ....................................................... 5
About this guide ................................................................................................. 5
About the Captivator Pro and Captivator ProTV hardware .................................. 6
About the Captivator Pro/TV software ................................................................ 7
System requirements........................................................................................... 8
What you should know ....................................................................................... 9
Conventions used in this guide ............................................................................ 9
Handling Captivator Pro/TV ..............................................................................10
Returning the registration card ...........................................................................10
Installing Captivator Pro/TV ................................................... 11
Before you start .................................................................................................11
Captivator Pro/TV Setup....................................................................................12
Running the Setup program ...............................................................................13
Installing the Captivator Pro/TV card .................................................................15
Connecting the external cables ...........................................................................18
Changing Captivator Pro/TV’s hardware settings .................................... 19
How to change Captivator Pro/TV’s base address or interrupt setting .................19
Displaying live video........................................................... 23
How to display live video in a window ...............................................................23
Capturing Video for Windows clips........................................... 29
Capturing full screen and full motion video........................................................29

4 Captivator Pro & Captivator ProTV User Guide
Captureperformance..........................................................................................30
Managing your hard disk ...................................................................................30
Mixing video and graphics.................................................................................31
Preview mode ....................................................................................................31
Snapping video stills........................................................... 33
Using TV Snap ..................................................................................................34
File formats supported .......................................................................................38
Tuning in TV channels ......................................................... 39
How to display the Captivator Pro/TVTuner dialog ...........................................39
How to tune in TV channels ...............................................................................40
Troubleshooting ................................................................ 43
Error messages ..................................................................................................47
Appendix A - VideoLogic Captivator Pro/TV MCI command set ........... 49
Appendix B - Captivator Pro/TV technical details ........................... 53
Specifications ....................................................................................................53
Connectors ........................................................................................................54
Base address settings .........................................................................................55
Appendix C - Technical support ............................................... 57
Captivator Pro/TV checklist ...............................................................................58
Appendix D - Notices........................................................... 59
Index ............................................................................. 61

Contents 5Introduction
Introduction
About Captivator Pro and Captivator ProTV
Captivator Pro is a 16-bit ISA video-in-a-window and capture
card which, when connected to a graphics card that supports the
VESA Media Channel (VM-Channel), provides:
• Scaleable full motion video-in-a-window from Composite
and S-Video input in NTSC, PAL, or SECAM format. The
video window can be displayed on top of other active
windows and mirrored horizontally.
• Capture of video clips when used with a Video for Windows™
capture application.
• Still image capture from live input using TV Snap.
Captivator Pro is available with a TV tuner, as Captivator ProTV,
allowing you to display live video directly from a TV aerial,
cable set-top or satellite decoder. Captivator ProTV has an audio
output which can be connected to an external amplifier or
speakers, and an internal audio connector which can be
connected to a sound card. It is available in three variants which
provide support for major TV broadcasting systems.
Captivator Pro and Captivator ProTV can be connected to any
VM-Channel enabled graphics card, such as VideoLogic’s
928Movie or PCI Movie.
About this guide
This guide explains how to install Captivator ProTV and use the
software. If you have a Captivator Pro, follow the instructions for
installing and using Captivator ProTV, ignoring references to the
TV tuner and audio connections. References to Captivator Pro/
TV apply to both Captivator Pro and Captivator Pro/TV.

6 Captivator Pro & Captivator ProTV User Guide
About the Captivator Pro and Captivator ProTV hardware
The layout of Captivator Pro and Captivator ProTV is displayed
below.
phono
connector
3.5 mm jack
phono
connector
TV tuner
RF connector
16-bit ISA bus connector
16-bit ISA bus connector
Captivator ProTV
Captivator Pro
4-pin DIN
connector
4-pin DIN
connector
VM-Channel connector
VM-Channel connector base address jumper
base address jumper serial number
internal audio connector

Contents 7
About the Captivator Pro/TV software
The Captivator Pro/TV software, which you use with
Captivator Pro and Captivator ProTV, includes a Setup program
that installs the following program items in the VideoLogic
VM-Channel Options program group:
• Video Control Panel—which you use to configure Captivator
Pro/TV for your input and to adjust the video picture.
• TV Snap—which you use to capture still images from live
input.
• Video Window—a resizeable floating video window which
can be displayed on top of other active windows.
• A ReadMe file, in text format, that contains information that
was not available when this guide was written.
• Help—online Help files which explain in detail how to use
the Captivator Pro/TV Video Control Panel, TV Snap, and the
MCI commands that the VideoLogic Captivator Pro/TV driver
supports.
The VideoLogic Captivator Pro/TV driver, which controls
Captivator Pro/TV, supports Microsoft’s MCI video overlay
command set. This command set allows programmers to control
Captivator Pro/TV using applications developed with
programming languages or multimedia tools. The VideoLogic
Captivator Pro/TV driver also allows you to configure your
hardware without rerunning the Captivator Pro/TV Setup
program.
Introduction

8 Captivator Pro & Captivator ProTV User Guide
System requirements
Hardware
To run Captivator Pro/TV, you need a computer with a
33 MHz 386 SX processor or better, 4 MB of RAM, and a spare
16-bit ISA bus slot.You must have a graphics card with a
VM-Channel connector, such as VideoLogic’s 928Movie or
PCI Movie, installed in your computer.
To capture video clips we recommend that you use a PC with a
66 MHz 486 processor or better and a VL bus 928Movie or
PCI Movie graphics card.
If you have a Captivator ProTV and intend to use the TV tuner, it
is worth supplying a good strong signal—70dB µV for best
results. If the picture is weak and snowy, you may need a better
aerial/antenna or a booster. If you use a booster do not place it
too close to your computer.Your local aerial/antenna specialist
will be able to advise you on the optimum position for your
booster. If you need to share an aerial/antenna feed with a TV or
VCR, it is best to use a booster with two or more outputs. If you
use a splitter, make sure it is a low loss type as cheap passive
splitters usually lose too much signal.
Software
To use Captivator Pro/TV you need Windows 3.1 or above
running in enhanced mode. Microsoft recommend DOS 5.0 or
above for Video for Windows. If you are using a 928Movie you
need version 1.1.1 or above of the 928Movie software. If you are
using PCI Movie we recommend version 1.1 or above of the PCI
Movie software.
To capture video clips you need Video for Windows 1.1 and a
Video for Windows capture application.
To use TV Snap you need Video for Windows 1.1.
If you are capturing video clips to your hard disk, do not use
DoubleSpace, Stacker™or any similar disk-doubling application,
to compress the data on your hard disk. We also recommend that
you defragment your disk regularly using the Defrag command if
you are using DOS 6.0 or later, or an application such as
SpeedDisk™from the Norton Utilities.

Contents 9
What you should know
If you have never installed a card in your computer before, you
may need to refer to the documentation supplied with your
computer for instructions on removing the cover.
This guide assumes that you already have some knowledge of
Microsoft Windows 3.1 and are familiar with the Windows
User’s Guide.
If you are using Captivator Pro/TV to capture video clips and
you are not familiar with Video for Windows, it is important that
you have access to the Video for Windows User’s Guide and any
other documentation supplied with your Video for Windows
application.
If you are writing applications that use the MCI video overlay
commands, you should have access to the documentation for the
development system you are using.You may also want to refer to
Microsoft’s Digital Video Command Set for the Media Control
Interface. August 7 1992, Revision 1.0, Part # 098-37538. This
document is available on CompuServe (GO WINMM) in library
2 (MDK) in the files DVMCI1.ZIP and DVMCIT.ZIP. These
files are the same, except that DVMCI1.ZIP is in Word for
Windows format and DVMCIT.ZIP is in text format.
Conventions used in this guide
The following conventions are used throughout this document:
• Anything that you type appears in bold text.
• Text in italic is used for cross-references, or to identify a
placeholder for information you need to supply.
• The names of keys appear in small capital letters. For
example: ENTER, SHIFT, CTRL. A plus sign (+) between key
names indicates that you should press down the first key
while you press the second key.
Introduction

10 Captivator Pro & Captivator ProTV User Guide
Handling Captivator Pro/TV
Like other adapter cards, Captivator Pro/TV can be damaged by
electrostatic charges during handling. To minimize the risk,
follow these simple guidelines:
• Keep the card in its protective packaging until you are ready
to install it.
• Just before handling the card, touch the metal frame of your
computer to discharge any static electricity which may have
built up on you or your clothes.
• Hold the card by the adapter bracket or by its edges; do not
touch the printed circuit board.
• Do not place the card on top of your computer or on any
other metal surface.
• Prevent the card being accidently touched by anyone else.
Handle the card with care to avoid damage to the fragile
electronic components mounted on both sides of the circuit
board.
Returning the registration card
All VideoLogic products come with a registration card. Please
complete and return this as soon as possible so that we can
provide you with the best possible support and up-to-date
product information.