Movie Maker Manual 138seiten

MPEG Composer
MPEG-1 Encoding User’s Manual

Application
Trademarks
MPEG Composer, MPEG9000, DVD Fab!, MPEG ShowSite, MPEG

MovieMaker, MPEG Forge™, MPEG Fusion™ , Super Suite, MPEG
Lab™, MPEG Lab™ Suite, PCMotion™, VideoPlex™ and PCMotion™
Pro are trademarks of Optibase, Inc., Optibase Ltd.
Microsoft, MS, and MS-DOS, ActiveMovie, Windows and Windows 95 is a
trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
SoftVTR is a trademark of Moonlight Technologies.
IBM PC, XT, AT are registered trademarks of International Business
Machine Corporation.
All other trademarks mentioned in this manual are the sole property of their
respective manufacturers.
Copyright
Optibase Inc., California

(c) 1999 Optibase, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published 1999, Printed in Israel
Notice
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Optibase,

Inc. and Optibase, Ltd. assume no responsibility for any errors that may
appear in this manual. Companies, names and data used in examples herein
are fictitious unless otherwise noted. No part of this document may be
copied or reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, for any purpose, without the express written permission of
Optibase, Inc. Optibase makes no warranties with respect to this
documentation and disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or
fitness for a particular purpose. From time to time changes may occur in the
file names and in the files actually included on the distribution disks.
Optibase makes no warranties that such files or facilities, as mentioned in
this documentation, exist on the distribution disks or as part of the materials
distributed.
Contents
Chapter 1 ......................................................................... 1-1
Overview ...................................................................... 1-1
MPEG Composer Tools .......................................................... 1-2
What’s in this Manual............................................................. 1-4
Chapter 2 ......................................................................... 2-1
Getting Started ............................................................. 2-1
Overview ................................................................................. 2-1
The MPEG Composer Desktop............................................... 2-2
Working with MPEG Composer Windows............................. 2-2
Selecting MPEG Composer Options....................................... 2-3
MPEG Encoding: The Basics ................................................. 2-4
Error Logging.......................................................................... 2-6
Chapter 3 ......................................................................... 3-1
The Device Control....................................................... 3-1
Overview ................................................................................. 3-1
Working with Device Control................................................. 3-2
Using the Device Control........................................................ 3-3
Setting Device Control Properties .......................................... 3-4
Using Device Control Functions............................................. 3-7
Chapter 4 ......................................................................... 4-1
Encoding with the MPEG Composer ............................ 4-1
Overview ................................................................................. 4-1
Encoding an MPEG File ......................................................... 4-2
Previewing an Encoded MPEG Stream .................................. 4-6
Setting System and Encoding Parameters............................... 4-7
Using the Preset Mode ............................................................ 4-8
Using the MPEG Detailed Encoding Mode............................ 4-18
Chapter 5 ......................................................................... 5-1
Using the MPEG Organizer .......................................... 5-1
Overview ................................................................................. 5-1
Using the MPEG Organizer .................................................... 5-2
Multi-session Encoding........................................................... 5-5
Editing Encoder Files and Clips ............................................. 5-7
Decoding Play Lists ................................................................ 5-15
Multiplexing MPEG Files....................................................... 5-18
Setting Properties of Target Files ........................................... 5-19
Setting Properties of Source Files........................................... 5-22
Multiplexing Files................................................................... 5-24
Chapter 6 ......................................................................... 6-1
Playing Back MPEG Files............................................. 6-1
Overview ................................................................................. 6-1
Using the MPEG Player .......................................................... 6-2
Setting Playback Options ........................................................ 6-3
Playing Back Files................................................................... 6-4
Viewing File Information........................................................ 6-4
Appendix A: A Guide To MPEG Compression
Appendix B: SoftVTR Supported VCRs
Appendix C: Troubleshooting
Appendix D: Time Code Types
Appendix E: MPEG Composer Preset Mode Values
Glossary
Index
Screen Captures
The Device Control Window .................................................. 3-3
The Device Control Properties Sheet...................................... 3-4
The MPEG Encoder Main Screen........................................... 4-2
The Preset Source Tab ............................................................ 4-9
The Preset Calibration Tab ..................................................... 4-11
The Preset Target Tab............................................................. 4-15
The Detailed Source Tab ........................................................ 4-18
The Detailed Signal Calibration Tab ...................................... 4-21
The Detailed Target Tab ......................................................... 4-25
The Detailed Advanced Tab ................................................... 4-33
The Scheduled Commands Tab .............................................. 4-41
The MPEG Frame Sequence................................................... 4-43
The MPEG Organizer ............................................................. 5-2
The MPEG Player Main Screen.............................................. 6-2
The MPEG Player Properties Sheet........................................ 6-3
The Player File Information Tab............................................. 6-4
Chapter 1
Overview
The MPEG Composer™ is a Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 software

application that controls Optibase’s family of real-time MPEG digital video
publishing systems. The MPEG Composer consists of several tools that have
been designed to optimize and facilitate MPEG encoding.
In this Chapter:
• MPEG Composer Tools, page 1-2
• Features, page 1-3
• What’s in this Manual, page 1-6
MPEG Composer User’s Manual
MPEG Composer Tools

The MPEG Composer contains several tools:
MPEG Encoder
The MPEG Encoder encodes MPEG-1 streams. It accepts versatile video
and audio formats in NTSC or PAL. The MPEG Encoder interface has been
designed to provide maximum ease-of-use with maximum control for single
session encoding. To this end, the MPEG Encoder offers two modes for
setting system and encoding parameters: a Preset mode and a Detailed
mode.
The Preset mode allows you to select generic encoding categories without
having to know specific MPEG encoding values.
The Detailed mode is designed for video professionals who are familiar with
the MPEG algorithm and want the power to adjust all MPEG parameters
down to a specific value.
The MPEG Composer offers sophisticated calibration and preview features.
You can calibrate and filter your input source before or during encoding.
When combined with the optional VideoPlex MPEG-2 decoding board,
MPEG Composer’s Preview feature lets you preview the encoded stream
before it is stored to a hard disk. In this way you can adjust calibration and
filter settings during encoding before the output file is saved to disk.
For more about the MPEG Encoder, please see Chapter 4.
Device Control
The Device Control lets you control your source device from your screen.
The Device Control is useful for previewing your input source. It also lets
you achieve frame accurate encoding. A list of device control supported
VCRs appears in Appendix C.
For more about the Device Control, please see Chapter 3.
The Device Control is only available with the MPEG Composer Plus.
1-2 MPEG Composer Tools

MPEG Organizer
The MPEG Organizer is a software component that acts as a central
platform for controlling all MPEG Composer tools in batch mode. The
MPEG Organizer has three tools:
• The Encoder tool lets you carry out multi-session encoding jobs. Each
encoding job is made up of batches which consist of files.
• The Player tool supports multiple play lists, allowing you to play back
multiple MPEG files consecutively. The Player tool is available when
the optional VideoPlex MPEG-2 playback board is installed.
• The Muxer tool multiplexes different types of MPEG files.
For more about the MPEG Organizer, please see Chapter 5.
MPEG Player
The MPEG Player plays back MPEG-1 streams with the ActiveMovie
software player or MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 streams with the optional
VideoPlex board.
For more about the MPEG Player, please see Chapter 6.
Diagnostics
The Diagnostics utility lets you test the Optibase hardware installed in your
system.
For more about the Diagnostics utility, please see your encoder’s Hardware
Installation guide.
MPEG Composer Tools 1-3

What’s in this Manual

This manual has been designed to take you easily through the MPEG
encoding process.
• Chapter 1 presents an overview of the MPEG Composer software
application.
• Chapter 2 guides you through MPEG Composer’s interface.
• Chapter 3 explains about using the Device Control and shows you how to
achieve frame accurate encoding.
• Chapter 4 shows you how to use the MPEG Encoder’s different encoding
modes to complete a successful encoding job. You will learn how to use
the Preset and Detailed modes to enter system and encoding parameters.
• Chapter 5 shows you how to use the MPEG Organizer to carry out multi-
session encoding, decoding and multiplexing.
• Chapter 6 shows you how to play back MPEG files with the MPEG
Player.
1-4 What’s in this Manual

Chapter 2
Getting Started
Overview
This chapter gives you a quick tour of the MPEG Composer’s desktop. You
will learn about the MPEG Composer’s interface and how to use MPEG
Composer windows. This chapter also explains the basics of MPEG
encoding.
In this chapter:
• The MPEG Composer Desktop, page 2-2
• Working with MPEG Composer Windows, page 2-2
• MPEG Encoding: The Basics, page 2-4
• Error Logging, page 2-6
The MPEG Composer Desktop

MPEG Composer contains several tools which are represented by different
icons in the MPEG Composer folder. To invoke an MPEG Composer tool,
double-click the tool’s icon.
Each MPEG Composer tool has a main screen which contains a Properties
sheet. All MPEG Composer tools have a similar design and use the same
Windows conventions.
Title Bar Close

Menu Bar Restore
Minimize
Status Bar
Working with MPEG Composer Windows

This section shows you how to work with MPEG Composer windows.
To ... Do This...
Drag Windows • Place the mouse pointer on the window’s blue title
bar.
• Hold down the left mouse button and drag the

window to its new location.
Minimize Windows • Place the mouse pointer on the Minimize button,

and click the left mouse button.
Close Windows • Place the mouse pointer on the Close button, and
click the left mouse button.
2-2 The MPEG Composer Desktop

Selecting MPEG Composer Options

MPEG Composer tools contain Properties sheets where you enter or select
encoding parameters. MPEG Composer Properties sheets are divided into
different tabs. You select a tab by clicking its label.
There are several ways to enter or select encoding parameters:
• Boxes: toggle the arrows or enter a number to set a specific value.
• Checkboxes: select the box to enable the option.
• Sliders: drag the slider to set a value.
• Lists: click the arrow and select an option from the list that appears.
The MPEG Composer Desktop 2-3

MPEG Encoding: The Basics

The MPEG Composer is designed to make encoding as easy as possible.
You use the MPEG Composer Encoder to carry out single file encoding
sessions and the MPEG Composer Organizer to carry out multi-file
encoding sessions.
All MPEG Composer windows are linked. This means that you can set
encoding parameters in one window and they will be automatically updated
in all other windows.
The MPEG Encoder has a Properties sheet where you to set encoding
parameters. When working in Preset mode, the MPEG Encoder’s Properties
sheet contains the following tabs:
Source Tab
• Source parameters relate to the properties that affect the audio and video
signal which is fed into the encoding system.
Signal Calibration Tab

• Signal calibration settings allow you to calibrate your audio and video
signal before it is encoded or during encoding.
Target Parameters
• Target parameters determine the properties of the MPEG file you want to
encode.
The MPEG Encoder has two user modes for setting system and encoding
parameters. The Preset mode is intended for video professionals who are not
MPEG professionals. This mode lets you reach high quality encoding
without being familiar with the MPEG algorithm.
The Detailed mode gives you numeric control over all your system and
encoding parameters. This mode has been designed for MPEG professionals
who want to set specific numeric values and who want maximum control
over all encoding aspects. When working in the Detailed mode, the MPEG
Encoder’s Properties sheet contains five tabs.
2-4 MPEG Encoding: The Basics

The following table gives an overview of single file encoding with the
MPEG Encoder.
To... Go To...
1. Set Source parameters The Properties sheet’s Source tab.
2. Calibrate the input signal The Properties sheet’s Signal Calibration

tab.
3. Set MPEG parameters The Properties sheet’s Target tab.
4. Preview the MPEG The MPEG Player.

stream
5. Encode an MPEG The Encoder’s main window.

stream
The following table gives an overview of multi-session encoding with the

MPEG Organizer.
To... Go To...
1. Set Source parameters The MPEG Organizer’s Source tab.
2. Calibrate the input signal The MPEG Organizer’s Signal

Calibration tab.
3. Set MPEG parameters The MPEG Organizer’s Target tab.
4. Set Advanced parameters The MPEG Organizer’s Advanced tab.
5. Set In and Out points The MPEG Organizer’s Clip tab.
6. Preview the MPEG stream The MPEG Organizer Player tool.
7. Encode an MPEG stream The MPEG Organizer’s main window.
MPEG Encoding: The Basics 2-5

Error Logging
The MPEG Composer has an error log that lists system errors and warnings.
This is useful for tracking repetitive system errors and for technical support.
When an error or warning occurs the Event Viewer appears. You can also
open the Event View from the MPEG Composer’s program group.
To set Event Viewer Options:

• Click the Event Viewer’s Properties button; the Properties sheet
appears.
2-6 Error Logging

The Event Viewer’s Properties Sheet
Viewing Events
The Event Viewer lets you select what type of event you want to view.
• To select events, click the General tab and select the type of event you
want to view.
Using Filters
You can filter the types of events you want to see.
• To filter events, click the Event Filter tab and then select Use Filters.
• To view errors, under Type select Error.
• To view warnings, under Type select Warning.
• To view information, under Type select Information.
Event ID
Each error that the Event Viewer displays has an ID number. The Event ID
box lets you specify which errors you want to view.
To specify a range of errors to view:

1. Click the Event Filter tab.
2. Under Event ID, in the From box, select the ID number of the first error
you want to view.
3. Under Event ID, in the To box, select the ID number of the last error
you want to view.
Time
The Time boxes let you set the period of time in which you want to view
errors.
1. Click the Event Filter tab.
2. Under Time, in the From and To boxes, enter time values.
Error Logging 2-7

Chapter 3
The Device Control
Overview
This chapter shows you how to use the Device Control to browse through
your input source and achieve frame accurate encoding.
In this Chapter:
• Working with Device Control, page 3-2
• Setting Device Control Properties, page 3-4
Working with Device Control

The Device Control lets you control any frame accurate VCR that supports
RS422 remote control and follows the Sony command set protocol.
The Device Control is a very useful search and preview tool since it allows
you to control your source device from the MPEG Composer. You use the
Device Control to browse through your input source and mark the frames
that you want to encode. You also use the Device Control to browse through
your input source during calibration.
When using the MPEG Organizer to encode multiple clips from different
sources, you can assign each source device an ID tag. The MPEG Organizer
prompts you when to switch source devices. When you do assign source
device ID tags, the Device Control displays which source device is currently
in use.
3-2 Working with Device Control

Using the Device Control

You can open the Device Control from the MPEG Composer folder or from
the MPEG Encoder.
Device encoding is not available when encoding QSIF resolutions.
To open the Device Control:
• In the MPEG Composer folder, double-click the Device Control icon;
OR
• In the MPEG Encoder window, click the Device Control button; the
Device Control window appears.
The Device Control Window
Working with Device Control 3-3

Setting Device Control Properties

Before you use the Device Control, make sure that the Device Control
properties are correctly set.
To set Device Control properties:

• In the Device Control window, click Properties; the Properties sheet
appears.
The Device Control Properties Sheet
Setting a Device Delay

With some encoding jobs, there may be a lag between the first frame you
specified for encoding and the first frame that MPEG Composer actually
encodes. If the first frame that MPEG Composer encodes differs from the
first frame you specified, you can instruct the MPEG Composer to start
encoding after a specified number of frames has elapsed.

To set a device delay:

• In the Delay box, enter the number of frames that will elapse before
encoding begins.
Setting a Preroll Delay

The preroll delay is the time it takes a VCR to reach full playback speed. To
set this value, refer to your VCR’s technical specifications. When you set a
preroll delay, MPEG Composer synchronizes with your VCR one second
ahead of the preroll value you specify.
To set a preroll delay:

• In the Preroll box, set the correct preroll delay.
Selecting a Color System

MPEG Composer lets you set the encoder and your VCR to different video
formats. This is useful if you are using a PAL/NTSC converter that converts
the signal between your VCR and the encoding board. When you do use a
color system converter, the VCR’s color system is used to determine time
codes. Note that you must set the Color System value to your VCR’s
original color system setting.
To set the video format of your source device:

• In the Color System list, select NTSC or PAL.
Selecting a Time Code Format

Valid time code values are VITC, LTC or CTL. The Device Control and
your VCR must use the same time code format. When you change time code
formats, the Device Control closes automatically. Note that when working in
CTL mode, the time code must always be positive.
Time Code Notes
Working with negative time code values leads to unpredictable results. A detailed explanation
of time code formats appears in Appendix D.

To set a time code:

• In the Time Code Format list, select a time code format.
Encoding with Drop Frame Mode

In NTSC, the actual frame rate is not exactly 30 fps, but roughly 29.97 fps.
This means that the time code doesn’t match clock time. Thus, when the
time code indicates 1 hour of film, 1 hour, 3 seconds and 18 frames worth of
actual time has elapsed - or a discrepancy of 108 frames. This mode of
operation is called Non Drop Frame.
Some VCRs operate in Drop Frame mode. This mode resolves the time code
discrepancy by dropping two frame numbers every minute, on the minute,
except the tenth minutes. For example: 01:12:59:29 à 01:13:00:02. If the
time code display on your tape skips two frame numbers at the beginning of
every minute, except for the tenth minutes, then your tape is operating in
Drop Frame mode.
MPEG Composer and your VCR should operate in the same mode. If your
VCR is set to Drop Frame mode, you should enable Drop Frame mode in the
MPEG Composer.
To activate Drop Frame mode:

• Select Drop Frame mode.

Using Device Control Functions

The Device Control window contains playback functions that you use to
control your source device. In addition to the regular playback buttons, the
Device Control has a slider that simulates a VCR’s shuttle function.
You can use the slider to shuttle at speeds between -x1/4 - x32 in both
directions.
To shuttle:
1. Hold the mouse button down and drag the slider until you reach a desired
playback speed. The playback speed appears in the status bar at the
bottom of the Device Control window.
2. To maintain a desired playback speed, press the CTRL button while
holding down the mouse button. When you release the mouse button the
Device Control plays back at the speed you set on the slide bar.
To go to a specific frame:
1. In the Go To box, enter the time code of the frame you want to locate.
2. Click Go To.
To learn how to use the Device Control to set first and last frames for
encoding, please see Chapter 4.

Using the Keyboard

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts for the Device Control’s
playback functions.
Function Key Combination
Rewind CTRL + ALT + R
Step Backward CTRL + ALT + B
Step Forward CTRL + ALT + F
Fast Forward CTRL + ALT + T
Play CTRL + ALT + P
Pause CTRL + ALT + A
Stop CTRL + ALT + S
Mark In CTRL + ALT + I
Mark Out CTRL + ALT + O

Chapter 4
Encoding with the

MPEG Composer
Overview
This chapter shows you how to encode with the MPEG Encoder. You will
learn how to use the Preset or the Detailed mode to set system and encoding
parameters.
In this Chapter
• Encoding an MPEG File, page 4-2
• Using the MPEG Preset Mode, page 4-8
• Using the MPEG Detailed mode, page 4-19
Encoding an MPEG File

The MPEG Encoder’s main screen contains all encoding functions. In this
section you will learn how to complete a successful encoding job using the
different encoding modes.
To invoke the MPEG Encoder:

• In the MPEG Composer folder, double-click the MPEG Encoder icon; the
MPEG Encoder appears.
Title Bar Close

Menu Bar Restore
Tool Minimize
Timecode Display
Status Bar
The MPEG Encoder Main Screen
Saving or Loading Encoding Parameters

When you open the MPEG Encoder, it automatically loads a product file
(*.prd file) with default encoding settings. You can save changes you make
to the default product file.
To save encoding settings:

1. On the main screen’s File menu, select Save As; the Save File window
appears.
2. Enter the name of the file you want to create and click Save; MPEG
Composer saves your encoding settings in a file with a *.prd extension.
4-2 Encoding an MPEG File

To open an existing product file:

1. On the main screen’s File menu, select Open; the Open window appears.
2. Browse for, or select the name of the product file you want to load and
click Open; MPEG Composer loads the encoding parameters specified in
the file you opened.
Creating an MPEG File

You save MPEG streams as MPEG files. MPEG files have different
extensions depending on the file type you choose to encode.
• Video-only files have an *.mpv extension.
• Audio-only files have an *.mpa extension.
• System, Program, Transport and VideoCD have an *.mpg extension.
To enter an MPEG file name:

• In the main screen’s File Name box, enter or browse for the name of the
file you want to encode. MPEG Composer automatically assigns the
correct file extension according to the file format you select.
Manual Encoding
In the Manual mode, MPEG Composer starts encoding when you click the
Encode button and stops encoding when you click the Stop button. You can
pause encoding by clicking the Pause button. To resume encoding to the
same file, click the Encode button again. Pausing encoding allows you to
switch input sources or skip over frames that you don’t want to encode
(Pause is unavailable in QSIF resolution).
Encoding an MPEG File 4-3

To activate Manual encoding:

1. In the MPEG Encoder’s main screen, click Manual Encoding; the In
Point, Duration and Out Point boxes are unavailable.
2. Click Initialization to initialize the encoding boards. Clicking the
Initialization button is not a compulsory step in the encoding process.
The Initialization function prepares the boards for encoding and prevents
an encoding delay when you click Encode. It can be useful in Manual
encoding when you want the MPEG Composer to begin encoding as
soon as you click the Encode button.
3. To start encoding, click Encode; encoding information appears in the
status bar.
4. To pause encoding, click Pause; to resume encoding click Encode.
5. To stop encoding, click Stop.
Semi-manual Encoding
In the Semi-manual mode, MPEG Composer starts encoding when you click
the Start button and encodes the period of time you specify in the Duration
field.
Semi-manual encoding is only available with the MPEG Composer Plus.
To activate Semi-manual encoding:

1. In the MPEG Encoder’s main screen, click Semi-manual Encoding; the
Duration box is available.
2. Click Initialization to initialize the encoding boards. Clicking the
Initialization button is not a compulsory step in the encoding process.
The Initialization function prepares the boards for encoding and prevents
an encoding delay when you click Encode.
3. In the Duration box, enter the period of time you want MPEG
Composer to encode.
4. Click Encode; MPEG Composer encodes the period of time you
specified in the Duration box.
4-4 Encoding an MPEG File

Device Encoding
The Device Encoding mode lets you use the Device Control to accurately set
the first and last frames you want to encode. When you use Device
Encoding, the Stop and Pause buttons are not available. Device Encoding is
unavailable when encoding QSIF resolutions.
Device encoding is only available with the MPEG Composer Plus.
To activate Device encoding:

1. In the MPEG Encoder’s main screen, click Device Encoding; the
Device Control window appears. (For more details about the Device
Control, please see Chapter 3.)
2. In the Device Control window, click Play or use the Shuttle slider to
view your input source.
3. When you reach the first frame you want to encode, click the Device
Control’s Mark In button; the frame’s time code appears in the main
screen’s In Point field.
4. When you reach the last frame you want to encode, click the Device
Control’s Mark Out button; the frame’s time code appears in the main
screen’s Out Point field. The Duration field in the main screen shows the
period of time you want to encode based on the In and Out frames you
specified.
5. Click Encode; MPEG Composer encodes from the first frame you
specified to the last frame you specified. Encoding information appears
in the main screen’s Status bar.
Encoding an MPEG File 4-5

Previewing an Encoded MPEG Stream

When the optional VideoPlex MPEG-2 playback board is installed, MPEG
Composer lets you view encoded MPEG streams in several ways.
• You can view an encoded MPEG stream without saving it to a hard disk.
• You can view an encoded MPEG stream while it is being encoded and
saved to a hard disk.
• You can use the MPEG Player to view an encoded MPEG stream after
you have finished encoding. To learn more about the MPEG Player,
please see Chapter 6.
Viewing an MPEG Stream without Saving it to a Hard

Disk
The MPEG Encoder has the ability to output an MPEG stream without
saving it to a hard disk. This ability saves you having to save a file to disk in
order to test MPEG encoding settings. When you click No Output, MPEG
Composer operates in Decode while Encode mode without saving the
encoded stream. With the No Output mode, you can use all MPEG
Composer tools to calibrate and modify your system and MPEG settings
while viewing the MPEG stream.
To view an encoded MPEG Stream without saving to hard disk:

• In the main screen, click No Output; the Output File Name box is not
available. You can now encode your MPEG file as if you were saving it
to disk.
4-6 Previewing an Encoded MPEG Stream

Decoding while Encoding

MPEG Composer lets you decode the MPEG file while it is being encoded.
This option lets you compare different calibration settings in the same
MPEG file.
• In the main screen, click Decode while Encode. When you click Encode,
you will be able to view the decoded stream.
Using the MPEG Player

• The MPEG Composer lets you access the MPEG Player so you can view
the file you’ve just encoded. To learn more about the MPEG Player,
please see Chapter 6.
To open the MPEG Player:

• Click Play; the MPEG Player appears.
Setting System and Encoding Parameters

MPEG Composer offers two ways of setting system and encoding
parameters:
• The Preset mode is intended for video professionals who are not MPEG
professionals or who don’t want to deal with MPEG specifics. This mode
lets you achieve high quality encoding without being familiar with the
MPEG algorithm.
• The Detailed mode is intended for video professionals who are also
MPEG professionals. The Detailed mode offers you total MPEG
parameter control. It lets you control all MPEG encoding parameters and
adjust them down to a specific value.
Setting System and Encoding Parameters 4-7

Using the Preset Mode

This section shows you how to use the Preset mode to set system and
encoding parameters. When you select the Preset mode, system and
encoding parameters are represented by graphic icons. Please see Appendix
F for the specific system and encoding values that correspond to these
graphic icons. (To view these icons clearly, set your display monitor to high
color, 800x600 resolution.)
To use the Preset mode:

1. On the MPEG Encoder’s View menu, select Preset Mode.
2. Click Properties; the Properties sheet appears.
The Properties sheet contains three tabs that let you set various encoding and
system parameters.
4-8 Setting System and Encoding Parameters

Setting Source Parameters

Source parameters relate to the properties of the video and audio signal
before it is encoded.
To set Source parameters:

1. Click Properties and then select the the Source tab.
The Preset Source Tab

The color system determines the video standard of the video input. The
MPEG Composer and your source device must be set to the same color
system.
To select a color system:

• In the Color System list select PAL or NTSC.
Setting System and Encoding Parameters 4-9

Selecting a Video Input

The Video Input is the type of video signal that is encoded. MPEG
Composer supports four types of video input.
• Composite. Composite video is video that combines all the components

of the signal in one video stream.
• S-Video. S-Video is a video signal that carries separate luma and
chrominance signals.
To select a Video Input:

• In the Video Input list; select a video input.
Selecting an Audio Input

The Audio Input is the type of audio signal that is encoded. The MPEG
Composer supports three audio input formats:
• Unbalanced. An analog signal in which the audio is a single voltage
relative to ground or common. Unlike, Balanced Audio, the signal is not
separated into three currents.
To select an Audio Input

• In the Audio Input list, select an audio input.
Closed Caption Encoding

Closed Captions are data that are hidden in the part of the video signal that is
not usually displayed on the screen. They are hidden in line 21 of the vertical
blanking interval (VBI) of an NTSC TV signal.
To encode Closed Captions, you have to connect a Data Recovery Decoder
box to the MPEG MovieMaker board’s RS-232 port. The Data Recovery
Box extracts the Closed Caption data from the analog stream and converts it
into digital format.
If you have connected a Data Recovery Box to the MPEG MovieMaker
board, select a Com Port from the Com Port list. To enable Closed Caption
encoding during transmission, check the Enable Closed Caption box.
4-10 Setting System and Encoding Parameters

Calibrating the Video and Audio Source

MPEG Composer lets you calibrate and filter the incoming video and audio
source. You can calibrate the input source before it is encoded or use MPEG
Composer’s calibration on-the-fly feature to adjust calibration during
encoding. To preview the calibrated video, make sure that your encoding
board is connected to a TV monitor. If the optional VideoPlex board is
installed you can use the Decode while Encode mode to preview the input
source.
To calibrate the video and audio source:

• Click Properties and then select the Signal Calibration tab.
Preview Notes
The best way to preview the calibration changes you make is to use decoding while encoding.
This option, which is available if the VideoPlex playback board is installed, lets you see the
changes as they appear in the encoded stream. If you don’t have a VideoPlex, you can use
the monitor output on your encoding board.
The Preset Calibration Tab
Calibrating the Video Source
Calibrating the Video Source 4-11

MPEG Composer lets you calibrate the video source before or during
encoding. The default settings of the calibrator sliders were determined to
provide a proper color vector when the MPEG Composer is fed with a color
bar. You can calibrate hue, saturation, brightness and contrast.
• Hue is a term that defines the wavelength of the base colors in a video
signal (red, green, yellow). When you adjust Hue, you create a linear
change in the phase of all the colors. Hue is only adjustable if your
video source is NTSC.
• Saturation is the amount of color in the signal. For example, a lightly
saturated red will appear pinkish in color.
• Brightness refers to the amount of light emitted by the video signal.
• Contrast refers to the polarity between the white and black in the video
signal. If the white is very distant from the black, a signal has high
contrast. If the white is closer to the black, a signal has low contrast
making it appear greyish. When you adjust the Contrast, you change the
relation between the color steps.
To calibrate the video source:

• Use the sliders to adjust hue, saturation, brightness and contrast, or enter
a value in the boxes to the right of the sliders.
4-12 Calibrating the Video Source

Calibration Notes
When you adjust these parameters you are changing the quality of the incoming video signal.
You can see these adjustments on your composite monitor. However, if the settings on your
monitor are not calibrated correctly, the adjustments you make may under or over drive the
video signal. This may result in poor encoding quality. The only accurate way to assure you
are making good adjustments is to feed your encoder’s output (i.e., the output from your
decoder) to a waveform monitor for calibration.
• Adjust vertical and horizontal offset as required. The Horizontal Offset is
specified in pixels; the Vertical Offset is specified in lines. A negative
horizontal value moves the screen right; a negative vertical offset value
moves the screen down. The changes you make appear in the encoded
MPEG file only. They are not visible on your encoding board’s monitor
output.
Filtering your Input Source

MPEG Composer can improve encoding quality by filtering the incoming
video before it is encoded. You select the strength of filter according to the
quality of your input source. MPEG Composer offers four filter settings.
The recommended initial filter setting is None or Low.
• None. Select None if your input source is very clean and has no artifacts.
• Low. Select Low if your input source has very sharp colors which you
want to soften during encoding.
• Medium. Select Medium if your input source is noisy.
• High. Select High if your input source is very noisy and has many
artifacts.
To select a Filter:
• In the Filter list, select a filter according to the quality of your input
source.
Filtering your Input Source 4-13

Adjusting Audio Gain Control

MPEG Composer lets you adjust the audio input gain before or during
encoding. If the volume level on the volume bar reaches the red levels, the
incoming audio signal is being distorted. This occurs when the incoming
volume is too high.
To adjust audio gain control:

• Use the slider to adjust the audio gain control. The volume bar represents
incoming volume levels. Alternately, select a value from the list to the
right of the Audio Gain slider.
4-14 Adjusting Audio Gain Control

Setting Target Parameters

Target parameters affect the MPEG file that is being encoded. See Appendix
F for the values that correspond to the preset options offered in the Target
tab.
To set Target parameters:

• Click Properties and then select the Target tab.
The Preset Target Tab
Setting a Target Media

The quality of the file you want to encode determines its playback rate and
the storage media you want to use. The better the video quality, the higher
the bit rate used and the more storage capacity necessary.
To select a Target Media:

• In the Target Media list, select an option that suits your storage media
needs.
Setting a Target Media 4-15

Selecting the Type of Movie Content

MPEG Composer adjusts encoding parameters according to the content of
the clip you want to encode. You can choose between four types of movie
content.
• Mixed. Select Mixed if the content of your clip contains fast and slow
movement.
• Fast Movement. Select Fast Movement if your clip contains many
action scenes.
• Talking Heads. Select Talking Heads if your clip contains frequent
shots of people talking.
• Landscape. Select Landscape if your clip contains panorama scenes.
To set movie content:

• In the Movie Content list, select a Movie Content option according to
the content of the clip you want to encode.
Selecting a File Format

The File Format is the type of MPEG file you want to create. MPEG
Composer lets you create various kinds of files.
• System. When you select this option MPEG Composer encodes an
MPEG-1 compliant multiplexed system file with an *.mpg extension.
• Program. MPEG-2 system files that are designed to support a large
number of known and anticipated applications. Program streams retain a
significant amount of flexibility while providing interoperability between
different device implementations. Program files have an *mpg extension.
• Transport. MPEG-2 system files that are designed for transmission.
Transport files define issues such as error correction for noisy channels,
encryption and high speed network protocols.
System, Program and Transport streams are only available with the MPEG MovieMaker Plus.
• Video elementary. This kind of file contains MPEG-1 video data.

Video-only files have an *.mpv extension
4-16 Selecting the Type of Movie Content

• Audio elementary. This kind of file contains MPEG-1 audio data.

Audio-only files have an *.mpa extension.
• Video+audio. When you select this option, MPEG Composer creates
separate audio-only and video-only files with the same base name. The
video-only file has an *.mpv extension and the audio-only file has an
*.mpa extension.
• Video CD. When you select this option MPEG Composer creates an
MPEG-1 compliant multiplexed Video CD White Book system file. The
Video CD video file is created with a *.mpg extension.
Video-CD Notes
Due to incompatibility problems between Video CD manufacturers, there may be problems
playing CD files generated by MPEG Composer on some kinds of Video CD players.
To select a File Format:

• In the File Format list, select the file format of your choice.
Selecting a File Format 4-17

Using the MPEG Detailed Encoding Mode

This section shows you how to use the Detailed mode. The Detailed mode
offers you total MPEG parameter control.
To use the Detailed mode:

1. On the MPEG Encoder’s View menu, select Detailed Mode.
2. Click the Properties button; the Properties sheet appears. When working
in Detailed mode, the Properties sheet contains five tabs.
Setting Source Parameters

Source parameters relate to the properties of the video and audio signal
before it is encoded.
To set Source parameters:

• Click Properties and then select the Source tab.
The Detailed Source Tab
4-18 Selecting a Color System


The color system is the video standard of the video input. The MPEG
Composer and your source device must be set to the same color system.
To select a Color System:

• In the Color System list, select PAL or NTSC.
Selecting a Video Input

The Video Input is the type of signal that is fed into the MPEG Composer
for encoding. MPEG Composer supports four types of video input.
• Composite. Composite video is video that combines all the components

of the signal in one video stream.
• S-Video. S-Video is a video signal that carries separate luma and
chrominance signals.
To select a Video Input:

• In the Video Input list, select a video input.
Selecting an Audio Input

The Audio Input is the type of audio signal that is fed into the MPEG
Composer for encoding. The MPEG Composer supports three kinds of audio
input:
• Unbalanced. An analog signal in which the audio is a single voltage
relative to ground or common. Unlike, Balanced Audio, the signal is not
separated into three currents.
To select an Audio Input

• In the Audio Input list, select an audio input.
Selecting a Color System 4-19

Closed Caption Encoding

Closed Captions are data that are hidden in the part of the video signal that
is not usually displayed on the screen. They are hidden in line 21 of the
vertical blanking interval (VBI) of an NTSC TV signal.
To encode Closed Captions, you have to connect a Data Recovery Decoder
box to the MPEG MovieMaker board’s RS-232 port. The Data Recovery
Box extracts the Closed Caption data from the analog stream and converts it
into digital format.
If you have connected a Data Recovery Box to the MPEG MovieMaker
board, select a Com Port from the Com Port list. To enable Closed Caption
encoding during transmission, check the Enable Closed Caption box.
Calibrating the Video and Audio Source

MPEG Composer lets you calibrate and filter the incoming video and audio
source. You can calibrate the input source before it is encoded or use MPEG
Composer’s calibration on-the-fly feature to adjust calibration during
encoding. To preview the calibrated video, make sure that the video
Hue calibration is
encoding board’s monitor out connector is connected to a TV monitor. If the
disabled when optional VideoPlex board is installed you can use the Decode while Encode
Analog Component mode to preview the input source. For more about previewing your MPEG
is the input source.
file please see page 4-5.
The default settings of the calibrator sliders were determined to provide a
proper color vector when the MPEG Composer is fed with a color bar.
4-20 Closed Caption Encoding

To calibrate the video and audio source:

• Click Properties and select the Signal Calibration tab.
The Detailed Signal Calibration Tab
Calibrating the Video Source

You can calibrate the video source before or during encoding.
To calibrate the video source:

In the Source Calibration tab, use the sliders to adjust hue, saturation,
brightness and contrast.
• Hue is a term that defines the wavelength of the base colors in a video
signal (red, green, yellow). When you adjust Hue, you create a linear
change in the phase of all the colors. Hue is only adjustable if your
video source is NTSC.
• Saturation is the amount of color in the signal. For example, a lightly
saturated red will appear pinkish in color.
• Brightness refers to the amount of light emitted by the video signal.
Calibrating the Video Source 4-21

• Contrast refers to the polarity between the white and black in the video
signal. If the white is very distant from the black, a signal has high
contrast. If the white is closer to the black, a signal has low contrast
making it appear greyish. When you adjust the Contrast, you change the
relation between the color steps.
Calibration Notes
When you adjust these parameters you are changing the quality of the incoming video signal.
You can see these adjustments on your composite monitor. However, if the settings on your
monitor are not calibrated correctly, the adjustments you make may under or over drive the
video signal. This may result in poor encoding quality. The only truly accurate way to assure
you are making good adjustments is to feed the video encoding board’s output to a waveform
monitor for calibration.
• Adjust vertical and horizontal offset as required. The Horizontal Offset is
specified in pixels; the Vertical Offset is specified in lines. A negative
horizontal value moves the screen right; a negative vertical offset value
moves the screen down. The changes you make appear only in the
encoded MPEG file.
4-22 Calibrating the Video Source

Filtering the Video Source

MPEG Composer has two filters that let you improve the quality of the
incoming video before it is encoded. You can adjust filter settings before or
during encoding and view the results in the encoded MPEG stream. For
more about previewing an encoded MPEG stream, see page 4-5.
Horizontal Filter
Horizontal filters are decimation filters that perform accurate horizontal
filtering of the input data stream. Signal matching before the decimation
stage is done to reduce artifacts caused by pixel dropping. You can choose
between 7 horizontal filter strengths, depending on the quality of your
source material. There are no set rules here. Select the filter strength that
gives you the best quality results. The recommended initial setting is for a 2
level horizontal filter.
Vertical Filter
These filters offer different settings designed to correct artifacts caused by
line dropping. The Y and UV data are processed by two different filters
which create an average.
To select a filter:
• In the Filter list, select a filter according to the quality of your video
source.
Filtering the Video Source 4-23

Adjusting Audio Gain Control

MPEG Composer lets you calibrate the audio source before or during
encoding. If the volume level on the volume bar reaches the red levels, the
incoming audio signal is being distorted. This occurs when the incoming
volume is too high.
To adjust Audio Gain Control:

• In the Source Calibration tab, use the sliders to adjust the audio gain
control. The volume bar represents incoming volume levels. Alternately,
• In the Audio Gain box located to the right of the Audio Gain slider, set a
value of your choice.
4-24 Adjusting Audio Gain Control

Setting Target Parameters

Target parameters affect the audio and video signal when it is encoded.
To set Target parameters:

• Click Properties and select the Target tab.
The Detailed Target Tab
Setting Bit Rates

The bit rate is the number of bits compressed per second. MPEG Composer
lets you set target, video and audio bit rates. When using the MPEG
MovieMaker XPress, bit rates are limited to 3 Mbit/s.
The target bit rate is the combined bit rate of the captured audio and video
streams plus additional overhead for multiplexing information. When you
adjust the audio or video bit rates, MPEG Composer adjusts the target bit
rate accordingly.
Setting Bit Rates 4-25

• When you select Video CD as your File Format, MPEG Composer sets
the video bit rate at 1.12 Mbit/s, the target bit rate at 1.4112 Mbit/s and
audio bit rate at 224 Kbit/s.
• If you want to compress separate audio and video to carry out off-line
multiplexing to Video CD, set your video bit rate at 1.152 Mbit/s and
your audio bit rate at 224 Kbit/s.
Audio bit rates range from 32-384 Kbit/s. The MPEG standard defines the
audio compression modes that can be compressed at specific audio bit rates.
The following table shows audio bit rates and allowed audio modes
according to the MPEG standard.
Audio Bit Rate (Kbit/s) Allowed Audio Mode
32 Mono
48 Mono
56 Mono
64 All Modes
80 Mono
96 All Modes
112 All Modes
128 All Modes
160 All Modes
192 All Modes
224 Stereo, Intensity Stereo, Dual Mono
4-26 Setting Bit Rates

To set bit rates:

• In the Target Bit Rate box, set a target bit rate.
• In the Video Bit Rate box, set a video bit rate.
• In the Audio Bit Rate list, select an audio bit rate.

You can toggle the bit rate values by clicking the buttons to the right of the
bit rate boxes.

The File Format is the type of MPEG file you want to create. MPEG
Composer lets you create various kinds of files.
• System. When you select this option MPEG Composer encodes an
MPEG-1 compliant multiplexed system file with an *.mpg extension.
• Program. MPEG-2 system files that are designed to support a large
number of known and anticipated applications. Program streams retain a
significant amount of flexibility while providing interoperability between
different device implementations. Program files have an *.mpg extension.
• Transport. MPEG-2 system files that are designed for transmission.
Transport files define issues such as error correction for noisy channels,
encryption and high speed network protocols.
Program, Transport and System streams are only available with the MPEG
MovieMaker Plus.
• Video elementary. This kind of file contains MPEG-1 video data. Video-
only files have an *.mpv extension
• Audio elementary. This kind of file contains MPEG-1 audio data.
Audio-only files have an *.mpa extension.
Selecting a File Format 4-27

• Video+audio. When you select this option, MPEG Composer creates

separate audio-only and video-only files with the same base name. The
video-only file has an *.mpv extension and the audio-only file has an
*.mpa extension.
• Video CD. When you select this option MPEG Composer creates an
MPEG-1 compliant multiplexed Video CD White Book system file. The
Video CD video file is created with a n*.mpg extension.
Video-CD Notes
Due to incompatibility problems between Video CD manufacturers, there may be problems
playing CD files generated by MPEG Composer on some kinds of Video CD players.
• In the File Format list, select the file format of your choice.
Selecting an Input Resolution

MPEG Composer encodes MPEG-1 resolutions. QSIF resolutions are
available only when using Manual encoding.
The following table shows the hardware systems that MPEG Composer
supports and their encoding modes.
To set an MPEG Resolution:

• In the Resolution list, select a desired resolution. (A resolution that is not
supported by your hardware system will not be available.) Because
changing the resolution is a low level operation, MPEG Composer takes
about a minute to execute the selection.
4-28 Selecting an Input Resolution

Setting Sampling Rates

The sampling rate is the number of frames per second that MPEG Composer
encodes. Encoding low bit rate QSIF files at reduced frame rates increases
the quality of the file, especially for playback on software decoders. The
default Sampling Rate for QSIF encoding between 90-300 Kbit/s is one third
the full frame rate (10 fps in NTSC and 8.3 fps in PAL). The default
Sampling Rate for QSIF encoding between 300-500 Kbit/s is half the full
frame rate. These default settings have been determined to give you the best
quality at low bit rates.
Sampling Rate Speed in NTSC Speed in PAL
Full 30 frames per second 25 frames per second
Half 30 frames per 2 seconds 25 frames per 2 seconds
Third 30 frames per 3 seconds 25 frames per 3 seconds
To set Sampling rates:

• In the Sampling Rates list, select a desired value.
Setting an Output Time Code

The value you specify in the Output Time Code field determines the time
code that is stamped on the first frame of your MPEG stream. When
working with the Device Control, you can instruct MPEG Composer to grab
a specific frame’s time code as you browse through your input source. This
feature is available only with Device Encoding.
To set an Output Time Code:

• In the Output Time Code box, set an Output Time Code, OR
• Click Get TC to the left of the Output Time Code box. When using the
Device Control, MPEG Composer inserts the time code of the frame
currently playing.
Setting Sampling Rates 4-29

Encoding with 3:2 Inverse Pulldown

Some NTSC videos originate from 24 fps film. In order to convert 24 fps
film to NTSC (30 fps), every fourth frame of film is duplicated. When
compressing video that originated from film, it is unnecessary to compress
these duplicated frames. To avoid compressing these frames, you can enable
the 3:2 inverse pulldown tool that converts 30 fps video to 24 fps video by
eliminating the duplicated frames. This means that during encoding, 24
frames are compressed instead of 30 frames. This increases encoding quality
and reduces the size of the created file.
You can use the MPEG Player to determine whether your video originated
from film or not. Use the Player’s Single Frame Forward button to view
encoded footage frame by frame. If you notice a repeated frame after every
fourth frame, your video probably originated from film. In this case, select
the 3:2 pulldown feature and recompress your footage. You will not be able
to detect duplicated frames if your video has been edited.
When using MPEG Fusion and MPEG Super Suite hardware, 3:2 Inverse Pulldown is
available in SIF encoding only. When Using MPEG Forge hardware, 3:2 Pulldown is available
in SIF and Half D-1 encoding only.
To enable 3:2 Pulldown:

• Under Video, select 3:2 Inverse Pulldown.
4-30 Encoding with 3:2 Inverse Pulldown

Encoding in Drop Frame Mode

In NTSC, the actual frame rate is not exactly 30 fps, but roughly 29.97 fps.
This means that the time code doesn’t match clock time. Thus, when the
time code indicates 1 hour of film, 1 hour, 3 seconds and 18 frames worth of
actual time has elapsed - or a discrepancy of 108 frames. This mode of
operation is called Non Drop Frame.
Some VCRs operate in Drop Frame mode. This mode resolves the time code
discrepancy by dropping two frame numbers every minute, on the minute,
except the tenth minutes. For example: 01:12:59:29 becomes 01:13:00:02. If
the time code display on your tape skips two frame numbers at the beginning
of every minute, except for the tenth minutes, then your tape is operating in
Drop Frame mode.
MPEG Composer and your VCR should operate in the same mode. If your
VCR is set to Drop Frame mode, you should enable Drop Frame mode in
MPEG Composer.
To activate Drop Frame mode:

• Under Video, select Drop Frame Mode.
Selecting an Audio Mode

MPEG Composer lets you encode different types of audio streams. The
MPEG standard defines the audio mode you can select for a specific audio
bit rate. Please see page 4-27 for a table of audio bit rates and their allowed
audio modes.
• Stereo
• Mono
• Dual Mono: an audio mode where two audio channels with different
audio content are encoded within one audio stream. This format is used
for Kadaoke CD.
Encoding in Drop Frame Mode 4-31

• Intensity Stereo: a method of combining the high left and right sub-
frequencies that reside in the compressed MPEG audio signal. Because
the high sub-frequencies contain redundant information it is possible to
combine left and right sub-bands to better utilize encoding resources.
Intensity Stereo refers to the part of the frequency in which sub-bands
have been combined.
The Audio Bound box in the Advanced tab lets you specify the first sub-
band you want to combine into Intensity Stereo. The sub-bands below the
number you specify will be encoded in stereo.
To select an Audio mode:

• In the Audio Mode list, select an audio mode.
Setting an Audio Frequency

When you set an audio frequency, you determine how many samples of the
analog audio per second are taken during the capture of the audio stream.
When you encode a digital input, the audio has already been sampled at a
specific frequency, usually 48 kHz or 44.1 kHz. The audio frequency you
select on the MPEG Composer must correlate with the frequency of your
digital input.
You can select between 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz.
To select an Audio Frequency:

• In the Audio Frequency list, select a frequency.
4-32 Setting an Audio Frequency

Setting Advanced MPEG Options

MPEG Composer allows you to set various advanced MPEG parameters.
The advanced MPEG parameters let you achieve a high level of control over
your MPEG file.
To set Advanced MPEG options:

• Click Properties and select the Advanced tab.
The Detailed Advanced Tab
Setting an Audio Frequency 4-33

Setting SCR or PCR (SCR)

The SCR (System Clock Reference) or PCR (Program Clock Reference) is
the internal clock that synchronizes audio and video compression. Some
playback devices require specific SCR values (Video-CDs require the SCR
to be set to 36000).
To set SCR or PCR:

• In the First SCR/PCR box, set a SCR value.
Maintaining Audio and Video Synchronization

If your video source is being filtered by an external filter, MPEG ShowSite
can store the incoming audio signal until the video reaches the encoding
chip. In this way, video and audio are synchronized when encoding begins.
The Signal Delay must be a positive value. It is specified in number of
frames.
To maintain audio and video synchronization:

• In the Audio/Video Sync box, set a value in frames.
Setting a Transport ID
The Transport ID is a 16 bit value that identifies the entire Transport stream.
To set a Transport ID:

• In the Transport ID box, set a desired value.
Setting a Program Num

The Program Num is an ID tag assigned to each Program in the Transport
stream.
To set a Program ID:

• In the Program ID box, set a desired value.
4-34 Setting SCR or PCR (SCR)

Setting PMT PID Values

The PMT Packet ID (PMT PID) is the ID tag assigned to PMT packets.
PMTs (Program Map Tables) contain important system information
necessary for random access into the Transport stream and for recovery in
case of data loss.
Setting a PMT Packet ID:

• In the PMT PID box, set a desired value.
Setting a PCR Location

Each Program in the Transport stream has its own clock, known as the
Program Clock Reference (PCR). The PCR value can be inserted into audio
or video streams.
Setting a PCR Location:

• Under PCR Location, check Audio Packets or Video Packets.
Setting the Distance between I Frames

N is the distance between two adjacent I frames. A low N value increases
the number of I frames in the MPEG file and thus its quality. However, very
low N values can also cause poor encoding quality because there may not be
sufficient bits to support their compression. For this reason it is not
recommended to set an N value much lower or higher than the default (15
for NTSC, 12 for PAL).
To set N parameters:
• In the N box, set a desired N value.
Setting PMT PID Values 4-35

Setting the Distance between P Frames

M is the distance between each adjacent I and P frame or the distance
between two adjacent P frames. In NTSC and PAL, M is often set to 3.
Decreasing the M value, increases the number of P frames in the MPEG file.
This in turn increases the size of the MPEG file. Very low M values can also
cause poor encoding quality because there may not be sufficient bits to
support their compression.
To set M parameters:
• In the M box, set a desired M value.
Setting GOP Size

The GOP parameter specifies the number of sequence headers contained
between two Groups of Pictures (GOP). A sequence header indicates the
insertion of an I frame in the encoding sequence. MPEG Composer inserts a
sequence header at the beginning of every GOP. The sequence header
contains various MPEG parameters that facilitate editing.
To set GOP size:

• In the GOP box, set a desired GOP value.
4-36 Setting the Distance between P Frames

Setting Video Buffer Verifier (VBV) Levels

The Video Buffer Verifier (VBV) is a mechanism that simulates the video
buffer levels of playback devices. By simulating the video buffer levels of
playback devices, MPEG Composer prevents data overflows or underflows
when you decode your MPEG file. Note that a playback device that has a
small VBV will not be able to play back high quality clips since it can only
store a limited amount of data in its buffers.
The Initial VBV value indicates at which buffer level threshold the playback
device starts to decode. This value affects the first frame that is decoded. If
the initial VBV value is low, the playback device will not be able to decode
a high quality frame.
VBV values are defined by the MPEG standard. Therefore, most MPEG
playback devices have standard video buffers values. Some playback
devices however, have a specific VBV size. Unless you know the VBV
value of your playback device, it is recommended that you set MPEG
Composer to the default VBV values.
When using MPEG Fusion and MPEG Super Suite hardware, changing VBV parameters is
available in SIF encoding only. When Using MPEG Forge hardware, changing VBV
parameters is available in SIF and Half D-1 encoding only.
To set VBV Buffer size:
• In the VBV Buffer box, set a buffer level.
To set initial VBV size:

• In the Initial VBV box, set an initial VBV size.
Setting Video Buffer Verifier (VBV) Levels 4-37

Assigning Video Stream IDs

MPEG Composer lets you assign ID tags to video streams residing in the
same MPEG file. An MPEG file can contain up to 16 video streams.
To assign a Video ID:

• In the Video Stream ID list, select a video stream ID tag.
Setting Video PID Values

Transport streams consist of different types of data packets. These data
packets can be video, audio or PMT packets. Each type of data packet has its
own ID tag.
To set a Video Packet ID:

• Under Video, in the PID box, set a desired value.
Encoding with Scene Change Detection

MPEG Composer maximizes encoding quality by automatically inserting I
frames at scene changes. When you disable the Scene Change Detection
feature, MPEG Composer does not automatically insert I frames at scene
changes.
When using MPEG Fusion and MPEG Super Suite hardware, Scene Change Detection is
available in SIF encoding only. When Using MPEG Forge hardware, Scene Change Detection
is available in SIF and Half D-1 encoding only.
To insert I frames at scene changes:

• Under Video, select Scene Change Detection.
4-38 Assigning Video Stream IDs

Encoding with Closed GOPs

The Closed GOP parameter relates to editing requirements.
• When Closed GOP is selected, the B and P frames in each GOP (Group
of Pictures) are not based on I and P frames in previous GOPs, but on the
I and P frames in the same GOP. This means that when you edit an
MPEG stream, cutting the stream in the middle of a GOP will not reduce
the quality of any frames in the GOP because all the reference frames are
contained in the same frame sequence.
• When Closed GOP is not selected, the B and P frames in a particular
GOP are referenced to B and P frames in previous GOPs. This means
that when you cut a stream in the middle of a GOP there might be a drop
in quality in B and P frames that are referenced to B and P frames in
previous GOPs.
To encode with Closed GOPs:

• Under Video, select Closed GOPs.
Assigning Audio Stream IDs

MPEG Composer lets you assign ID tags to audio streams residing in the
same MPEG file. An MPEG file can contain up to 32 audio streams.
To assign an Audio Stream ID:

• In the Audio Stream ID list, select an audio stream ID tag.
Encoding with Closed GOPs 4-39

Setting Audio Bound

When your audio output format is intensity stereo, MPEG Composer lets
you select the sub-band above which you want to combine audio bands.
There are a total of 32 bands in a stereo signal. If, for example, you set audio
bound at 4, MPEG Composer encodes the first four sub-bands in stereo and
the remaining 28 sub-bands in intensity stereo.
To set Audio Bound:

• In the Audio Bound list, select a Bound value.
Setting Audio PID Values

own ID tag.
To set an AudioPacket ID:

• Under Audio, in the PID box, set a desired value.
4-40 Setting Audio Bound

Working with Scheduled Commands

Schedules Commands are commands that are sent to the encoder during
encoding at specific time codes. At present, only I frame insertion is
available.
When using MPEG Fusion and MPEG Super Suite hardware, Scheduled Commands are
available in SIF encoding only. When Using MPEG Forge hardware, Scheduled Commands
are available in SIF and Half D-1 encoding only.
To work with Scheduled Commands:

• Click Properties and select the Scheduled tab.
The Scheduled Commands Tab
To improve encoding quality, the MPEG Composer lets you manually insert
I frames at scene changes. When working with manual I frame insertion, you
provide the MPEG Composer with a list of time codes which you want
encoded as I frames. The MPEG Composer regards each time code as a
scheduled command. The list of scheduled commands is stored in a text file
which has a *.scc extension. You can also import a CMX EDL file that
Setting Audio PID Values 4-41

contains an editing list and convert it to a list of scheduled commands. You

can only use scheduled commands when encoding in Device Mode.
Before creating a list of scheduled commands or importing a CMX EDL
file, there are several encoding considerations which you should take into
account when inserting I frames. These are explained below. For a better
understanding of the MPEG encoding process, please see Appendix A.
I Frame Insertion
When you insert an I-frame at a scene change two situations can occur:
1. The scene change time code you selected corresponds to a P-frame (a
reference frame). In this case, MPEG Composer encodes the frame as an
I-frame.
2. The scene change time code you selected corresponds to a B-frame. In
this case, MPEG Composer takes the first P-frame following the B-frame
and encodes it as an I-frame. Thus, the time code that appears in the list
of scheduled commands is internally adjusted to that of the next P-frame.
MPEG Composer always stops encoding on a P or I frame in the display
order. If the last time code you specified is not a P or I frame, there might be
a slight discrepancy between the last frame you specified and the last frame
which is actually encoded. This discrepancy is usually no more than 1 frame
before or after the last time code you specified.
4-42 I Frame Insertion

I, B and P Frames
B frames are called bi-directional prediction frames because they are based
on either past reference frames, future reference frames or both past and
future reference frames. When a scene change occurs on a B frame, the
motion estimation algorithm usually identifies a major difference between
the B frame and the previous P or I frame, whereas it notices little difference
between the B frame and the next P or I-Frame. MPEG Composer therefore
encodes the B frame based only on the future P or I frame. However, if this
future frame is a P frame, its description will be based on the previous
reference frame that relates to the period before the scene change. The
future P frame may then be improperly coded. By placing an I frame next to
a scene change, the B frames located between the scene change and this I
frame are properly coded because they refer to a ‘reliable’ frame. In this
way, the quality of the frame at the scene change is improved.
Bad prediction
I B B P B B P
New ‘Bad’
scene frame
Scene change
a. Without Scene change insertion
I B B P B B I
New ‘Good’
scene frame
Scene change
b. With Scene change insertion
The MPEG Frame Sequence
I Frame Insertion 4-43

Creating a list of Scheduled Commands

The list of scheduled commands is an ordinary text file which is saved with
a *.scc extension. The time codes you list have to be synchronized with the
output time code that is stamped on your MPEG file. For this reason, when
creating a *.scc file, it is best that you compress your input source and then
play it back on an MPEG player that displays output time codes. Now, you
can go over the compressed file and list the time codes you want to
compress as I frames. You list the time codes you want encoded as I frames
in the following format: [Time Code] I
The following list of time codes is an example of a scheduled commands
file:
01:12:59:18 I
01:13:02:20 I
01:13:05:05 I
01:13:07:25 I
Converting CMX EDL files to Scheduled Commands

MPEG Composer can import CMX EDL editing lists and convert them to a
scheduled commands file.
To import CMX EDL files:

1. From the MPEG Composer program group, open the MPEG Organizer.
2. On the MPEG Organizer’s File menu, click Import; the Open File
window appears.
3. Select the CMX EDL file you want to import and click Open.
4. In the Import CMX EDL File window, select Scene Change and click
OK; the MPEG Organizer loads the list of scene changes as a batch
entry. The converted file also appears in the MPEG Encoder’s Scheduled
Commands tab.
4-44 I Frame Insertion

MPEG Composer automatically saves the newly created *.scc file in the
same directory as the original CMX EDL file.If you change the name of the
*.scc file that appears in the Scheduled Commands tab, it looses
synchronization with the original CMX EDL file.
Encoding with Scheduled Commands

Whether you loaded an existing *.scc file or converted a CMX EDL file, the
scheduled commands file should appear in the Scheduled Commands tab, as
follows:
To encode with Scheduled Commands:

1. Make sure the MPEG Encoder is in Device Encoding mode.
1. Click Properties and select the Scheduled Commands tab.
2. Check Use Scheduled Commands. If the checkbox is disabled, load the
desired *.scc file into the Scheduled Commands tab.
3. Proceed to encode your MPEG file as explained on page 4-2.
I Frame Insertion 4-45

Chapter 5
Using the
MPEG Organizer
Overview
This chapter shows you how to use the MPEG Organizer. The MPEG
Organizer is a software tool that acts as a central platform for controlling all
MPEG Composer tools in batch mode. The MPEG Organizer allows you to
carry out multi-session encoding, play back and multiplexing.
The MPEG Organizer is only available with the MPEG Composer Plus.
In this Chapter:
• Using the MPEG Organizer, page 5-2
• Multi-session encoding, page 5-5
• Decoding Play Lists, page 5-15
• Multiplexing files, page 5-18
Using the MPEG Organizer

The MPEG Organizer is a powerful tool that lets you encode, decode and
multiplex multiple clips.
• The MPEG Organizer’s Encoder tool lets you carry out multi-session
encoding.
• The MPEG Organizer’s Player tool lets you play back multiple play
lists.
• The MPEG Organizer’s Muxer tool lets you carry out off-line
multiplexing.
Because all MPEG Composer tools are linked, you can use the MPEG
Organizer together with the MPEG Encoder and the Device Control to set
encoding parameters and browse through your input source.
To open the MPEG Organizer:

• In the MPEG Composer folder, double-click the MPEG Organizer icon;
the MPEG Organizer appears.
The MPEG Organizer

The MPEG Organizer’s tools are arranged in a hierarchical tree on the left
side of the main screen. The right side of the MPEG Organizer contains a
file window. The file window lists files according to the tool which is active.
At the top of the file window there are several tabs. Each tab lets you set
different system settings.
5-2 Using the MPEG Organizer

You can drag files listed in the file window to a new location in the file
hierarchy.
Managing Files and Clips

The MPEG Organizer lets you manage files listed in the file window.
To... Do This...
Activate a tool On the MPEG Organizer Tree, click the tool

you want to use.
Add a file to the file window Select the desired tool and click Add.
Delete a file from the file In the file window, select a desired file and
window click Delete.
Copy a file to the file In the file window, select a desired file and
window click Copy OR
In the file window, select a desired file and

press CTRL. Now drag the copied file to a
new location.
Paste a file in the file Place the mouse pointer in the file window
window and click Paste.
Move a file to a new Select the file you want to move and drag it
location to a new location.
Check files in the file Place the mouse pointer to the left of the
window file name and click or press the
SPACEBAR.
Check all files in the file On the MPEG Organizer Tree, use the right
window mouse button to select a tool or file. Then
select Check all or Uncheck all.
Using the MPEG Organizer 5-3

Assigning Key Image Names

You can select an image of your choice to represent each file listed in the file
window. The key images are visible when you click the Large Icons button.
To load a Key Image:

1. In the MPEG Organizer’s main screen, click the General tab; General tab
properties appears.
2. Click once under Key Image Name; the Image File Name diaolog box
appears.
3. Select a desired image. MPEG Organizer can load bmp or dib images.
The image file name appears in the Key Image Name box.
4. To view the image, on the MPEG Organizer tool bar, click Large Icons.
Executing Files
When you click Execute, the MPEG Organizer carries out the encoding,
decoding or multiplexing job you defined. The MPEG Organizer only
executes the files that are checked in the file window. You can check each
file listed in the file window separately or check all the files in the file
window.
To check each file in the file window:

• In the file window, place the mouse pointer to the left of the file name
and click or press the SPACEBAR.
To check all files in the file window:

1. On the MPEG Organizer Tree, use the right mouse button to select a tool
or a file.
2. Select Check all or Uncheck all.
5-4 Using the MPEG Organizer

Multi-session Encoding
The MPEG Organizer’s Encoder tool lets you carry out multi-session
encoding. An encoding session consists of a batch of files which are encoded
consecutively. Each file in the batch is one target file that has unique
encoding parameters. Files can also contain additional clips which have their
own encoding and system parameters.
Files
Clips
Encoder Files and Clips
A file can contain several clips. Each clip forms a segment of the target file.
Each clip has its own calibration settings and In and Out points. All the clips
are encoded to the same target file. In this way, you can encode clips from
different source devices with different parameters to the same output file.
The following illustration shows the concept of multi-clip encoding.
Clip 1 Clip 2 Clip 3
Final MPEG Clip
Multi-session Encoding 5-5

To create a file:
1. On the MPEG Organizer Tree, click Batch and then select the Encoder
Tool; the MPEG Organizer switches to encoding mode and opens the
Device Control.
2. On the MPEG Organizer’s tool bar, click Add; the MPEG Organizer
adds a file to the file window. All new files are loaded with default
parameters or the parameters you set last. By default, each file you add to
the file window contains one clip. This clip’s In and Out points are the
same as the Encoder file.
3. Repeat Step 2 for each Encoder file you want to add to the file window.
Working with Encoder Files

Each file listed in the file window contains clips. You set source parameters
and calibrate each clip separately. In addition, you assign each clip In and
Out points for encoding.
All clips are encoded to the same file. For this reason, you cannot adjust a
clip’s target or advanced parameters since these relate to the file your will
encode.
5-6 Multi-session Encoding

To create a Clip:
1. In the file window, double-click the file to which you want to add clips
OR
On the MPEG Organizer Tree, under the Encoder Tool, select the file to
which you want to add clips and click Add; the MPEG Organizer adds a
clip to the file window. The new clips contain MPEG Composer default
parameters or the parameters you set last.
2. Repeat Step 1 for each clip you want to add to the file.
3. To return to the Encoder file level, on the MPEG Organizer Tree, click
the Encoder Tool.
Editing Encoder Files and Clips

There are two ways to edit Encoder files and clips:
• Using the MPEG Organizer’s Properties tabs.
• Using the MPEG Encoder’s Properties sheet.
Editing Encoder Files in the MPEG Organizer

The fastest and most efficient way to edit files is to use the MPEG
Organizer’s Properties tabs. The MPEG Organizer has six Properties tabs.
To view a tab, click its label. You can use the keyboard or the mouse to edit
encoding settings.
The General and Clip tabs are available only on the MPEG Organizer. You
use the General tab to assign general user comments to each file (see page 5-
10). You use the Clip tab to determine In and Out points for files and their
clips (see page 5-11). For a detailed explanation of the Source, Signal
Calibration, Advanced, Target and Scheduled Command tabs, please see
Chapter 4.
An overview of the MPEG Organizer tabs appears below.

To fast edit Files and Clips:

1. In the MPEG Organizer’s file window, click a desired Properties tab; the
tab’s properties appear in the file window.
2. Select the file you want to edit and click once on the parameter you want
to change; a list of options appears.
Editable
parameter
3. Select an option from the list or enter a desired value in the parameter
box.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each parameter you want to edit.
Using the Keyboard

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts to edit Encoder files.
Function Keyboard Combination
Cut CTRL + X
Copy CTRL + C
Paste CTRL + V
Rename CTRL + F2
Move Up UP ARROW
Move Down DOWN ARROW
Up One Level Backspace
Check file SPACEBAR

Editing Encoder Files in the MPEG Encoder

Since all MPEG Composer tools are linked, parameters that you enter in the
MPEG Encoder are automatically updated in the MPEG Organizer’s
Properties tabs. For a full explanation of the MPEG Encoder’s Properties
tabs, please see Chapter 4. (The MPEG Organizer does not support the
Preset mode.)
The MPEG Encoder’s

Properties sheet

Using the MPEG Encoder to edit parameters:

1. In the MPEG Organizer’s file window, select the file you want to edit.
2. In the MPEG Encoder’s main screen, click Properties; the MPEG
Encoder’s Properties sheet appears.
• To enter Source parameters, click the Source tab.
• To calibrate the video signal, click the Signal Calibration tab.
• To set system parameters, click the Target tab.
• To set advanced MPEG parameters, click the Advanced tab.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for each file and clip you want to edit; MPEG
Composer updates the encoding settings in the MPEG Organizer.
Assigning User Comments to Files

The MPEG Organizer’s General tab lets you enter general user comments
about each file and clip. These comments help you keep track of files you
are creating.
Assigning user comments:

1. In the MPEG Organizer’s main screen, click the General tab; General tab
properties appears.
2. Select the file you want to edit and place the mouse cursor in the Name
box.
3. Click twice; the box becomes available.
4. Enter a file name.

5. Place the mouse cursor in the Comment box and click twice; the box
becomes editable.
6. Enter a desired comment.
7. Repeat Step 1 for all files and clips.
Using the Device Control to Edit Time Codes

You can use the Device Control together with the MPEG Organizer to set
frame accurate In and Out points for files and clips. Alternately, you can
enter In, Out and Duration values directly into the MPEG Organizer’s Clip
tab.
To set In and Out points:

1. In the MPEG Organizer, click the Clip tab; Clip tab properties appear.
2. Select the file or clip you want to edit.

3. Use the Device Control to browse through your input source.
4. When you reach the first frame you want to encode, click the Device
Control’s Mark In button; the time code of the frame you selected
appears in the MPEG Organizer’s Clip tab.
5. When you reach the last frame you want to encode, click the Device
Control’s Mark Out button; the time code of the frame you selected
appears in the MPEG Organizer’s Clip tab.
6. The updated Duration value appears in the Device Control window and
in the MPEG Organizer’s Clip tab.
7. Follow Steps 1-5 for each file or clip.

Assigning ID Tags to Encoder Files:

The MPEG Organizer lets you assign ID tags to files that are encoded from
different source devices. When the MPEG Organizer detects a change in the
Source ID value, it prompts you to switch your input source before encoding
the next file. This is very useful when your file consist of clips from different
cassettes or source devices.
To assign ID tags to Files:

1. Select the Encoder file you want to edit and click the Clip tab; Clip tab
properties appear.
Source
Device ID
2. Click the Device Source ID field twice; the field becomes editable.
3. Enter a source ID tag.

Importing CMX EDL Files

The MPEG Organizer can import CMX EDL files that contain previously
compiled editing lists. This feature saves you having to re-create editing
lists. The MPEG Organizer recognizes the In and Out points in the EDL file
and creates files which have corresponding In and Out points for encoding.
You can assign each file an ID tag after importing the EDL file.
To import a CMX EDL file:

1. On the MPEG Organizer’s File menu, select Import; the File Open
window appears.
2. Select the EDL file you want to import and click OK; the Import CMX
EDL box appears.
3. Select Product and Click OK.
4. The MPEG Organizer creates an file with clips that contain In and Out
points that correspond to the original CMX EDL file.
Saving Batch Sessions

The MPEG Organizer lets you save the encoding parameters of the file and
clips listed in the file window. MPEG Organizer files have a *.man
extension.
To save a batch session:

1. On the MPEG Organizer’s File menu, select Save As; the Save window
appears.
2. Enter the name of the batch you want to save and click Save; the MPEG
Organizer saves your batch list with a *.man extension.

Executing Batch Sessions

Once you have entered the encoding parameters for all your files and clips,
you can start to encode.
To encode a batch session:

• In the file window, check the files you want to encode OR
1. On the MPEG Organizer Tree, select the Encoder tool.
2. To select all files, click the right mouse button and select Check all. To
select a single file, click on the file you want to encode.
3. Click Execute; the Encoder tool encodes the files you selected and
displays encoding information in the Status bar.
4. To stop a batch, click Stop.

Decoding Play Lists

When the optional VideoPlex MPEG-2 playback board is installed, the
MPEG Organizer can play back multiple files consecutively. Each playback
entry listed in the MPEG Organizer’s file window is called a Play List. A
Play List is saved as a *.man file. A Play List can contain several files.
Loading Play Lists

You load Play Lists to the MPEG Organizer’s file window. Play Lists have a
*.man extension.
Creating Play Lists:

1. On the MPEG Organizer Tree, click the Player Tool; the MPEG
Organizer switches to playback mode.
• On the MPEG Organizer’s tool bar, click Add; the MPEG Organizer
adds a Play List to the file window.
Decoding Play Lists 5-15

Loading an existing Play List:

1. On the MPEG Organizer Tree, click the Player Tool; the MPEG
Organizer switches to playback mode.
2. On the MPEG Organizer’s tool bar click Open; the Open dialog box
appears. Browse for the file you want to add and click Open; the MPEG
Organizer loads the Play List to the file window
Each Play List in the MPEG Organizer’s file window contains files.
Adding files to Play Lists:

1. On the MPEG Organizer Tree, under Player Tool, select the Play List to
which you want to add files.
2. Click Add files; the Open dialog box appears.
3. Browse for the files you want to add and click Open; the MPEG
Organizer loads the selected files to the file window.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for every Play List to which you want to add files.
5. To save a Play List, click Save or form the File menu select Save As; the
Save As dialog box appears.
6. Enter the name of the Play List you want to save and click Save.
5-16 Decoding Play Lists

Selecting Video or Audio Streams for Playback

Some files contain multiple audio and video streams which you can select
for playback.
To select video and audio streams for playback:

1. Select a file for playback and click the Audio Parameters tab.
2. Click the Audio Stream ID box twice; an Audio Stream ID list appears.
3. In the Audio Stream ID list, select the stream you want to hear.
4. To select a video stream for playback, click the Video Parameters tab.
5. Click the Video Stream ID box twice; a Video Stream ID list appears.
6. In the Video Stream ID list, select the video stream you want to view.
Playing Back Play Lists

Once you have loaded desired Play Lists and files to the file window, you
can start decoding. You can select specific Play Lists and files for playback.
To execute Play Lists:

• In the file window, check the files you want to encode OR
1. On the MPEG Organizer Tree, select the Player tool.
select a single file, click on the file you want to encode.
3. Click Execute; the Player tool encodes the Play List and files you
selected.
4. To stop playback, click Stop.
Decoding Play Lists 5-17

Multiplexing MPEG Files

The MPEG Organizer’s Muxer tool lets you create several types of MPEG
files.
• System
• Video-CD (video and audio)
• Transport (video and audio)
• Program
Video-CD and CD-i files can contain one audio and one video stream.
Transport, System and Program files can contain multiple audio and video
streams.
Creating Muxer Target Files

You can list multiple Target files in the file window. Each Target file
consists of Source files.
To create a Target file:

1. On the MPEG Organizer tree, click Batch and then select the Muxer
Tool; the MPEG Organizer switches to multiplexing mode.
2. On the MPEG Organizer’s tool bar, click Add; the MPEG Organizer
adds a Target file to the file window. New Target files are loaded without
source files.
3. Repeat Step 2 for the number of Target files you want to add to the file
window.
5-18 Multiplexing MPEG Files

Adding Source Files

Each Target file listed in the file window can contain Source files. Each
Source file is a separate file that is multiplexed into a single target file.
To add a Source file:

1. On the MPEG Organizer tree, select the Target file to which you want to
add Source files.
2. Click Add Files; the Open dialog box appears.
3. Browse for the files you want to add and click Open; the MPEG
Organizer loads the selected files to the file window.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for every Target file to which you want to add
files.
Setting Properties of Target Files

The Muxer tool lets you set properties for the type of file you want to create.
Assigning Names to Target Files

You can assign any name to the Target files listed in the file window.
To assign names to Target files:

1. In the file window, select the Target tab; Target properties appear.
2. Under Name, click twice; the Name box becomes available.
3. In the Name box, type a name for the Target file.
Multiplexing MPEG Files 5-19

Saving Target Files

To complete a multiplexing job, you have to give your Target file a name.
Saving a Target File:

2. Under Target File Name, click twice; the Target File Name dialog box
appears.
3. Enter or browse for the name of the file you want to create and click
Save.
Setting a Target Bit Rate

The Muxer tool lets you set the bit rate of your Target file.
Setting a Target Bit Rate:

2. Under Target Bit Rate, enter the bit rate you want to set.
The Muxer tool lets you lock the Target Bit Rate to the bit rates of your
Source files. When the bit rate is locked, the Target Bit Rate is automatically
set according to the bit rates of your source files. In this case, you cannot
change the Target Bit Rate. When the bit rate is not locked, you can adjust
the Target Bit Rate, as long as the value you set is not less than the bit rates
of your source files plus multiplexing data. By default the bit rate is locked.
When calculating the Target Bit Rate, the Muxer tool only takes into account
the bit rates of files that are checked.
To unlock bit rates:

• Under Lock Bitrate, select No.


The Muxer tool lets you create the following file formats:
• System
• Video-CD
• Transport
• Program

2. Under File Format, click twice; the file format box becomes available.
3. From the File Format list, select a desired file format.
Setting a Transport ID
The Transport tab is only available if you have chosen to create a Transport
file.
To set a Transport ID:

1. In the file window, select the Transport tab.
2. Under Transport ID, click twice; the Transport ID box becomes
available.
3. Click the arrows to set a Transport ID value.

Setting Properties of Source Files

Source files are the files that will be multiplexed into a Target file.
To view Source Files:

• In the file window, double click the Target file you want to edit; Source
files appear. OR
• On the MPEG Organizer tree, select the Target file you want to edit;
Source files appear in the file window.
Assigning Names to Source Files

Each Source file can have a user defined name.
To assign names to Source files:

2. Under Name, click twice; the Name box becomes available.
3. In the Name box, type a name for the Source file.
Assigning Comments to Source Files

You can assign user comments to each Source file listed in the file window.
To assign a comment to a Source file:

1. In the file window, select the General tab.
2. Under Comment, click twice; the Comment box becomes available.
3. Enter a comment.

Setting Stream IDs

The MPEG Organizer lets you assign ID tags to video and audio streams
residing in the same MPEG stream. An MPEG stream can contain up to 16
video streams and 16 audio streams. Source files that have the same
Transport Program ID must have different Stream IDs. For more about
Transport Program IDs see page 5-21.
To set a stream ID:

1. In the file window, select the Elementary Data tab.
2. Under Stream ID, click twice; the Stream ID box becomes available.
3. From the Stream ID list, select a desired Stream ID value.
4. Repeat Steps 2-3 for all the Source files listed in the file window.
Selecting a Stream Type

In most cases, the Muxer Tool automatically detects if a Source file is a
video or audio file. If a file hasn’t been detected correctly, you can select the
appropriate type.
Selecting a Stream Type:

1. In the file window, select the Elementary Data tab.
2. Under Stream Type, click twice; the Stream Type box becomes
available.
3. From the Stream Type list, select a desired type.
Selecting a Stream PID

own ID tag. The Stream PID box is only available if you are creating a
Transport file.

To Select a Stream PID:

2. Under Stream PID, click twice; the Stream PID box becomes available.
3. Select a desired value.
Setting a Program ID
The Program ID is an ID tag assigned to each Program in the Transport
stream.
To set Program IDs

2. Under Program ID, click twice; the Program ID box becomes available.
3. Select a desired value.
Multiplexing Files
After you’ve set the properties of the file you want to create, you can start
multiplexing.
To start multiplexing your file.

• In the file window, check the Target and Source files you want to
multiplex OR
1. On the MPEG Organizer Tree, select the Muxer tool.
select a single file, click on the file you want to multiplex.
3. Click Execute; the Muxer tool multiplexes the Target and Source files
you selected.
4. To stop multiplexing, click Stop.

Chapter 6
Playing Back MPEG Files
Overview
This chapter shows you how to use the MPEG Player to play back files. The
MPEG Player is only available if you have installed an optional VideoPlex
MPEG-2 playback board. The MPEG Player decodes all streams at up to 15
Mbit/s, except Transport streams which are limited to 12 Mbit/s.
In this Chapter:
• Using the MPEG Player, page 6-2
• Setting Playback Options, page 6-3
Using the MPEG Player

The MPEG Player allows you to set playback options for the files you want
to decode. You can change playback options while files are playing. The
MPEG Player also lets you view file information.
If you have not already installed the optional VideoPlex MPEG-2 playback
board, please see your encoding system’s installation guide.
To open the MPEG Player:

• In the MPEG Composer folder, double-click the MPEG Player icon; the
MPEG Player appears.
The MPEG Player Main Screen
To open a file:
1. Click Open File; the Open File window appears.
2. Enter or browse for the name of the file you want to play back and click
Open.
6-2 Using the MPEG Player

Setting Playback Options

The MPEG Player lets you change playback settings for the files you want
to decode. You can switch playback options during playback or before
opening a file.
To set playback options:

1. Click Properties and then select the General tab.
The MPEG Player Properties Sheet
2. In the Playback Speed list, select a playback speed.

3. In the Output Video Format list, select a color system.
4. In the Audio Stream ID list, select the audio streams you want to play
back. If you are playing back a Transport stream, select an Audio
Program ID.
5. In the Video Stream ID list, select the video streams you want to play
back. If you are playing back a Transport stream, select Video Program
ID.
6. Close the Properties window.
Using the MPEG Player 6-3

Playing Back Files

1. Use the controls on the MPEG Player to view your file.
2. Use the Left and Right volume sliders to adjust the volume.
Viewing File Information

The MPEG Player lets you view file information about the file you opened
for playback.
To view file information:

• Click Properties and then select the Information tab.
The Player File Information Tab
6-4 Using the MPEG Player

Appendix A
A Guide to MPEG
Compression
Video Compression - The MPEG Algorithm

Before proceeding to encode your first MPEG files, you should be familiar
with the MPEG compression algorithm. This will help you to better choose
the compression parameters that are appropriate to your application.
The MPEG algorithm for video compression was designed to satisfy two
basic requirements: high quality video playback and high compression
ratios. The techniques used to achieve these high compression ratios are
known as transform coding (which reduces redundancy within pictures)
and motion compensation (which reduces redundancy between pictures).
To provide limited random access into the file, a complex scheme of inter-
frame coding is used in conjunction with the motion compensation.
Temporal Redundancy Reduction

In MPEG each original frame is coded as one of three pictures:
• Intra picture (I-Frame)
• Predicted picture (P-Frame)
• •Bidirectional interpolated picture (B-Frame)
I-Frames provide access points for random access but only with moderate
compression; P-Frames are coded with reference to a past picture (I-Frame
or previous P-Frame) and will, in general, be used as a reference for future
P-Frames; B-Frames provide the highest amount of compression but require
both a past and a future reference point for prediction. Note that B-Frames
are never used as references. In all cases when a picture is coded with
respect to a reference, motion compensation is used to improve the coding
efficiency. The relationship between the three picture types is illustrated
below. The organization of the pictures in MPEG is quite flexible and will
depend on application specific parameters, such as random accessibility and
coding delay.
MPEG Data Stream Structure
Motion Compensation
Motion compensation is used to code both P-Frames and B-Frames. The
motion is estimated for each 16x16 block pixel (macro block) and a
displacement vector is included in the compressed bit stream. The difference
frames (error of prediction) are also coded with transform coding. For both
P and B-Frames a macro block can be either Intra coded (no reference frame
used) or motion compensated to the previous reference frame (forward
prediction). In addition, for B-Frames, backward prediction (motion
compensated to the next reference frame) and bidirectional prediction
(motion compensated to both the previous and next reference frame) is
possible. Backward prediction is useful to code areas that do not appear in a
previous reference frame. The motion vectors of adjacent macro blocks are
highly correlated and are coded with error free compression techniques.
A-2
Spatial Redundancy Reduction - Transform Coding

Both the Intra and the error macro blocks have high spatial correlation. This
redundancy is removed using Descrete Cosine Transforms (DCT), which are
also used in JPEG and H.261. The DCT is applied on 8x8 blocks resulting in
8x8 frequency coefficients in which most of the energy coefficients with
large values are confined to a small number of coefficients. Quantization
(the lossy part of the compression) is applied to these coefficients. Since the
subjective perception of the quantization error is generally lower for high
spatial frequencies, the high frequency coefficients are quantized more
coarsely. In error blocks, coefficients are quantized more coarsely around
level zero to take advantage of the prediction coding (this is referred to as
the “deadzone”). Also, the quantization can be adjusted for each macro
block separately providing adaptation to different areas of the picture as
well as fine control of the bit rate.
Zig-Zag Run-Len Huffman

DCT Quantization
Order Pairs Coding
Transform Coding Block Diagram
The combination of DCT and quantization results in many zero coefficients.

The coefficients are organized in a zig-zag order to produce long runs of
zeros. Next, a series of run-amplitude pairs is formed and coded with
variable length coding which reduces the bit rate further.
A-3
Encoding Resolution Quick Guide

The MPEG compression process is made of several steps. First, the video
source is digitized according to the CCIR-601 specification. Then 16 pixels
that make up two black horizontal lines along the edges of the image are
removed. The resulting digital representation of the image is known as D-1.
The D-1 image is then scaled in order to produce the input resolution for
compression. The scaled image is then compressed using a DCT based
algorithm. Next, binary compression is applied to further reduce the amount
of data.
In this process, scaling holds a very important role. On the one hand it
discards information in the original image before the DCT compression
process. This discarded information is lost and cannot be retrieved. On the
other hand, scaling helps reduce the amount of data that is compressed and
therefore enables low data rates.
This guide explains the four main input resolutions that can be used for
MPEG compression in order to achieve full screen full motion digital video
(Full D-1, Half D-1, SIF). It explains the advantages and the disadvantages
of each resolution.
A-4
The Effect of the Input Resolution
Source What information do I compress? Result

Numbers for PAL color system
Full D1 (MPEG-2)
(704 * 576)
• Storage :3.5 GBytes (1 hr at 8 Mbit/s)

• typical data rates : 6-10 Mbits/s
• Top image quality
Half D1 (MPEG-2)
(352 * 576)
• Storage : 1.3 GBytes (1 hr at 3 Mbit/s)

CCIR-601 format •Typical data rates : 3-5 Mbits/s
(720 * 576) • Very high image quality
SIF (MPEG-1) • Storage : 675 MBytes (1 hr at 1.5 Mbit/s)

(352 * 288) •Typical data rates : 1-3 Mbits/s
• Good image quality although :
- Staircase effect may appear on
oblique lines
- Text may be unsharp
- Edges may appear slightly blurred
QSIF (MPEG-1) • Storage : 167 MBytes / hour

(176 * 144) • Typical rate : 250Kbits/s
• Good for quarter screen playback on
VGA monitors
A-5
What is QSIF Resolution?

The Scaling Process (PAL)
D-1 Half D-1 QSIF

Even Field
576 288 144
176 Odd Field
704
704
1. The original frame

2. Vertical scaling is 3. In order to reduce the
enters the encoder as
accomplished by original image, the
Full D-1. This is a full
discarding one field. The encoder performs
digital representation
information contained in horizontal decimation
of the original analog
this field is completely and line dropping on the
source.
lost. frame.
Image Quality Intense decimation and scaling causes loss of

detail.
Common data rate 300 kbit/s.
File size 135 Mbytes for one hour at 300 kbit/s.
Optimal distribution Intranets, hard disks, CD-ROM, T1, E1.

media
Special QSIF files are very small and can therefore be

played back on limited bandwidths and with
MPEG software players.
A-6
What is SIF Resolution?
The Scaling Process (PAL)
Even Field
288 288
Odd Field
576
704 352
704
Original source Result after scaling
Full D-1 1/2 D-1 1/4 D-1 = SIF
1. The original frame enters the encoder as 2. Vertical scaling is accomplished by 3. In order to horizontally reduce the
Full D-1. This is a full digital representation discarding one field. The original image, the encoder performs
of the original analog source. information contained in this field is horizontal decimation on the frame.
completely lost. Decimation is a process that averages
out the pixels in the image.
The resulting image that is going to be
compressed represents a quarter of
the original source.
Characteristics:
Image Quality • Similar to VHS.

• The loss of one field introduces stair case
effects on oblique lines.
• Small text may be difficult to read.
• Edges may be slightly blurred.
Common data rate • 1.5Mbits/s.

• Usually used between 1 and 3 Mbits/s.
File size • 675 MBytes per hour at 1.5 Mbits/s.
Optimal distribution • Single speed CD-ROM, Video-CD, CD-i,

media Ethernet, T1, E1.
Special • Many systems have the capability to play

these files. MPEG-1 playback capability is
already installed on many PC motherboards
or provided as a software solution.
A-7
What is Half D-1 Resolution?
The Scaling Process
Even Field
Odd Field
576
576
704 352
Original video source Result after scaling

Full D-1 1/2 D-1
1. The original frame enters the 2. Horizontal decimation is applied. No
encoder as Full D-1. This is a field is discarded. This will result in a much
full digital representation of the sharper image than SIF. Because the
original image. volume of information to compress is
higher, data rates must be increased
compared to MPEG-1.
Characteristics:
Image Quality • Nearly Betacam.

• The image is very sharp.
• Text is clear.
Common data rate • 4 Mbits/s.

• Usually used between 3 and 6 Mbits/s
File size • 1.7 GBytes per hour (at 4Mbits/s)
Optimal distribution media • Quadruple speed CD-ROM, Hard Disk

for VOD and kiosks.
Special • 100% MPEG-2 compliant.

• Can be played on all MPEG-2
decoders.
• Offers a good balance between image
quality and storage.
A-8
What is Full D-1 Resolution?
There is no Scaling Process

Even Field
Odd Field
576
1. The original frame enters the
encoder as Full D-1. This is a full
digital representation of the
original image. No information is
discarded.
704
Original video source and result
Full D-1
There is no scaling process. The entire image is compressed
Characteristics:
Image Quality • Nearly Digital Betacam.

• The image is very sharp, even on the
finest details.
Common data rate • 8 Mbits/s.

• Usually used between 6 and 10
Mbits/s.
File size • 3.4 GBytes per hour (at 8Mbits/s).
Optimal distribution media • Satellite, ATM, Hard disk for VOD

even though heavy storage capacity is
required.
Special • Full D-1 resolution is usually

compressed in Adaptive Field Frame
(AFF) mode. This means that motion
of objects is detected between fields
and not between frames as is usually
done in SIF and Half D-1. This
increases image sharpness.
A-9
Appendix B
List of SoftVTR
Supported VCRs
1/2" 3/4" 1/2" 1" DIGITAL DIGITAL Hi-8

S-VHS U-MATIC COMPONENT TYPE-C TAPE VTR
BVU-800 BVW-10 BVH-2000 DVR-1000 EVO-9600*
BVU-870 BVW-40 BVH-2180 EVO-9650
BVU-950 BVW-11 BVH-2500
BVU-900 BVW-15 BVH-2700
BVU-920 BVW-35 BVH-2800
VO-9850 BVW-60 BVH-2830
VO-9800 BVW-65 BVH-3000
BVW-95 BVH-3100
BVW-96
BVW-70
1/2" 3/4" 1/2" 1" DIGITAL DIGITAL Hi-8

S-VHS U-MATIC COMPONENT TYPE-C TAPE VTR
BVW-75
PVW-2800
AG-7750 MII AU-650
AG-7650** MII AU-660
MII AU-65
BR-S822U D-1000
CVR-40
Betacam
CVR-70
Betacam
CVR-75
Betacam
* Not Frame Accurate

** Not Recordable
B-2
Appendix C
Troubleshooting
My system has not configured my new PCI hardware correctly.

In rare cases, your system may encounter problems configuring newly
installed PCI hardware. Usually this is due to conflicting resources allocated
by your systems operating system. If this occurs, follow the steps below:
Windows 95:
• BIOS level configuration. When you configure your PCI system at the
BIOS level, you must enable a PCI slot and assign an IRQ.
• OS level configuration. When you configure your system at the OS level,
you might need to manually configure your system in order to solve
resource conflicts. To configure your system, follow the steps below.
1. On the Windows 95 Start menu select Settings.

2. In the Control Panel window double-click System; the System
Properties Window appears.
3. Under Device Manager select Other Devices.
4. Under Other Devices, select PCI Multimedia Device and click
Properties; the PCI Multimedia Device Properties window appears.
5. Click Resources.
6. Disable the Use Auto Settings checkbox.
7. In the Resource Settings list, change the IRQ setting.
Under Windows NT:

You must adjust these parameters in your system’s BIOS configuration.
Enter the BIOS configuration and make sure that there are no conflicts in
IRQs and memory spaces.
In some situations, interrupt conflicts may exist even though all the boards
in your system may seem to use different IRQs. If this occurs, disable the
use of interrupts on your encoder. To do this, in the rte.ini file, set UseInt=0.
If this command causes the encoder to function correctly, an interrupt
conflicts exists. You can then reallocate the IRQs among the boards in your
system. This command is not available with the MPEG Fusion. If you
encounter IRQ problems when installing MPEG Fusion boards, re-install
each board one at a time, each time verifying that a correct IRQ has been
assigned.
I received an I/O message after I installed the MPEG Composer.
If you encounter I/O problems after installing the MPEG Composer, do the
following:
1. In the MPEG Composer program group, double-click Configuration; the

Optibase Configuration window appears.
2. Under Audio Encoder Board, select an IRQ value from the I/O list and
click OK.
Alternatively:
1. On the Windows 95 Start menu, click Settings.

2. Click Control Panel; the Control Panel window appears.
3. Double-click Systems; the System Properties window appears.
C-2
4. Under the Device Manager tab, click System Devices.

5. Select I/O Read data port for ISA plug and play enumerator.
6. Under the Resources tab, select the correct I/O address for the AV6000
board.
7. Restart Windows 95.
How do I change Soft VTR system settings?
You can use the Windows 95 Multimedia panel or the MPEG Composer
Configuration utility to change the SoftVTR COM port setting and time
code settings.
To change SoftVTR settings from Windows:

1. On the Windows 95 Start menu, click Settings.
2. Click Control Panel; the Control Panel window appears.
3. Double-click Multimedia; the Multimedia Properties window appears.
4. Under the Advanced tab, click Media Control Devices.
5. Click SoftVTR MCI VTR Driver and then click Settings.
6. In the Soft VTR MCI Driver Configuration window, change the time
code and COM port settings.
If you encounter other problems connecting the SoftVTR software and
cables, please refer to the SoftVTR manual provided with the MPEG
Composer package.
To change SoftVTR settings from the MPEG Composer:

1. In the MPEG Composer program group, double-click Configuration; the
Optibase Configuration window appears.
C-3
2. To make the Device Control available, select Use VCR Device Control.
3. In the Port list, select a new COM Port and click OK.
When I enter target or video bit rates I get an “Out of target

range” error.
Place the cursor in the target or video box and type in your target or video
bit rates.
The audio encoding quality of my MPEG files is bad.

Under [AV6000] in the rtesdk.ini file, change the IsaSlow parameter to 0.
C-4
MPEG Composer Error Codes
Error Error Message Meaning Recommended Action
-2 Hardware not detected AV 6000 address In the rte.ini file check that
incorrect. the BaseAddress entry in
the AudioEncoder section
matches the settings of
the dip switches on the
board.
-3 Error writing to disk The disk is full or a Free up disk space to

disk error has continue encoding. If this
occurred. doesn’t help check that
your hard disk functions
properly.
-4 Audio record error MPEG Composer Make sure that the

failed to initialize AV6000 is installed
the AV6000 board. securely in its slot.
-5 Memory allocation Your system is low Try closing all non-

error on memory. essential applications.
-6 The system cannot System Try one or more of the

sustain the specified configuration is not following actions:
bitrate powerful enough to
support encoding 1. Reduce video bitrate.
at specified 2. Turn off Decoding
parameters. while Encoding.
3. Disable Write to Disk.
4. Transport encoding
uses more system
resources than other
types of encoding. Try
selecting Program or
System encoding
instead.
C-5
-7 Buffering error - may The video input 1. Check that the video
might be input you selected is
be related to an
disconnected or connected.
unstable video
noisy. 2. Check that you
source.
source device is
functioning properly.
3. Use the Auto Detect
button in the MPEG
Composer’s Source
tab to set the Color
System correctly.
-28 Message queue error A communication Try exiting the application

error occurred with or switching color system
the video encoder. settings (NTSC, PAL) and
then revert to your
previous setting.
-70 Video Fifo Overrun PC overloading See actions described in

prevented video error -6.
data from being
retrieved from the
encoding board.
-103 Audio source time out Hardware problem. Contact Optibase

technical support.
-106 Error opening file MPEG Composer This file might be open
failed to open a already or may have an
file. invalid name.
-107 Error reading file The MPEG This may be an empty file.
Composer failed to When offline multiplexing
read a file. make sure the files
specified as elementary bit
stream sources are MPEG
compliant files.
C-6
-114 Video source is not A D1 video 1. If you’ve selected a

D1 source, check that
valid, check source was
the flat cable is
connections selected but not installed correctly.
connected.
2. If not using a D1
source, contact
Optibase technical
support.
-125 Error loading dll One of the dlls Uninstall and then re-
required by the install the MPEG
MPEG Composer Composer.
has been moved
from the MPEG
Composer
directory or
corrupted.
-117 Failed initializing DWE The MPEG 1. Make sure that the
board Composer could VideoPlex is
not initialize the functioning as a
Videoplex playback board.
decoder. 2. Make sure that
another application is
not using the
VideoPlex board.
Winopti not found The MPEG 1. Reboot your system
Composer could and try activating the
not find the low- application again.
level driver.
2. If the above does not
help, try re-installing
the MPEG Composer.
-128 Winopti version This problem is Refer to the action

mismatch due to low-level specified in error -127.
driver
incompatibility.
Warning Messages
C-7
These appear as warnings on the status bar at the bottom of the main
window and do not affect encoding unless otherwise specified.
1) "Drift detected between Video and Audio boards". The drift warning can
usually be ignored unless a loss of synchronization between the video
and audio are evident at the decoded output. If this occurs, see the action
referred to in error -7 above. If the warning continues to appear, contact
your Optibase Technical Support representative,
2) "Blocks skipped during decoding while encoding". This warning might
appear when decoding while encoding. It may occur at high bit rates
when the VideoPlex loses packets of data, usually as a result of system
overload. When this occurs, blocks may appear in the decoded output.
This does not necessarily mean that the encoded stream is faulty. To
prevent system overload during see the action specified in error -6.
3) “Audio record lost samples”. A minor audio compression error
occurred, probably due to system overload. To reduce system overload,
refer to the action described in error -6. This warning may be
accompanied by a loss of audio/video sync. If audio/video sync was
maintained despite the warning, it can be ignored.
C-8
Appendix D
Timecode Types
This appendix gives a brief overview of time code types.

In analog video, there are two types of timecode:
LTC - Longitudinal Timecode

LTC is recorded on one of the audio tracks (CH2 specifically). It can be
added to an existing video track without having to regenerate.
LTC is based on a mutual audio+video starting position. It is not very
accurate since the position of the timecode stamp for any given frame may
be read as if it belongs to the next, or previous frame. In any case, an error
of ±1 frame can be expected, at most.
To recognize LTC:
• Set the Audio CH2/LTC switch (located in the tray) to LTC.
• Set the CTL/TC/UB switch to TC.
• Set the LTC/AUTO/VITC switch to LTC.
• Play the tape.
• If the dial displays a colon (:) between the Seconds and the Frames, the
tape has LTC.
• If the "on display" option is on, 'LTCR' appears in the display.
The AG-7750 can record a timecode on an existing NTSC video cassette.
VITC - Vertical Interlaced Timecode

VITC is recorded in the vertical blanking period of the video signal. To add
VITC to an existing video track, a new generation must be created.
VITC accuracy is absolute. The timecode data itself occupies two vertical
scan lines. When recording VITC, the VITC starting scan line must be
specified.
To recognize VITC:
• Set the CTL/TC/UB switch to TC.
• Set the LTC/AUTO/VITC switch to VITC.
• Play the tape.
• If the dial displays a colon (:) between the Seconds and the Frames, the
tape has VITC.
• If the "on display" option is on, 'VTCR' appears in the display.
To find which scan line contains the VITC:

1. Move the REMOTE/LOCAL switch to REMOTE and press the RESET
button. The scan line numbers are displayed and are separated by a dot
(e.g. 11.13).
To 'view' the timecode (a monitor with an under scan option must

be present):
• Repeat the above steps.
• Connect a monitor to the tape.
• Set the BYPASS/LOCAL/REMOTE switch in the TBC CONTROL
panel to BYPASS.
• Switch the monitor to "under scan" mode. The timecode will appear as
white dots and lines above the frame display.
D-2
Setting the Tape to Work with MPEG

Composer
Once the timecode is fully recognized, the tape must be configured to use
the specific timecode which has been found. To do this move the
LTC/AUTO/VITC switch to either LTC or VITC. The AUTO mode may
not be completely accurate.
Confirm that the following menu items are set:
Menu # Description Value
3002 9P Device Type S-VHS ID
3003 Remote 9P
Operation
4004 Frame Servo ON
5002 TC Source Select According

to TC
When both LTC and VITC are present, always choose VITC.
Using the TBC During Encoding

The TBC is a digital circuit which performs the following two tasks:
• Corrects shift of scan lines at the end of the tape that are caused by the
mechanical rotation of the head.
• Compensates for frames dropped during recording.
To view TBC's function:

• Connect a monitor to the tape.
• Set the BYPASS/LOCAL/REMOTE switch in the TBC CONTROL
panel to BYPASS.
D-3
• Switch the monitor to "under scan" mode. Pay attention to the lines at the
bottom of the display: they tend to shift to the right.
• Move the switch to LOCAL and wait for this artifact to disappear.
This artifact is not desired in the encoded bit stream. Therefore, during
encode, TBC should be on LOCAL. However, you must verify that the
encoder mode is appropriate. For example, if the video is 29.97 fps, the TBC
will round it up to 30 fps, so the encoder mode must be set to 30 fps.
SoftVTR Problems and Limitations

In the SVTR MCI Driver the following problems have been observed:
• SoftVTR supports the Sony 9 Pin protocol. It functions adequately on all
Sony decks, but may not work well on other decks. A SoftVTR
distributor has indicated that he had problems with it on Panasonic and
JVC decks.
• For the Panasonic AG-7750/7650: SoftVTR does not always recognize
LTC timecodes. When an LTC timecode is present, the tape display does
not indicate (when it is in remote and under SVTR's control) the colon
specifying that LTC is present. When returning to LOCAL mode, the
LTC detection is successful.
• When no timecode is present, SVTR prerolls and measures the time to
capture using the PC timer. Because of the PC timer's accuracy (≅18mS),
it is likely that the correct frame will not be captured. Do not try to
encode without specifying a timecode.
D-4
Appendix E
MPEG Composer Preset

Parameter Values
This appendix details the numerical values that a user selects when working
in the MPEG Encoder’s Preset mode.
The Target Media options in the Target tab have the following values:
Option Value
Modem Video Elementary Target File Format:
• Current Item Video Bitrate = 24 Kbit/s
• Frame Sampling = Quarter
Audio Elementary Target File Format:
• Audio Bitrate = 24
• Frame Sampling = Half
Other Target File Format:
• Frame Sampling = Fifteenth
ISDN Single Channel Frame Sampling = Quarter

Video Elementary Target File Format:
• Current Item Video Bitrate = 41.2 Kbit/s
ISDN Dual Channel Frame Sampling = Third
Video Elementary Target File Format:
Intranet 256 Kbit/s • Video Bitrate = 204 Kbit/s
• Frame Sampling = Full
Intranet 512 Kbit/s • Video Bitrate = 444 Kbit/s
• Frame Sampling = Third
Intranet 1.2 Mbit/s • Video Bitrate = 1 Mbit/s
T1 Connection • Video Bitrate = 1.25 Mbit/s
E-2
Video CD • Target File Bitrate = 1.4112 Mbit/s
MPEG-1 2 Mbt/s • Video Bitrate = 2 Mbit/s
MPEG-1 3 Mbit/s • Video Bitrate = 3 Mbit/s
The Movie Content options in the Target tab have the following values:
Option NTSC Value PAL Value

Mixed M=3, N=15 M=3, N=12
Fast Movement M=2, N=10 M=2, N=10
Talking heads M=3, N=18 M=3, N= 18
Landscape M=3, N=21 M=3, N= 21
E-3
Glossary of Terms
Access time - In mass storage devices, the time from issuance of a command
to read or write a specific location until reading or writing actually begins at
that location.
Algorithm - a detailed description of a method.
Analog Video - Video in which all the information representing images is in
a continuous-scale electrical signal for both amplitude and time.
API - Application Program Interface. A set of routines that an application
uses to request and carry out services performed by a software package.
Aspect Ratio - The ratio of width to height of a pixel or an image. Most TV
screens have an image Aspect Ratio of 4:3. Some wide screen TVs are 16:9.
The pixel aspect ration on a 4:3 TV screen is 486/711 x 4/3 = 0.911.
Artifacts - A blurred or blocky part of the image in a digital video stream.
AVI - Audio Video Interleaved. Original term for Microsoft’s Video For
Windows.
Bandwidth - Refers to the frequency range transmitted by an analog system.
In video systems, specifying the highest frequency value is sufficient, since
all video systems must transmit frequencies down to 30 Hz or lower.
Bi-directional (B) - Most highly compressed frame in MPEG file.
Bit Stream - A serial sequence of bits.
Bitmap - An image made up of pixels on the screen, stored as a collection
of bits. A bitmap file usually has the extension .BMP.
Bits per Pixel - The number of bits used to represent the color value of each
pixel in a digitized image. The color value of pixels can be 8, 16 or 24 bits.
When the color value of a pixel is 24 bits there are 16.6 million colors in an
image.
Brightness - The brightness of a picture is a description of how much light
appears to be emitted from it.
CCIR-601, now known as ITU-R 601 - A standard that defines the
encoding parameters of digital television for studios. ITU-R 601 refers to
color difference (Y,R-Y, B-Y) and RGB video. It defines sampling systems,
RGB/Y, R-Y and B-Y matrix values and filter characteristics. ITU-R 601
usually refers to color difference component digital video (as opposed to
RGB) for which it defines 4:2:2 sampling at 13.5 MHz with 720 luminance
samples per active line an 8 or 10 bit digitising.
CD-i - Acronym for Compact Disc - Interactive. A hardware and software
standard disc format that encompasses data, text, audio, still video images
and animated graphics.
CD-ROM - Compact Disc - Read Only Memory, a high capacity storage
device of 650 MB that can read, but not write data.
Chrominance - In an image reproduction system, the signals which
represent the color components of the image, such as hue and saturation. A
black-and-white image will have Chrominance values of zero. In the NTSC
television system, the I and Q signals carry the Chrominance information
(sometimes abbreviated as chroma).
Clip - a segment of a video or an entire video that is considered one unit
based on content.
CODEC - Acronym for coder and decoder.
Coding - The process of representing a varying function as a series of
digital numbers.
Color Noise - Random interference in the color portion of a composite
video system. Because of reduced color bandwidth or color subsampling,
color noise appears as relatively long streaks of incorrect color in the image.
Compact Disc (CD) - The 12 cm. (4.75 in.) optical read-only disc with a
storage capacity of 650 MB used for digital audio, data, or video in different
systems.
2 Glossary
Composite Video - A color video signal that contains all of the color
information in one signal. Typical composite television standard signals are
NTSC, PAL, and SECAM.
Compression - A digital process that allows data to be stored or transmitted
using less than the normal number of bits. Video compression techniques
reduce the number of bits required to store or transmit images.
Contrast - The contrast of a picture describes the difference between light
and dark. In a picture with high contrast the transition from dark to light is
very clear.
D1 - A format for recording digital video tape based on the ITU-R 601
standard.
Data Rate - The speed of a data transfer process, normally expressed in bits
per second or bytes per second. For example, the data rate of CD-ROM is
1.2 Mbit/s
Data Transfer Rate - Is the amount of compressed data to be passed to the
storage device each second. Each storage device has it’s own specification
as to what this rate should be, a general guidelines is:
- hard drives 300-600 KB/sec

- CD-ROM drives 150 KB/sec
- double speed CD-ROM drives 300 KB/sec.
DCT - Discrete Cosine Transform. A way of representing and compressing
8 x 8 pixel blocks of an image in terms of frequency amplitude and color.
Decode - A term meaning decompression.
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) - A high capacity storage disk that can
contain 4.7 GB of data. The DVD specification was defined to be universal,
meeting the needs of all parts of the consumer electronics, entertainment and
computer industries. Thus the same DVD disc can play in a DVD video
player or a DVD ROM drive.
Digitizing - The process of converting an analog signal into a digital signal.
With images, it refers to the process of scanning and analog to digital
conversion.
DLL - Dynamic Linked Library. A development tool.
Glossary 3
Driver - A software entity that provides a software interface to a specific

piece of hardware. For example, the MPEG-5000 video driver provides
software access to the video board hardware.
Dropped Frames - Frames in the original video which have not been
encoded in the compressed video. A large number of dropped frames
reduces the quality of the encoded video.
DVI - Digital Video Interactive, Intel compression scheme, rejected by the
ISO for the MPEG standard.
EISA - A full 32 bit bus developed in 1989 to offer support for existing ISA
expansion boards and to provide a platform for future growth. The EISA bus
can accommodate more pins than an ISA bus. An EISA connector has a two
tier slot design that can accept both ISA and EISA cards.
Encode - A term meaning compression.
Field - Individual pictures inside a video stream. One-half of a frame is
composed of odd lines of video. These odd lines comprise the odd field.
Likewise for the even field.
Frame -A single picture which is part of a series. When the series is viewed
at speed a “moving picture” is created.
Frame rate - The frame rate of a video sequence refers to how many frames
are viewed each second.
Full Motion Video - Video reproduction at 30 frames per second for
NTSC-original signals or 25 frames per second for PAL-original signals.
Green Book - The formal standards document for CD-i.
Hue - The hue of a color describes whether a color is basically red, orange,
yellow, green, etc.
Hue-Saturation-Intensity (HSI) - A tri-stimulus color system based on the
parameters of hue, saturation, and intensity (luminance). Sometimes called
HSV, for Hue-Saturation-Value.
IEC - International Electrotechnical Commission, a governing body working
with the ISO.
Image - A still picture, or one frame of a motion sequence.
4 Glossary
Interleave - An arrangement of audio and video data inside the file.

Interpolation - Scaling the image from a smaller size to a larger size while
intelligently creating new pixels.
Intra (I) - Key reference frame in MPEG compression algorithm. I-Frames
are one of the three types of frames used in MPEG compression. They
contain all the data needed to represent an entire frame, hence are referred to
as key reference frames.
ISDN - ISDN is an all digital transmission technology that integrates data,
voice and video signals. ISDN is innovative in that it delivers the speed,
reliability and flexibility of a digital signal to the home or office. The main
differences between ISDN and T1/E1 is that ISDN is a switched service
with pay-as-you-go rates, unlike a dedicated T1/E1 line. Also, in ISDN,
signaling is done on a separate channel so that more bandwidth is available
for data transfer.
ISDN uses time division multiplexing (TDM) to divide the available
bandwidth into a number of fixed-size time slots called channels. In ISDN,
the local loop (the data link between the customer and the local exchange)
consists of several logical channels. There are two basic types of channels
for ISDN: B and D. The B channel (bearer channel) carries digital data, as
well as digitized voice and video information. The B channel, which
operates at a data rate of 64 Kbit/s, can be used for both circuit-switched and
packet-switched applications. The Delta channel (signaling channel)
provides signaling and control for each ISDN line installed. Because
signaling messages over the Delta channel rarely uses all its available
bandwidth, the Delta channel can sometimes be used to carry data. When the
Delta channel does carry data, signaling messages always have priority. The
Delta channel carries 16 Kbit/s.
ISO - International Standards Organization. The governing body that creates
standards.
JPEG - Joint Photographic Expert Group, an ISO committee formed to
develop the standard for the compression of still images.
Kbits/sec - Kilobits per second. A data flow rate indicating exactly 103 bits
per second.
Glossary 5
KB/sec - Kilobytes per second. A date flow rate indicating exactly 210 bytes
per second.
Kiosk - a self standing unit used for delivering information.
Laser Disc - An analog storage device that can read, but not write, video
and sound.
Level - The signal amplitude in video.
Luminance - A component, the black and white or brightness element of an
image.
Macro block - 16 x 16 pixel squares used in the MPEG compression
scheme.
Mbit/s - Megabits per second. A data flow rate indicating exactly 106 bits
per second.
Mbyte/s - Megabytes per second. A date flow rate indicating exactly 220
bytes per second.
MJPEG or Motion JPEG - A deviation from the JPEG specification where
still image compression is used to compress motion video.
Motion Compensation - A video compression technique that makes use of
the redundancy between adjacent frames of motion video.
Motion Video - Video which displays real motion. It is accomplished by
displaying a sequence of image (frames) rapidly enough that the eye sees the
image as a continuously moving picture.
MPEG - Acronym for “Moving Picture Expert Group” - a working party of
the ISO - IEC Joint Technical Committee 1, working on algorithm
standardization for compression of motion video.
MPEG-1 - ISO standard designed for low bandwidth of compressed digital
video and audio.
MPEG-2 - ISO standard designed for transmission of high bandwidth
compressed digital audio and video such as that used by broadcast
television.
MPEG Playback Device - A hardware or software based device that
decodes MPEG files to a VGA monitor or a TV monitor.
6 Glossary
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) - A serial digital bus

standard for interfacing of digital musical instruments. MIDI is widely used
in the music industry.
NTSC - Acronym for National Television Systems Committee, the
standardizing body which in 1953 created the color television standards for
the United States. This system is called the NTSC color television system. It
is also used in Japan, Canada and Mexico. The bandwidth for NTSC is 4.2
MHz for the luminance signal and 1.3 and 0.4 MHz for the I and Q color
channels. NTSC produces 30 frames per second. The line and field format
of NTSC is 525/60.
OLE - Object Linking and Embedding. A Microsoft protocol for linking
applications.
PAL - Phase Alternation Line describes the video standard used in Europe
and most of the world. PAL is based on a 625/50 line/field system. The
bandwidth for PAL is 5.5 MHz luminance and 1.3 MHZ for each of the
color difference signals, U and V. PAL produces 25 per second.
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) - PCI is a high speed system bus
specification that provides 32 bit or 64 bit data paths at 33 MHz or 66MHz
clock rates. The PCI specification was developed by Intel.
Pixel - a single element in a picture.
Post-filtering - Processing done to a picture after compression. I.e., scaling
to size and smoothing edges.
Pre-filtering - processing done to picture prior to compression. I.e., scaling
to size and smoothing edges.
Predicted (p) Frame - frames used in MPEG compression which are coded
with respect to the nearest previous I or P frames. P-Frames serve as a
prediction reference for B-Frames and future P-Frames.
Red Book - the formal standards document for CD Digital Audio.
Saturation - defines the purity of a color. A color with a high saturation
appears very intense and strong, a color with low saturation appears washed-
out. Zero saturation is white (no color), and maximum saturation is the
deepest or most intense color possible.
Glossary 7
S-Video - a video signal that carries separate luminance and chrominance

signals.
SECAM - Acronym for “Sequential Color Avec Memoire (Sequential Color
with memory), which is the color television system developed in France and
used in some other countries.
Seek time - In a mass storage device, the time required to position the read
head over the track containing the desired data.
SIF - Standard Image Format describing a resolution of 352 x 240 (NTSC)
pixels or 352 x 288 pixels (PAL).
SMPTE time code - A standard for a signal recorded on video tape to
uniquely identify each frame of the video signal. It is used to control editing
operations. (SMPTE stands for Society of Motion Picture and Television
Engineering).
Stream - The flow of data as a sequence of bits. Also bit stream.
Subcarrier - In a composite color television system, a high-frequency
carrier on which the chrominance information is modulated, before
combining with the luminance signal.
T1/E1 - A T1 service is a framed communication protocol that delivers a
two-way connection at 1.544 Mbit/s each way. In Europe and other
countries outside the U.S., the equivalent of T1 is a service called E1 - a
two way connection at 2.048 Mbit/s. T1 and E1 define the physical,
electrical and framing requirements of the interface. Therefore the actual
transmission media is irrelevant and can be different types of lines such as
microwave, optic fiber or copper wire.
Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) - A class of software program which,
upon execution, installs itself in RAM and quits. The “resident” module
which remains in RAM performs some kind of function for other programs
which are subsequently run. The TSR is one approach for installing a
special-purpose driver.
Threshold - In a digital circuit, a dividing line between circuit signal levels
representing different digital values.
Time Base Corrector - Equipment that corrects time base errors in video
tape recorders.
8 Glossary
Time Base Errors - In video tape recorders, analog artifacts caused by

nonuniform motion of the tape or the tape head drum. Typically visible as a
horizontal jitter or instability in the reproduced picture.
Transform - In data compression, a process that converts a block of data
into some alternate form that is more convenient or efficient.
True Color - The representation of color by varying amounts of red, green,
and blue. There are 256 shades of each available. When you mix all of these
together you find there are 16.7 million possible colors. Hence the term True
Color.
Truncation - In video compression, the technique of reducing the number
of bits per pixel by throwing away some of the least significant bits from
each pixel.
VFW - Video for Windows, Microsoft’s interface for digital video.
Video-CD - A compact disc format standard developed by Sony, Phillips,
JVC and Matsuhita. Compact discs recorded in Video-CD format can be
played on CD-i, Video CD, CD-Rom drives, and CD players that have
digital ouput and an add on video adapter.
VOD - Video on Demand. A term describing the ability of a user to request
any given video at any given time.
VTR/VCR - Video Tape Recorder or Video Cassette Recorder, a frame
accurate recording and playback tape deck, usually of professional
capabilities.
.WAV file - widely used sound file format for the PC.
Glossary 9
Index
A D
Adjusting Audio Gain Control, 4-14, Decoding Play Lists, 5-15
4-24 Detailed Encoding, 4-18
Assigning Calibrating the Video and Audio
Audio Stream IDs, 4-39 Source, 4-20
Video Stream IDs, 4-38 Setting Advanced MPEG Options, 4-
Audio elementary. See Setting a File 33
Format Setting Source Parameters, 4-18
Setting Target Parameters, 4-25
B Device Control
Batch Entries Device Delay, 3-4
Assigning ID tags, 5-12 Drop Frame Mode, 3-6
Editing, 5-7 Keyboard shortcuts, 3-8
Editing Time Codes, 5-11 Playback controls, 3-7
Executing, 5-14 Preroll Delay, 3-5
Tabs, 5-7 Setting properties, 3-4
Time Code Format, 3-5
C Using, 3-3
Calibrating
E
the Video Source, 4-12, 4-21
Closed Caption Encoding, 4-10, 4-20 Encoding
Composite. See Selecting a Video Device, 4-5
Input. See Selecting a Video Input in Drop Frame Mode, 4-31
Manual Encoding, 4-3
Semi-manual, 4-4
The Basics, 2-4 with the MPEG Player, 4-7

with 3 Program. See Setting a File Format
2 Inverse Pulldown, 4-30
S
with Scene Change Detection, 4-38
Saving
Error Logging, 2-6
Batch Entries, 5-13
Event Viewer, 2-6
Encoding Parameters, 4-2
F MPEG Streams, 4-3
Scheduled Commands, 4-41
File Name, 4-3
Selecting
Filtering the Video Source, 4-13, 4-
23 a Color System, 4-9, 4-19
a File Format, 4-27
H a Video Input, 4-10, 4-19
Horizontal Filter, 4-23 an Audio Input, 4-10, 4-19
an Audio Mode, 4-31
I Resolution, 4-28
I Frame Insertion, 4-42 Setting
an Audio Frequency, 4-32
M an Output Time Code, 4-29
Maintaining Audio and Video Sync, Audio Bound, 4-40
4-34 Bit Rates, 4-25
MPEG Organizer Tools, 5-3 File Format, 4-16
Multiplexing MPEG Files, 5-18 GOP Values, 4-36
Multi-session Encoding, 5-5 M Values, 4-36
Movie Content, 4-16
P N Values, 4-35
Playing Back MPEG Files, 6-2 Playback Options, 6-3
System Clock Reference, 4-34
PRD files, 4-2
Target Media, 4-15
Preset Encoding, 4-8
VBV Levels, 4-37
Calibrating the Video and Audio
Source, 4-11 S-Video. See Selecting a Video Input.
See Selecting a Video Input
Setting Source Parameters, 4-9
System. See Setting a File Format
Setting Target Parameters, 4-15
Previewing T
MPEG Streams, 4-6
Transport. See Setting a File Format
with Decoding while Encoding, 4-7
2 Index
U Video CD. See Setting a File Format

Video elementary. See Setting a File
Unbalanced, 4-10, 4-19
Format
Using the MPEG Organizer, 5-2
Video+audio. See Setting a File
Format
V
Viewing File Information, 6-4
Vertical Filter, 4-23
Index 3
Technical Support
If you encounter problems installing or using MPEG Composer™ after
thoroughly reading the MPEG Composer™ user’s manual, contact
Optibase’s technical support staff as listed below:
International
7:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. (G.M.T.) Sunday to Thursday
(Friday: 7:00 A.M. to 2:00 PM)
Telephone Number: +972-9-9709288
FAX: +972-9-9586-099
E-mail tsg_intl@optibase.com
North America and Mexico
8:30 A.M - 5:30 P.M., (Pacific, Monday to Friday)
Telephone Number: 1 800-451-5101, +1-408-260-6760
FAX: +1-408-244-0545
E-mail tsg_usa@optibase.com
Europe
Telephone Number: +44-1249 460 066
FAX +44-1249 461 066
E-mail tsg_euro@optibase.com
Before calling Optibase’s technical support, please fill out the Technical
Support Worksheet on the following page. Having this information available
can save a lot of time. In many instances, the configuration information
described in the worksheet will be needed to accurately diagnose your
problem.
Technical Support Service Worksheet

Before requesting technical support from an authorized Optibase distributor
or Optibase technical support staff, please fax in this form.
Company
Contact
Address
City/State/Zip
Tel Fax
Product Purchased
Serial Number
MPEG Composer Software Version
System Configuration
Vendor Model
CPU Type Speed
RAM(MB) BIOS Rev
Disk Controller I/O Address
Bus Type Hard Disks
Network Adapter I/O Address
Graphic Board/Overlay Board/VIW Board
Sound Board I/O Address
Other I/O Address
End User License Agreement for the Attached Software

1. The software and the documentation are unpublished copyright works that may only be
used on the type of machine described on the label of the pertinent diskette.
2. Neither the software nor the documentation may be copied in whole or in part, except for
back-up and archiving purposes. The copyright notices and trademarks appearing on the
software, on the diskette, and in the documentation as supplied to the End User must
appear on all copies. If stated in the documentation, the End User may incorporate all or
part of the software, or documentation in other software, but this other software or
documentation must then contain the copyright notices appearing in the software and
documentation as supplied to the End User.
3. The End User shall not reproduce (except as provided for above), transfer, download,
reverse compile, disassemble or modify the product in whole or in part. Title to an interest
in the software shall remain at all times the sole and exclusive property of Optibase and/or
third party copyright owners.
4. Subject to the End User Registration Card being completed and returned to the address
specified herein, Optibase Sales Organization, or the sales outlet from which the software
was obtained, guarantees: (i) the carrier material (diskettes, tapes or other) against bad
workmanship or faulty material; (ii) that the reproduction of the software on the carrier
material is complete; (iii) that the software functions as described in the documentation.
The warranty period is 90 (ninety) days from the date of delivery to the End User by the
said organization or outlet. Under this warranty, the End User will be provided with
another, unopened software package containing the same software, provided that the fault
is reproducible under normal use in accordance with the documentation, and the faulty
software package is returned. The above is a limited warranty and the only one given to
the End User. It replaces any other express, implied, statutory or other warranties, such as
(but not limited to) the warranty of merchantibility or fitness for a particular purpose.
Optibase shall not be liable for loss, or damage to, data; loss of revenue or any indirect or
consequential damages; loss or costs caused by the use of the software or documentation.
5. The End User acknowledges that the software, documentation and user’s manual
contained unpublished copyright work and valuable confidential and proprietary
information and know-how of Optibase and/or third party copyright holders.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Standard End User License Agreement,
Optibase shall have the right to invoke any and all remedies available to it in law and
contract, including the right to claim damages, in the event of the End User’s failure to
comply with the obligations of this Standard End User License Agreement.
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MPEG Composer

MPEG-1 Encoding User’s Manual

MPEG Composer, MPEG9000, DVD Fab!, MPEG ShowSite, MPEG

Optibase Inc., California

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Optibase,

The MPEG Composer™ is a Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 software

MPEG Composer Tools

1-2 MPEG Composer Tools

MPEG Composer Tools 1-3

What’s in this Manual

1-4 What’s in this Manual

The MPEG Composer Desktop

Title Bar Close

Working with MPEG Composer Windows

• Hold down the left mouse button and drag the

Minimize Windows • Place the mouse pointer on the Minimize button,

2-2 The MPEG Composer Desktop

Selecting MPEG Composer Options

• Checkboxes: select the box to enable the option.

• Sliders: drag the slider to set a value.

The MPEG Composer Desktop 2-3

MPEG Encoding: The Basics

Signal Calibration Tab

2-4 MPEG Encoding: The Basics

1. Set Source parameters The Properties sheet’s Source tab.

2. Calibrate the input signal The Properties sheet’s Signal Calibration

3. Set MPEG parameters The Properties sheet’s Target tab.

4. Preview the MPEG The MPEG Player.

5. Encode an MPEG The Encoder’s main window.

The following table gives an overview of multi-session encoding with the

1. Set Source parameters The MPEG Organizer’s Source tab.

2. Calibrate the input signal The MPEG Organizer’s Signal

3. Set MPEG parameters The MPEG Organizer’s Target tab.

4. Set Advanced parameters The MPEG Organizer’s Advanced tab.

5. Set In and Out points The MPEG Organizer’s Clip tab.

6. Preview the MPEG stream The MPEG Organizer Player tool.

7. Encode an MPEG stream The MPEG Organizer’s main window.

MPEG Encoding: The Basics 2-5

To set Event Viewer Options:

2-6 Error Logging

The Event Viewer’s Properties Sheet

To specify a range of errors to view:

Error Logging 2-7

The Device Control

Working with Device Control

3-2 Working with Device Control

Using the Device Control

The Device Control Window

Working with Device Control 3-3

Setting Device Control Properties

To set Device Control properties:

The Device Control Properties Sheet

Setting a Device Delay

3-4 Working with Device Control

To set a device delay:

Setting a Preroll Delay

To set a preroll delay:

Selecting a Color System

To set the video format of your source device:

Selecting a Time Code Format

Working with Device Control 3-5

To set a time code:

Encoding with Drop Frame Mode