These release notes provide information on the latest version of ATI's MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ (MMC). The ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ is updated to version 8.9. This version of the MMC has been further enhanced for improved stability, features and performance.
The ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ provides information on the following:
- ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9 System Requirements
- New Features found in the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9
- Downloading the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9
- Installing the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ Version 8.9
- Configuring EAZYSHARE™ on Client PCs containing an ATI ALL-IN-WONDER™
- Using EAZYSHARE™ for the First Time
- Using the Media Library and File Player to remotely play VCR files
- Using EAZYSHARE™ to Record Video
- Known Issues with ATI EAZYSHARE™
- Troubleshooting ATI's EAZYSHARE™
- Resolved issues in MMC 8.9
- Direct Memory Access Settings
- Known Issues with the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9
- Known issues with DVD Playback
- Known issues with TV
- Using EAZYLOOK™
- Using the USB Remote Control
- Using the ATI ALL-IN-WONDER™ with Creative's Audigy family of Cards
ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9 System Requirements
This section provides information on the system requirements for successful installation and operation of the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9. The following is a list of system requirements for successful installation of the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9:
- Sound Card with DirectSound drivers
- Motherboard with AGP or PCI bus slot
- USB Port (for the REMOTE WONDER™ control)
- PIII 500, AMD Athlon 500 or better recommended
- 128 MB of memory recommended
- Windows 98(SE), Windows ME, Windows 2000 or Windows XP
- DirectX 9.0 or later
- Remote Wonder version 2.2 or later is required for EAZYLOOK™
Note: An ATI graphics card must be installed as the primary display adapter under Windows. This does not pertain to the ATI TV WONDER™
Note: Windows NT is not supported. Windows 98 (SE) is supported through the Windows ME drivers.
Note: The Terminal Services must be disabled in Windows 2000 Advanced Server.
Caution: You must uninstall any previous version of ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ before installing this version.
New Features found in the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9
The ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ version 8.9 includes the following new features:
- Smooth Aspect Ratio Transition Enhancement
- EAZYLOOK™ Menu Functionality
- Enhanced Scheduled Event Recording
Note: Not all features found in the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ Version 8.9 are supported on all ATI graphic cards.
Smooth Aspect Ratio Transition Enhancement
EAZYLOOK™ allows the user to view TV and DVD features from a distance. Currently when changing the aspect ratio in the TV or DVD the transition changes are not smooth. This new feature allows for a smooth transition when changing the aspect ratio.
EAZYLOOK™ Menu Functionality
With the new EAZYLOOK™ menu functionality, feature level menus can now be viewed when using EAZYLOOK™. Feature can now be configured with ease when using EAZYLOOK™. Further, users will have an easier time changing settings that are mapped to programmable keys on the remote.
Enhanced Scheduled Event Recording
The latest version of the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ now allows users to right-click on the record button. This action provides the user with a drop down menu that displays a short cut to the recording options that are available.
Downloading the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9
This section provides information on how to successfully download the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ (MMC) Version 8.9. ATI recommends that you create a central location for all your ATI downloads. To do this, follow these steps:
- Right-click on any open area of your desktop. A drop down menu is displayed.
- Select New->Folder. A new folder is created on your desktop.
- Name the folder CATALYST™ Downloads.
- Navigate to the ATI software download web page, and select the software driver you require.
- Click Download. A File download dialog box is displayed.
- Click Save. The Save As dialog box is displayed.
- Navigate to the CATALYST™ Download folder, and click Save.
You have successfully saved the software driver to your desktop.
Installing the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ Version 8.9
This section provides information on how to successfully install the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ (MMC) To install the MMC, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the CATALYST™ download folder on your desktop.
- Double click the MMC folder. The setup.exe application file is displayed.
- Double-click setup.exe. The InstallShield Wizard is displayed.
- Click Next. The ATI Software License Agreement is displayed.
- Click Yes. The Customer Information window is displayed.
- Enter the User Name and Company. Click Next. The method of installation window is displayed.
- Click Typical Recommended for most computers. The installation of the MMC software driver is started. The InstallShield Wizard Complete window is displayed.
- Select Yes, I want to restart my computer now, and Click Finish to restart your system and complete the installation of the MMC™ software.
You have successfully installed the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ software drivers.
Configuring EAZYSHARE™ on Client PCs containing an ATI ALL-IN-WONDER™
This section provides information on to successfully installing the ATI MMC and configuring the EAZYSHARE™ software when a client PC contains an ATI All-In-Wonder product. To do this, follow these steps:
- Follow the instruction as listed above.
- When the method of installation window is displayed, click Custom: For advanced users and system administrators. Then the Choose the components Setup will install dialog box is displayed.
- Click Next. The installation of the EAZYSHARE™ software driver is started. The Select Features window is displayed.
- Ensure EAZYSHARE™ is selected and click Next. The Select Features, options you want to install window is displayed.
- Select EAZYSHARE™ Client, and click Next. The Setup Complete window is displayed.
- Click Finish to restart your system and complete the installation of the MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ and EAZYSHARE™ software.
You have successfully installed the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ and configured the EAZYSHARE™ software.
Using EAZYSHARE™ for the First Time
When using EAZYSHARE™ for the first time, it is recommended that you ensure your network is configured correctly and that all computers connected to the network can communicate with each other.
For the server computer, the following is recommended:
- Start the ATI TV application and run through the initialization wizard.
Caution: When the Typical Audio Connections window is displayed, ensure that you have selected the option: I have connected the cable.
- Go to the TV Setup->Display tab, and uncheck the Crop Video option.
- If using the GemStar TVGuide+, you may need to update the TV Guide channel information. To update the GemStar TV Guide+, launch the application and following the on screen instructions.
Using the Media Library and File Player to remotely play VCR files
This section provides information on using the Media Library and the File Player to remotely play VCR files.
Caution: It is not possible to stream VCR files when using the File Player and EAZYSHARE™ TV at the same time
In order to stream a VCR file over the network, ATI recommends the following:
- Configure the Server PC to share the folder containing the media files
- On the client PCs, map a network drive to the folder on the server that contains the media files
- Start the Media Library and allow it to scan for content, including the mapped network drive. The media files on the server are then added to the library as regular (not EAZYSHARE™) content. These files can then be played back simultaneously using EAZYSHARE™ TV.
Using EAZYSHARE™ to Record Video
When recording video using EAZYSHARE™ ATI recommends that you go to the TV Setup->Display tab, and uncheck the Crop Video option. This will provide for improved stability when recording video.
Note: The Crop Video option cannot be disabled if TV on Demand is enabled
Known Issues with ATI EAZYSHARE™
This section provides information on known issues associated with ATI's EAZYSHARE™.
Troubleshooting ATI's EAZYSHARE™
This section provides information on troubleshooting the EAZYSHARE™ application.
- Not all clients are being seen
- Run the Configuration utility on the server. Ensure the Allow All Clients radio button is selected, or if the current setting is Per Client, ensure the problematic Clients are listed and allowed (Green check mark). You may want to temporarily select Per Client to ensure the server can communicate with the clients.
- The server name is empty
- Run Configuration utility on the Client. Ensure the correct server name is displayed. If server name is empty, click the Scan Network button
- Clients cannot connect
- If the Server's TV Setup dialog is being displayed, the clients cannot connect. Close the setup dialog box.
- If the Server is in EAZYLOOK™ mode, the clients cannot connect. Ensure the ATI TV Player is either in a windowed mode or full screen mode on the server.
- The History file is corrupted
- If the client computer loses connection to the server, an EAZYSHARE™ file, named ATI-HSTShift.his may become corrupted. In this event, ATI recommends that you delete this file. The file is located in a hidden folder. Go to the EAZYSHARE™ TV Setup page, click on the TV-On-Demand tab locate the Drive to use for Temporary File. Ensure to enable search for hidden files and folders and delete the ATI-HSTShift.his file.
Resolved issues in MMC 8.9
This section provides a summary of the issues that have been resolved in the latest version the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™.
- Tele-text corruption is no longer seen when changing the DPI setting from 96 to 120
- Shutting down the TV with Picture in Picture enabled no longer results in a blank Picture in Picture window frame being displayed once the TV is restarted
- Running live TV for an extended period of time with closed captioning enabled no longer results in a MS Windows error message
- Switching to time-shifting delayed mode from time-shifting live mode no longer results in the actual time of broadcast being incorrect
- Enabling the Closed Caption to display on both the external Closed Caption window and over the video no longer results in the Closed Captioning not displaying over the video once the Closed Captioning window is disabled
- Playing an MPEG2 file and enabling EAZYLOOK™ mode followed by taking a snapshot no longer results in the display going black
- Using the ATI DVD player followed by ejecting the DVD no longer results in the boarder around the ATI DVD player disappearing
- Using the remote to enter the library in EAZYLOOK™ mode followed by pressing the power button to display the message box results in the MMC failing to respond when pressing the left mouse button on the remote to close the application
- Launching the ATI DVD player in EAZYLOOK™ mode followed by ejecting and reinserting a DVD no longer results in the screen flickering
- The ATI EAZYSHARE™ TV and the File player can now run simultaniously
- The error message upgrade your ATI RADEON™ display drivers no longer appears when running the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ on non ATI graphic cards
- Launching the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ with the remote wonder software not enabled no longer results in an error message being displayed
Direct Memory Access Settings
Direct Memory Access (DMA) is essential for smooth DVD playback. It is also essential for the correct behavior of TV-ON-DEMAND. During installation of the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9, a hardware check of the DMA setting is made and a warning issued if the DMA is not enabled. This section provides information on the following:
Setting the DMA Option under Windows ME
To enable the DMA setting under Windows ME, follow these steps:
- Right click on My Computer.
- Select Properties. The System Properties dialog box is displayed.
- Click on the Device Manager tab.
- Select the CD ROM section, and select your DVD ROM drive or, select the Hard Disc controllers' section, and select your HD.
- Click on the Properties button. The CD-ROM or Hard Disc controller properties are displayed.
- Click the Settings tab.
- Place a check mark beside the DMA option.
- Click OK.
You have successfully enabled the DMA setting.
Setting the DMA Option Under Windows 2000 and Windows XP
To enable the DMA option under Windows 2000 and Windows XP, follow these steps:
- Click Start->Settings->Control Panel. The Control Panel dialog box is displayed.
- Double-click System. The System Properties is displayed.
- Select the Hardware tab.
- Click the Device Manager button. The Device Manager dialog box is displayed.
- Double-click the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
- For both the Primary IDE Channel and the Secondary IDE Channel, double- click on the device to display its respective properties.
- Select the Advanced Settings tab.
Note: The Advanced Settings tab may not appear for all IDE controller devices.
- Ensure the Current Transfer mode is not set to PIO only. If necessary, change the setting to DMA if available.
- Apply the changes and re-start Windows.
You have successfully enabled the DMA setting.
Known Issues with the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9
The following section provides information on known issues and product limitation for the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ 8.9.
- Creating a new preset for recording with video standard set to MPEG 4 results in the MMC mistakenly setting the file type to VCR resulting in non-playback of the file
- Exiting EAZYLOOK™ when teletext is enabled results in an ATIMMC error message
- Setting the display properties to 16bpp and enabling Closed Captioning with solid background results in the background being missing. This issues is known to occur when using the ATI TV Wonder with a third party graphic card
- Changing the broadcast standard while watching TV results in the TV application failing to respond. This issue is known to occur under Windows ME with the ATI TV Wonder installed
- The channel from the mainview window is incremented by 1 and then shown in the PIP window when starting the TV with EAZYLOOK™ enabled
- Launching RTV with EAZYLOOK™ enabled followed by entering the audio mode setup results in the audio modes being greyed out
Color Depth and Resolution Switching
Changing the color depth or display resolution while the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ is running may result in an operating system or ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ failure. ATI recommends you exit the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ before changing the resolution, color depth, or switching to a full screen DOS session.
Recording from a Source Encoded with Analog Copy Protection
The ATI ALL-IN-WONDER™ products detect analog copy protection on the input source and will refuse to capture video from such sources. The record button automatically becomes disabled. Further, TV-ON-DEMAND is not possible with an analog copy protected source.
TV Magazine and HTML Files
When using the TV Magazine feature, if you save to an .html file, note that still captures are saved in the same directory where the .html file is located. Each still capture is saved as a separate .jpg file. This is the correct behavior for HTML documents.
Video CD Playback
Certain older Video CD 2.0 discs contain authoring problems, which prevent them from working under Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
Still Capture and the File Player
Still capture is not supported for all formats that can be played through the File Player. For these formats the still capture button is does not function.
Extended Desktop and the File Player
Playback on the secondary monitor is not supported for all formats when extended desktop is enabled.
Corrupted Database with Gemstar Guide Plus+
While ATI and Gemstar closely monitor the TV Listings data, on rare occasions corrupted data may make the TV Guide software fail to startup. If this occurs, follow these steps:
- Go to the Add/Remove Programs.
- Select Gemstar GUIDE Plus+.
- Click on Add/Remove programs.
- When the dialog appears select Repair.
This will repair the broken database. The next time you run GUIDE Plus+ you will be asked to re-enter your name, E-mail and ZIP/Postal code.
For more information, go to: http://www.ati.com/support/faq/guideplusfaq.html.
Known issues with DVD Playback
This section provides information on known issues with the DVD Playback. This includes the following:
Color Depth Requirements
Playing DVDs in 8 bits per pixel (256 color mode) may result in choppy playback.
Jittery DVD Playback
On certain DVD video content you may experience sporadic jittery playback. You may also experience this while opening other windows or applications while DVD is playing. Make certain that you have the latest chipset drivers for your system to ensure optimal playback, and ensure that you have DMA enabled.
Screen Savers
The ATI DVD player cannot disable certain windows screen savers. OpenGL screen savers should not be activated during DVD playback. Disable any system screen savers before running DVD.
DVD and Component Video
When playing DVD titles on Component Video in 480P mode, the image will not be correctly centered. This issue will be addressed by a future ATI Display driver update.
Known issues with TV
This section provides information on known issues with TV. This includes the following:
Consecutively Scheduled Events
If you schedule two or more recording events that are consecutive in time, the second event may not start, as the previous event has not completed saving the recording to your HD. To avoid this, make the temporary capture drive the same drive as where you have designated the scheduled event to save to, or from the scheduler in the player, adjust the time of the second event to be 1 or 2 minutes after the first event.
Microsoft MS Messenger
Microsoft's MS Messenger cannot currently capture video from the ATI ALL-IN-WONDER™ cards. Under Windows XP Microsoft has published an update to address this issue at: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/ q310/5/07.asp.
Using EAZYLOOK™
This section provides information for using EAZYLOOK™. This includes the following:
- Choosing EAZYLOOK™ Options and Skins
- Enabling and Disabling EAZYLOOK™
- EAZYLOOK™ Permanent Indicators
- EAZYLOOK™ Transitions on Intel PIII Processors and Windows ME
- EAZYLOOK™ and Multimonitor Environments
Choosing EAZYLOOK™ Options and Skins
EAZYLOOK™ includes 3 different skin colors, red, blue and green. The skin colors can be selected in the Skins tab of the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ Configuration Applet. In addition to the skin colors, there are a number of other EAZYLOOK™ options that can be configured under the EAZYLOOK™ tab of the Configuration Applet. To open the Configuration Applet either select Configuration under Start ->Program Files->ATI Multimedia, or click on the checkmark button in the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ LaunchPad.
Enabling and Disabling EAZYLOOK™
There are several ways to enable EAZYLOOK™ including:
- Any key on the remote (default)
- Full screen button on the remote (default)
- Full screen mode in the application
- Always use EAZYLOOK™
Similarly EAZYLOOK™ can be disabled by:
The default behavior is to enable EAZYLOOK™ with any key on the remote and disable EAZYLOOK™ by pressing the ESC key. These options may be changed in the EAZYLOOK™ tab of the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ control panel.
EAZYLOOK™ Permanent Indicators
EAZYLOOK™ supports a strip of indicators in each feature that show permanent or sticky settings such as, Mute, CC, Looping, and more. These indicators are preeminently displayed in a strip down the right side of the display. Whether or not EAZYLOOK™ displays these permanent indicators can be controlled in the EAZYLOOK™ tab of the Multimedia Control Panel. By default permanent indicators are enabled.
EAZYLOOK™ Transitions on Intel PIII Processors and Windows ME
EAZYLOOK™ includes the ability to perform many animated transitions and effects of the various user interface elements. Under Windows ME, or on a Pentium III class CPU, these effects have been disabled by default. They may be re-enabled in the EAZYLOOK™ options tab of the control panel. Although, full frame rate may not be achieved in these configurations. ATI recommends a Pentium 4 or equivalent CPU, and Windows 2000 or Windows XP to ensure that the EAZYLOOK™ transitions look their best.
EAZYLOOK™ and Multimonitor Environments
EAZYLOOK™ can be used in a multimonitor environment, but EAZYLOOK™ must be run on the primary display. To run EAZYLOOK™ on your TV you must set the TV as the primary display device.
Note: EAZYLOOK™ is not compatible with ATI's OVERLAY THEATER MODE
.Using the USB Remote Control
This section provides information on using a USB Remote Control. This includes the following:
USB RECEIVER PLACEMENT
For optimum reception, the USB receiver should be placed as far from the case of your PC as possible. Do not place it close to your TV. Leaving the cover off the PC, or having the receiver in close proximity to other high frequency devices may effect the range and/or reliability of the remote. If you have a USB HUB, connecting the receiver to the hub may increase the performance of the remote control.
USB DEVICE CONFLICT
If the USB device is incorrectly installed, the receiver will be listed in the device manager as a non-working device. To resolve this try plugging the USB remote receiver into a different USB port to force Windows to re-detect the hardware, or if this doesn't work, follow these steps:
- Open the Control Panel.
- Select System.
- Click on the Device Manager tab.
- Select the USB Receiver. This will have a yellow exclamation mark on it.
- Select Remove.
- Select Refresh.
Note: After installing the USB remote, you must reboot Windows before the remote control can function properly.
Using the ATI ALL-IN-WONDER™ with Creative's Audigy family of Cards
The Creative Lab's Audigy family of sound cards has architectural differences from earlier SoundBlaster products in order to provide enhanced audio quality. These changes have an impact on how the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ works when an ATI ALL-IN-WONDER™ is used with an Audigy card. To partially address these issues, Creative has made available a special version of their drivers, which allows the ATI MULTIMEDIA CENTER™ to function correctly. These drivers are version 250 (or later) of the Audigy drivers. Please make sure you are using the correct drivers.