DirectVideo support

[Mr J]

The Matrox PowerDesk for Windows 95/98
(Rev 5.30.007) readme.txt file states...

> We provide DirectX on the Matrox CD-ROM.
> The latest DirectX is available from the
> Microsoft Web site, and is included with
> many DirectX programs.
>
> IMPORTANT: If the DirectX setup program
> prompts you to replace the existing display
> drivers, click "No". Otherwise, the setup
> program installs display drivers which are
> not as optimized as the Matrox drivers and
> which do not support PowerDesk software.
>
> Note that depending on the origin of your
> Microsoft DirectX software, it may not
> include DirectVideo support. For faster
> playback of Indeo and Cinepak AVI files,
> you should install Microsoft DirectVideo
> support.

Does anyone know where I can find DirectVideo support? The CD-ROM that came with my G400 dualhead appears to include DirectX6.1, but I skipped installing it as I already had a copy of Micrsoft's DirectX6.1 installed?

Rgds - Mr J

[fluggo99]

DirectVideo is part of DirectX Media - but I don't know how the two relate to the new Windows Media Player. DirectMedia may be part of the install for Windows Media Player.

If you have your doubts as to whether it's installed, it's available from Microsoft <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/WUOther/DirectXruntime/Default.asp">here.</a>

[fluggo99]

P.S. - DirectX and DirectX Media are two different things.

[Mr J]

hmmm - so if DirectVideo is part of DirectX Media, which is part of DirectX (but different), why does Matrox refer to DirectX and not DirectX Media in the PowerDesk readme.txt ???

Rgds - Mr J

[wkulecz]

The DirectX situation is indeed a confusing mess!

I can't speak for the G400 Marvel but on the Marvel G200 installer (which I've had far too much experience with!) When it prompts that you have the same DirectX version it also suggests you update anyway. I assume this is due to the DirectX / DirectVideo issue.

Try installing the 6.1 version from your driver CD. Then if you don't have the correct DirectX and Direct Video drivers, bitch to Matrox tech support! (not that they'll be of much help)

--wally.

[Grigory]

Directvideo is about video data streaming from somewhere to anywhere. So, it has nothing to do with videoediting and display procedures.

DirectX is a library that is used to accelerate everything on PC screen - video, 3D, ... and near - sound, input devices, ... X.

Grigory

[fluggo99]

Not to put anyone down, just to get things straight:

Mr J: Matrox was probably just trying to simplify things; the origin it refers to is probably the installer, which may or may not install DirectX Media in addition to DirectX. I assure you that they are not part of each other; DirectX deals with input, sound, display, music, etc., but not video as we define it. DirectX Media deals with video and audio formats and uses DirectX to accelerate the rendering of video and audio.

wkulecz: My G200-TV CD has the DirectX install files in the \redist folder, but if you look there, you may make special note that there is a separate install named DXMEDIA.EXE-- and it also has a different icon!

My MediaStudio 5.2 makes the distinction even more clear by putting DirectX and DirectX Media in separate folders.

If you want ton install DirectX Media, my guess is you can run DXMEDIA.EXE by itself.

Grigory: Close-- DirectX Media (aka DirectVideo) is closely tied with the display of the video. Its job is to create the path from the source-- a file or capture device-- to a rendering device-- like a file or the display.

Whenever you use the new Windows Media Player, a "filter graph" is constructed to work that path. See for yourself-- start a clip, right click and hit Properties, and look at the Advanced tab. That's DirectX Media at work.

And although it's not necessarily designed for editing of any sort, it does provide one filter much discussed but little understood: the cutlist. A cutlist simply ties up several sources at one end and spits out one at a time to the rendering path, only it does the job efficiently and sometimes with the help of the hardware.

[This_Idiot]

I'm not a windows programmer (and take little interest in it other than to just try and use the damned thing).

If you install from a Matrox installation CD, it installs DXMedia as part of the routine. If you install either PD or VT drivers from the download site it doesn't.

DXMedia is needed by the VTs, so make sure that you install it seperately if you are building your system from downloaded drivers only.

[Mr J]

I've actually got DirectX 6.2 (SDK) installed on my system and I haven't yet managed to get a recently added Rainbow Runner G-Series upgrade card to operate with my existing Millenium G400 (dualhead) card.

I uninstalled all previous drivers and installed Windows 9x PowerDesk 5.30 and Windows 9x Video Tools version 1.51 from Matrox's web site, but video capture and TV tuning aren't working. Could this be because I'm using DirectX 6.2 and not 6.1?

Rgds - J (in NZ)

[fluggo99]

It's possible, but I don't know how likely. DirectX could be swapping out some drivers in your setup. What you might want to try is uninstalling PD, uninstalling DirectX, reinstalling PD and then DirectX.

Like I said, I doubt it would be DirectX's fault, but try this with DirectX 6.2 and then DirectX 6.1 to see if it fixes the problem.