From: rosser@sfu.ca (Blair Allan Rosser)
Subject: Re: QuickTime for Windows
Followup-To: comp.multimedia
Organization: Excite Centre, Simon Fraser University
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 08:20:42 GMT

>    according to the docs in the developer's kit (which just arrived today...
> just in time for exams :>), the current implementation contains the features
> present in the 1.0 mac release... the intro doc says "QuickTime for Windows 1.0
> supports the same compression technologies as Macintosh QuickTime 1.0. As new
> compressors become available, like Compact Video in QuickTime Macintosh 1.5,
> we will quickly add them to QuickTime for Windows" ...

We just received our copy of QTW on the 10th (yesterday). Each of the
codecs is implemented in a DLL with derivative names like qtrpza.dll for
the standard road pizza video compressor. I made the mistake of trying to
play a compact video compressed movie under windows. No go. That's when I
started checking out the dlls. Should be a simple matter for Apple to add a
new DLL to the list as new compressors come out (where's that Compact
compressor?).

>   as far as performance goes, i got 'okay' performance out of the system as I
> have it set up currently, with very few optimizations...  IBM Model 95 XP486
> (50 MHz machine)  XGA/2 running in 16-bit mode (possible slow-down there... 
> I'm going to try it in 256 color mode next week (after exams)) with an M-Audio
> card for sound...  For some reason, on a few of the files, the audio screeches
> along at about twice its sample rate, and jumps and skips a bit... I'm not sure
> if this is an artifact of IBM's driver for the M-Audio, or the way QTW handles
> sound... 
Uncanny similarity in configuration!! I'm amazed yours works. I've had the
opportunity to test out performance on a IBM model 95 with XGA/I and
maudio. At first I thought Quiktime didn't like maudio, but it was the XGA
running (640x480x256) it was complaining about. We really must upgrade to
XGA/2.

Otherwise, QTW runs fine on a ps/1 486DX with an ASI Winjet card, and a
Soundblaster Pro card bundled with an optimized CD player from Creative
Labs Inc. I haven't benchmarked this set up to any great extent, but
performance feels similar to a Mac IIfx running QT1.0. Sound synching did
seem a bit off though.

> 
> Also, QTW does *not* support recording at this point... hell, they haven't 
> even given us an MCI command set (a real bummer for those of us trying to use
> the thing in MM Authoring packages... looks like i get to learn how to compile
> in MS C/C++ 7 this month, eh? :>)

What you really notice when running QTW, is the different window sizes.
You're not restricted to a window size of 160x120 as in V4W. At this point,
you get a QT Windows player (like XING's MPEG player) and a few nifty
utilities like a fli/flc-to-movie converter, but QTW is being distributed
with an API, so what you don't like....

> Reviewer's Rating:  give it some time... Apple and MS/Intel seem to be at 
> about the same point as far as IBM Soft DV goes... 

Maybe at the same point, but I find it very enticing that I can now fully
exploit the superior suite of desktop video editing tools available on the
Mac such as Videoshop and Premiere *AND* be able to share my QT movies with
DOS box MM apps. 

cheers,
b.


P.S. Does anyone know anything about the AVSS-to-movie converter that was
mentioned in the readme on the CD; I can't find this anywhere?

-----------------
Blair Rosser, rosser@sfu.ca
Excite Centre, Faculty of Ed., Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Xref: sparky comp.multimedia:3860 comp.music:5700