Multimedia Services
for DIGITAL UNIXApplication User's Guide
Order Number: AA-Q66FK-TE
August 1997
This guide, the Multimedia Services Application User's Guide, contains information on the Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX applications.
Revision/Update Information: This document supersedes the Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX Application User's Guide, Version 2.3.
Operating System: DIGITAL UNIX Version 3.2C through 4.0C.
Software Product Version: Multimedia Services V2.4 for DIGITAL UNIX.
Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts
August 1997
Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations that the use of its products in the manner described in this publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do the descriptions contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell equipment or software in accordance with the description.
Possession, use, or copying of the software described in this publication is authorized only pursuant to a valid written license from DIGITAL or an authorized sublicensor.
Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraphs (c)(l)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013.© Digital Equipment Corporation 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997. All rights reserved.
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: DIGITAL, and the DIGITAL logo. Alpha, Bookreader, CDA, DDIF, DEC, DECpresent, DECspin, DECvoice, DECwrite, DIGITAL UNIX, LiveLink, NAS, OpenVMS, TURBOchannel, VAX, VAX DOCUMENT, and the DIGITAL logo.
The following are third-party trademarks:
Communique! is a trademark of InSoft, Inc.
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
Indeo and Intel are trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
OSF and OSF/1 are registered trademarks of the Open Software Foundation, Inc.
Sun is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
DIGITAL UNIX Version 3.2C for Alpha is a UNIX 93 branded product.
UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd.
X Window System is a trademark of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
About this Guide
This document contains information about the applications components of Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX and the tasks associated with these applications.
Purpose and Audience
This document is intended for multimedia application end users and application integrators including Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and customers running applications that use Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX. Readers are expected to be familiar with the following:
- DIGITAL UNIX operating system
- Multimedia concepts, techniques, and terminology
- The Common Desktop Environment (CDE)
Document Structure
This document contains the following:
Chapter 1 introduces the Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX.
Chapter 2 describes the Audio Control application.
Chapter 3 describes the DECsound application.
Chapter 4 describes the AlphaVCR application.
Chapter 5 describes the Transcode application.
Chapter 6 describes the Video Odyssey screen saver.
Chapter 7 describes the command line applications.
The Glossary contains multimedia terms used throughout the document.
Multimedia Services on-line help is accessible in two forms:
Reference Pages —Invoke Reference Page help from the UNIX command line with the man command.
HTML Hypertext — Start Netscape hypertext help by launching Netscape and loading the MMS_RTG.html file. This file can be found at /usr/opt/MME240/html_docs/RTG-COV.html. This file is available only if the MMEDOC240 subset is installed.
Running applications that use Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX requires knowledge in a variety of areas. One way to acquire this knowledge is to have the following categories of documentation available:
- Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX documentation
- Multimedia hardware documentation
- DIGITAL UNIX system management documentation
- Reference pages
The following sections list the documentation associated with each of these categories.
Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX Documentation
In addition to this guide, the Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX documentation set includes the following:
Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX Release Notes, which are installed during the software installation. The release notes contain late information that you may need before using the Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX applications.
The release notes are located in:
/usr/opt/MME240/ascii_docs/release_notes.txt
/usr/opt/MME240/ps_docs/release_notes.ps
/usr/opt/MME240/html_docs/release_notes.html
Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX Installation Guide, which contains the software installation procedure and information about the prerequisites for installation, required hardware, and the installation verification procedure (IVP).
Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX Programmer's Guide, which contains information about using the Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX application programming interface (API) to develop applications that use multimedia features.
Multimedia Hardware Documentation
Refer to the following documents for additional information about the hardware devices not covered in this guide:
Sound and Motion J300 Owner's Guide
FullVideo Basic for AlphaStation Systems User's Guide
FullVideo Supreme and FullVideo Supreme JPEG Owner's Guide
MSB Guide
Refer to the documentation that shipped with your system for information about the built-in baseboard audio capabilities of the system, and for instructions on installing and removing option modules.
DIGITAL UNIX System Management Documentation
Refer to the following document for information about the DIGITAL UNIX operating system, such as building a kernel and managing the system:
DIGITAL UNIX System Administration Manual
How To Order Additional Documentation
Use the following table to order additional documentation or information. If you need help deciding which documentation meets your needs, call 800–DIGITAL (800–344–4825).
Telephone and Direct Mail Orders
Location Call/Fax Write U.S.A. DECdirect
800–DIGITAL
800–344–4825
Fax:
800–234–2298Digital Equipment Corporation
P.O. Box CS2008
Nashua, NH 03061Puerto Rico 809–781–0505
Fax:
809–749–8300Digital Equipment Caribbean, Inc.
3 Digital Plaza, 1st Street, Suite 200
P.O. Box 11038
Metro Office Park
San Jan, Puerto Rico 00910–2138Canada 800–267–6215
Fax:
623–592–1946Digital Equipment of Canada, Ltd.
Box 1300
100 Herzberg Road
Kanata, Ontario, Canada K2K 2A6
Attn: DECdirect SalesInternational — Local DIGITAL subsidiary or approved distributor Internal Orders DTN: 264–4446
603–884–3960U.S. Software Supply Business
Digital Eqipment Corporation
Nashua, NH 03063–1260
Descriptions of the Multimedia Services for DIGITAL UNIX sample applications can also be found in the DIGITAL UNIX Reference Pages, Section 1. To access the reference pages you must install the MMEMANRT240 subset.
This guide uses the following conventions:
Convention Explanation boldface type
Boldface text indicates user input in interactive examples. New terms also appear in boldface text the first time they are introduced. italic text
Italic text emphasizes important information. monospaced type
Monospaced type is used in command line examples. literal string
Literal strings that appear in text, examples, and syntax descriptions must be entered exactly as shown
Unless otherwise noted, press Return after entering commands or responses to command prompts.