ActiveMovie to replace Video for Windows
Article Abstract:
Microsoft continues to develop its ActiveMovie open-video architecture, a new technology that will replace the problem-plagued Video for Windows (VFW). ActiveMovie, currently in beta testing, will offer a substantial performance enhancement as well as an extensible API for hardware and software developers. ActiveMovie also addresses the problematic issues of VFW, such as a lack of field accuracy, limited file sizes and throughput, inadequate A/V sync and hardware/software compatibility. ActiveMovie will read QuickTime files and VFW formats and can run under Windows NT, Windows 95 and Power Macintosh. Integrated with Microsoft's additional APIs, ActiveMovie provides true hardware independence, includes Motion-JPEG features and offers unlimited throughput. ActiveMovie is powered by a new object model based on filters, data and "pins." ActiveMovie will be supported by a variety of vendors, including Adobe, Truevision and Matrox.
Publication Name: Newmedia
Subject: Computers and office automation industries
ISSN: 1060-7188
Year: 1996
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Doing the (lo)commotion
Article Abstract:
Puffin Designs' Commotion distinguishes itself from other desktop video software products by operating in real time on ordinary Macs. Commotion promises real-time playback by adjusting the RAM of uncompressed video and buffering footage. The paint box serves as the most important feature on Commotion, which visual effects supervisor Scott Squires started in 1991 as a professional endeavor. Users can activate a tool to erase wire or other pupeteering marks, or create brushes and use them interactively in real time. Another advantage to Commotion is its ability to rotospline, which isolates objects after drawing vector outlines around them. This includes the unique capability of deploying independent velocity curves to set multiple splines on original footage. The velocity curves then become visible upon replay. Puffin Designs also is developing a Windows version.
Publication Name: Newmedia
Subject: Computers and office automation industries
ISSN: 1060-7188
Year: 1997
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Windows CE fires up handheld PCs
Article Abstract:
Microsoft's new Windows CE OS is being included in several new handheld PCs (HPCs) that are designed to be compatible with Windows desktop systems. Most HPCs will be shipped in the first quarter of 1997 and will be priced between $500 and $700. Most HPCs weigh less than one pound and are approximately 7-by-4-by-1 inches in size. Standard HPC displays are gray-scale LCD screens that measure 480 by 240. The majority of HPCs include compact keyboards, serial and infrared ports, touchpens and a Type II PC Card slot. Some of the basic software featured by HPCs, aside from the Windows CE OS, includes Info Manager, Pocket Word, Excel and Internet Explorer. Flash cards can provide further expansion of data storage and memory, and e-mail can be easily uploaded to a desktop system for sending.
Publication Name: Newmedia
Subject: Computers and office automation industries
ISSN: 1060-7188
Year: 1997
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