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Usage: Creative PC-DVD Encore Dxr2 User's Guide
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Usage: Creative PC-DVD™ Encore Dxr™2 User's Guide
Setting Color and Resolution • Using the PC-DVD Encore Player • PC-DVD Encore
Player Interface • Setting the Video Configuration
• DVD Menu (Title) • Language Settings
• Usage Guidelines • Emergency
Ejection • Handling Media • Cleaning
Media • Cleaning the PC-DVD Drive
The PC-DVD Encore Player controls the playing of DVDs and CDs on
your computer. The control panel features a directional pad, status display, playback
buttons, volume control, and menus for customizing settings such as audio, color, and
display mode.
Setting Color and Resolution
Before you use the PC-DVD Encore Player, set your monitor to display High Color
(16-bit) graphics with a screen resolution of 800 x 600 (minimum of 640 x 480)
pixels. The PC-DVD Player works with less color depth (minimum of 256 colors) and lower
resolutions, but the quality may be poor.
To change your monitor's resolution, perform the following steps:
- Click the Start button, point to Settings, and click Control
Panel.
- Double-click the Display icon.
- Click the Settings tab.
- Select High Color (16-bit), use the Desktop slider to set the
resolution to 800 x 600 pixels, and click OK.
- Windows displays a message that it is about to resize your desktop. When Windows
reappears, you have 15 seconds to accept the settings; after 15 seconds, the previous
settings are restored. If the settings are correct, click Yes. On some
computers, you may have to restart your computer for the new settings to take effect.
Some video drivers and video card utilities allow you to change the refresh rate of
your monitor. If you experience difficulties with the video when playing DVD titles, try
changing the refresh rate to improve the quality; 60 hertz (Hz) is recommended.
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NOTES: The PC-DVD Player prompts you to
automatically configure the video alignment the first time it is run following
installation, or after you change the settings for your monitor in Microsoft� Windows�
95. If you change the display color or screen
resolution setting while the PC-DVD Player is running, you must restart the application
for the changes to take effect.
Some video cards have a utility for changing the color and
resolution settings. The settings in the utility and in the Windows 95 Display
Properties Settings page should be the same. If the settings do not correspond,
conflicts may occur. See the documentation for your video card for more information.
Run a movie DVD or movie file to align the video before running
a game or other application from the PC-DVD drive. |
Using the PC-DVD Encore Player
Before you begin configuring the PC-DVD Encore Player, select the PC-DVD Readme
icon and read the text for updated information that may not be included here.
The PC-DVD Player can be started in two ways:
- Place a DVD in the PC-DVD drive's disc tray and start your computer. If the DVD supports
AutoPlay, Windows 95 automatically opens the PC-DVD Player and video display, and begins
playing the title.
- With Windows 95 running, click the Start button, point to Programs,
and click PC-DVD Encore, then PC-DVD Player. If there is
no disc in the PC-DVD drive, you are notified that the tray is empty and the PC-DVD Player
displays. If there is a disc in the tray, the PC-DVD Player and video display are opened,
and the title begins playing automatically.
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NOTES: The first time you start the PC-DVD
Player, you may be asked if you would like the PC-DVD Player to automatically configure
its video to conform to the current Windows 95 settings. The configuration process may
temporarily corrupt the video. When playing a title,
you can switch between the framed display and full screen by double-clicking the left
mouse button with the pointer in the viewing area. To return to the framed display,
double-click the left mouse button. |
PC-DVD Encore Player Interface
The PC-DVD Encore Player has the interface shown in Figure 1.
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NOTES: You can switch between the three display
modes by clicking the View button. Details
on the PC-DVD Player features are available in the Help files. To display the Help files,
click the right mouse button with the pointer in the PC-DVD viewing area, and click Help
on the menu. |
Figure 1. PC-DVD Encore Player Interface
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Player
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Description
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Menu Navigation Pad
allows movement through the DVD menus:
Up arrow moves the cursor up.
Down arrow moves the cursor down.
Left arrow moves down by page.
Right arrow moves up by page.
Center arrow opens selected DVD menu item. |
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Search Chapter displays
a list of chapters in a DVD title. |
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Search Time opens the
Search menu for selecting a point of time within the
title. |
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Select Media displays
a menu of available drive and directory locations. You can use the Play
File dialog to select and search for viewable titles. |
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Repeat Title/Chapter repeats
the current chapter (or the complete title). Click the button to enable/disable
repeat. |
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Repeat A-B marks a
segment on the disc that is to be repeated. Press once at the beginning
of the segment; press a second time at the end of the segment. The segment
repeats until settings are cleared by pushing the button again. |
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Configuration opens
the PC-DVD Player settings menu with items for Audio and Video Configuration
and Language. See Setting the Video Configuration. |
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Increase Volume/Decrease Volume/Mute.
Click the up arrow to increase the volume or the down arrow to decrease
the volume. To mute sound, click the speaker symbol below the volume arrows.
When sound is muted, the international NO symbol (a red circle with a
slash) appears over the speaker symbol in the Status Display. |
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DVD Menu opens the
DVD menu on the disc. See DVD Menu (Title). |
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Subpicture Menu displays
a list of languages available for captions. |
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Audio Menu lists
available audio tracks. |
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Angle Menu lists
available angle selections. If no additional camera angles are available,
the button is grayed out. |
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Aspect Ratio Menu offers
choices for viewing if available on disc. |
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Parental Control Menu lists
parental control options. |
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Bookmark Menu offers
the option to set bookmarks. When one or more bookmarks are set, a list
of bookmarks is available for selection and organization. |
Figure 2. PC-DVD Encore Player Status Display
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NOTE: The Status Display for video CDs is slightly
different than shown. |
To set the PC-DVD defaults, perform the following steps:
- Before using the Video Configuration utility, pause or stop any disc that is currently
playing. On the PC-DVD Encore Player, click the Configuration button.
- On the Configuration page, select the Video tab.
- On the Video tab page, you can adjust:
- Brightness: Move the slider to the left to decrease relative lightness/brightness; move
the slider to the right to increase.
- Contrast: Move the slider to the left to decrease difference between dark and light
colors; move the slider to the right to increase.
- Saturation: Move the slider to the left to decrease vividness of colors; move the slider
to the right to increase.
After adjusting the video, you may return to the previously saved settings by pressing Cancel.
- Click the Advanced button to display the Video Configuration
dialog box.
- On the Video Configuration dialog box, select the Alignment
tab.
- Click the Auto Align button, and then click the OK
button.
During the automatic configuration, your video display will be corrupted for up to 30
seconds.
- If the automatic configuration is not successful, you may manually adjust the alignment
by performing the following steps:
- On the Video Configuration dialog box, clear the Color
Key On check box.
The overlay video is displayed on top of the video graphics array (VGA) display.
- To vertically align the video with the DVD Video window, move the Y-Offset
slider.
- To horizontally align the video with the DVD Video window, move the X-Offset
slider and the Ratio slider.
Continue to adjust the sliders until the blue line around the video is eliminated and the
picture is aligned.
- Select the Color Key On check box.
- If traces of blue remain around the edges of the video display, move
the Color Key 1 slider to reduce the blue lines. Move the Color
Key 2 slider to the left to eliminate any traces of blue.
- If the edges of the subtitles or captions appear jagged, adjust the In
Delay slider.
- If the video is now correct, press the OK button to
save the settings and return to the Configuration page.
You may return to the previously saved settings by pressing the Restore
button.
- On the Configuration page, click the Advanced
button to return to the Video Configuration page and select the Gain
tab.
- On the Gain tab page:
- Increase/decrease the intensity of red, green, and blue in the video display by moving
the slider left (decrease) or right (increase).
- Increase/decrease the combined colors by moving the Common Gain slider.
- When you are satisfied with the color intensity, click the OK button to
save the settings and return to the Configuration dialog box.
- Exit the Configuration page by clicking the OK button.
DVD Menu (Title)
To display a DVD menu, click the DVD Menu button on the PC-DVD Encore
Player. You must have a DVD in the PC-DVD drive to display a DVD menu—the menu
displayed depends on the information encoded on the disc.
In general, a title menu includes such items as:
- List of scenes or chapters from which you can select and play back
- Cast: A list of the primary members of the cast, often with film biographies
- Trailer: The "Coming Attraction" theatrical teaser for the title.
- Production Notes: A message from the title's director or producer, usually about the
making of the film and/or locations.
The Configuration page includes a Language tab for
setting the default language for audio, captions (subpicture), and menus. If the current
disc supports the language choices on the Language tab page, they are
used. If the language choices are not available, the default languages encoded on the disc
are used.
Changes made to language choices during playback are used immediately. They do not take
effect until you stop (or pause) and restart (resume) the playback.
Usage Guidelines
Observe the following usage guidelines:
- Keep the disc tray closed when not using the DVD-ROM drive.
- Do not press down on the disc tray when opening or closing it.
- Do not place objects on the disc tray.
- Never use a damaged, broken, or deformed disc.
- Do not press the Eject button on the front panel of the PC-DVD or the Eject/Close button
on the PC-DVD Player while the drive is playing a DVD movie. To stop a DVD movie, click
the Stop button in the DVD player application program.
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NOTE: High-speed drives spin the disc at a
high rotational speed. If a CD has printing on only half of the disc, or if there is a
slight imbalance in the CD, the imbalance is greatly magnified by the high speed, causing
the drive to vibrate or produce a fan-like noise. These effects are inherent in the
high-speed technology and do not indicate a problem with the drive. |
If the disc tray does not eject after you press the Eject button on the front panel of
the PC-DVD or select the Eject/Close button on the PC-DVD Player, use the Eject hole.
Perform the following steps:
- Exit the application accessing the PC-DVD drive.
- Turn off the power to your computer.
- Insert and push a straightened paper clip into the Eject hole.
- Pull the ejected tray out gently. Avoid using excessive force to pull
out the tray as this may damage your drive.
Most DVD video playback issues are media-related and can be remedied
by proper handling and care of media. Take the following precautions:
- DVD media are sensitive to dust and fingerprints. Carefully handle
media by their edges only.
- Do not write on the surface of the media.
- Store media in their containers, placing them in a cool, dry place.
Extreme temperatures may damage media.
- Do not bend or drop the media.
- Do not place objects on top of the media.
If a DVD movie skips or hangs during playback, clean
the media.
You can clean DVD media using commercially available cleaning cloths
or kits.
If you do not have a commercial cleaning product, use a clean, dry
cloth to remove dust, smudges, or fingerprints from the surface of the media. Wipe from
the center of the CD to the edge.
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CAUTION: Do not wipe in a circular motion.
This may damage the media. |
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CAUTION: Never use solvents, such as benzene,
record cleaners, or antistatic sprays to clean the media. |
Cleaning the PC-DVD Drive
You can clean the DVD-ROM drive using a commercially available
cleaning kit. These kits contain a cleaning disc to remove contaminants that accumulate
during normal operation.
If the kit does not contain instructions, insert a cleaning disc
into the drive and turn on the system. After 20 or 30 seconds, remove the disc from the
drive.
Please read all restrictions
and disclaimers.
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