MGI SoftDVD MAX - README

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Contents

1. Minimum system Requirements
2. Supported multi-channel/SPDIF capable sound solutions
3. Performance issues
4. Known Issues
5. Technical support


1 - Minimum System Requirements

Operating system: 
Windows 98 or Windows 2000

Minimum CPU: 
* Intel PII 300 MHz (for use only with HWMC capable video card, PII 400 MHz with no HWMC)
* Intel PIII 500 MHz
* Intel Celeron 366 MHz (for use only with HWMC capable video card, Celeron 400 MHz with no HWMC)
* AMD Athlon K7 500 MHz
* AMD K6-2 400 MHz with 3D Now

Minimum CPU For use with Dolby Headphone:
NOTE - Dolby headphone is a processor intensive feature, which will increase CPU utilization by approximately 30%. 
* Intel PII 400 MHz
* Intel PIII 500 MHz
* Intel Celeron 400 MHz (for use only with HWMC capable video card, Celeron 450 MHz with no HWMC)
* AMD Athlon K7 500 MHz

Video Chip sets:
* Video Graphics card with AGP 2x and a minimum of 8MB video RAM (visit www.dvdmax.com for list of supported cards)

Audio Chip Sets:
* Audio card which supports 48 KHz Sample rates (visit www.dvdmax.com for list of supported cards)

DVD ROM Drives:
* RPC 1 
* RPC 2

Memory: 
* 32 MB SDRAM for Windows 98
* 64 MB SDRAM for Windows 2000


2- Supported Multi-channel/SPDIF Capable Sound Solutions

a. Diamond MX400 (ESS Canyon3D)
b. Diamond MX300 (Aureal Vortex2)
c. Yamaha 724,744 chips
d. Videologic SonicVortex2
e. Aztech PCI 288 card


3- Performance Issues

Use of the DMA channel:

To maximize the performance and the video quality of MGI SoftDVD MAX it is important to configure your DVD-ROM drive to use your system DMA channel. The SoftDVD MAX installation program automatically configures your DVD-ROM drive to use the DMA channel. If you decide to change or replace your DVD-ROM drive you will need to re-configure as follows.

To enable the DVD-ROM DMA Transfer in Windows 98:

a. On the Windows task bar, click Start, then Settings, then Control Panel.
b. Double-click the System icon.
c. Click the Device Manager tab.
d. Find the device name DVD-ROM. Highlight this drive, and click the Properties button.
e. Click the Settings tab, and under Options, select the DMA control.
f. Click OK to exit the dialog, then click OK to exit the Properties dialog.
g. Restart your computer to enable the changes.

(Note: Some systems will not have the DMA option available. Please check your system manual to make sure that the system has support for DMA transfers.)

To enable the DVD-ROM DMA Transfer in Windows 2000:

a. On the Windows task bar, click Start, then Settings, then Control Panel.
b. Double-click the System icon.
c. Click the Hardware tab.
d. Click the Device Manager button.
e. In the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers section double-click the IDE controller connected to the DVD-ROM drive.
f. Click the Advanced Settings tab.
g. Select the device which corresponds to the DVD-ROM drive and set Transfer Mode to "DMA if available."
h. Click OK to exit the dialog, then close the Device Manger window and click OK on the System Properties dialog. 
i. Restart your computer to enable the changes.

Other system performance issues:

Because MGI SoftDVD MAX is a software DVD player, playback performance depends upon the speed and overhead of your system's hardware.
 
Playback with the use of Dolby Headphone will increase CPU utilization by 30%, please consult Recommended System Requirements for use with Dolby Headphone.


4 - Known Issues

A - Changing the DVD region of the player:

DVD movies are encoded for different world regions. Make sure that you are using a disc which corresponds to the DVD region of the SoftDVD MAX player (See the Player Settings tab in the SoftDVD MAX Properties dialog).
The DVD region is initially set when you first play a DVD disc.

For Windows 98, SoftDVD MAX permits up to five changes of player's region for an RPC 1 type drive.

For Windows 2000, SoftDVD MAX permits only one change of player's region for an RPC 1 type drive.

For RPC2 drives the player's region is solely dependent on the drive's region and the number of changes allowed for it.

To specify your DVD region for Windows 2000:

a. On the Windows task bar, click Start, then Settings, then Control Panel.
b. Double-click the System icon.
c. Click the Hardware tab. 
d. Open Device Manager. 
e. Select DVD/CD-ROM Drives. 
f. Right-click the DVD manufacturer's name icon and select Properties. 
g. Click the Advanced Settings tab and make the appropriate changes. 
h. Click OK to exit the dialog.
 
IMPORTANT Note: If your DVD-ROM drive is RPC-2, you may accidentally lock the drive into the wrong region if you insert a disc from a region other than your own.

B - Changing screen resolution while playing a title:

When changing the screen resolution while playing a title, the title will be forced to start at the beginning.

Changing the screen resolution to anything lower than the minimum required 800 x 600 may cause MGI SoftDVD MAX to malfunction.

C - Media related problems:

Due to the density of data on a DVD disc, the playback is easily affected by any physical obstruction or damage to the read surface (much more so than in the case of a CD-ROM disc). Occasionally a DVD title will lag extensively during normal playback, fast forward or rewind. This is usually a symptom of a dirty or physically damaged disc. We recommend that you clean the disc with liquid soap and water using a terry cloth for washing and drying. 

D - Ejecting the DVD-ROM while playing a title:

For certain DVD drives, Windows may not recognize the eject command while playing a DVD title. In this case, stop playback before ejecting.

E - Parental control:

Many DVD titles do not enforce parental controls as designated on the disc's title rating. In such cases, the rating set in MGI SoftDVD MAX's Parental Control tab will have no effect, regardless of the title's advertised rating.

F - Chapter numbers:

Certain titles are not authored to generate chapter number information. For these titles, no forward, backward or repeat chapter command is possible, and the on-screen display will not to show a chapter number. 

G - Current DVD time:

Some titles do not report current time. For those titles, the time search feature will not work.

H - Audio track selection:

For some DVD titles audio track selection is available through the DVD Menu and not via the Control Panel button designated for audio track selection. Not all DVD titles support audio track selection.

I - Navigation using the mouse:

Some titles are authored such that the user cannot properly navigate the DVD menus using the mouse. In this case, use the arrow keys on the keyboard.


5. Technical Support

North America
MGI Software Corp.
50 West Pearce Street
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Canada L4B 1E3

Telephone: 	(+1) 905 764-8447
Fax:  		(+1) 905 707-3694

Europe
MGI Software Corp.
P.O. Box 7412
Carrisbrook House
122 Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge
Dublin 4, Ireland

Telephone: 	(+353) 1 8340034
Fax:  		(+353) 1 8340035

Italy              
Systems Comunicazioni Srl
Via Olanda, 6
20083 Vigano di Gaggiano (MI)
Italia

Telephone: 	(+39) 02 90841 692
Fax: 		(+39) 02 90841 682

Taiwan
MGI Software Asia
9F-1, No. 167 
Yung-Chi Road
Taipei, Taiwan

Telephone:	(+886) 2 2763 7881 Ext. 151
Fax: 		(+886) 2 2763 7853

Japan
Sumitomo Soft (Sumitomo Metal System Development Co.)
Sumitomo Metal System Development Support Center
Mita 3-11-36 (Mita Nittou building)
Minato-ku, Tokyo
Japan 108-0073

Telephone:	(+81) 3-5476-9802
Fax:		(+81) 3-5476-9886

Korea
137-130 
A-#1917, Samho Officetel 271-1 
Yanjae-dong, Seocho-Gu, 
Seoul , South Korea 

Telephone:	(+82) 2-589-1061 
Fax:		(+82) 2-589-1062 

Australia
Support Group Services
Ground Floor
14 Spink Street
Gardenvale, Victoria
3186   Australia
ATTN: MGI Technical Support Australia

Telephone:	(+61) 3 9929 9735
Fax:		(+61) 3 9929 9787

For all other countries please contact MGI Software Corp. North American support.


Trademarks:

MGI SoftDVD MAX is a registered trademark of MGI Software Corp.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


Copyright (c) 2000 MGI Software Corp.   [018a]
