This version of the codec introduces a number of benefits including performance improvements, quality enhancements, and interactive features. The latest version of the Indeo video 4 codec, along with documentation, sample source code, the latest technical information updates, and access to technical support are available on the Indeo software website at http://developer.intel.com/ial/indeo/.
The performance of this codec has been enhanced in several ways:
Enhancements have been made to the offline encoder, and a new compression mode called the Quick Compressor has been added to make compressing video files much faster and easier.
An online help menu is now available in the encoder's Configure dialog. This will help guide the user through the various options available for encoding video clips.
Improvements have been made to the offline encoder that will allow compressed video clips to display better quality at lower data rates. This will be especially noticeable in clips compressed at single-speed CD-ROM data rates (~ 100-135 Kbytes/second) and lower, and in clips compressed at 30 frames/second at double-speed CD-ROM data rates (~ 200-250 Kbytes/second) and below. You must compress clips with the new version of the codec to see these improvements.
Normal offline encoding can be time-consuming. The new Quick Compress option allows Indeo video interactive to encode video many times faster than it otherwise would. Exactly how much faster depends on the specific content of the source video and the other encoder options you've selected. The compression speed improvement, however, is significant: compression jobs that once took hours may now compress in just minutes.
One reason the Quick Compressor is so much faster than the offline compressor is that it uses a subset of the offline encoder's compression techniques. This speeds compression but slightly reduces overall visual quality. The Quick Compressor is also slightly less accurate at maintaining the requested target data rate than the offline encoder.
If you choose Quick Compress several other options are automatically disabled: bidirectional prediction, transparency, quality, and minimum viewport size (local decode). Also, the Quick Compressor can encode video at resolutions up to 640 x 480, whereas the offline encoder supports resolutions up to 8192 x 8192.
The Quick Compressor is extremely useful for tasks such as previewing edits and special effects, and for prototyping multimedia applications. It can also save time when creating video for hard disk applications, where data rate control is less critical. However, after you've previewed the video and made any required adjustments, it's best to use the off-line encoder to compress the video for your final product. For the best quality at lower data rates, or to achieve a steady data rate without spikes, do not use the Quick Compressor.
The Indeo video 4 codec can play back any video clip compressed with the Quick Compressor.
To enable quick compression, check the Quick Compress box in the Encoder Controls area of the encoder's Configure dialog box.
The new version of Indeo video 4 offers enhanced playback quality, and new features designed to enhance the interactivity and video quality of Indeo video in multimedia applications.
Changes have been made to the decoder which will improve the playback quality of both new and existing video clips:
Indeo video 4 supports alternate line zoom-by-two, a feature that doubles the video window size by horizontal pixel doubling and then drawing a row of black pixels in between each row of image data. This can help reduce some of the "jaggies" caused by vertical pixel doubling.
A number of enhancements have been made to the ICM programming interface. These changes will give developers creating multimedia playback applications improved control over the codec's interactive features, especially transparency and playback scalability.
A number of enhancements have been added to the codec to support the use of custom colors and dither patterns when playing video back in 8-bit (256-color) mode. Tools, documentation, and sample code supporting these new enhancements will be available shortly on the Indeo video home page.
The current version of the setup program installs only the 32-bit version of the Indeo video 4 codec, on Microsoft* Windows* 95 and Windows NT* machines.