- DECODING / PLAYBACK
Q:
Why does my video and audio skip and or freeze?
A: Again play with the encoding settings... try reducing the video
bitrate,
decimating by 2 or reduces the audio
bitrate down to
22khz mono
to avoid these skips. If you have found a magical setting that works
GREAT share you findings by posting to the
PDP
forum
Q:
What audio and video formats does it support?
A: For audio it supports MP3's encoded
under 128k and video it supports DivX 4.xx, OpenDivX and XviD encoded videos.
There are possible plans to add OGG, MPEG-1 and a chance to add
DivX 3.11 support as well.
Q: Does
the DCDivX Player support Disc Swapping?
A: Yes, after you have started the
DCDivX Player just open the Dreamcast CD tray and put in a new CD with your
videos and MP3's. It will then scan the CD for all the valid file
types available files for playback and will then list them for you to
choose.
Q: Why does my Dreamcast reboot when I try
and play a A/V file?
A: You must have a filename in the
10.3 filename format. For instance, I file name "vp3_sux.avi" will play, but
trying to play "vp4costsalot_doh.avi" and it resets the DreamCast. So for now
till it's fixed keep the file names simple 8 characters or less with no spaces or dashes.
Q: Why does it take so long to load a video
after I select it?
A: We have implement a buffering
system within the DCDivX Player for better playback (less skipping). As a
matter of fact in future version the delay may even be longer for videos
larger than 10MB. We are going to try in later release implement a
"Loading.." Splash screen with it showing a buffering percentage
if possible.
Q: Will the DCDivX Player EVER support
resolutions higher than 496x496?
A: Maybe... but not in the near
future. The current decoder CORE cannot handle
resolutions larger than 496x496. But a bigger issue is that anything higher then that the
Dreamcast hardware can not handle (A/V skips). So do not look for any larger
resolution anytime soon.
Q:
What buttons control what player functions?
A: Here are the current button
functions:
Pause/Play (A) Stop (Y) Next (B)
Previous (X)
Q:
What does the bootcd
image contain?
A:
It contains all the files (codecs, DCDivX
player) needed to playback a supported and properly formatted audio or video
file.
Q:
How does the bootcd work?
A:
After burning an image to CDR all you do is
insert it into your Dreamcast. It will then boot up with it and show the
GUI. Then all you do is SWITCH the current CD with another CD that has the
properly formatted audio or video files you want to play.
- ENCODING
Q:
How do I encode videos for the DCDivX Player?
A: You can follow the guide I have created for the Pocket DivX
Player, here:
http://www.moosegate.com/betaboy/Encode_DivX_video_for_the_PocketPC.htm
Q:
Is there going to be a new encoding guide?
A: Yes, I have already begun work on
this. Once the standards for both audio and video have been finalized for
the DCDivX Player I will release it here and have you make comments on the
ProjectMayo forums for any changes that may be needed.
Q: What settings do I use to encode with?
A: For
video try anything less than 700kb (i recommend 500 then work your way up), 320X240 or 320x 176 (Marc has also added
support
for 496X496 but it is suggested that you decimate the framerate by 2). For audio try 22khz mono or
44khz mono MP3. The key is... since
it is an alpha release try a little experimentation with different settings to
see what works best.
- CD BURNING
Q: I am burning a DiscJuggler image and it does
not self boot or I get an error when burning it. What going on?
A: We have found that some DJ images
do not work with some versions of the DJ. For example the current DJ image
for Alpha 2 does not work with DJ 3.5 and errors out sometimes. So the only thing that we can suggest
is that you wait for a compatible image to be released or try another
software image.
Q: How do I make a bootable CD?
A: Well you could always wait for
someone to make one ;-) ... but if you are impatient there are two tutorials
based off of each other that can help you with the software and the steps
needed to make one.
-
http://www.hangar-eleven.de/en/devdc-selfboot.html
-
http://mc.pp.se/dc/cdr.html
Q: How can I make an image from the original
source files?
A: Dogbert posted a little Nero image
tutorial. It's not perfect but works.. Also the process is a long but the
results are worth it for a DCDivX boot CD.
1.
Download the 'Original' source files
2. Use Turrican2k's elf2bin program
here to
convert the divx.elf --> divx.bin
3. Use the Binary Scrambler from
here to convert divx.bin --> a bootable 1ST_READ.BIN
4. Use the IP.BIN creator from
here to create the IP.BIN
5. Next put the newly created 1ST_READ.BIN and the IP.BIN together in a
folder with a small video or MP3 file to load at boot up
6. Use BurnerO's dir2boot from
here to
create a Nero image of the whole thing
7. Burn the CD
Q: What software do I use to burn with?
A: The truth is there may be several
different image packages for you to burn. The most used programs for this
are Nero and DiscJuggler. You can find them at the below links.
Nero -
http://www.ahead.de
DiscJuggler - http://www.padus.com
Q: Why does my HP Burner not burn the DJ and
Nero image properly?
A:
HP burners can not burn data CDs with short
tracks below 300 sectors. This may be addressed in later releases.
- CONTRIBUTING
Q: How can I contribute to this project?
A: You can post to the PDP
forum or contact Marc to see
what work needs to be done.
Q: How can I access the CVS server?
A: You can access it either via the web interface at
http://cvs.projectmayo.com or
through a local CVS client. Use the following info for anonymous login.
cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.projectmayo.com:/home/cvsroot login
Q: How can I make a suggestion?
A: Again, post any of your thoughts on additional feature or
options to the PDP
forum
- MISCELLANEOUS
Q:
What license is this released under?
A: The DCDivX Player is released under the
GPL license.
Q: I am getting errors. Who can I complain too?
A: We would ask that you hold off complaining till we release a 1.0
version ;-) But as above you can post any issues to the PDP
forum
Q:
Why is the FAQ hosted here and the project not on ProjectMayo?
A: Currently the DCDivX Player is
homeless.. well almost. Though it's core development code is currently
going to be mirrored by the Pocket DivX Player Project, and you can always
find the latest version on the ProjectMayo CVS Server
Marc's site
or here. The project has yet to determine it's true home. You can
always contact me BetaBoy
or Marc
if you have a proposition.
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