Windows NT & miroVIDEO DC30
last update: Thursday, May 29, 1997

Questions & Answers

Q: Will there be a Windows NT driver for miroVIDEO DC30?

A: Yes.

Q: When will the driver will available?

A: Once DirectShow (formerly Active Movie 2.0) becomes available,
miroVIDEO DC30 will be delivered with a new driver for the use under
Windows NT. Current miroVIDEO DC30 owners will be able to get a free
driver update.

Q: What is DirectShow or Active Movie 2.0?

A: DirectShow is an operating system extension for Windows NT and
Windows95 providing direct access to hardware and offering extensions to
capture and play digital video.

Q: What about Active Movie 1.0. Is it possible to use this interface?

A: Unfortunately not. Active Movie 1.0 does not provide features to
capture video.

Q: Windows NT, just like Windows 95, is equipped with 'Video for
Windows' and is able to play videos. Moreover, a Windows NT driver is
available for miroVIDEO DC20. What is so complicated about a NT driver
for DC30?

A: miroVIDEO DC30 is designed for the best quality which can be obtained
at very high data rates. To obtain high quality with the interface
equipment Windows NT requires much greater efforts. DirectShow will make
these data rates possible.

Q: Why don't you make a driver for the Video for Windows interface of
Windows NT available? Then it would be possible within Windows NT to
create and use bigger files.

A: Unfortunately, that is not that simple. It is true that Windows NT
enables big hard disk partitions, but the limitations for digital video
are caused by Video for Windows. Due to this software the size of a
video to be played is limited to 2 GigaBytes. The media player reduces
the length of the file to be played to about 1 GigaByte.

Q: Does this mean that with the media player of Windows NT and Windows
95 you can only play video files not larger than 1 GigaByte?

A: That is right! Only with the miroAVI Cache you can currently play
files up to 2 GigaBytes.

Q: Is it possible to resolve these limitations?

A: Yes. The miro Productivity Pack contains tools which allow to play
segmented videos and thus remove the limitations concerning the length
of videos.

Q: When will DirectShow be available?

A: According to Microsoft DirectShow for Windows NT will become
available at the beginning of 1998.

Copyright by miro Computer Products
AG 1997