Limitations In Windows 3.x
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Accessing the ActionMedia II board through Windows 3.1 using Intel's drivers incurs several limitations.
Note: The ActionMedia II is not recommended for use with the Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems. Please see #4 and #5 for more information.
Note: The ActionMedia® II and its related products have been End-of-Lifed (EOL) by Intel. Please see the Actionmedia® II End Of Life Letter and the Actionmedia® II Resource List for further support information.
- Maximum capture resolution is limited to 160x120 pixels.
The maximum capture resolution in the Windows environment is 160x120 pixels. This is not a limitation of the ActionMedia II board as it is capable of capturing video at resolutions up to 640x480 pixels. Rather it is because the availability of application processor time is limited while in the Windows environment which does not allow enough time for the conversion and storage of larger resolution video streams.
- Only .AVS files and certain .AVI files will actually use the ActionMedia II to accelerate their playback.
The ActionMedia II card was designed to not only capture video but to help accelerate the playback of the captured video. The Windows drivers supplied by Intel will only take advantage of this accelerated playback if the video file is an .AVI file type that was created using the Indeo 2.x or Production Level Video (PLV) codecs. It will also accelerate the playback of any .AVS file with the proper .AVS codec installed. Other .AVI or .AVS formats will use the computer's CPU to play back the video. Most .AVI files found in the public domain or on multimedia CD's do NOT use the aforementioned codecs and therefore can not take advantage of the ActionMedia II card.
- You must use a desktop resolution of 640x480 pixels.
In order to allow the digital video from the ActionMedia II card and the video from your VGA card to overlay properly, the Windows drivers require that the your video setup be configured with a resolution of 640x480 pixels and a vertical refresh rate (or Vertical Blanking Interval) of 60Hz.
- The on board sound chip of the ActionMedia II is not supported.
The Windows 3.x drivers only support the capture and play back of the video. In order to capture or play back audio, you must use a separate sound card and its Windows drivers.
- The ActionMedia II does not work in Windows NT.
The ActionMedia II card does not work with Windows NT. Intel will not be developing 32-bit drivers.
- The ActionMedia II is not supported in Windows 95.
The ActionMedia II was end-of-lifed prior to the release of Windows 95. Due to changes made in the handling of digital video playback in Windows 95, the ActionMedia II card is not supported in the Windows 95 operating system. Intel will not be developing drivers for the Windows 95 operating system.