Subject: REVIEW: MooVId movie player
From: [email-masked] (Gregory Donner)
Date: 21 Sep 1998 11:23:13 -0400
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	MooVId v0.33b
	
	(NOTE: used to be AVId; the new name reflects the addition of
	Quicktime movie support).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	A Video for Windows (.avi) and Quicktime (.mov) movie player
	for the Amiga.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		László Török (pH03N1x/CDi)
	Address:	H-8900 Zalaegerszeg
			Cserfa 31.
			Hungary

	Telephone:	+36 92 310 396 (after 18:00 CET)
	FAX:		n/a

	E-mail:		[email-masked]

REGISTRATION

	15 German DM or $10 U.S. dollars, or the equivalent in another
	currency.  For Central & East European Amiga users only,
	registration is just 5 DM.

	To register, send the registration fee (in cash) to László at
	the postal address listed above. Once the registration is
	received, the full version will be sent to you as a binary
	e-mail attachment. You may register via snail mail but please
	include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and an error-free
	3.5" DD diskette with your registration.
	
	Please note that László's bank (Budapest Bank) is unable to do
	money transfers outside of Hungary.

	After registering, updates are free providing you have an
	e-mail address.

	If you are a registered user, please DO NOT spread your copy
	of MooVId!

DEMO VERSION

	The demo version (v0.99998) is available from Aminet as
	gfx/show/AVId.lha, but has the following limitations:

	· Plays only the first 400 frames (approximately 30 seconds @ 15 fps).
	
	· No STORM support, and the GUI is disabled.

	· No Intel Indeo support

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		1 MB CHIP or FAST RAM and a hard drive is required.

		A 68020 or faster processor, and an ECS/AGA Amiga or
		graphics card is also required. (note: with an ECS
		Amiga, output is limited to 16-color grayscale).
		
		Recommended hardware: 68040/68060 processor (or 68030
		w/graphics card), a hard drive with at least a 1MB/sec
		transfer rate, and 1 MB FAST RAM.

	SOFTWARE
	
		reqtools.library v.38 or higher.
		Amiga OS 3.0 or higher.

		Picasso96 or CyberGraphX (currently untested) driver
		software (always use the latest version).

		MooVId works fine under Amiga OS 3.1, and requires it
		for both the AKIKO and SDBL functions. I have not been
		able to test it under other versions of the Amiga OS,
		but it should run OK under 2.x, and even better on
		3.0.

COPY PROTECTION

	None.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	Amiga 2500 w/2630 (25MHz '030) w/68 MB Fast RAM, 1 MB Chip RAM.
	PicassoII graphics card running latest Picasso96 driver software.
	Toshiba XM-5701 SCSI-2 12X CD-ROM drive (internal).
	AIR 1.76MB external floppy disk drive.
	A2091 SCSI Controller w/Guru ROM.
	Seagate 1 GB internal hard drive.
	SyQuest EZFlyer 230 MB removable hard drive (external).
	Sony15sf 15" multisync monitor.
	AmigaOS 3.1.

INSTALLATION

	Installation is simple, and therefore does not need the
	standard installer utility. You may copy MooVId anywhere you
	like on your hard drive as long as you have reqtools.library
	v.38 (or higher) in your LIBS: directory.

REVIEW

	MooVId supports both Video for Windows movies, as well as
	Quicktime movies.  Below is a list of the video and audio
	types that can be viewed in the respective movie formats:

	Note: Intel Indeo support is ready, and the license has been
	promised, but not physically received as of this writing.

	========================
	Video for Windows (.avi)
	========================

	Supported video encoders:

	Intel Indeo        (IV31/IV32)	24 bit
	Microsoft RGB      (RGB)		8 bit
	Microsoft RGB      (RGB)		16 bit
	Microsoft Video 1  (CRAM/MSVC)	8 bit
	Microsoft Video 1  (CRAM/MSVC)	16 bit
	Radius Cinepak     (CVID)		24 bit
	Radius Cinepak     (CVID)		32 bit
	Run Length Encoded (RLE)		8 bit
        
	Supported audio codecs:
	
	PCM MONO/STEREO					8/16 bit
	MS-ADPCM MONO/STEREO			4 bit (16 bit)

	=====================
	Quicktime (.mov, .qt)
	=====================
	
	Supported video encoders:

	Apple Video        (RPZA)		16 bit
	Intel Indeo        (IV31/IV32)  24 bit	
	Radius Cinepak     (CVID)		24 bit
	Radius Cinepak     (CVID)		32 bit
	
	Supported audio encoders:
	
	RAW MONO						8/16 bit
	TWOS MONO						8/16 bit
	STEREO and IMA4 (coming soon)

	MooVId has a control GUI that can be used with both playback
	modes: a window on Workbench, or a custom screen. The GUI
	sports the following controls from left to right:
	
	Top row -
	
	Play/Pause button
	Video track slider
	Frames/sec Display & adjustment.
	
	Bottom row -
	
	Prev/Next AVI/MOV (when multiple files are selected)
	Volume slider
	Brightness slider
	Repeat movie toggle
	Skip frames toggle

DOCUMENTATION

	MooVId comes with standard AmigaGuide documentation which
	covers all the aspects of MooVId's features; how to get the
	best playback for your Amiga's configuration,
	troubleshooting/reporting bugs, and more.

	Keep in mind that while László's native language is not
	English, he does a good job of keeping the documentation clear
	and to the point. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned
	Amiga user, you'll find the documentation helpful, and you
	shouldn't have many questions left to ask.

LIKES

	MooVId provides a very fast and stable movie player for the
	Amiga. It not only supports the major codecs, but also has
	optimized playback routines for 68040 and 68060 processors. It
	sports a control GUI on both custom screens and Workbench
	window configurations.

DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS

	I have only two (major) suggestions for MooVId: add support
	for as many audio & video codecs as possible, and add MPEG
	audio and video support.  I'm happy to say that these are
	László's goals--as he gets time. He has already spent many
	hundreds of man-hours on MooVId, and--shameless plug--is
	likely to in the future, providing people register and show
	their support.

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	MooVId is not the only player for Video for Windows (.avi) and
	Quicktime animations (.mov). CyberAVI/QT, TapAVI (no longer
	supported), XAnim, Mavi, and the Main Actor series also
	support one or both of these movie formats to varying degrees.
	
	Since I do not own either Mavi or Main Actor, I was unable to
	compare either of these movie players with MooVId. However,
	MooVId is without question from 2-3 times faster than
	CyberAVI/QT, TapAVI, and far in excess of XAnim. MooVId is
	optimized for fast playback speed even on modest Amigas, and
	it shows.

BUGS

	It's hard to complain about a product that is constantly being
	updated; it may not (currently) support all the codecs that
	CyberAVI/MOV does, but it supports all the major codecs, with
	more on the way. Most importantly, it is FAST. Even on a 25MHz
	'030, smaller movies (160 x 120) can get around 10-12
	fps--rates you won't currently find with CyberAVI/QT, or
	TapAVI.

	Since MooVId is constantly being improved, it is almost
	pointless listing bugs here--they would very likely be fixed
	by the time this review is released. Suffice it to say that
	any bug, properly reported, will be fixed.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	Support is very good. László strives to answer all e-mail
	within 24 hours, and is open to suggestions (register
	first!). Any bugs I personally have reported have (or will be)
	fixed and an updated version was sent to me via e-mail.

WARRANTY

	N/A.

CONCLUSIONS

	If you want a powerful movie player for your Amiga, get
	MooVId. It is well supported, and is constantly being
	improved. It is more than worth the registration fee when you
	consider the immediate access you have to the literally
	thousands of movies available from the Internet and PC
	community in general.
	
	I give MooVId a 9 out of 10.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	Freely distributable.

	Written by Gregory Donner (July 27, 1998).
	e-mail: [email-masked]
	web:    www.cyberlink-inc.com/gdonner

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