Test reports

3. Software test: AVI/Quicktime video player 'MooVId' (by Sven Droege)

Requirements:

Hardware:

• Kickstart 3.0 (Computer with AKIKO chip Kick3.1)


• AGA-Chipset (without only 16 greyscales available)


• at least a 68020 processor


• at least 1MB RAM (best with FAST-RAM, but not necessary)

a graphics board running with CyberGraphX or P96 would be ideal, of course.

• reqtools.library V38+


• asyncio.library V39+

(both included)

The recommended minimal configuration is: Amiga with MC68030/50 MHz - min. 1 MB Fast-RAM and a fast hard disk / min. 4x CD-ROM. With this configuration any movie can be played in an acceptable speed.

MooVId installs itself and the required libraries automatically in the selected drawer.

Simply, MooVId is a movie player for the Amiga, that can connect to the competitors of other platforms and keeps its promisses. In addition MooVId is the first Amiga player to support the format "Intel Indeo 3.1/3.2". This is why MooVId beats any player available for the Amiga, because Intel Indeo is used more and more. MooVId is written 100% in assembler, which results in a high speed. The program can be used from the WB as well as it can be started from the CLI. In the last case the user has many possibilities to set it up, which manipulates partly the design. All these option are available for the user via tool types.

The options include e.g. the possibility to show a greyscale video, which is recommended for slow computers, because it increases the speed. Videos can be played back in a window or on an own screen. A small button strip of the most important functions can be faded in or out, if requested. The VERBOSE function allows the output of informations about the video file.

Usually MooVId recognizes the present graphics board and the basic driver system automatically and uses the present ressources. But even AGA users will be enthusiastic about the highly optimized AGA modes. True colour videos will be shown

• in a good quality HAM8 mode, if there is a fast processor present! The possibility of

MooVId (currently) supports these formats:

• Video for Windows (.avi) ----------------------

• QuickTime (.mov, .qt) -------------------------

For testing the possibilities I downloaded some videos from the Internet. Because they were of quite low resolution (160x100x8) MooVId didn't have any problems. It was even possible to continue working on the Workbench quite comfortable, e.g. open windows, moving them etc. while playing the video.

After that I tested MooVId with those videos, that are on the amigaOS-CDs. These videos are larger, longer and partly in "Intel Indeo 3.1/3.2" format, that is quite computing intensive. But MooVId played all those videos with the original frame rate, without stuttering picture or sound! At last I tested it with those videos, which are on the installation CD of an operating system, that is spreaded about most PCs. Here you find the first negative point: The quite new format "Intel Indeo 4.1" can't be processed by MooVId. Unfortunately. But the author has helt out the prospect of supporting this format in the future. Videos in the Quicktime3 format can't be processed by MooVId, too. This format should be also implemented, according to the author. But when this will be is uncertain, because Apple has problems to present informations regarding this format.

• useable interface
• intuitive handling
• Full screen/window mode
• very reliable even with special formats!
• many supported formats (especially Intel Indeo 3.1/3.2)
• very fast, even without a graphics board!!!

There aren't any negative points to discover.

Just the missing support of Intel Indeo 4 and QuickTime3 is a drop of bitterness. But the author Laszlo Toeroek is going to master this problem.

It would also be nice, if there was a support of MPEG1/2 streams, maybe it will be integrated, too.

MooVId is THE movie player for the Amiga. Who wants to watch videos and doesn't want to use all the different players (CyberAVI/CyberQT, the old TAP-AVI or the MaVI system) has no chance of avoiding MooVId, because there is nothing better.

I was very enthusiastic, when I used the program for the first time.

The registration fee is 10.00 DEM (approx. 5.10 Euros). The demo version is unable to play Intel Indeo 3.1 videos. After paying the registration fee you get the library, which is required for that format. There are no limitations. I can recommend this special tool to anyone!!!

MooVId can be purchased directly from the author:

Sven Droege <sven.droege@UniBw-Hamburg.DE>«