Making Director Projectors Run Smoothly

[stealthms]

I've seen a lot of interactive CD-Roms produced by large companies that run very smoothly. When I create my projector the file access (such as a video clip) is choppy, doesn't load as quickly as I would like, etc,. What step(s) do I need to take to make the playback smooth from beginning to end? Is this accomplished using lingo and where do I find sample of scripts that would outline how to write it?

 

[kennethkawamoto]

You may want to preload your video clip using preload(). Tweak your video clip's codec and data rate so the video won't choke the CPU/graphics card. Also make sure set the video member to directToStage.

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk

 

[stealthms]

Can you give me a little more information on tweaking the video codec and data rate?

 

[kennethkawamoto]

I usually use QuickTime Sorenson Video 3. The data rate varies depends on the physical size of the video and the frame rate, but the aim here is to keep the data rate as low as possible without sacrificing the quality too much. I'd start with something like 1.4Mbits/sec.

Sorenson however takes a lot of processor power to decode for playback - for the low spec machine you may want to use Cinepak.

You can also use newer formats such as MPEG4 or Flash FLV. Some people use MPEG1 for the wider audiences. But the principle is the same: you have to find the right balance between the codec, the data rate and the picture quality.

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk

 

[stealthms]

Thank you for your assistance Kenneth I will see what those adjustments do for me. And, I apologize for delaying my thank you.

 

[mrcuss]

The image source is from a webcam or other external device.
sorry, i didnt make that clear in the first post.

 

[kennethkawamoto]

Are you using an Xtra to display the video stream from web-cam?

Kenneth Kawamoto

http://www.materiaprima.co.uk