FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What formats are supported by Performersoft's Media Performer?
ASF, AVI, FLV, Fraps, MP4, Ogg, Wav, MPEG-2 (ES, PS, TS, PVA), MP3, MPJPEG, FLAC, QuickTime, Matroska, H.263, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, MJPEG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, VP5, VP6, VP8, Theora, DV, AAC, AC3, DV Audio, FLAC, MP3, Speex, Vorbis, UDP, HTTP, RTP, RTSP, MMS, AAC, AC3, ALAC, AMR, DTS, DV Audio, XM, FLAC, MACE, Mod, MP3, PLS, QDM2/QDMC, RealAudio, Speex, Screamtracker 3/S3M, TTA, Vorbis, WavPack, WMA (WMA 1/2, WMA 3 partially), etc.
How to play files and DVDs with Performersoft's Media Performer?
To play a file, press the menu item labeled 'Media', and select the menu item labeled 'Open File'.
In the dialog box labled 'Open File' dialog box will. Select the file you want to play and press the 'Open' button.
Performersoft's Media Performer is compatible with drag 'n' drop technology, simply drag your file onto the Media Performer window, or the playlist window for it to start playing automaticaly.
To play a CD, VCD or a DVD, press the menu item labeled 'Media', and select the menu item labeled 'Open Disc'. Select the type of media (DVD, SVCD/VCD or Audio CD) from the 'Open Disk' dialog box.
Select the drive on which the media is stored by selecting the drive letter from drop-down list. Otherwise you can press the 'Browse button', that will open a dialog box for you to browse for the media files.
How can i operate the subtitles ?
A textual description of the video dialogue is referred to as Subtitles. This feature allows you to watch and understand videos and movies in unknown languages. Media Players support this type of feature to help people watch the textual description of dialogues. Just like any other media player, the PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER can also read and display subtitles in a variety of media formats such as:
How do i view subtitles?
Performersoft's Media Performer comes complete with a built in Subtitle encoder, simply make sure that the subtitle file is of the exact name as the video you are playing
My subtitles are not always displayed, how can i fix this?
By default Performersoft's Media Performer autodetects your subtitles file, but if it does not display them properly, you will need to change encoding method for the subtitles file.
Go to Preferences -> Input / Codecs -> Other codecs -> Subtitles, click on set Subtitle text encoding and select the right one, you may need to try a couple to find the appropriate one.
Procedure to Customize Subtitles (Linux and Windows)
It is easier to customize/edit the subtitles in Media Performer. Although it is possible to edit the subtitles in OGM and Matroska media formats, it is not possible to do the same in DVD and SVCD media formats. This is because the subtitles in DVD and SVCD are in non-editable image format whereas the subtitles in OGM and Matroska are in editable rendered text format. The text rendering options in subtitles can be easily edited in easy steps.
Procedure to Enable Subtitles
By default, the subtitle option is disabled in PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER media player. However it can be enabled in simple steps.
The text rendering options in subtitles can be easily edited in easy steps.
Note: Please note that a font file has to be selected in order to change the font type.
Procedure to Customize Subtitles (Linux and Windows)
It is easier to customize/edit the subtitles in Media Performer. Although it is possible to edit the subtitles in OGM and Matroska media formats, it is not possible to do the same in DVD and SVCD media formats. This is because the subtitles in DVD and SVCD are in non-editable image format whereas the subtitles in OGM and Matroska are in editable rendered text format.
Location of Font Files In Windows, the font file will be located at C:\Windows\Fonts In MacOS X, the font file will be located at /System/Library/Fonts.
Managing the Subtitles files
The process of managing the subtitle files varies depending on the type of media format. Some of the latest media formats like Matroska or OGM subtitles can be handled directly with ease whereas older media formats like AVI cannot handle subtitles directly. In order to overcome such problems in older media formats, a series of subtitle files are created. Every media format contains two files namely, "video file" and "subtitle file" (with text and timestamps).
Compatibility for Subtitle Files
The PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER can handle the following type of subtitle files:
Opening a Subtitle File
The following simple steps will help you Open a Subtitle File.
Alternative: You can also Choose -> Subtitles Track Menu -> Video tab to open a Subtitle File.
Note: If you are using Vobsub subtitles, select the .idx file instead of .sub file. However, please note that the Encoding, alignment and size won't have any effect for Vobsub subtitles.
How to use the Playback option ?
The process of creating media files is pretty simple in Media Performer. One of the important things that you got to do after creating the media file is to test it for performance issues. Playback is one of the best options to test the quality and performance of the media files. You can also test the media file against various parameters like time, bookmarks, and titles using the playback option.
Bookmarks
The Bookmarks feature in Media Performer allows you to mark and locate selective scenes or tunes in video and audio files with ease. For example, you can add all your favorite video scenes and audio tunes and listen to it repeatedly using the Bookmark option.
Procedure to Bookmark a Scene in the Movie:
1. Choose Playback Menu -> Bookmarks -> Manage Bookmarks. On doing so, the Edit Bookmarks dialog box will be displayed
2. Click Create to create a bookmark for the current video track. Please note that the created bookmarks will be displayed in the Edit Bookmarks dialog box.
3. Choose Playback Menu -> Bookmarks and select your favorite bookmark in order to view it.
Title
In DVD formats, each movie or video is referred and distinguished from one another using a Title or a Name. Each time a movie is played, the title of the movie is displayed by the media player. All the movie titles can be viewed in folders in a sequential order.
1. Choose Media Menu -> Open Folder to open a Folder.
2. Select the folder in which the Video files are present
3. Click OK to proceed
4. Choose Playback -> Title to select a title. On doing so, the selected title is played on the screen.
Chapter
Videos are categorized and divided into chapters. This makes it easier to watch a movie randomly. You can randomly choose any chapter of the video and view it on the screen without having to watch the entire video. For example, you can play your favorite scene by choosing and playing its chapter rather than playing the complete video.
Procedure to Play a Chapter:
Option 1
1. Choose ->Media menu -> Open Folder.
2. Select the folder in which the video files are present.
3. Choose a video file that you wish to play and click OK to play it on the Media Performer Media Player.
Option 2
1. Choose Playback Menu -> Chapter to view the list of chapters.
2. Select a chapter of your choice in order to play it in the Media Performer Media Player.
Navigation
Navigating or Switching over to various titles and corresponding chapters can be done with ease in Media Performer. Also, various options in a DVD such as subtitle, angle and other features are customizable in the Media Performer Media Player.
1. Go to Navigation Menu ->DVD Menu -> To Customize a Title option in order to customize or alter the Title
2. Choose Playback Menu -> Navigation -> Title (any title of your choice) to view the title name and play its video.
3. Select Title to view the Title of a Chapter. On doing so, the chapters in a title are listed. Select the needed Chapter in order to play it.
Program
This option is used to read a multi-program stream like DVB. The Program feature is enabled only if the streams that contain DVB or TS format are played. A Program can be chosen using its Service ID.
Specify Time
This option is used to locate or view or listen to a specific frame in a media file.
1. Choose Playback Menu -> Jump to Specific Time. On doing so, the Go to Time dialog box is displayed.
2. Enter the time in hh:mm:ss. Please make sure that time duration that you enter doesn't exceed the total length of the media file
3. Click Go to proceed. On doing so, the tracker moves to specified frame and the media files starts to play from the specified frame.
4. Click Cancel to exit at any point of time.
How to use Media Performer to play Audio ?
You can play, enable and disable an audio track.
Procedure to Play an Audio Track
1. Choose Media Menu -> Open File.
2. Select an audio file and click on the Open button. On doing so, the selected track is played.
3. Choose Audio Menu -> Audio Track -> Disable to disable a track. On doing so, the seleced track will be terminated.
4. To play the same track repeatedly, select the needed Track option in the Audio Track from the Audio menu. On doing so, the selected track will be played.
Recording Audio
Pushing the record button ( ) is all that you need to do in order to record an audio in the Media Performer. By default, the Record button may be disabled or hidden. However, you can choose to view the Record button by selecting View -> Advanced Controls (Or) View -> Customize in order to add an Record Button to the Line 2 of the screen.
The recording from a shoutcast stream is generally stored somewhere in your files under a name like Performersoft's Media Performer-record-Date-Time-Channel-Track.mp3
For example, the recording from Radio CAFF is stored under the location "Performersoft's Media Performer-record-2011-09-22-10h19m48s-Radio CAFF-Silencio - Arrabal Salvaje.mp3"
The streams can be disconnected or cut at any point of time by relaying the stream through Streamripper, i.e. by directing StreamRipper to the ShoutCast stream and directing PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER to the relaying port of StreamRipper (default http://localhost:8000).
Audio Device
The Audio Device allows you to listen to audio files in two modes namely stereo and mono.
1. Choose Media Menu -> Open File or Open Disc to listen to an audio track. On doing so, the Open dialog box is displayed.
2. Select an audio file and click on the Play button. On doing so, the selected track is played.
3. Select Audio Menu -> Audio Device -> Mono to play the audio in the Mono mode. Mono refers to monaural sound that uses a single channel for sound reproduction.
4. Choose Audio Menu -> Audio Device -> Stereo to listen to the audio track in the Stereo mode. Stereo refers to sound that uses two channels for sound reproduction or stereophonic sound.
Audio Channels
Audio channel refers to a stream of audio files that are played by a single speaker. For example, stereo audio, consists of two channels. This option is useful for codecs that don't have support for more than 2 channels.
Select a channel type in Audio Channels from the Audio menu. PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER media player provides four audio channels and they are described as follows.
1. Stereo - This channel type reproduces sound in two or more independent audio channels using more than one speaker. If you use Stereo Channel Type, the sound would be reflected and heard in all directions. A regular home theater with 5.1 or 6.1 speakers is a good example for Stereo Channel Type.
2. Left - This option allows you to play the music only in the Left Speaker. The Speaker on the right goes OFF when you choose Left Channel type. The regular audio player with 2.1 speaker is a good example for Left Channel Type.
3. Right - This option switches off the Left speaker and plays the music in the Right Speaker alone.
4. Reverse Stereo - With Media Performer's in-built Reverse stereo feature, you don't have to rely on external applications to reverse a stereo. The Reverse Stereo option allows you to play an audio in tandem with the video. This option is generally used to change the audio output of the file. For example, If you are watching a video, where a person walks on the left side but the sound is produced on the right side, then you can rectify it by using the Reverse Stereo option. You can observe the Reverse Stereo options in 2.1, 5.1, 6.1 and 8.1 speakers.
Visualize Audio
Visualization is nothing but visual representation of an audio. This option displays splashes of color and geometric shapes, produces animated images based on a piece of music.
The different visual effects available are Spectrometer, Scope, Spectrum, VU Meter and Goom. You can also disable a visualization at any point of time.
1. Choose Audio Menu - Visualization to view the visualization effects.
2. Choose Audio Menu -> Visualization -> Disable to disable a visualization.
How to play video with Media Performer
There are two main ways to open and play a video track:
1. Choose Media Menu -> Open File.
2. Select a video track and double-click it or click the Open button to play a video track.
Full Screen
This option allows you to watch a video in the full screen mode.
1. Choose Video Menu -> Full Screen. On doing so, the video will be displayed in full screen.
2. Click Esc button or right click the mouse and choose "Leave Full Screen Mode" to quit full screen and return back to the original mode of display. Note: The controls/buttons may seem hidden when you switch to Full Screen Mode. You can restore the controls by hovering your mouse or pressing any key on the keyboard.
Always on Top
As the name implies, this option allows you to place the media player on top of the screen. This option can be of great use when you have other applications running on your system.
1. Choose Video Menu -> Always on Top. On doing so, the Media Performer media player will appear on top of the screen.
2. If you do not want PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER to appear on the top of the screen, you can manually change the physical location of the media player by dragging and dropping it to a different location.
DirectX Wallpaper
This option allows you to play your current video as a Desktop Wall paper.
To view the current video file as wallpaper
1. Choose Media Menu -> Advanced File Open. On doing so, the Open Media dialog box is displayed.
2. Select a file and click Play.
3. Choose Video Menu -> DirectX Wallpaper. On doing so, the selected video will be displayed in the desktop background.
Note: This feature works only if you deactivate the overlay under Windows XP.
Snapshot
This option is used to get a snapshot or picture from a video.
1. Choose Media Menu -> Advanced File Open. On doing so, The Open dialog box is displayed.
2. Select a video and click Play.
3. Select Video Menu -> Snapshot to capture an image from the selected video.
Note: The image is captured in the .png picture format and is saved in the C:\My Pictures folder by default (C:\Users\Username\Pictures).
Zoom
This option allows you to enlarge the video in different sizes. The size of the current video track can be enlarged using the Zoom option. The Media Performer supports a wide range of Zoom sizes such as 1:4 Quarter, 1:2 Half, 1:1 Original (default) and 2:1 Double.
1. Choose Video Menu -> Zoom
2. Select a Dimension Size from Zoom
3. On doing so, the video track will be resized to the selected dimension.
Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio refers to the width of a picture in relation to its height. For example, the ratio5:4 means five unit width to four unit height.
The Media Performer supports a wide range of Aspect Ratio values such as 1:1, 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, 2.21:1, 2.35:1, 2.39:1 and 5:4.
1. Choose Video Menu -> Aspect Ratio
2. Select an Aspect Ratio Value
3. On doing so, the video will be adjusted to the selected aspect radio value size.
Crop
This option allows you to crop and capture a portion of the video. You can also crop the black bars at the top and bottom of a video using this option.
Media Performer supports a wide range of cropping values such as Default, 16:10, 16:9, 1.85:1, 2.21:1, 2.35:1, 2.39:1, 5:3, 4:3, 5:4, and 1:1.
1. Choose Video Menu - > Crop
2. Select a Crop Value to crop the video to the selected size.
Deinterlace
Deinterlace involves the conversion of interlaced video signals into non-interlaced signals. The Media Performer supports a winde range of Deinterlace formats such as Discard, Blend, Mean, Bob, Linear, X, Yadif and Yadif (2x) modes.
1. Choose Video Menu -> Deinterlace.
2. Choose the desired Deinterlace Setting.
3. To change the existing deinterlacement mode, select an existing 'Deinterlace mode' that you want to change and choose a different setting.
4. The changes are displayed when the video is played.
how to Uninstall PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER ?
The Performer Soft's Media Performer can be uninstalled using the Windows Add/Remove Programs. The following are the detailed instruction for uninstalling the Media Performer from various types of operating systems.
Procedure to Uninstall Media Performer from Windows Vista / Windows 7 Operating System
1. Go to Start Menu -> Control Panel -> Programs
2. Click Uninstall a Program
3. Right click on PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER media player and select Uninstall/Change to uninstall the program.
Procedure to Uninstall Media Performer from Windows XP
1. Choose Start Menu -> Control Panel
2. Click the Add or Remove Programs icon.
3. Select PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER media player and click on the "Remove" or "Change/Remove" button to uninstall the program.
Procedure to Uninstall Media Performer from Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, and XP in Classic View
1. Choose Start Menu -> Settings -> Control Panel.
2. Double-click the "Add/Remove Programs" icon.
3. Select PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER media player and click on the "Remove" or "Change/Remove" button to uninstall the program.
Procedure to Uninstall Media Performer from UBUNTU
1. Choose Applications-->Ubuntu Software center--> Audio&Video.
2. Select installed software option on the left side.
3. Click on "PERFORMERSOFT'S MEDIA PERFORMER Media Player", and click on the "Remove" button to uninstall the program.