Indeo video: what is the new video driver API?

Jesse Lackey

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Jan 17, 1994, 5:21:35 PM1/17/94

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Hello!

I have heard that Intel Indeo digital video circumvents the standard Windows
BitBlt to get pixels to the screen faster. I am *very* interested to find
out more details on how this is done. Basically, BitBlt is too darn slow, and
Windows device-dependent bitmaps are far too limited for what I need to do....
update the screen FAST with images I'm generating at high speed. Any ideas
out there would be much appreciated!

I have tried to hook up to the video driver DLL to invoke the driver's BitBlt
directly, but I can't get a pointer to any of the driver's routines (I get
error or garbage from GetProcAddress()).

I have figured out how to write directly to a Windows bitmap loaded into a DC,
but it almost definitely won't work under NT (security and all that annoying
stuff).

IDEALLY:
A way to get a pointer to the actual screen video RAM, that can be read and
written at will...

Please help...if there is enough interest and information, I will post a
summary.

thanks,
jesse
--
Jesse Lackey | 3D/Eye, Inc., Ithaca NY | je...@eye.com | (607) 257-1381 x1032

Bill Ataras

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Jan 18, 1994, 11:01:59 AM1/18/94

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: Windows device-dependent bitmaps are far too limited for what I need to do....

: update the screen FAST with images I'm generating at high speed.

Well, if you got direct access to the display memory yourself, you'd be
working with the same device dependence. You should stay with the bitblt.
Its about as fast as it gets. Now, you culd be running slow video
drivers. There are 3rd party companies that specialize in writing
ultra-optimized video drivers for various cards. Your customers may have
to buy faster video drivers or hardware.

Chris J. Wein

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Jan 18, 1994, 1:49:32 PM1/18/94

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In article <2hf31f$c...@news.eye.com>, Jesse Lackey <je...@eye.com> wrote:
>Hello!
>
>I have heard that Intel Indeo digital video circumvents the standard Windows
>BitBlt to get pixels to the screen faster. I am *very* interested to find
>out more details on how this is done. Basically, BitBlt is too darn slow, and
>Windows device-dependent bitmaps are far too limited for what I need to do....
>update the screen FAST with images I'm generating at high speed. Any ideas
>out there would be much appreciated!

I believe that ATI and Intel have devised a spec for frame buffer sharing
that allows for this. However, I believe that Microsoft critized them
for it since when MS's version comes on-line they will be incompatible.

That is all I know (about your question that is :-) )
--
Chris Wein |
cjw...@watcgl.uwaterloo.ca | "Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some
(519) 888-4548 | people abuse the privilege."
U. Of Waterloo |

Carl Christofferson

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Jan 19, 1994, 12:38:11 PM1/19/94

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In article <2hf31f$c...@news.eye.com>, je...@eye.com (Jesse Lackey) writes:
|> Hello!
|>
|> I have heard that Intel Indeo digital video circumvents the standard Windows
|> BitBlt to get pixels to the screen faster. I am *very* interested to find
|> out more details on how this is done. Basically, BitBlt is too darn slow, and
|> Windows device-dependent bitmaps are far too limited for what I need to do....
|> update the screen FAST with images I'm generating at high speed. Any ideas
|> out there would be much appreciated!
|>

|> [stuff deleted]

I am very interested in any video information, too, so please post! In
addition, did anyone out there attend one of the MS MultiMedia Developers
Conferences (I missed the one in Newport Beach back in October)? Was it
any good? Does anybody know if there will be anymore of these (especially
in So. Cal.)? I would really like to know what all I need in addition to
the Win SDK (Visual C++) to add video to my application. (I realize I could
just hook into the MS Video for Windows player, but I want more control).

Thanks!

Carl Christofferson
ca...@thames.sandiegoca.ncr.com