Instruction/ maintenance manual of the product AlchemyTV Miglia
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A lchemyTV D VR U ser G uide Revision 2.2 (c) 2003-2004, Miglia T echnology Ltd.
T able of contents Introduction and Overview of AlchemyTV DVR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Introduction and System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I ntr oduction and Over view of A lchemyTV D VR AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 1.
Introduction Thank you for choosing AlchemyTV DVR™ from Miglia T echnology . AlchemyTV DVR™ allows you to watch TV on your PowerMac and enables you to record your favorite programmes onto your hard drive in a supported QuickT ime format of your choice.
Overview of AlchemyTV DVR™ Video inputs AlchemyTV™ features several video inputs: • TV input • Composite input • S-Video input • Stereo audio input (jack type) • Stereo audio output (jac.
• TV/Antenna connection: This connector should be used for your analogue TV cable coming from an RF antenna or a cable box. • FM Connector: This connector is available solely with the G4-only version of the card. It allows you to connect an FM antenna.
H ar dwar e and Softwar e I nstallation AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 5.
I. Hardware Installation The installation of AlchemyTV™ is a two step process starting with the hardware installation into your PowerMac. AlchemyTV™ is a PCI card that should be installed in a free expansion slot of your Mac. Makes sure you are wearing an anti-static wrist wrap before beginning the installation.
PowerMac G5 1. Shut down your Mac. Remove the side panel and plastic door of your PowerMac. Locate an unused PCI slot. Using a small Phillips-head screwdriver , remove the retaining screw from the PCI expansion slots access panel, then remove the access panel itself.
Remote Installation: Connect the remote control receiver cable to the RM port on the AlchemyTV card. Make sure the plug of the cable rests on the PCI card and not the metalwork of the case. Note that the infrared remote control has a plastic separator between the battery and the electric contacts.
II. Software Installation 1. Insert the Installation CD that shipped with your AlchemyTV DVR™ card into your CD/DVD drive. 2. Before installing the version available on the CD, it is recommended that you check any available updates on the Miglia site.
6. The AlchemyTV DVR folder will be located in the ‘Applications’ folder of the volume containing your system software. 7. Note that the control panel “Remote Control’ is also added to the System Preferences panel. If you have installed the Application Enhancer (for the iChat patch), the APE manager will also appear .
S etting up A lchemyTV D VR for viewing and r ecor ding AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 11.
Introduction This chapter will guide you through the initial setup of the AlchemyTV DVR card and software. Before proceeding, make sure you have installed the PCI card and the software and connected your video source via the composite or S-Video or coaxial connectors.
2. The Setup Assistant will ask you to choose the type o f connection you are using. If you connect your card directly to an antenna or a cable TV outlet, choose the ‘TV T uner’ option. If you are subscribing to a premium or digital cable service or digital satellite, it is recommended that you make a connection via S-Video.
USA residents only If you have selected TV T uner as the input connection, the Setup Assistant will ask you to enter your ZIP code to download the relevant channel naming templates from TVGuide.com. This will prevent you from having to give names manually to the individual channels.
U sing the A lchemyTV D VR M enus and Onscr een Remote AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 15.
I. AlchemyTV DVR Menus V arious functions are accessible via the menu bar: 1. The AlchemyTV DVR Menu lets you access: About box: Displays about box with version number Setup Assistant: Launches the Setup Assistant Register: Open the Registration dialog Software Update: Checks online if a new version is available.
4. The View Menu contains the video related commands. Scheduled Recordings: Open the scheduled recordings window . Enables timed recordings. Log Window: The log window contains a report for each finished or aborted scheduled recording. TV Window: Displays the live TV window TV Window Size: Contains 3 pre-defined sizes, quarter , half and full size.
5. The Window menu contains a shortcut to the full screen mode (Zoom) and enables you to switch between open windows. 6. The Help menu contains a link to the Miglia supportweb page and allows to open this manual.
1. Basic Remote Functions T echnical Channel: Displays the technical channel number V olume level: Displays the volume level selected in the software Channel List: Shows a list of all stored/saved TV .
Video Source Settings: This panels allows you to adjust the video source settings: Device: Enables you to select the desired video input device. This will most likely be AlchemyTV Format: Enables you to select the video standard. US, Canada and Japan residents should use ‘NTSC’, while most European users should select ‘P AL ’.
Window Settings: The Window pane enables you to activate three options: Always in front: The TV window will always be in front of all other applications. T ransparency: Enables you to adjust the level of transparency for the TV window . Clip edges: The option to clip the edges enables you to reduced the viewable area of the picture.
U sing the A lchemyTV D VR P r efer ences AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 22.
I. AlchemyTV DVR preferences overview 1. Select AlchemyTV DVR > Preferences 1. The preferences are divided in four categories: Storage: This category allows you to set the general storage preferences Video Input: This menu allows you to set all video and audio preferences.
AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 24 I. The Storage Sub-menu 1. The Storage tab contains three important options: Filename T emplates: Name templates used for your recorded video files 2. The Filename T emplate allows you to enter pre-defined values for the name of the file that will be stored onto your hard drive.
II. The Video Input Menu The Video Input menu contains the most important controls you have over the video you will view or record to your hard drive. A. Adjusting the video settings 1. The image sub-menu allows you to control the brightness, lighting, saturation and hue of the recorded video.
2. Video Compression will adjust the video codec and quality settings for the video you will record to your hard drive. Select the QuickT ime codec of your choice in the drop down menu. The options are identical to those you would choose for AlchemyTV .
3. The V ideo Compression Expert Settings menu may be familiar to you. It is a standard QuickT ime window you may have seen in other applications. It enables an advanced control over the QuickT ime codecs. Some Codecs may have advanced settings available under the codec list.
4. The Size Menu The Video Size for scheduled recordings can be adjusted via this sub-menu. Y ou can either use a pre-defined size (Full size, Half-screen, quarter size) or a custom size via the list item ‘Other’. Note that full size video requires a fast processor .
5. The audio settings enable you to control various audio settings of the video you will record to your hard drive. These settings will be applied to bothscheduled recordings and the live TV window . The Device list let’ s you select the desired input device, eg.
Destination controls the audio output of the recorded audio during live playback. Internal: The internal speaker of your PowerMac or the speakers attached to it will be used External: The speakers you may have connected to the audio out of the AlchemyTV card will be used.
8. The TV T uner Sub-menu The TV tuner sub-menu allows you to create and select channel layouts. It also enables you to scan and fine-tune channels manually , without the help of the Setup Assistant. It is possible to create a new channel setup without using the Setup Assistant .
III. Channel T emplates The Channel T emplates sub-menu organises your channel lists and features an import/export function. A Channel List contains the list of the channels you can receive, the frequency of each channel and its name.
IV . The Plugins Menu AlchemyTV DVR supports a Plugins architecture allowing a smooth integration with third-party applications and devices. The current iCal plugin can however be adjusted to import or export recordings via the ‘Show Settings’ button.
Scheduling a r ecor ding with A lchemyTV D VR AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 34.
I. Schedule a recording with AlchemyTV DVR 1. Click on View > Show scheduled recordings. 2. In the ‘Scheduled Recordings’ window , click ‘Add’ to program a new recording.
3. Select your desired channel and enter the name of the program you wish to record (the name itself does not affect the recording. Y ou can either use a Filename template or give a unique name to the recorded file. T ime, date and repetition can be entered on the right side of the window .
4. Y our new recording will be added to the ‘Scheduled Recordings’ list (see 2.). Note that AlchemyTV DVR will not wake up your computer from sleep to start a recording. The application needs to be running if you wish to have the recording start automatically .
II.. iCal synchronisation AlchemyTV DVR can synchronise your recordings with iCal. Make sure that the iCal plugin is set to import or export recordings, depending on your preference. 1. Export: Once you have created a recording in AlchemyTV DVR, it will appear as a separate calendar item in iCal.
Scheduling a r ecor ding with T itanTV AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 39.
Introduction AlchemyTV DVR 2.2 and higher support Decisionmark’ s T itanTV EPG (Electronic Program Guide) to browse, search and schedule recordings. Note that T itanTV is only functional in the United States at the time of this writing.
III. Scheduling a recording with T itanTV 1. Select ‘T itanTV TV Listings’ from the AlchemyTV DVR menu. This will launch your browser and redirect you to the T itanTV login page 2. Enter your username and password you created during T itanTV’ s sign up process.
A lchemyTV D VR Plug-ins AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 42.
Introduction AlchemyTV DVR 2.1 and higher supports an open plug-in architecture that enables software developers to create enhancement modules. The application ships with several built-in plug-ins.
III. Using Third Party Plug-ins 3.1 Plug-in Settings Plug-ins settings are available in Preferences > Video Input > Plug-ins > Show settings Note that some plug-ins do not have any settings. Explanation for the individual settings of a specific plug-in are usually included in the Read-me file included with a third party plug-in.
III. Current Plug-ins 3.1 Built-in Plug-ins Interface Plug-in: AlchemyTV Setup Assistant: Provides the Setup Assistant functionality to AlchemyTV DVR. Post-Processing Plug-ins: AlchemyTV Reveal in Finder: Shows a recorded file in the Finder .
3.2 Third-Party Plug-ins Post-Processing Plug-ins: MovieGate for Alchemy: Enables you to create a VCD, S-VCD or DVD from a recorded file. This plug-ins includes conversion to MPEG-1 or MPEG-2, DVD chapter creation, VCD, S-VCD and DVD burning. A read-me file included in the disk image provides instructions.
The infrar ed r emote control AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 47.
I. The Remote Control Settings 1. Open System Preferences > Remote. The ‘Remote’ item is located at the bootom of the Sytem Preferences panel in the ‘other’ section. 2. The Remote Control software translates the key you press on the IR remote into key combinations that are sent to the applications or operating system.
3. Y ou can control most applications that run on your Mac by adding a key map for them in the control panel. Click on ‘New’ at the bottom of the screen, select the desired application and the possible key mappings will appear on the right hand side of the screen.
Example: How to setup the Remote Control for iT unes 1. Select “New” and browse to the folder where iT unes is located (usually in Startup drive > Applications). Press OK to create a new key mapping for iT unes. 2. Scroll down the window displaying the key assignments until you find ‘V ol +’.
QuickT ime C odecs AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 51.
I. QuiickT ime Codecs AlchemyTV DVR relies on QuickT ime to perform the encoding of your video footage. All codecs that are accessible in QuickT ime are accessible in AlchemyTV (export codecs are not included). Some codecs should not be used with AlchemyTV , as they have been designed for other types of applications, but many are useable.
AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 53 License Agreement This license contract is part of the purchase contract. The conditions for the use of the Alchemytv™- software are written down in the following license contract.
AlchemyTV DVR™ User Guide Page 54 5.3 Should the software be faulty , the original CD on which the software is memorized has to be properly packed and returned to the authorized trader .
An important point after buying a device Miglia AlchemyTV (or even before the purchase) is to read its user manual. We should do this for several simple reasons:
If you have not bought Miglia AlchemyTV yet, this is a good time to familiarize yourself with the basic data on the product. First of all view first pages of the manual, you can find above. You should find there the most important technical data Miglia AlchemyTV - thus you can check whether the hardware meets your expectations. When delving into next pages of the user manual, Miglia AlchemyTV you will learn all the available features of the product, as well as information on its operation. The information that you get Miglia AlchemyTV will certainly help you make a decision on the purchase.
If you already are a holder of Miglia AlchemyTV, but have not read the manual yet, you should do it for the reasons described above. You will learn then if you properly used the available features, and whether you have not made any mistakes, which can shorten the lifetime Miglia AlchemyTV.
However, one of the most important roles played by the user manual is to help in solving problems with Miglia AlchemyTV. Almost always you will find there Troubleshooting, which are the most frequently occurring failures and malfunctions of the device Miglia AlchemyTV along with tips on how to solve them. Even if you fail to solve the problem, the manual will show you a further procedure – contact to the customer service center or the nearest service center
