Open the Registry Editor by clicking Start ➪ Run. Type regedit in the Open text box and

Chapter 25 ✦ Understanding Multimedia A computer with 3D video and graphics provides a more realistic look to your multimedia applications, and 3D accelerator graphics cards accelerate the display for better quality and speed. Also, 3D cards add functions such as texture enhancement, which makes the objects’ surfaces look more real. The result of using 3D cards is a more realistic picture. Finally, your graphics card needs to make multiplayer interaction over a network — LAN or Internet — fast, efficient, and realistic. The cards, therefore, must be able to integrate different mode connections and hardware technologies. Requirements You also should consider the video bus and video memory when looking at video cards. Bus, of course, refers to the type of slot the card fits into. Memory refers to video RAM, or the memory built into the card. Memory determines how fast the graphics appear on the screen. As a minimum, 64MB of DDR Double Data Rate memory provides enough memory to play games, create drawings, and work with photographs, videos, and so on. For the best perfor- mance with new and intense games or with educational software such as encyclopedias, how- ever, you should get 128MB of DDR memory. If you’re playing specific games or have multimedia programs in mind, make sure that the video card is certified for those games, especially if the card is for 3D video. Otherwise, the program may not run or will cause problems with your computer. Check the program’s documentation. Also, check the following when buying a video card for multimedia applications: ✦ Check the video processor on the video card. The video card’s processor handles incoming video-related data, just as the computer’s processor handles digital data. You can alternatively purchase a video processor to use with your TV, PC, or multimedia entertainment center. A good video processor provides you with multiple video con- nections for your DVD player, digital camera, VCR, HDTV, or for a game console such as the PS2, GameCube, or Xbox. ✦ Check the RAM digital-to-analog converter RAMDAC for the video card. The RAMDAC is the electronic component that changes the digital video signal of the card to a signal the monitor can read. RAMDAC speed affects the speed of images appearing on the screen. The standard RAMDAC is 350 MHz, although some cards are faster. The faster the RAMDAC, the better. ✦ The speed at which normal programs use the video card is 2D. A speed of 3D, however, is important for games and other multimedia programs. Most cards combine 2D and 3D features, but make sure the one you purchase does too. Buying a sound card Like video cards, sound cards usually are targeted to games, encyclopedias, and other multi- media programs. The sound card plays the music and other sounds that some programs include. An encyclopedia, for example, might include the sound of a steam engine with a description of trains or a portion of a Bach concerto with Bach’s biography. The sound card determines how good the sound quality is. Note Part VII ✦ Adding to Your Home Network Types of sound cards Sound cards generally are separated into two types: FM synthesis and wavetable. The differ- ence between the two is how they synthesize music. Music files are usually small — the sounds of instruments playing the music aren’t usually included in the files. The sound card must synthesize, or produce, the sounds of the instruments instead. Following are descrip- tions of each card type: ✦ FM synthesis cards generate the instruments, such as horns, piano, drums, and so on. The method used to generate the instruments sometimes produces sounds that are close to the instrument — and sometimes produces sounds that are nothing like the real instrument. This variation in quality depends on the manufacturer and the card quality. ✦ Wavetable sound cards, on the other hand, generate music by using actual instrument samples, so the instruments sound more real. If the card doesn’t have the instrument needed, it uses the instrument that’s closest in sound. Wavetable sound cards might cost a bit more, but they produce a better, more realistic sound. Suggesting sound cards and speakers Following are some things to keep in mind when you’re buying a multimedia sound card: ✦ If you want to play graphic-intense games, you need to make sure you use speakers with a deep bass and high wattage to increase the excitement of the game. You also need to get a sound card that can handle that. Use a two-piece speaker system, which consists of two speakers plus a bass-rich subwoofer. Make sure the PCI sound card comes with a wavetable synthesizer and 3D sound. ✦ If you plan to watch DVD movies or listen to digital music, consider high-end, high- wattage multiple speakers with 3D sound. Again, make sure the PCI card has a wavetable synthesizer and 3D sound. ✦ To create professional sound files or music files, consider a high-end, high-wattage mul- tiple speakers with 3D sound. Make sure the PCI card has a wavetable synthesizer and generates 64 or more voices. When you get your new computer home and attach to the Internet, dial up the home page for your sound card manufacturer. Check to see if the manufacturer has an updated sound card driver you can download. The driver you get with a new computer is never the most up- to-date one, and a newer driver will always work better with multimedia programs. Investigating speakers If you have a sound card, you need speakers. You can buy cheap speakers that offer no sound quality, or very expensive speakers that rival your stereo speakers. Following are some guidelines for buying speakers: ✦ Make sure that your speaker includes a subwoofer. A subwoofer enhances the sound, especially for games, educational software, and Internet uses. ✦ The speaker should have manual volume and balance controls in addition to software controls. ✦ Twenty watts is adequate power for most speaker usage, if the speakers are good quality. Tip Chapter 25 ✦ Understanding Multimedia Multimedia Personal Computer MPC is a specification for multimedia hardware — speakers, sound cards, video cards, CD drives, and so on — that ensures the hardware is compatible, reliable, and meets certain quality standards. MPC Level 3 is the latest version; however, real- ize that these latest standards were published in 1996. If any multimedia equipment states it’s MPC-3–compliant, that’s good. Looking at network upgrades for multimedia Multimedia applications can work on either a workgroup network or a clientserver network. You can install the multimedia applications on a workstation or a server, although you should pick one of the most powerful computers you have on your network to run any applications, to connect to the Internet, and on which to store files. Making upgrades to your network depends on the technology you already have. Before you do anything, test your multimedia computers on your current network to see if the speed is acceptable. Note Tips for Buying Sound Cards and Speakers Whenever you purchase a sound card for multimedia, make sure you take advice from the game’s or program’s manufacturer. Requirements are not merely a suggestion; they tell you what is required for the game or other program to work well. For example, if the manufacturer requires Sound Blaster compatibility, make sure you purchase a fully Sound Blaster-compatible card. Before you purchase a sound card, make sure your computer supports the sound card’s software for audio CD-player programs, games, editing audio files, and so on. 64-voice cards reproduce the sounds of instruments and voices with great richness and realism. If you’re using multimedia for gaming or music, you’ll appreciate the higher number of simulta- neous voices beneficial. Use PCI cards instead of Industry Standard Architecture ISA cards. PCIs are faster and allow for wider streams of audio on your PC. Use a wavetable synthesizer instead of an FM synthesis card for more realism and a better gam- ing or multimedia experience. Before purchasing speakers, consider these tips: ✦ 3D sound technology is particularly impressive with three- or four-piece speaker sets. ✦ If you use a notebook, make sure your speakers operate with batteries, since there might not be outlets within reach when you’re using your notebook. ✦ Headphones are an inexpensive option to speakers while still giving you a rich, realistic sound. ✦ If you can’t get a subwoofer system, you can get speakers with bass boost to give you good sounds in music and games. ✦ If you already own a pair of speakers, getting a separate subwoofer will improve the range, depth, and realism of sounds for music and games. Part VII ✦ Adding to Your Home Network You can share a fast CD-ROM drive, but it will run more slowly over the network. If you don’t use the network a lot for multimedia, or if the speed works well with your applica- tions, you don’t have to upgrade. If, on the other hand, you find some multimedia applications that don’t work, you can speed up the network by changing technologies. A phone line network, for example, running at 1 Mbps, will be too slow to show movies or to play some games over the network. Upgrading that network to Ethernet can make all the dif- ference. Of course, you need to upgrade your network cards to 10100 Mbps Ethernet, buy a 100 Mbps hub, and install CAT 5 UTP cabling. That can run into some money, but you’ll see improvement in the speed, reliability, and efficiency of your entire network. You might also consider upgrading to wireless, but make sure you check game and applica- tion software in case there are limitations that include wireless. See Chapter 6 for more information about Ethernet technology and Chapter 7 for more infor- mation about wireless networking. If you are currently using a 10 Mbps Ethernet network, you might want to upgrade to 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet for superior speed in multimedia applications, as well as in other facets of network performance. You should be using 10100 Mbps Ethernet network cards and CAT 5 UTP cabling already, so all you need to purchase is a 100 Mbps hub to make the network com- plete. If you’re not using 10100 Mbps cards, buy those first and use them with the 10 Mbps hub until your budget enables you to buy the faster hub. You also might consider replacing your NetBEUI or IPXSPX protocol with the more efficient TCPIP protocol. If you’re using Ethernet or Fast Ethernet, TCPIP can display a marked improvement over the others. See Appendix B for more information. Cross- Reference Tip Tip Troubleshooting Multimedia Devices Anytime you add a new device or change an old device, such as a video card or sound card, you can cause your computer to stop working. Each device has its own settings; if you add another device that tries to take those settings, you have a hardware conflict. Hardware conflicts are more noticeable in Windows 98 computers than in Windows 2000 or XP computers because newer systems deal with conflicts automatically. You might, however, find a problem in any Windows, Mac, or Linux computer that deals with interrupt request IRQ, direct memory access DMA, or inputoutput IO addresses. Hardware lines carry a device’s signal to the processor. When a device wants to communicate with the processor, it causes an interrupt request to gain the processor’s attention. The IO is the means by which data is transferred between the computer and its peripheral devices. DMA is a method of transferring information directly from a hard disk, for example, into memory by bypassing the processor. Most PCs have 15 IRQs; some are assigned to specific devices, and others are free for cards and devices you install. Each computer is different, so the device might not have the same IRQ in one computer as it does in another. In addition, not all devices require an IRQ, IRQs cannot be shared by multiple devices, and the most common IRQ conflicts are between two COM ports.