LaserDisc UK Web Site

 

 

PC - RS-232 Control Software &

MCI Devices

 

Download Software Description Screenshot
MS MCI LaserDisc Driver The original Windows (3.x and 95) MCI compatible driver for Pioneer LaserDiscs and the VVCR. This is the older driver (4-12-93) and should only be used for compatibility with older programs.
Pioneer MCI LaserDisc Driver This is the latest Windows (3.x and 95) MCI compatible driver for Pioneer LaserDiscs and the VVCR. Use this driver for control of LD-V2200, CLD-V2400, LD-V2800, LD-V4200, LD-V5000, LD-V8000, VDR-1000(A/P), VDR-1100(A/P) and VVCR Rev 2.0 but NOT the 6000 series. Installation instruction are for Windows 3.1. For Windows 95, the driver must be installed manually (e.g. In SYSTEM.INI: [MCI] VideoDisc=mcipionr.drv)
Pioneer Test Program and Documentation
A DOS based test program and controller for Pioneer LaserDiscs and the VVCR. Uses COM1 or COM2 and supports: LD-V6000 series, LD-V4400/4200/2200, CLD-2400, LD-V8000, VDR-V1000, VDR-V1000 and the LC-V330 Autochanger.
 

How to Connect a LaserDisc Player Using MCI Driver in Windows Operating System

View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 135037
Last Review : December 17, 2000
Revision : 1.0
This article was previously published under Q135037
 

SUMMARY

This article describes how to connect a Pioneer LaserDisc player using the MCI Pioneer LaserDisc device in Windows 95.
 

MORE INFORMATION

To connect a LaserDisc player using the MCI Pioneer LaserDisc device, the LaserDisc player must meet the following criteria:
• It must be a LaserDisc player manufactured by Pioneer.
• The connecting cable must be a Pioneer cable (part number CC-12 or CC-13) to connect to a 9-pin or 25-pin serial port.

   The Pioneer CC-12 and CC-13 cables are RS-232 cables that connect
   Pioneer's LD-V8000, LDV4000, CLD-V2600, CLD-V2400, LD-V2200, or
   LD-V4200 LaserDisc player, and the LC-330 AutoChanger to a computer
   with a 9- or 25-pin male D-sub-connector RS-232 port.
• The LaserDisc player must have Level III capabilities.

LaserDisc Player Control Methods

Level I - Manual Control:

In Level I, the player is controlled using the remote control, the front panel buttons, or a laser barcode reader. All current Pioneer industrial LaserDisc players support Level I. Level I alone does not support computer control.

Level II - Internal Program Control:

The Pioneer LD-V6000A (discontinued) and the LD-V8000 are the only models that currently support Level II. In this level, programs encoded on a LaserDisc are sent to the player's memory. Level II program codes can also be sent to the player using the remote control or by a computer. This configuration could communicate with a computer, but would not need the MCI Pioneer LaserDisc device driver. If the device driver were installed, it would overwrite the information encoded on the LaserDisc, and would probably cause the connection to be dropped.

Level III - External Computer Control:

In Level III, commands to control the player are sent through an RS-232 cable from a computer or controller. The MCI Pioneer LaserDisc device driver is required for this configuration.
 

Installing the Pioneer LaserDisc (Media Control) Device

To install the Pioneer LaserDisc device driver, follow these steps:
1. In Control Panel, double-click the Multimedia icon.
2. On the Advanced tab, double-click Media Control Devices.
3. Click Pioneer LaserDisc Device (Media Control), and then click Properties.
4. Click the Use This Media Control Device option, and then click Settings.
5. Click the appropriate communications port option, and then click OK.
6. Click OK, and then click OK again.
7. When you are prompted to restart your computer, do so.
 
APPLIES TO
• Microsoft Windows 95
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Keywords: 
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How to Install and Remove Codecs and MCI Devices in Windows

View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 142731
Last Review : December 16, 2004
Revision : 1.2
This article was previously published under Q142731
If this article does not describe your hardware-related issue, please see the following Microsoft Web site to view more articles about hardware:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/windows/topics/hardware/hwddresctr.asp (http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=http%3a%2f%2fsupport.microsoft.com%2fsupport%2fwindows%2ftopics%2fhardware%2fhwddresctr.asp)

SUMMARY

This article describes how to install and remove codecs (compression/decompression) and Media Control Interface (MCI) devices in Windows.
 

MORE INFORMATION

Codecs are used to play compressed files by decompressing them in memory. Adding a specific codec lets you play files compressed in that file format. Removing and reinstalling a codec may solve problems playing a particular file type.

MCI devices are drivers that provide Windows-based programs device- independent capabilities for controlling multimedia hardware and software. Removing and reinstalling MCI devices may solve problems playing certain files.

Adding All Default Codecs

To add all the default codecs in Windows, follow these steps:
1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
2. On the Windows Setup tab, click Multimedia or Sounds and Multimedia, and then click Details.
3. Click the Audio Compression and Video Compression check boxes to select them, and then click OK.
4. Click OK.
 

Adding a Specific Codec or MCI Device

To add a specific codec or MCI device, follow these steps:
1. In Control Panel, double-click Add New Hardware.
2. Click Next, click No, and then click Next.
3. In the Hardware Types box, click Sound, Video, And Game Controllers.
4. Click a manufacturer in the Manufacturers box and a model in the Models box, and then click Next.
The following table lists the codecs included with Windows: 
      Manufacturer             Model
      ----------------------------------------------------------------
      DSP Group                TrueSpeech Software Audio Codec

      Intel                    Indeo R3.1 Video Codec
                               Indeo R3.2 Video Codec

      Microsoft Audio codecs   ADPCM Audio Codec
                               CCITT G.711 A-Law and u-Law Audio Codec
                               GSM 6.10 Audio Codec
                               IMA ADPCM Audio Codec

      Microsoft Video codecs   RLE Video Codec
                               Video 1 Video Codec

      SuperMatch               Cinepak Video Codec
NOTE: Microsoft PCM Converter is installed by default.

For MCI devices, click Microsoft MCI in the Manufacturers box, click the model you want in the Models box, and then click Next.

The following MCI devices are included with Windows: 
      CD Audio Device
      MIDI Sequencer Device
      Motion Video Device
      PIONEER LaserDisc Device
      VISCA VCR Device
      Wave Audio Device
If the codec or MCI device you want to install is not listed, it was not installed by Windows. If the codec or MCI device was included with another program, reinstall the program to reinstall the codec or MCI device. If the codec or MCI device is located on a driver disk, click Have Disk and specify the location containing the files. If Windows 98 finds a codec or MCI device, click No to add the device to the list of installed devices.

NOTE: Unlike the other MCI devices, the Mixer Device cannot be added manually. This device can be added only during the installation of a Windows-compatible sound card driver. When it is installing the driver, if Windows determines that the driver can support the Mixer Device, it installs the Mixer Device along with the sound card driver.
5. Click the Finish button.
 

Removing the Default Codecs

To remove the default codecs, follow these steps:
1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
2. On the Windows Setup tab, click Multimedia, and then click Details.
3. Click the Audio Compression and Video Compression check boxes to clear them, and then click OK.
4. Click OK.
The default codecs, with the exception of the Microsoft PCM converter, are removed. You cannot remove the Microsoft PCM converter.

Removing a Specific Codec or MCI Device

To remove a specific codec or MCI device, follow these steps:
1. In Control Panel, double-click Multimedia.
2. Click the Advanced or the Devices tab.
3. To remove an audio codec, double-click Audio Compression Codecs, double-click the codec you want to remove, and then click Remove.
4. To remove a video codec, double-click Video Compression Codecs, double-click the codec you want to remove, and then click Remove.
5. To remove an MCI device, double-click Media Control Devices, double- click the device you want to remove, and then click Remove.
 

Decompressor Error Messages

If you are looking for help with a decompressor error message, see one of the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

 
ARTICLE-ID: Q156283 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/156286/EN-US/)
TITLE : Error Message: Cannot Play Back the Video Stream...

ARTICLE-ID: 279242 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/279242/EN-US/)
TITLE : Error Message Playing an .avi File with Windows Media Player

ARTICLE-ID: 221831 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221831/EN-US/)
TITLE : Err Msg: Unable to Download the Appropriate Decompressor

ARTICLE-ID: 234019 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/234019/EN-US/)
TITLE : Windows Media Player Invalid File Format Error Message
 

Windows Media Player Web Site

For additional information about Windows Media Player, see the following Microsoft Web-site:

 Frequently Asked Questions about Windows Media Player (http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/support/faq/SUPFAQMPlayer.asp)

For additional information about the file formats supported by Windows Media Player, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
191346 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/191346/EN-US/) File Formats Supported by Windows Media Player
 
APPLIES TO
• Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
• Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
• Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Windows 95
 
Keywords: 
 kbhowto kbmm kbfaq KB142731