2xAV Plug-In Frequently Asked Questions...

Table of Contents

1. What is the 2xAV™ Plug-In?
2. What programs does the player work with?
3. Does the 2xAV Plug-In work with Microsoft Windows Vista?
4. Does the 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer work with the new Real Player 11?
5. Where can I find previous versions of RealPlayer?
6. Does the 2xAV Plug-In work on the Mac OSX platform?
7. Do I need a credit card to use the free 7-day trial?
8. Error message: "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\AUTOEXEC.NT. The system file is not suitable ...
9. Why don't I see the 2x icon on the RealPlayer toolbar?
10. Why don't I see the 2xAV menu option in the RealPlayer Tools Menu?
11. Why doesn't anything happend when I click the 2xAV menu option in the RealPlayer Tools Menu?
12. I just upgraded my RealPlayer and 2xAV no longer works, why?
13. Why does the 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer work with some of my files and not others?
14. Why can't I control the speed of streaming media content on web sites?
15. How can I get a copy of the Plug-In?
16. I've installed the Plug-In. Now, how do I run it?
17. What does the "SpeedLimit" checkbox do?
18. What effect does changing the Playback Quality slider in the Properties box have?
19. What does the 2xAV™ Engine radio-button group do?
20. What is "chipmunk" mode?
21. Why do I sometimes get rebuffering when I'm playing streaming media faster than normal?
22. Is there a way to prevent rebuffering?
23. Why do I sometimes get processing gaps in the audio output when I'm playing faster than normal?
24. How much of my computer resources does it take to play faster or slower than normal?

What is the 2xAV™ Plug-In?

The Enounce™ 2xAV™ Plug-In is a software module that adds variable speed playback capability to the Windows Media Player^® and RealPlayer^®, the streaming media player from RealNetworks^®.

The 2xAV Plug-In will allow you to control how fast audio and video streams play back through the player. It gives you a SpeedBar with a slider that you can use to speed up and slow down playback. Using this slider you can change the playback speed of almost any media format supported by either Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. Playback speed can be varied moment-to-moment during playback.

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What programs does the player work with?

The 2xAV™ Plug-In is an "add on" module that works with the Windows Media Player^® and the RealNetworks^® RealPlayer^® on the Microsoft^® Windows^® 98SE, 2000, XP or Vista Operating Systems.

Player Version	Windows 98SE	Windows 2000	Windows XP	Windows Vista
RealPlayer
RealPlayer 8	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not Tested
RealOne Player	Not Tested	Yes	Yes	Not Tested
RealPlayer 10.5	Not Tested	Yes	Yes	Yes
RealPlayer 11	Not Tested	Not Tested	Yes	Yes (with exceptions)
Windows Media Player
WMP 6.4	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
WMP 7	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
WMP 9	Not Tested	Yes	Yes	N/A
WMP 10	Not Tested	Not Tested	Yes	N/A
WMP 11	Not Tested	Not Tested	Yes	No

The 2xAV Plug-In for Windows Media Player does not work with Microsoft Windows Vista. The 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer does work on Microsoft Windows Vista with exceptions. Please see Does the 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer work with the new Real Player 11? for more information. If you upgrade your Player you will most likely need to reinstall the 2xAV Plug-In. You can download these players from the Microsoft Windows Media Player web site or the RealNetworks web site. Windows Media Player and RealPlayer are free.

At this time, the 2xAV Plug-In only works with the products mentioned above. It does not work with other third-party players.

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Does the 2xAV Plug-In work with Microsoft Windows Vista?

Although the 2xAV™ Plug-In for RealPlayer^® works on Microsoft^® Windows^® Vista^® in most cases it is not officially supported yet. In order to use the 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer on Windows Vista you must upgrade the 2xAV Plug-In to version 3.11 or later.

The 2xAV Plug-In for Microsoft Windows Media Player^® is not yet supported on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system yet. If you need to view Windows Media Content and your operation system is Windows Vista, your only option is to install Real Player 10.5 (not Real Player 11) and set Real Player as the default player for Windows Media content. See Where can I find previous versions of RealPlayer? to find previous versions of RealPlayer.

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Does the 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer work with the new Real Player 11?

The 2xAV™ Plug-In for RealPlayer^® does work with the RealPlayer 11 however there is an important exception when running on Windows Vista. When running on Windows Vista the 2xAV Plug-In will work fine with Real Media content and other content that Real Player can play with its native Real Networks core audio architecture such as AVI, WAV and MP3. Real Player 11 can also play Windows Media content such as WMA and WMV files and to play these files the Real Player 11 uses the new Microsoft Media Foundations architecture. Because our 2xAV Plug-In is designed for the older Microsoft DirectShow architecture, Real Player 11 running on Vista will not load our 2xAV Plug-In for this type of content (WMA and WMV). If you need to view Windows Media Content and your operating system is Windows Vista, your only option is to install Real Player 10.5 and set Real Player as the default player for Windows Media content. Real Player 10.5 still uses the older Microsoft DirectShow architecture even when running on Windows Vista and thus will still load our 2xAV Plug-In. See Where can I find previous versions of RealPlayer? to find previous versions of RealPlayer.

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Where can I find previous versions of RealPlayer?

You will find previous versions of RealPlayer here at the Real Legacy Software Archive.

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Does the 2xAV Plug-In work on the Mac OSX platform?

The 2xAV Plug-In is not yet supported on the Mac OSX platform.

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Do I need a credit card to use the free 7-day trial?

No. You do not need to provide us with your Credit Card information to use the free 7-day trial. When prompted with the "Buy Now" or "Later" window just click the "Later" button to continue. You should see this message once each day during the free 7-day trial.

If you are using Real Player and it appears that the 2xAV Plug-In is not working, please see the following FAQs:

• Why don't I see the 2x icon on the RealOne toolbar?
• Why don't I see the 2xAV menu option in the RealPlayer Tools Menu?
• Why doesn't anything happend when I click the 2xAV menu option in the RealPlayer Tools Menu?
• I just upgraded my RealPlayer and 2xAV no longer works, why?
• Why does the 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer work with some of my files and not others?

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After clicking on the install icon, I received a message saying
"C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\AUTOEXEC.NT. The system file is not suitable for running MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows applications. Choose 'Close' to terminate application."

• Microsoft KB article 324767 - Error message when you install or start an MS-DOS or 16-bit Windows-based program
• AUTOEXEC.NT Error after Installation of Windows XP SP2

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Why don't I see the 2x icon on the RealPlayer toolbar?

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Why don't I see the 2xAV menu option in the RealPlayer Tools Menu?

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Why doesn't anything happend when I click the 2xAV menu option in the RealPlayer Tools Menu?

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I just upgraded my RealPlayer and 2xAV no longer works, why?

The user interface behavior of the 2xAV Plug-In will be different. after upgrading to recent versons of RealPlayer. The 2xAV SpeedBar will no longer appear automatically when starting RealPlayer as it did with the RealOne Player. Additionally there are no longer any third party icons on the RealPlayer as there were in RealPlayer 8 (See Why don't I see the 2x icon on the RealPlayer toolbar? FAQ above). The 2xAV Plug-In must be launched by selecting the 2xAV menu choice from the RealPlayer Tools menu.

The 2xAV SpeedBar may appear "Docked" to the bottom of the RealPlayer window the first time you launch it after upgrading. If RealPlayer is full screen, then the 2xAV Window will be located off the bottom of the screen and not visible. Resize the RealPlayer window so that there is enough room at the bottom of the screen for the RealPlayer window to appear. In Docked mode, the 2xAV SpeedBar properties button might be hidden or cut off. Simply Undock the 2xAV SpeedBar by clicking on it and dragging it away from RealPlayer to expand it to its full size.

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Why does the 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer work with some of my files and not others?

The 2xAV Plug-In is loaded by the RealPlayer core audio architecture. The RealPlayer core audio architecture is itself a RealPlayer Plug-In and is not loaded by RealPlayer until the media format has been determined which is why the 2xAV menu choice will not appear in the RealPlayer tools menu until you select your media file. For most of the media formats that RealPlayer is capable of playing, RealPlayer will load the default audio architecture (which then loads 2xAV), however for some media formats such as MPEG4 and Windows Media (WMA, WMV), RealPlayer must use a different architecture and thus never loads the 2xAV Plug-In. For example, for the Windows Media format RealPlayer loads the Windows Media Directshow architecture to decode and simply wraps the RealPlayer user interface around the presentation. In this case, if you have installed a licensed copy of the 2xAV Plug-In for Windows Media Player, then you would still get the 2xAV functionality since the 2xAV Plug-In for Windows Media Player is loaded by the Windows Media Directshow architecture.

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Why can't I control the speed of streaming media content on web sites?

Upgrading to the latest version of the 2xAV™ Plug-In from the Enounce web site will allow you to control the speed of streaming media content embedded in web pages.  Versions before 2.0x   did not work with the version of RealPlayer^® or Windows Media Player that is embedded in web pages.

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How can I get a copy of the Plug-In?

You can purchase the 2xAV™ Plug-In on-line from the Enounce™ WebStore.  The Plug-In is licensed and activated using a 2xAV Serial Number which you will receive when you make your purchase.

You can also purchase the 2xAV Plug-In for RealPlayer from the RealNetworks^® on-line RealStore.

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I've installed the Plug-In. Now, how do I run it?

RealPlayer: The 2xAV™ Plug-In is not an independent program. It is an "add on" to the RealPlayer^® or RealPlayer Plus^®. Once you have installed the 2xAV Plug-In, run the RealPlayer program. When it comes, up, click the "2X" button on the toolbar, and the 2xAV SpeedBar will appear. Move the slider on the SpeedBar while playing audio or video material to control playback speed.

Windows Media Player^®:  The 2xAV Plug-In will appear as a floating tool bar over Windows Media Player when ever media is being played as long as that media utilizes the Windows DirectShow architecture, which includes almost all media that can be played by Windows Media Player.  When the media clip has finished the 2xAV Plug-In will disappear until you restart the clip or play another clip.

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What does the "SpeedLimit" checkbox do?

Checking the SpeedLimit box turns on the 2xAV™ automatic speed limit mechanism. When this box is checked, the 2xAV Plug-In will attempt to play media as fast as you request, so long as that speed doesn't cause gaps. Gaps can occur if your Internet connection isn't fast enough to deliver media as fast as you are trying to play it, or if your computer isn't powerful enough to process media fast enough to keep up with your requested speed.

In SpeedLimit mode, if the 2xAV Plug-In detects gaps it will slow down the playback speed. The "thumb" of the speed slider will remain where you set it, but the blue "thermometer" in the center of the slider may get shorter, showing you that SpeedLimit has momentarily lowered the playback speed in an attempt to avoid gaps.

Please see the questions and answers on processing gaps, rebuffering, and computer resources for more information.

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What effect does changing the Playback Quality slider in the Properties box have?

The Playback Quality slider controls the amount of computation used to modify the material you are playing so that it runs faster or slower. When the slider is moved to the left (higher quality), more detailed computations are performed, and the resulting output quality may be perceptually higher. When the slider is moved to the right (lower quality), less detailed computations are performed, and playback is more efficient, using fewer of your computer's resources.

The Enounce™ Time Scale Tailor^® algorithms are very efficient, and typically use less than 10% of a recent computer's resources when the Playback Quality slider is near the middle of the scale. However, keep in mind that playing streams faster--especially video streams, always puts an additional burdon on your computer. See the FAQ on computer resources for more information.

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What does the 2xAV™ Engine radio-button group do?

Your 2xAV™ Plug-In can operate in three modes:

On Normal: this is the usual mode of operation. Playback speed is controlled by the slider on the SpeedBar, and the Enounce™ patented algorithms are used to maintain audio quality even when playing faster or slower than normal.

Off: in this mode the 2xAV Plug-In is inactive, and material is always played back at normal speed.

On Chipmunk: this mode has been included just for fun. Setting the 2xAV Plug-In to this mode causes it to speed up and slow down playback "the dumb way". See 'What is "chipmunk" mode?'.

Note that when you change the 2xAV Engine mode, the mode change takes effect the next time that you start play back.

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What is "chipmunk" mode?

Chipmunk mode demonstrates the simpliest, and least satisfactory, way to change playback speed. In the old days, you could change the "playback" speed of a record by putting your finger on the phonograph platter and making it go around faster or slower. More recently, you could achieve the same effect by putting your finger on the supply real of a tape recorder and forcing it to move faster or slower. In either case, the most dramatic effect was a change in the pitch of the audio signal. When you sped up you got a "chipmunk" effect, and when you slowed down everyone sounded like Darth Vader. Chipmunk mode on the 2xAV™ Plug-In exactly duplicates that effect. It's a lot of fun to play around with, but you wouldn't want to get your market or weather reports from chipmunks on a steady basis!

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Why do I sometimes get rebuffering when I'm playing streaming media faster than normal?

The 2xAV™ engine is capable of slowing down or speeding up almost any form of media, either from local files stored on your computer or "streaming media" being delivered to your computer over the Internet.

But sometimes we can't have everything we want. Even with media playback.

Rebuffering pauses occur when the RealPlayer^® is playing back streaming media, and it's run out of media to play. It is possible this could be prevented by changing your connection settings, however. See prevent rebuffering for more information.

When your player is playing back streaming media, it can't play material any faster than it is coming in over the Internet. If your Internet connection, or the server from which the media is coming, can't deliver media as fast as you want to play it, the player may be forced to pause from time to time as it "rebuffers" media--in other words, while it collects a few seconds more of material to play. When the player has finished rebuffering, it will continue playing.

If you have set the playback speed fast enough that rebuffering happens frequently, you probably want to select a lower speed. Unfortunately, because of the RealPlayer works, rebuffering pauses are often invisible to the 2xAV Plug-In, so the SpeedLimit function will not help you select the optimal speed. (SpeedLimit works better at preventing processing gaps.)

Many forms of media are stored and delivered to your player in an encoded format. Your player decodes this media into a form that can be played. The process of decoding media requires varying amounts of computing power. If you are trying to play an encoded media stream twice as fast as normal, your computer was to process twice as much data every second, using twice as many computations. If your computer is not fast enough to decode the media as quickly as you want to play it, there may be gaps, or short silences, in the playback.

The simpliest solution to both of these problems is to slow down. If you have turned SpeedLimit on, 2xAV will try to prevent pauses and gaps from occurring, but will also repeatedly try to play at the speed you have requested. For best results, don't request a speed that is significantly faster than your player can manage.

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Is there a way to prevent rebuffering?

To prevent rebuffering when playing streaming media at speeds greater than 1.0, you may have to change your RealPlayer^® Connection speed settings. RealPlayer and RealServer™ technologies support streaming media at speeds faster than the encoded bitrate through the RTSP protocol. RealPlayer will cap the connection speed at the 'Normal' setting however, thus causing rebuffering when playing faster than normal. If you get rebuffering, you might want to increase your connection speed settings. To do so:

1. Start RealPlayer
2. Pull down the View Menu, choose Preferences
3. Click on the Connection tab
   1. Set your Maximum bandwidth as high as it can go (10 Mbps LAN)
   2. Increment your Normal bandwidth up one notch from its current position. For instance, if you were at 56Kbps Modem, try 112Kbps Dual ISDN, or 256 Kbps DSL. Be carefull with this setting however, because if you set it too high, RealPlayer may initially choose a higher bandwidth encoding which could be beyond your connection's actual bandwidth. RealPlayer does have the ability to change the enoding bitrate on the fly however, and so even if this was set too high, the player would adjust to your actual bandwidth.
   3. On the Buffered Play group box, choose 'Buffer entire clip up to available memory'
   4. Continue to adjust these settings to suit your needs.
4. Click on the Performance Tab
   1. On the Clip Cache button, make sure it is enabled and at least 4 MB in size.
5. Click on the Transport Tab
   1. Click on the Auto Configure button to setup the transport settings
   2. When that is done, click on the RTSP Settings... and ensure that HTTP is NOT selected.

Why do I sometimes get processing gaps in the audio output when I'm playing faster than normal?

The 2xAV™ engine is capable of slowing down or speeding up almost any form of media, either from local files stored on your computer or "streaming media" being delivered to your computer over the Internet.

But sometimes we can't have everything we want. Even with media playback.

Sometimes you might want to play faster than your computer can handle.

When that happens--and we'll explain why it may--you can get rebuffering pauses or processing gaps in your playback.

Many forms of media are stored and delivered to your player in an encoded format. Your player decodes this media into a form that can be played. The process of decoding media requires varying amounts of computing power.

Processing gaps occur when the RealPlayer^® can't decode media fast enough to play it at the speed you want. When this happens, the next bit of audio and video isn't yet available when it's needed. The video freezes, and the audio falls silent, until the next small segment is available.

If you are trying to play an encoded media stream twice as fast as normal, your computer was to process twice as much data every second, using twice as many computations. If your computer is not fast enough to decode the media as quickly as you want to play it, processing gaps can occur.

The simpliest solution is to slow down. If you have turned SpeedLimit™ feature on, 2xAV will "hunt" for the speed that is closest to the speed you requested, but slow enough to prevent processing gaps from occurring.

Even with SpeedLimit on, for best results, don't request a speed that is very much faster than your player can manage.

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How much of my computer resources does it take to play faster or slower than normal?

The Enounce™ Time-Scale Tailor^® algorithm employs patented digital signal processing techniques to speed up and slow down media streams. These algorithms are quite efficient, and typically require anywhere from 2% to 10% of your computer's processing power to operate. (You can control the amount of computing power the Time-Scale Tailor algorithms use by changing the Playback Quality setting on the 2xAV™ property page.)

However, many forms of media are stored and delivered to your player in an encoded format. Your player decodes this media into a form that can be played. The process of decoding media requires varying amounts of computing power. If you are trying to play an encoded media stream twice as fast as normal, your computer was to process twice as much data every second, using twice as many computations.

In many cases, the computing power used by the Enounce Time-Scale Tailor^® algorithm to prepare a stream for playback at twice normal speed is a small fraction of the computing power that the media decoder uses to decode twice as much material every second. In most cases, the limit on how fast you can play will depend on how efficiently the media decoder has been designed.

If you try to play too fast, processing gaps will occur. If you have activated the SpeedLimit™ function, the 2xAV Plug-In will detect such gaps and adjust the playback speed in an effort to prevent them from occurring.

On the other hand, if you are playing slower than real time, the media decoder has to process less material each second, and will often consume noticeably less of your system resources.

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Copyright © Enounce, Incorporated All rights reserved.
Revised: February 13, 2007.

RealPlayer^®, RealPlayer Plus^® and RealJukebox^® are either registered trademarks or trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc.
in the United States and/or other countries.

Enounce™, 2xAV™, and SpeedLimit™  are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Enounce, Incorporated
in the United States and/or other countries.