[2291] in comp.os.os2.announce archive
BETA: DSMI plug-in for Navigator updated; DSMI/2 3.3 Toolkit available (sounds)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Julien Pierre)
Tue Dec 31 09:27:27 1996
To: os2ann.DISCUSS@bloom-picayune.MIT.EDU
Date: 18 Dec 1996 22:37:07 GMT
From: madbrain@netsrq.com (Julien Pierre)
Reply-To: madbrain@netsrq.com (Julien Pierre)
Reply-to: madbrain@netsrq.com (Julien Pierre)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The second beta of the Digital Sound & Music Interface plug-in for the OS/2
Navigator is available.
The function of the DSMI plug-in is to play music module files. Module files
are 32 channel digital music and are of tremendously high quality.
The plug-in is available for free from
http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/Madbrain/npdsmi.html
Changes from the first beta
---------------------------
- Embedding music in a page on a web server : The limitation is gone.
Embedding will work on any web server as long as you have the
TYPE="audio/x-mod" parameter on your EMBED tag. In short, Netscape fixed the
problem that was in beta 1, but they didn't ship the default plug-in with
beta 2. I found a way around it by making NPDSMI the default plug-in; for
this reason, don't use this version after beta 2 of Navigator/2.
- Added the STOP tag, used on the STOP.HTM page. Users no longer have to wait
for a file to end playing or stop Navigator.
- The plug-in is now able to detect if you come back on a page which already
has music playing, and will not restart the song from the beginning anymore.
- The music files are now loaded in a background thread, so as not to hurt the
ultra fast responsiveness of the Navigator/2 user interface for more than 10
milliseconds ;-).
- The plug-in checks that the files you pass it are really music files. If
they aren't, they will be ignored, and the current music file will continue
to play.
- Everything was linked statically in a single plug-in DLL. You no longer need
to update your LIBPATH. Also, this makes the plug-in code shrink about half
in size.
To achieve the greatest sound quality, the plug-in uses the Digital Sound &
Music Interface technology, which developer's toolkit is described below.
------------------------------------------
D S M I / 2 - version 3.3
Digital Sound & Music Interface for OS/2
------------------------------------------
DSMI/2 is a sound interface for PC compatible computers running on IBM's
Operating System /2. It goes way beyond the basic sound functionality offered
in OS/2 via MMPM/2 and provides programmers with a variety of functions to
play music and sound effects in their programs.
DSMI/2 will be most useful to multimedia applications and game developers. It
is also very well suited for network audio applications, such as Internet
applications.
Non exhaustive DSMI/2 features list --------------------------------------
- Dolby Prologic Surround sound support
- Loads and plays many different music files : MODs, STMs, S3Ms, 669s,
MTMs, FARs and other formats
- Up to 32 simultaneous channels lets you play sound effects
simultaneously with music !
- Support for direct loading of WAV files as musical instruments or effects
- Support for loading of files from resources or memory buffers in
addition to disk files
- Supports any soundcard with an MMPM/2 driver
- Real-time support with Direct Audio (highly recommended)
- Very easy sound card setup
- Special 16-bit support, which means great sound quality on 16-bit cards
- Very extensive programming interface that lets YOU decide what to do
- Modular structure means easier upgrades (new file formats, mixers)
- Utilizes 386 and above instruction mix to reach maximum performance
About DSMI/2 -------------------------------------------------------------
- Following parts are written in 32-bit assembly language :
* Sound mixing routines
* Module player engine
* Some miscellaneous functions
The module file loaders are written in C.
The audio output drivers are written in C++.
- DSMI/2 is built with IBM Visual Age C++ 3.0 and Borland Turbo
Assembler 4.0. Also supported are :
* Borland C++ 2.0 for OS/2
* IBM C Set ++ 2.1
* Watcom C/C++ 10.x
* Virtual Pascal
The DSMI/2 Developer's Toolkit -------------------------------------------
The DSMI/2 Developer's Toolkit comes with :
- A dynamic link library and an import library for easy linking
- C, C++, and Pascal header files
- Detailed documentation in OS/2 hypertext format (.INF) :
* DSMI/2 Programmer's Manual
* DSMI/2 API reference
* DSMI/2 drivers
- The latest version of Dual Module Player for OS/2 with Filters and
Echo effects support, and full source code
- A GUI version of Dual Module Player with full source code (uses
ICLUI/Openclass; IBM C Set ++ or VAC++ necessary to rebuild)
- Example programs with extensively commented source
- M2AMF program to convert modules to the tight AMF format
and save you disk space
- An installer/uninstaller that will put DSMI components on your
Workplace Shell and update your settings to get you ready to build
DSMI applications
Cross-platform DSMI support ----------------------------------------------
DSMI is also supported under DOS with a 32-bit DOS extender. The DOS toolkit
is available from Virtual Visions Finland. Email Otto Chrons at oc@iki.fi for
more information. VVF is also developing a 32-bit version of DSMI for Win95
and NT 4.0 which is currently in beta testing.
DSMI Developer's Toolkit license -----------------------------------------
The licensing cost for DSMI depends on the type and number of
applications you are developing with DSMI.
cost per application any number of applications
Freeware application $60 $180
Shareware application $200 N/A
Shareware application
distributed via a shareware company $400 N/A
Any other type of application,
including but not limited to in-house
and commercial applications $600 $3000
All shareware and commercial licenses include technical support.
Contact madbrain@netsrq.com to place your order.
Get a FREE evaluation copy of the DSMI/2 Developer's Toolkit -------------
E-mail your request to madbrain@netsrq.com and you'll be provided with a
free evaluation copy of the DSMI/2 Developer's Toolkit.
Subscribers to the IBM Developer's Connection will find evaluation
copies of the DSMI/2 Developer's Toolkit on the CD-ROMs of
Volume 10, 11 and 12.
Evaluation copies of the DSMI/2 Developer's Toolkit are not crippled in
any way. After 90 days, you must either uninstall the evaluation copy or
buy a license.
Proven technology --------------------------------------------------------
DSMI was created by Otto Chrons of Virtual Visions Finland and originally
came out on the DOS platform in 1991. It is constantly updated as music
technology evolves.
DSMI for OS/2 was developed by Julien Pierre and released fall 1995.
DSMI is best known as the heart of Dual Module Player, a very
popular music player program for DOS and OS/2.
Among others, DSMI is used in Disney Software's Aladdin and Lion King
games for MS-DOS.
On the OS/2 platform, over 4500 have downloaded the DSMI plug-in
for Navigator from the official DSMI plug-in site.
DSMI/2 is also used in Flight for OS/2, a multimedia demonstration
developed jointly by Egerter Software, PolyEx Software and Julien Pierre.
Contact information ------------------------------------------------------
You will find the latest information about Digital Sound & Music Interface
for OS/2 on the Internet at the following addresses :
http://www.netsrq.com/~madbrain/
http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/Henry/Madbrain/software.html
An article on DSMI programming is available at :
http://www.developer.ibm.com/devcon/news11/news11_f.htm#ID-100
The author can be contacted at :
madbrain@netsrq.com
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Julien R. Pierre - 1-941-366-5355
// Developer of Digital Sound & Music Interface for OS/2 (DSMI/2)
// http://www.netsrq.com/~madbrain/ - DSMI/2 homepage
// http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/Madbrain/ - personal page
// Certified OS/2 Engineer - Multimedia Applications Developer
=====================================================================
-- To submit to c.o.os2.announce: POST (or email os2_ann_req@bix.com)
-- For comments to the moderator: email lfirrantello@bix.com.
- for posting guidelines see: http://www.bix.com/pub/os2ann/pindex.htm
