| MPEG ADVANCE XTRA HELP: GETTING STARTED |
| Mpeg Advance Xtra is an Asset Xtra. Unlike scripting Xtras, Asset Xtras can be manipulated using the score and cast windows, and their properties can be adjusted through scripting, just like Director's built-in media types. Before starting, it is a good idea to enable the "Animate in Background" option in Director. This can be done by selecting the FILE->PREFERENCES->GENERAL menu in Director, and checking the "Animate in Background" option.

There are two ways to create Mpeg Advance Xtra cast members. One is to simply use the IMPORT function in Director, and select some MPEG files to import. Director will prompt you to select the format of the import, and you will be presented with a dialog box asking if files should be imported as Mpeg Advance Xtra or Quicktime castmembers. Select the Mpeg Advance Xtra option. That's it. Castmembers will be directly imported to your cast window, ready to be placed on your movie.

A different way to create Mpeg Advance Xtra castmembers is also provided. You can use the INSERT menu in Director, and select the TABULEIRO XTRAS->Mpeg Advance Xtra entry. The standard Xtra Properties Dialog Box will appear. Select browse. Another Dialog Box will appear, prompting you to choose the video file associated with this cast member. Select an MPEG file with the correct type and extension. Click OK. You will return to the Properties Dialog Box. The file information should be displayed correctly, indicating the duration, height and width of the media file.

You can preview the file, mark cue points and set the playback options (toolbar, volume, rate, balance, among others).

Leave the Playback options as they are, for now. Finish by clicking OK.

A new cast member will appear in your Cast Window in Director. It has the Xtra icon, and the name of your linked video file. Click on it and drag the cast member to the score. A new sprite will be created on your score window, and you can adjust the position and the size of the video directly in the score.

You can use the "Wait for Cue Point" option in the tempo channel to wait for the end of the playback, or you can use a:

on exitframe

go the frame

end

script on the script channel to make Director loop on the frame while the video plays. That's it!

NOTE: the "Wait for cue point" option will not operate correctly if your Xtra sprite is in the last frame of the score. The same behavior is true for built-in digital video and audio sprites.