AVIXIVA Reflective Systems

DA-7 Document file: 07Aug95

Foreword:

DA-7 is based on a series of CD-ROM Audio player software originally begun
in December 1987.  Preliminary work led to release of software which had
nearly all of our most desired features by Fall 1988.  The user interface was
changed with the first release of DA-3 in Spring '92.  Support for MSCDEX
was added with DA-5 released in December 1993.  The July '94 release of
DA-5 changed the appearance of DA-5 considerably, actually it should have
been released as DA-6, internally it was known as DA-5D.  The addition of
Artist, Track, Title information required slight changes to the look of
DA-5D, it just didn't look clean and show enough track title lines.  We
have tried to keep the interface from being too busy.  As much as possible  
we have tried to model a real player, except that Artist and Title would
not appear on a real front panel.  The area below the front panel models
a pull down computer screen.  Real players are very cost limited in the
number of buttons, we took advantage of your keyboard, consider it a remote.

The CD play engine is proven with over 700 D/L of the mscdex version.  
New code is database and display related.  We had to take out a few features 
to get the size down.  Shuffleplay and Queplay will hopefully be put back to 
work with the disc files in a future release.

What you need to know:

DA-7 makes four data files.  Two for discs with 14 tracks or less, two for
discs with 15-36 tracks. The Disc number (if shown) will be the number
in either file A or B.  When DA-7 is run, it will make at least one
Data file in the Current directory.  When you add data, it will make 2 or 4
more.  So put it where it can make files, and make sure that it is started
from the current directory, or it will not find the files.  If you make
a .Pif file for windows to run it partial screen text mode, specify the
directory for it and the files.  (Recommend data entry from DOS.)  

Start DA-7 by typing DA7 and ENTER.  Install an audio disc in the drive.

At startup, your options are (if no disc is in the CD-ROM drive), to Esc, 
Accept a disc with key A (power load drive/driver support required) or F1, 
or Press D to select a alternate CD-ROM Drive.  Any one of up to 10 drives
can be selected for play.  The first drive is 0, the second is one.  Drive
icons are shown at the bottom of the screen, left (drive 0), right (drive 1),
higher drives use the left icon.  The color of the disc lines indicates
(green) audio, Yellow (rom), red (mixed data/audio).

Once a disc is installed and playing, the time scales and such should
show.  Make sure you have an audio disc in the drive, plug headphones or
amplified speakes into the drive.

DA-7 starts audio play automatically except on mixed mode discs. To start
play on mixed mode discs, F3/P or F4/F9 or press a number key for a starting
track.  It will "bump" to the first audio track.

When a Disc is installed/playing, press the H key or ? (shifted) for the
Help screen.  A short version menu appears.  It should be enough to getcha
goin'.

Limitations to data entry - only valid keys are accepted.  Double quotes are
not accepted.  Use single quotes.

Editing:  Data is Inserted during play with the "I" key.  This also allows
editing of prior data while playing a disc.  Normally, data entry proceeds,
Artist, album Title, Track titles.  As RETURN is pressed after entering
something, (one or more characters/spaces), it advances to the next position.
If you press return without entering anything while in the Track Edit mode,
the data is accepted and saved.

If you notice an error on one of the tracks just typed (before pressing
return at the start of an edit line), press the UP CURSOR key to back up
to the desired track number.  Then retype the line, and press enter.  Then
use the DOWN CURSOR key to go back to the desired track, and enter data.

To modify previous data, press "I" while in normal play mode, then DOWN or
UP cursor to the required field(s), enter data, and exit the edit mode with
the return key.  If you press return in the Track section of edit, and 
have not entered any characters since the prior time you pressed Return,
you exit the edit mode and save data.  Escape can be used to escape a line
and not change that field.  It can also escape edit without saving, EXCEPT
when you changed a field earlier.  That change gets saved.

When you Insert/edit information already entered and saved, the Right arrow
CURSOR key copies one character at a time from the prior information.
You can then type the remainder of the line or type replacement characters
and press the Right arrow to copy the rest of the line.  Down or Up arrow 
ends the line at the current position.  The Left arrow Cursor key works the
same as the backspace/delete key.  When you backspace to the start of the
line, the original information is left unchanged if you then RETURN, or
Up/Down arrow.  Normally when you're on a line, you will delete characters
with the Backspace key and retype the part of the line erased by backspacing.

I think you WILL find it very easy, simple and fast, since parts are 
automatic, and unlike many Windows programs, you don't have to keep moving 
your fingers from the keyboard to a mouse.  Most fast typists (even half-fast 
typists) find that retyping a line is faster than positioning and editing it 
with a cursor.  Current operation should cause no problems, we will improve 
it if we find difficulty.  As of now, we've entered 128 discs with 14 or
fewer tracks and 38 with 15-33+ and improved editing over the 05Aug95
version.  It helped to have two CD-ROM drives, one to switch discs in, the 
other to leave playing while typing.  The titles are often hard to read,
and a couple of discs had packages which showed fewer or more tracks than
the disc actually had.  (ARGH!)

DA-7 uses the CURSOR arrow keys during play differently depending on whether
the Left/Right arrow keys are pressed first, or Up/Down arrow keys are
pressed.

Left/Right activates slideplay.  It cues to any disc location by minute as
shown on the scale and Minutes display digits.  Initially, track dots are
shown above the scale to show the starting minute of various tracks.  Certain
operations clear the dots.  Registered users will be advised on how to
activate them after they clear initially.  When the Laser pointer diamond
is at the desired minute, press the Down Cursor key to start play at that
location.

Up/Down activates track sliding and selection of a starting track using the
title name.  It is highlighted when selected.  To play it, press the
Cursor Right key.  You may want to look at all of the titles for each track,
Up/Down scrolls through them.  To exit the sliding mode, press Cursor Left
or a keyboard key.  This allows returning to normal play mode with time
updates.

Trackplay is available during normal play by pressing digit keys 1-9.  Tracks
with more than one digit require two when the starting digit is the same as
a single digit track.  When Track repeat is active, an ending track is
accepted.  After entry to repeat, press play.  F3/P keys.

Note:  Track times shown are calculated from the disc track start data.  This
includes the quiet space after the track number changes (disc index=0), but
before audio starts on the new track.  The blank space may be 1-3 seconds or
more (depending on how the disc is mastered).  It is also rounded down,
at beginning and end (odd 75ths of a second), and may be nearly 2 seconds
off.  If you use the times, allow accordingly.  The maximum play time of a
disc is typically 2 seconds less than the Max minutes and seconds, including
the quiet areas (if any) between tracks.  On some discs you may note that
the index becomes zero after the track number changes, and the seconds
count down to zero, then back up after the music starts.  The index is
most often 01, only a few discs show 02 or higher, usually only when the
mastering facility took the time to mark the start of multi-part suites or
movements.  We have many discs with long tracks, the slidecue feature gives
you easy access to position the laser to the nearest minute, and with the
+/- 10 second keys, locate (and mark with B/F11 key) the location for one
step repeat (in section repeat mode).

There are several display features you may become aware of.  While possible,
questions will be answered via email.  Compuserve 71777,2564.  Please advise
if you have any problems.  DA-7 does not support a mouse, everything is done
via the keyboard.  DA-7 supports the same SET AVIX= dos variable options 
for color, starting drive, volume, as DA-5, and accepts or ignores options
as needed for DA-3 or DA software players.  The GREEN.BAT and PINK.BAT
files are examples of how color is set from DOS, usually put the first line
in the Autoexec.bat to set default colors at startup.  The Database is not
limited in the Shareware version, but there will be a message and delay
before display after the database crosses the evaluation threshold.

Hope you like our software and register it.  Related programs are planned.
We expect to handle other database functions with a separate Edit/viewing
program.

Best!

Registration Fee: $10 ($US) - Y1000 (Japan)

Send to: Att. T. Roscoe
         AVIXIVA Reflective Systems
            11367 Wright Rd., No.3
            Lynwood, CA 90262 
            USA