Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus Player Plugin™
INFORMATION
Version 1.0
2008/04
This document describes the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin and its use.
The software and documentation are provided to you in accordance with the accompanying license agreement.
It is very important that you read and understand the information presented here, as it is vital to achieving success with this powerful software.
For the most current technical information please see http://www.orban.com/plugin.
DESCRIPTION
The Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Plugin is a free, full-featured Microsoft® DirectShow™ software plug-in for Windows Media Player or any other DirectShow compliant media player compatible with Microsoft® Windows® Vista/XP/2000. It is capable of playing AAC/aacPlus™/HE-AAC/eAAC+ audio files and streams in several standards-based, non-proprietary formats, including Apple® iTunes™ non-DRM audio files, using the genuine Coding Technologies decoder. This is the good stuff from the company who invented the SBR technology to make AAC into aacPlus™. High quality, bandwidth-efficient audio is now a reality for Windows Media® Player.
Real-time file and stream information such as stream name, description, artist, title, file media graphics, and iTMS information are displayed in the video window of the media player. This information is rendered locally on the client computer, eliminating the need to include video in the file or stream. This real-time information can also be used in custom embedded and HTML view Windows Media Players.
The installation of this component is extremely light and simple, with no authentication, registration, monitoring, tracking, commercials, other push content, spyware, or hijacking of existing players.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM
333MHz Intel Pentium II Processor or equivalent
64MB RAM Microsoft Windows 2000
128MB Microsoft Windows XP / Media Center 2004
1MB Available Disk Space
56kbps Modem (for playing streaming media)
16-bit Sound Card and Audio System
65,000-color Video Display Card and Video Display at 800x600
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft DirectX 9.0
Microsoft Windows Media Player 6.4
RECOMMENDED
800MHz Intel Pentium III Processor or greater
128MB RAM Microsoft Windows 2000
256MB Microsoft Windows XP / Media Center 2004/2005
512MB Microsoft Windows Vista
1MB Available Disk Space
High Speed/Broadband Internet Connection (for playing streaming media)
16-bit Sound Card and High Fidelity Stereo Audio System
16,000,000-color Video Display Card and Video Display at 1024x768
Microsoft Windows XP / Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition 2005 / Microsoft Windows Vista
Microsoft DirectX 9.0
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10.0/11.0
SUPPORTED FILE TYPES
AAC / HE-AAC / eAAC / eAAC+ / aacPlus®
|
.aac |
ISO/IEC 13818-7 |
|
.mp4 |
ISO/IEC 14496-3/12/14 |
|
.m4a (Apple iTunes® Unprotected) |
ISO/IEC 14496-3/12/14 |
|
.m4b (Apple iTunes® Unprotected Bookmark) |
ISO/IEC 14496-3/12/14 |
|
.3gp |
3GPP TS 26.244 |
METADATA FILE TAG INFORMATION
|
.aac |
ID3v2 |
.bmp, .jpg, .gif, .png 80 x 80 min. |
Unicode |
Artist / Title – Line 1 / Line 2 |
|
.mp4 |
|
|
UTF-8 |
Under Development |
|
.m4a |
Apple iTunes® |
.bmp, .jpg, .gif, .png 80 x 80 min. |
UTF-8 |
Artist / Title – Line 1 / Line 2 |
|
.m4b |
Apple iTunes® |
.bmp, .jpg, .gif, .png 80 x 80 min. |
UTF-8 |
Artist / Title – Line 1 / Line 2 |
|
.3gp |
3GPP TS 26.244 |
|
UTF-8/16 |
Artist / Title – Line 1 / Line 2 |
Artist, Title, Filename, Bitrate, Audio Parameters, Media Graphics, and iTMS Information are shown in the media player video window at 320 x 240 while playing.
SUPPORTED LIVE STREAM TYPES
UNICAST
|
HTTP/ICY/TCP |
ADTS SHOUTcast® |
RFC 2616 |
|
HTTP/ICY/TCP |
ADTS Icecast2 |
RFC 2616 |
|
|
|
|
|
RTSP/RTP/TCP |
MPEG-4 |
RFC 2326 2327 3550 |
|
RTSP/RTP/TCP |
MPEG-4 Packet Optimized |
RFC 2326 2327 3550 |
|
|
|
|
|
RTSP/RTP/TCP |
3GPP/LATM |
RFC 2326 2327 3016 |
|
RTSP/RTP/TCP |
3GPP/LATM Packet Optimized |
RFC 2326 2327 3016 |
|
|
|
|
|
HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP |
MPEG-4 |
RFC 1945 2326 2327 3550 |
|
HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP |
MPEG-4 Packet Optimized |
RFC 1945 2326 2327 3550 |
|
|
|
|
|
HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP |
3GPP/LATM |
RFC 1945 2326 2327 3016 |
|
HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP |
3GPP/LATM Packet Optimized |
RFC 1945 2326 2327 3016 |
|
|
|
|
|
RTSP/RTP/UDP |
MPEG-4 |
Under Development |
|
RTSP/RTP/UDP |
MPEG-4 Packet Optimized |
Under Development |
|
|
|
|
|
RTSP/RTP/UDP |
3GPP/LATM |
Under Development |
|
RTSP/RTP/UDP |
3GPP/LATM Packet Optimized |
Under Development |
MULTICAST
|
RTP/UDP |
MPEG-4 |
Under Development |
|
RTP/UDP |
MPEG-4 Packet Optimized |
Under Development |
METADATA LIVE STREAM INFORMATION
|
HTTP/ICY |
|
HTTP In-line |
Unicode |
Artist / Title – Line 1 |
|
RTSP/RTP |
|
SDP and RTCP SDES |
UTF-8 |
Artist / Title – Line 1 / Line 2 |
Artist, Title, Stream Name, Description, URL, Bitrate, and Audio Parameters are shown in the media player video window while playing.
SUPPORTED FILE STREAM TYPES
UNICAST
|
HTTP/ICY/TCP |
ADTS SHOUTcast® |
RFC 2616 |
|
HTTP/ICY/TCP |
ADTS Icecast2 |
RFC 2616 |
|
|
|
|
|
RTSP/RTP/TCP |
MPEG-4 |
RFC 2326 2327 3550 |
|
RTSP/RTP/TCP |
MPEG-4 Packet Optimized |
RFC 2326 2327 3550 |
|
|
|
|
|
RTSP/RTP/TCP |
3GPP/LATM |
RFC 2326 2327 3016 |
|
RTSP/RTP/TCP |
3GPP/LATM Packet Optimized |
RFC 2326 2327 3016 |
|
|
|
|
|
HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP |
MPEG-4 |
RFC 1945 2326 2327 3550 |
|
HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP |
MPEG-4 Packet Optimized |
RFC 1945 2326 2327 3550 |
|
|
|
|
|
HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP |
3GPP/LATM |
RFC 1945 2326 2327 3016 |
|
HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP |
3GPP/LATM Packet Optimized |
RFC 1945 2326 2327 3016 |
|
|
|
|
|
RTSP/RTP/UDP |
MPEG-4 |
Under Development |
|
RTSP/RTP/UDP |
MPEG-4 Packet Optimized |
Under Development |
|
|
|
|
|
RTSP/RTP/UDP |
3GPP/LATM |
Under Development |
|
RTSP/RTP/UDP |
3GPP/LATM Packet Optimized |
Under Development |
MULTICAST
|
RTP/UDP |
MPEG-4 |
Under Development |
|
RTP/UDP |
MPEG-4 Packet Optimized |
Under Development |
METADATA FILE STREAM INFORMATION
|
HTTP |
|
ID3v2 |
Unicode |
Artist / Title – Line 1 / Line 2 |
|
RTSP/RTP |
|
|
|
None – Server Limitation |
Artist, Title, URL, Bitrate, Audio Parameters, and Media Graphics are shown in the media player video window while playing.
VIDEO WINDOW SIZE
To pixel map the fonts used for the video display, a size of 320 x 240 should be used for custom and embedded players. Media graphics are displayed in the 80 x 80 lower left corner of the video window, and larger sizes will scale from any size to fit inside 80 x 80 proportionally. Embedded graphics for compatible audio files should be created at a minimum size of 80 x 80.
USER AGENT
User-Agent: Orban Opticodec-PC Plugin/x.x.x (os= )
INSTALLATION
To install the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin, unzip the distribution file to a directory of choice, and double-click the Setup.exe file. Follow the installation instructions, agreeing to the End User License Agreement. The software requires approximately 1MB of disk space, and will be installed to the Windows Operating System disk and Program Files directory.
Windows 2000 installations require gdiplus.dll to be in C:\WINNT\System32 before the Plugin is installed, which can be downloaded from here:
All documentation, license, and uninstaller files are included and accessible from:
Start > Program Files > Orban > AAC-aacPlus Player Plugin.
When installing a new version of the software, the previous version will uninstall automatically before installing the new version.
UNINSTALLATION
Uninstall the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin, either from:
Start > Program Files > Orban > AAC/aacPlus Player Plugin > Uninstall AAC/aacPlus Player Plugin
or from:
Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus Player Plugin.
This will completely remove the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin and all associated Registry entries.
PLAYING LIVE AND FILE STREAMS
Streams can be played directly in several of the usual ways. Open Windows Media® Player from the Start Menu or Shortcut Icon. From the File Menu > Open URL…, and enter the stream URL using the following syntax:
HTTP Streams |
icyx://[stream path] |
Assume port 80, otherwise specify. |
RTSP Streams |
rtpx://[stream path] |
Assume port 554, otherwise specify. |
HTTP/RTSP Streams |
htpx://[stream path] |
Assume port 80, otherwise specify. |
EXAMPLE STREAMS:
HTTP Live Stream from SHOUTcast Server |
icyx://123.45.67.8:8000 |
HTTP Live Stream from Icecast2 Server |
icyx://123.45.67.8:8010/name |
HTTP File Stream from Web Server |
icyx://123.45.67.8/file.aac |
RTSP Live Stream from QTSS/DSS Server |
rtpx://123.45.67.8/stream.sdp |
HTTP/RTSP Live Stream from QTSS/DSS Server |
htpx://123.45.67.8/stream.sdp |
RTSP File Stream from QTSS/DSS Server |
rtpx://123.45.67.8/file.mp4 |
RTSP File Stream from QTSS/DSS Server |
rtpx://123.45.67.8/file.3gp |
Streams can also be played by entering the stream URL using the same syntax, into your Web browser. Windows Media® Player will automatically launch in full mode and play the stream.
By design, .m3u and .pls playlist stream URLs are not supported. This would otherwise break other players that are registered to play these streams, and there would be no assurance that Windows Media Player would launch.
New UILs (icyx://, rtpx://, htpx://, uvxx://) were created for use with Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin to prevent any conflict with existing UILs (http://, rtsp://) that are already used with Windows Media Player for Microsoft proprietary streaming transports.
METAFILES
Streams may also be played indirectly by several methods. By default, .asx metafiles are registered to Windows Media Player. Referencing an AAC/aacPlus™ stream URL in an .asx file will insure that Windows Media Player always launches automatically and that the stream will start to play when an .asx file is double-clicked. Windows Media Player may be launched using this way in two different modes, Full mode and HTML View mode. A third mode, HTML Embedded, does not use an .asx file to launch. Each mode has different features, purposes, and complexities.
EXAMPLE .asx FILES (with Comments in orange – may be deleted)
Full Mode – Minimum
<ASX VERSION="3.0">
<!--Windows Media Player Metafile-->
<!--Live Stream-->
<TITLE>Orban Opticodec-PC aacPlus™ Stream</TITLE>
<ENTRY>
<REF HREF="icyx://123.45.67.8:8010/stream" />
</ENTRY>
</ASX>
Full Mode – Complete
<ASX VERSION="3.0">
<!--Windows Media Player Metafile-->
<!--Live Stream with Banner-->
<PARAM name="encoding" value="utf-8" />
<!--Allows extended characters in annotations - Save as UTF-8 NOT ASCII-->
<TITLE>Orban Opticodec-PC aacPlus™ Live Stream</TITLE>
<!--Title - Playlist Column/Bottom Status Playlist:-->
<AUTHOR>Orban</AUTHOR>
<!--Author - Prop=Playlist=Author-->
<MOREINFO HREF="http://www.opticodec.com"/>
<!--Title URL Link on mouse hover over Playlist-->
<COPYRIGHT>©2007 Orban/CRL, Inc.</COPYRIGHT>
<!--Copyright - Prop=Playlist=Copyright-->
<ABSTRACT>MORE AUDIO - LESS ANNOYANCE</ABSTRACT>
<!--Abstract - Prop=Playlist=Description-->
<ENTRY>
<TITLE>Live Stream</TITLE>
<!--Entry Title - Playlist Pane/Bottom Status Clip:/Prop=Content=Title-->
<AUTHOR>Evaluation</AUTHOR>
<!--Entry Author - Bottom Status Author:/Prop=Content=Artist-->
<COPYRIGHT>©2007 Orban/CRL, Inc.</COPYRIGHT>
<!--Entry Copyright - Bottom Status Copyright:
/Mouse hover over Bottom Status Copyright:
/Prop=Content=Copyright-->
<ABSTRACT>ORBAN OPTIMIZED</ABSTRACT>
<!--Entry Abstract - Bottom Status only on mouse hover over Bottom Status Clip:
/Prop=Content=Description-->
<REF HREF="rtpx://123.45.67.8/stream.sdp"/>
<!--Entry Content-->
<BANNER HREF="http://www.domain.com/images/banner.gif">
<!--Entry Banner Element 194w x 32h-->
<ABSTRACT>Click here to go to Web site.</ABSTRACT>
<!--Entry Banner Message on mouse hover over Banner-->
<MOREINFO HREF="http://www.opticodec.com" TARGET = _blank/>
<!--Entry Banner URL Link-->
</BANNER>
</ENTRY>
</ASX>
STREAM INFORMATION
Depending upon the streaming server used, Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin is fully Unicode/UTF-8-16 compliant, supporting other languages and character sets. Orban Opticodec-PC Streaming and File Encoders fully support this encoding as well.
REQUIRED WEB SERVER MIME TYPES
MIME Type: .asx video/x-ms-asf
AUTHENTICATED STREAMS
Authenticated streams are not supported at this time. Currently Under Development
FIREWALLS AND PROXY SERVERS
If your computer is located behind a NAT firewall, all HTTP, RTSP, and UVOX streams using the TCP network transport should work correctly. Some firewalls will port filter, disallowing any potential streaming ports. In this case, you may be limited to streams that use Port 80, which is almost always open on all firewalls to enable web browsers. Some even more aggressive firewalls will content filter, preventing even HTTP/ICY Port 80 streams. In this case, you may be limited to streams using HTTP/RTSP/RTP/TCP Tunneling.
If your computer is connected to a proxy server, all streaming traffic is directed through the Windows LAN Settings. This can be configured through Control Panel > Internet Options > Connections Tab > LAN Settings.
The settings in Windows Media Player under Tools > Options… > Network Tab have no effect with the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin. These settings are for Windows Media Player Windows Media specific streams.
The Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin uses different UILs (icyx://, rtpx://, htpx://, uvxx://) for the various streaming servers to eliminate the possibility of protocol conflict within the player. These UILs are simply used to redirect the network stream request to the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin component within the Windows operating system. These UILs are not passed as network stream requests. Therefore, they should not be a proxy server impediment.
The Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin does not support third-party proxy server clients at this time.
PLAYING FILES
Files can be played directly in several of the usual ways. Open Windows Media Player from the Start Menu or Shortcut Icon. From the File Menu > Open… and choose any AAC/aacPlus™ compliant file. Drag and Drop is also supported — drag any AAC/aacPlus™ compliant file onto the Windows Media Player application.
FILE AND ICON ASSOCIATIONS
By default, to keep the installation process as simple as possible, Orban Opticodec-PC AAC/aacPlus™ Plugin does not claim or register any file extensions. This would otherwise break other players and their file associations that may be installed on the same computer, and be very undesirable. If you want Windows Media Player to automatically play AAC/aacPlus™ compliant files by double-clicking them, you must manually register the desired files to Windows Media Player.
File Type Registration
File Type registration may be added or changed by opening Windows Explorer from My Computer, and from the Tools Menu > Folder Options…, select the File Types tab. Add or Edit the desired File Types by selecting either New or Change... for each File Type
File Icon Registration
Icons may be changed by selecting Advanced and Change Icon… and browsing to:
C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe
or whatever directory Windows Media Player was installed, for each File Type.
Alternatively, there is a .reg file provided to register and change icons for all supported file types. Double-click the .reg file to make the Registry entries automatically. This file is located in the directory where the program was installed.
METAFILES
Files may be played indirectly by several methods. By default, .asx metafiles are registered to Windows Media Player. Referencing an AAC/aacPlus™ file or file URL in an .asx file will insure that Windows Media Player launches automatically and that the file will start to play when an .asx file is double-clicked. Windows Media Player may be launched using this way in two different modes, Full mode and HTML View mode. A third mode, HTML Embedded, does not use an .asx file to launch. Each mode has different features, purposes, and complexities.
The .asx file can be used locally or included in HTML for a web page to reference files on a web server or hinted files on a streaming server for on-demand applications. Streaming files from an RTSP streaming server is more secure, as simple HTTP requests cannot download the files.
EXAMPLE .asx FILES (with Comments in orange – may be deleted)
Full Mode – Minimum Required
<ASX VERSION="3.0">
<!--Windows Media Player Metafile-->
<!--File Stream-->
<TITLE>Orban Opticodec-PC aacPlus™</TITLE>
<ENTRY>
<REF HREF="rtpx://123.45.67.8/file.mp4" />
</ENTRY>
</ASX>
Full Mode – Complete
<ASX VERSION="3.0">
<!--Windows Media Player Metafile-->
<!--File Stream with Banner-->
<PARAM name="encoding" value="utf-8" />
<!--Allows extended characters in annotations - Save as UTF-8 NOT ASCII-->
<TITLE>Orban Opticodec-PC aacPlus™ File Stream</TITLE>
<!--Title - Playlist Column/Bottom Status Playlist:-->
<AUTHOR>Orban</AUTHOR>
<!--Author - Prop=Playlist=Author-->
<MOREINFO HREF="http://www.opticodec.com"/>
<!--Title URL Link on mouse hover over Playlist-->
<COPYRIGHT>©2007 Orban/CRL, Inc.</COPYRIGHT>
<!--Copyright - Prop=Playlist=Copyright-->
<ABSTRACT>MORE AUDIO - LESS ANNOYANCE</ABSTRACT>
<!--Abstract - Prop=Playlist=Description-->
<ENTRY>
<TITLE>Live Stream</TITLE>
<!--Entry Title - Playlist Pane/Bottom Status Clip:/Prop=Content=Title-->
<AUTHOR>Evaluation</AUTHOR>
<!--Entry Author - Bottom Status Author:/Prop=Content=Artist-->
<COPYRIGHT>©2007 Orban/CRL, Inc.</COPYRIGHT>
<!--Entry Copyright - Bottom Status Copyright:
/Mouse hover over Bottom Status Copyright:
/Prop=Content=Copyright-->
<ABSTRACT>ORBAN OPTIMIZED</ABSTRACT>
<!--Entry Abstract - Bottom Status only on mouse hover over Bottom Status Clip:
/Prop=Content=Description-->
<REF HREF="rtpx://123.45.67.8/file.mp4"/>
<!--Entry Content-->
<BANNER HREF="http://www.domain.com/images/banner.gif">
<!--Entry Banner Element 194w x 32h-->
<ABSTRACT>Click here to go to Web site.</ABSTRACT>
<!--Entry Banner Message on mouse hover over Banner-->
<MOREINFO HREF="http://www.opticodec.com" TARGET = _blank/>
<!--Entry Banner URL Link-->
</BANNER>
</ENTRY>
</ASX>
PLAYLIST FILES
Windows Media Player .wpl playlist files are fully supported. To create a playlist file, Open Windows Media Player from the Start Menu or Shortcut Icon. From the File Menu > New Now Playing List. Playlist files are created in the usual way by dragging AAC/aacPlus™ compliant files into the Windows Media Player Now Playing List window, and from the File Menu > Save Now Playing List as… Alternatively, the .wpl file can be manually created/edited with the proper SMIL syntax and saved as a text only file with a .wpl extension.
Windows Media Player .asx files can also be used to build Windows Media Player .wpl files. By referencing the AAC/aacPlus™ files in individual .asx files, the AAC/aacPlus™ file information will display in the Windows Media Player Now Playing List window.
By design, .m3u and .pls playlist stream URLs are not supported. This would otherwise break other players that are registered to play these streams, and there would be no assurance that Windows Media Player would launch.
FILE INFORMATION
Depending upon the file format used the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin is fully Unicode/UTF-8/16 compliant, supporting other languages and character sets. Orban Opticodec-PC Streaming and File Encoders fully support this encoding as well.
Artist, Title, Stream Name and Description are displayed in the upper section of the video window.
Technical information about the file or stream is displayed just below.
Media graphics that are encoded into the AAC/aacPlus™ files, such as album art or logos, are displayed in the lower left corner of the video window.
iTMS Information (iTunes™ Music Store) is displayed to the right of the media graphics. This includes the username and e-mail address of the file owner.
TROUBLESHOOTING
PLUGIN FAILS TO INSTALL
A corrupt Windows Media Player installation can be responsible for a Plugin installation failure. Reinstall Windows Media Player, and then reinstall the Plugin.
Windows 2000 installations require gdiplus.dll to be in C:\WINNT\System32 before the Plugin is installed, which can be downloaded from here:
This is the correct version for Windows 2000. Do not use the incorrect version of gdiplus.dll.
WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER LAUNCHES, BUT AUDIO FAILS TO PLAY
In the unlikely event that the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin fails to play audio, and Windows Media Player flashes Error Downloading Codec in the status area of the player, first make absolutely sure that you are attempting to play a valid file or stream. If the file or stream is valid, and the plugin still fails to play audio, there may be a DirectShow™ component conflict. These can sometimes be very tricky to troubleshoot, as there are many third-party components that either take load priority, do not conform to the Microsoft DirectShow™ specification, or lack the necessary requirements to pass data from the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin to your computer sound device.
There are two software utilities available from the Microsoft DirectX™ SDK, GraphEdit, and SysEnum which can be invaluable for troubleshooting Microsoft DirectShow™ component conflicts. They are available from the Microsoft website.
WildTangent™ Web Driver is incompatible with the Plugin. Uninstall it. It is a now obsolete gaming component that is installed on many OEM home computer systems, and considered spyware.
WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER FAILS TO LAUNCH FROM .ASX FILES
This is not an issue with the Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin itself, however, the problem requires resolution to correct the operation of Windows Media Player. The most common problem preventing .asx files from launching Windows Media Player and playing files or streams is due to another player or application either changing the file association within Windows, or attempting to take control of the file extension or type from within the player or application itself.
By default, the .asx file extension is always registered to Windows Media Player. Should some other player or application change this, Windows Media Player will no longer automatically launch by double-clicking on a .asx file. If the .asf file association is correctly registered within Windows, be certain that .asx or .asf files are not under the control of another player or application by carefully checking the configuration of any other players or applications that are installed on the same computer.
This can be corrected by right-clicking on a .asx file, and choosing Open With > Windows Media Player. If Windows Media Player is not in the menu, choose Open With > Choose Program…, and select Windows Media Player from the list. Tick the box: Always use the selected program to open this kind of file.
Do not use other alternative Windows Media Player file extensions for .asx files, such as .wax to force correction of this problem. The other Windows Media Player file extensions are reserved for Microsoft specific file formats, and although may work on some systems, may not be compatible with Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin on all systems. Furthermore, there is also the possibility that another player or application has claimed these other Windows Media Player file extensions as well.
WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER FAILS TO SHOW PLUG-IN FROM TOOLS > PLUG-INS MENU
The Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ Player Plugin is technically not a Windows Media Player Plugin, and therefore will not show in the Tools > Plug-ins Menu. It is called a Plug-In for simplicity. It is a Microsoft DirectShow component, which is fully supported by and optimized for Windows Media Player.
CONTENT CREATION/ENCODING/SERVER SOFTWARE
The following content creation/encoding software can be used to produce various AAC/aacPlus™ files and/or streams. The features vary among the applications listed here. Not all applications are capable of producing all of the various file and stream formats available. Interoperability with other existing software and/or systems are other important considerations. Your file and/or stream requirements will determine the most compatible application(s) to use.
Orban provides a full line of Opticodec-PC File/Stream Encoders that support this plugin and provides a powerful feature set for digital netcasting and broadcasting.
OTHER FILE ENCODING TOOLS
Orban® Opticodec-PC™ File Encoder 1.x/2.x
Orban® Opticodec-PC™ Archive Encoder 1.x
Nullsoft® Winamp® 5.x
Ahead Nero 6.x/7.x
Apple® iTunes™ (AAC only)
Apple® QuickTime Pro 6.x and up (AAC only)
Y!ME Yahoo! ® Music Engine
Sorenson Media® Squeeze®
Poikosoft Easy CD-DA Extractor
STREAMING ENCODING
Orban® Opticodec-PC™ Streaming Encoder 1.x/2.x
Nullsoft® Winamp® DSP 1.9.x Plugin
RealNetworks® Real/Helix™ Mobile Producer 11.0
Apple® QuickTime® Broadcaster (AAC only)
Vara Software Wirecast (AAC only)
STREAMING SERVERS
Nullsoft® SHOUTcast® Streaming Server
Icecast2 Streaming Server
Apple® QuickTime® Streaming Server
Apple® Darwin Streaming Server
RealNetworks® Real/Helix™ Server
RealNetworks® Real/Helix™ Mobile Server
RESOURCES
Microsoft Windows Media Player has several development resources. The best official information is available at the Microsoft website.
Windows Media Player 11 SDK
http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/TechPages/wmplayer/default.aspx
Windows Media Player 10 SDK
http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/TechPages/wmplayer/default.aspx
Windows Media Player 6.4 SDK
Windows Media Developer Center Windows Media Downloads
http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/downloads/default.aspx
Adding Windows Media to Web Pages
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms983653.aspx
Microsoft Windows Media – Technical Articles
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/knowledgecenter/technicalarticles.aspx
Seth McEvoy
Microsoft Windows Media Player for Windows XP Handbook
Microsoft Press, 2001
Orban Opticodec-PC products extend from AAC/aacPlus™ File and Streaming Encoders, to Archive Encoders. These encoders are used by individuals to large content providers and broadcasters for netcasting, podcasting, and on-demand download and streaming services. More information on these products may be found here:
http://www.orban.com/products/streaming/
Orban Opticodec-PC Technical Manual
ftp://orban.com/1010/Documentation
Orban Opticodec-PC Resources, Calibration/Reference Audio Files, and Utilities
Orban also offers high quality audio signal processing for professional broadcast, netcast, and podcast use. Orban Optimod-PC is a DSP-based Audio Signal Processing PCI Sound Card that polishes your sound for a professional feel providing level consistency from source to source and codec peak protection to prevent overload and distortion. More hit music, news, and information has been broadcast to the world through Orban Optimod signal processing than any other processor. More information on this product may be found here:
http://www.orban.com/products/streaming/
Orban Optimod-PC Technical Manual
Robert Orban and Greg Ogonowski
Maintaining Audio Quality in the Broadcast Facility
Orban/CRL Systems, Inc., 2005
ftp://orban.com/1100/Documentation/Maintaining_Audio_Quality_in_the_Broadcast_Facility.pdf
Coding Technologies provides high performance AAC/aacPlus™ codec technology. For more information on this superior audio codec technology see:
http://www.codingtechnologies.com
DISTRIBUTION AND USEAGE RIGHTS
Orban/Coding Technologies AAC/aacPlus™ DirectShow Player Plugin usage is subject to the Terms and Conditions of the accompanying License Agreement.
Distribution of the Software is free and unlimited, however certain restrictions apply. The Software may only be downloaded from Orban at http://www.orban.com/plugin. You may not host the Software on third-party web and/or ftp servers, distribute by storage media such as magnetic disk, CD, DVD, or flash RAM devices, or repackage in any way without prior permission. You may link to the Software download on third-party web pages without permission, however, you MUST use the Orban/Coding Technologies Software Download Button at http://www.orban.com/plugin to identify the download, and link to http://www.orban.com/plugin only. You may not link directly to the Software installer executable file. Linking directly to the Software installer executable on the Orban web server will eventually produce an obsolete broken link when the Software is updated.
Personal use of the software is free and unrestricted.
Commercial use of the software is free, provided that in any custom player application, the bottom two lines in the video window, are displayed in the player application, and visible any time the media is playing. As an alternative, this same information may be moved to a different location in the player application, to be clearly visible at all times. This is the least you can do for us, for making this great technology available at no charge to you.
Orban Opticodec-PC
More Audio – Less Annoyance
For more detailed information about ORBAN OPTICODEC-PC Products see:
For more detailed information about CODING TECHNOLOGIES products see:
http://www.codingtechnologies.com
A directory of AAC/aacPlus™ streams on the Internet is available at TUNER2:
SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT
Copyright ©2008 Orban/CRL Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2008 Coding Technologies AB. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
All trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Third-party software and documents are copyrighted by their respective owners.
This software and/or program is protected by copyright law and international treaties. Any reproduction or distribution of this software and/or program, or any portion of it without permission, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under law.