------------------------------------- Heritage: Civilization and the Jews Interactive DVD-ROM version 2.5 (2005 Update) ------------------------------------- July 5, 2005 Thank you for upgrading Heritage: Civilization and the Jews. This text file contains late-breaking information about the Heritage interactive DVD-ROM product and serves as a technical appendix to the online help system. ===================================== Summary Of New Features In Heritage 2.5 --------------------------------------- The Heritage 2.5 upgrade contains the following major enhancements: --The Index and Encyclopedia Word Searches have been reengineered to allow for single-line multiple word searches (replacing the previous version's three-tiered method), with functionality modeled after internet search engines. --Word Search results are sorted by relevance. --Word Search queries are automatically spell-checked against a database of multilingual transliterations covering the most common alternate spellings and anglicizations of words originating in Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish, and Russian. --Bookmarks can link to non-Heritage content located on the internet or stored locally, to facilitate Heritage-centered classroom presentations that combine Heritage segments with web sites, PowerPoint presentations, and any other multimedia. --Bookmarks can be quickly cycled through using the Ctrl-up and Ctrl-down keyboard shortcuts. --A bug that prevented saving and loading Bookmark sets stored on a network server has been fixed. --Several bugs that hampered the saving and loading of Bookmark sets containing certain characters in the file name or path have been fixed. --Bookmarks are stored in a "Heritage\Bookmarks" folder in "My Documents" instead of in "Program Files," eliminating permissions-related problems that prevented proper read and write access to Bookmark files in certain institutional settings. --Operation in full-screen/maximized mode has been enhanced for use with monitors of very high resolutions and hardware that does not properly support 640x480 resolution (see "Heritage.cfg" in the Heritage folder). --Heritage can be set to always automatically launch in full screen mode (see "Heritage.cfg"). --A Heritage Bookmark Editor utility application is bundled with the upgrade, allowing for advanced offline modification, annotation, and printing of Heritage Bookmark files (see "Heritage Bookmark Editor.exe" in the Heritage folder). --Various other bug fixes, efficiency improvements, and content corrections. Printing With Netscape, Opera, and Firefox ------------------------------------------ Netscape, Opera, Firefox, and some other alternative web browsers are not entirely compatible with printing in Heritage, which utilizes the printing functionality of your default installed web browser. If your default browser is not Microsoft Internet Explorer and you wish to print from Heritage, you must manually edit the "Heritage.cfg" file in your Heritage folder on your hard drive (if you installed Heritage to the default location, this file can be found in "/Program Files/Heritage/"). Open this file in a text editor such as Notepad and set the "PrintPreview" variable, which is "OFF" by default, to "ON" by editing the text. With this change in place, when a "Print" button is clicked in Heritage, your browser will automatically launch and display the selected document that you wish to print. You must then manually bring up your browser's "Print" dialog and return to Heritage after starting the print process. It is possible that future versions of these browsers will support the Heritage printing feature properly without the need to turn on the "PrintPreview" setting. New Location For Bookmark Files ------------------------------- Heritage 2.5 uses a different path for storing Bookmark sets than previous versions. Bookmark files are now stored in the "...\My Documents\Heritage\Bookmarks" folder in order to avoid permissions-related problems that prevented proper read and write access to Bookmark files on some systems (particularly those in large institutional network settings). The transition to the new Bookmarks folder should be seamless, as the Heritage 2.5 upgrade installer automatically copies the entire contents of your existing Heritage Bookmarks folder (including custom-created sets) to the new location. Advanced Editing Of Heritage Bookmark Files ------------------------------------------- Heritage 2.5 includes a separate application for advanced Bookmark set editing. The Heritage Bookmark Editor utility allows the reordering, annotation, printing, and combining of Heritage Bookmark files, and the coloring, renaming, and mass deletion of individual Bookmarks in sets. To access these features, run the "Heritage Bookmark Editor.exe" file in your Heritage folder. Click on the "help" button in the upper right corner of the Heritage Bookmark Editor window to view its complete documentation. Emailing Bookmark Files ----------------------- Heritage Bookmark files can be shared via email. However, because Bookmarks are stored in the HTML format, when a Bookmark file is sent as an attachment, some email client software can introduce small modifications to the file which in severe cases corrupt the file. Therefore, it is recommended that you first archive Heritage Bookmark sets using a program such as WinZip (http://www.winzip.com), and email the compressed ZIPfile rather than the raw HTML file. Also note that Bookmark files are not cross-platform compatible; Windows Heritage users can't use Bookmark files created on a Macintosh, and Mac users can't use Bookmarks created in Windows. Installing The Heritage 2.5 Upgrade For Use Over A Network ---------------------------------------------------------- The Heritage 2.5 upgrade installer can only be used to upgrade Heritage clients, not servers. Existing Heritage 2002 clients set up for network use must be upgraded individually by running the upgrade installer as a local file on the client. To create a new Heritage 2.5 network client, follow the standard network install procedure, and then run the upgrade installer on the client from the client's local hard drive. Heritage servers can not be upgraded but can still be used by upgraded Heritage clients to properly run Heritage 2.5. Note that the upgrade automatically installs a new "Heritage.cfg" file on the client, replacing the existing file that originated as "Network.cfg" on the server. Therefore, any customizations made to that file, including the important "NetworkPath" parameter setting, must me manually reapplied to the new "Heritage.cfg" file on the client. Editing the Heritage Configuration File --------------------------------------- The "Heritage.cfg" file is a self-documenting text file containing settings information for Heritage. It has been upgraded for Heritage 2.5 with additional options; if you had made any customizations to this file prior to upgrading, you will need to reapply them to the new version. If you installed Heritage to the default location, this file can be found in "Program Files\Heritage". "Heritage.cfg" can be modified in a text editor such as Notepad to alter networking settings (see the printed Network Setup instructions), maximize function screen resolution control, and printing settings. Text Illegibility ----------------- On certain laptops and flat screen monitors, text in Heritage (such as Historical Documents and Concise Judaica Encyclopedia articles) may appear blocky and difficult to read while operating in low-resolution modes, especially while Heritage is maximized. This problem is not unique to Heritage, and can appear with other applications such as Microsoft Word. The difficulty lies in the limitations of the laptop computer's video display chipset. Most laptop video chipsets are designed to operate optimally at one resolution setting only (usually 1024 x 768). While many chipsets can adequately interpolate to lower resolutions, a few cannot. To avoid this problem, do not maximize Heritage and keep your screen resolution at its default setting. See also the "Heritage.cfg" file for advanced maximization settings that can help to alleviate or work around these problems, including a setting to stretch Heritage's display window for more efficient use on very high resolution monitors. Problems With Maximizing And Minimizing The Heritage Window ----------------------------------------------------------- The Heritage program window can be "maximized" to full-screen size at any time while running the Heritage program. Since it temporarily resets the Windows desktop resolution, it may adversely effect other programs that are running simultaneously, but it has not been found to cause any fatal instability. Maximizing may also temporarily disrupt the display of Windows desktop wallpaper. When restoring Heritage back to "windowed" mode, be sure to use the recommended method (press the 'shift+enter' key combination); other methods may cause the Heritage window to appear partially off-screen and unmovable. If you are having maximization-related problems due to your display hardware's inadequate support of 640x480 resolution mode, see the "Heritage.cfg" file for possible solutions. Running Heritage in 640x480 Display Mode ------------------------------------------ Heritage will not run properly in a 640x480 environment if that display mode has been manually set prior to starting the application. Heritage will automatically switch the display mode to 640x480 resolution when the program is maximized. To run Heritage full screen at 640x480 resolution, first start Heritage in a non-640x480 environment. Then, use the application's maximize function to switch the resolution automatically. This method can be applied when using a video card tv output that forces a low resolution: simply start Heritage first before changing resolution, then activate the video card tv output, and then use the Heritage maximize function to properly center the application and/or resize the screen resolution. See also the "Heritage.cfg" file for advanced maximization settings that can help to work around these issues. Roxio/MGI Videowave Software Incompatibility -------------------------------------------- The installation of Roxio's or MGI's Videowave video editing software causes alterations to parts of the operating system which interfere with video playback in Heritage. Videowave is incompatible with Heritage and should be uninstalled in order to restore Heritage's proper functioning. Videowave can cause a "cpuinf32.dll" error message to display periodically, prevent the Fast Forward and Fast Rewind buttons in the Video area from functioning properly, and cause the audio from the video to play at improper speeds or with clicks and pops. InterVideo WinDVD Software Incompatibility ------------------------------------------ Some early versions of InterVideo's WinDVD video playback software introduce a bug into the Windows operating system that, among other things, prevents Heritage from functioning properly. This bug causes Heritage to crash while attempting to play digital video and also negatively effects MPEG video playback in most other Windows programs (including Windows Media Player, the default Windows MPEG playback software). InterVideo has addressed this issue and created a free patch that fixes the problem; the patch is available by contacting InterVideo at http://www.intervideo.com. Sonique Software Incompatibility -------------------------------- Certain versions of the Sonique media player program can interfere with Heritage on some systems if both programs are run simultaneously. For best results, upgrade your Sonique software at http://www.sonique.com, and avoid running Heritage and Sonique at the same time if problems persist. Color Display Distortion ------------------------ With certain hardware configurations, it has been found that the graphics in Heritage will have slight discoloration on Windows 98 if the system is running in 24-bit or 32-bit "true color" display mode. This effect can be especially evident in the Timeline. This problem effects only a small number of computer systems, but if you notice any unusual colorations while viewing Heritage, we recommended that Windows be set to run in 16-bit "high color" display mode. Running Heritage Without The DVD-ROM ------------------------------------ Normally, running Heritage requires the presence of the Heritage disc in your computer's DVD-ROM drive; using Heritage without the disc may prevent the program from accessing necessary data, and thereby introduce system instability. However, if you have chosen the "Install Everything but the Video" installation type, you may safely run Heritage without the disc in the drive. This will prevent you from viewing the video (a blank screen will appear instead), and it will cause a dialog box to be displayed whenever you enter the Video area, but the rest of the program will function normally. At any time, you may insert the disc and thereby enable video viewing. If you have chosen the "Install Everything" installation, Heritage will always run perfectly without the disc in the drive. Atlas Results in the Index -------------------------- The Atlas results in the Heritage Index have not been categorized by Subject. Category Searches which have a Subject category set to anything other than "ALL" (the default setting) will automatically yield no Atlas results. To receive Atlas results, make sure that your Subject category is set to "ALL". Skipping Linear Animations To Access Interactive Content -------------------------------------------------------- In all narrated multimedia sequences that end in interactive presentations, pressing the 'space' key will skip past the narrated sequence into the interactive area. The 'space' key will also skip the animation that plays when the Heritage program starts. Opening Video Problems ---------------------- When the Heritage program starts, it displays an introductory movie containing the Thirteen/WNET New York logo, major funding credits, and an animated Heritage: Civilization and the Jews logo before transitioning into the opening interactive menu. On a small percentage of systems, in rare situations, the program will appear to freeze on a blank black screen just after the introductory movie ends and just before the menu appears. In reality, the program has not crashed, but a DirectX error has caused the movie to close improperly. If this happens simply hit the space key to start the opening menu. Multimedia Presentation Video Playback Problems ----------------------------------------------- Two multimedia presentations, located under the "Into the Future" episode of the Heritage series, contain their own short video clips. These can be found in the subchapters "At Home in America" and "Arab-Israeli Conflict". On some systems, if a "Minimum Install" installation type was chosen, the videos in these presentations ("Americans All" and "Rechov Sumsum/Shara'a Simsim") will not play properly. To fix this problem, reinstall Heritage using any installation type other than "Minimum Install". nVidia Riva TNT2 and Windows XP ------------------------------- Early versions of nVidia's Windows XP driver for Riva TNT2 video cards are incompatible with Heritage and other applications. In particular they cause MPEG video to display improperly. To remedy this problem, download the latest nVidia Detonator drivers from http://www.nvidia.com. Caption Problems When Rewinding The Digital Video ------------------------------------------------- Occasionally, while viewing video in Detailed View near the end of a Heritage episode, clicking and holding the Fast Rewind Button may cause the video captions to become desynchronized with the video images. This problem can be corrected by clicking on any Chapter or Subchapter button not currently in use, or exiting Video to another area in Heritage and returning. Caption Problems When Re-Entering The Video Area ------------------------------------------------ When leaving and returning to the Digital Video from other areas of Heritage, the video will be paused at the frame that was last viewed. Sometimes, however, upon returning to the paused video while in Detailed View, an incorrect video caption will be displayed. Playing the video will immediately reset the captions to their correct synchronization. Inserting the Heritage DVD-ROM/Re-Running Setup After Initial Installation -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inserting the Heritage DVD-ROM before Heritage has been installed will automatically cause the Heritage Setup program to start on all computers with the "Auto insert notification" option set for their DVD-ROM drive (the Windows default setting). However, once Heritage has been installed, inserting the Heritage DVD-ROM or running the Heritage Setup program will automatically start the Heritage program, since Setup is no longer required. Quitting & Bookmarking On The Introductory Heritage Menu Screen --------------------------------------------------------------- Normally, quitting Heritage will bring up a prompt for saving a Bookmark before exiting. However, in the first interactive menu screen that follows the opening animation, Bookmarks can not be saved. Both choosing the "save and exit" option while attempting to quit at this screen, and clicking the "Add" button on the Bookmarks window at this screen, will have no effect. Page Numbering In The Encyclopedia Title Lists ---------------------------------------------- The lower right corner of the Concise Judaica Encyclopedia title list panel contains a page number indicator. This indicator does not display fractional page numbers. Therefore, while using the Up and Down arrows to page through the title lists, the paging indicator may appear to be on the last page, but in reality a small fraction of a page may still remain at the bottom of the list. If ever in doubt, simply click on the Down arrow again to reveal the last fractional page of the list, or use the slider to scroll through the list instead. The position of the slider on the bar to the left of the list will always be a reliable visual indicator of your overall position in the title list. ===================================== ------------------------------------- End of Readme File -------------------------------------