Using Multimedia

    This chapter provides information on using the multimedia capabilities of your notebook. Read this chapter to learn how to:

Use the diskette drive
Use the CD/DVD drive
Play CDs and DVDs
Record and play audio files
Use Windows Media Player
Use MusicMatch

Using diskettes

    The diskette drive uses 3.5-inch diskettes (sometimes called floppy disks). Diskettes are useful for storing files or transferring files to another computer.

    Warning

    Do not expose diskettes to water or magnetic fields. Exposure could damage the data on the diskette.

    To use a diskette:

      1. Insert the diskette into the diskette drive with the label facing up.

      2. To access a file on the diskette, click Start, then select My Computer, then the drive letter (for example, the A: drive), then double-click the file.

      3. To remove the diskette, make sure the drive activity indicator (see Status indicators) is off, then press the diskette eject button.

         

    Using the CD/DVD drive

      You can use your computer to enjoy a wide variety of multimedia features, such as making recordings, listening to audio CDs, and watching DVD movies.

    Inserting a CD or DVD

    To insert a CD or DVD:

      1. Press the eject button on the CD/DVD drive. After the disc tray opens slightly, pull the tray completely open.

      2. Place the disc in the tray with the label facing up, then press down carefully on the disc until it snaps into place.

      Important

      When you place a single-sided disc in the tray, make sure that the label side is facing up. If the disc has two playable sides, place the disc so that the name of the side you want to play is facing up.

        1. Push the tray in until it is closed.

           

      Adjusting the volume

        You can use the volume controls to adjust the overall volume and the volume of specific sound devices in your computer.

        Help and Support

        For more information on adjusting volume, click Start, then select Help and Support.

        To adjust the overall volume level using hardware controls:

        On the keyboard, press the volume system key combination
        Fn         + Volume Up icon key or Fn + Volume down icon key to change the volume, or press the mute system key combination
        Fn         + Mute icon key to turn off all sound.

             

        To adjust the overall volume level from Windows:

          1. Click Start, then select Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.

          2. Select Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.

          3. Select Adjust the system volume. The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box opens.
          1. On the Volume tab, drag the Device Volume slider to change the volume or click to select the Mute check box, then click OK.

             

        To adjust specific volume levels:

          1. Click Start, then select Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.

          2. Select Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices.

          3. Select Adjust the system volume. The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog box opens.
          1. On the Volume tab, click Advanced in the Device volume area. The Master Volume dialog box opens.
            If the device you want to adjust does not appear in the Master Volume dialog box, select Options, Properties, select the audio device you want to adjust, then click OK.

          1. Drag the volume level and balance sliders for the device you want to adjust, then close the window. For more information about the volume controls, select Help in the Master Volume dialog box.

          2. Click X in the top right corner of the Master Volume dialog box.

             

        Listening to CDs

          Use the Windows Media Player to listen to CDs. For more information about using the Windows Media Player, select Help.

        To play a CD:

          1. Insert a CD into the CD/DVD drive.

          2. If a message asks you to chose a CD player, select Windows Media Player. The Windows Media Player opens.

          3. When the media player opens, click the Play button.

        Recording and playing audio

          Use the instructions below to make an audio recording by speaking into the microphone.

          Help and Support

          For more information on recording and playing audio, click Start, then select Help and Support.

          To make an audio recording:

            1. Plug a microphone into the Microphone jack on the computer. See "Left Side" for the location of the jack.

            2. Click Start, then select All Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, then Sound Recorder. The Sound Recorder opens.

            1. Click the Record button, then speak into the microphone.

            2. When you finish recording, click the Stop button.

            3. Select File, then Save As. The Save As dialog box opens.

            4. Name the recording, specify the path, then click Save. The recording is saved.

               

          To play an audio recording in Sound Recorder:

            1. Open the Sound Recorder.

            2. Select File, then Open. The Open dialog box opens.

            3. Select the file you want to play back, then click Open.

            4. Play the file by clicking the Play button, then stop playing the file by clicking the Stop button.

               

          Playing audio and video files with the Windows Media Player

            The Windows Media Player can play several types of audio and video files, including WAV, MIDI, MP3, AU, AVI, and MPEG formats. For more information about using the Windows Media Player, select Help.

          To play a file using the Windows Media Player:

            1. Click Start, then select All Programs, then Windows Media Player. The Windows Media Player opens.

            1. Select File, then Open. The Open dialog box opens.

            2. Select the file you want to play, then click Open.

            3. Play the file by clicking the Play button, then stop playing the file by clicking the Stop button.

               

          Playing a DVD

            A Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is similar to a standard CD but has greater data capacity. Because of this increased capacity, full-length movies, several albums of music, or several gigabytes of data can fit on a single disc. If your computer has a DVD drive, you can play DVDs with the DVD Player program. For more information about playing DVDs, select Help in the DVD player program.

          To play a DVD:

            1. Make sure that the speakers are turned on or headphones are plugged in and that the volume is turned up.

            2. Turn off your system screen saver and standby timers.

            3. Click Start, then select All Programs, DVD Player, then DVD Player. The DVD Player video screen and control panel open.

            4. Insert a DVD into the DVD drive, then click the Play button. The DVD plays.

            5. To control the DVD or adjust the volume, use the controls in the DVD player. For more information on using the DVD player, see its online help.

               

          Using MusicMatch

            Using MusicMatch™, you can:

          Play music CDs
          Create MP3 music files from your music CDs
          Use your music files to build a music library
          Enter music track information
          Listen to Internet Radio

            For more information on using MusicMatch, see its online Help.

          Playing CDs

            You can use the MusicMatch program to play music CDs.

          To play a music CD:

            1. Insert the music CD into the CD/DVD drive on your computer. The first time you insert a CD, the Audio CD dialog box opens.
            1. Click Play Audio CD using mmjb, select Always do the selected action, then click OK. MusicMatch opens, the CD begins playing, and the names of the music tracks appear in the playlist area.
              The next time you insert an audio CD, MusicMatch plays the CD automatically.

               

          Creating music files

            Using MusicMatch, you can copy the tracks from a music CD to your computer's hard drive as MP3 files.

            Here are some terms that you need to know before you get started:

          Bit rate is the number of bits required to store one second of music. CD quality is 128 kilobits per second. A high bit rate gives you better sound quality but the file size is also larger. For information about changing the sound quality settings, see the online help in MusicMatch.
          MP3 (MPEG Layer 3) is a standard for digitally compressing high-fidelity music into compact files without noticeably sacrificing quality. MP3 files end in the file extension .mp3.
          Ripping is the process of copying a music track from a music CD and storing it on your computer's hard drive.

          To create (rip) MP3 files:

            1. Open MusicMatch by clicking Start, then selecting All Programs, MusicMatch, then MusicMatch Jukebox.

            2. Insert a CD into the CD/DVD drive, then click the Record button. The Recorder window opens.

            3. In the Recorder window, select the tracks you want to record, then click the Record button. The tracks that you selected are copied as MP3 files to your computer's hard drive.

               

          Editing track information

            After you add a CD track as an MP3 file to your music library, you can edit the track's information.

          To edit track information:

            1. In MusicMatch, click My Library. The library window opens.

            2. In the library window, right-click the file, then select Edit Track Tag(s). The Edit Track Tag dialog box opens.

            1. Enter information such as track title, lead artist, album, and genre.

            2. Click OK. The new track information is displayed in the MusicMatch playlist, music library, and recorder.

               

          Building a music library

            Use MusicMatch to build a music library. You can organize your music tracks by categories, find a track quickly by using the sort features, and add information to a music file.

            You can add music tracks to your music library by:

          Creating MP3 files - When you create MP3 files from the tracks on your music CD, MusicMatch automatically adds these files to your music library.
          Dragging and Dropping - Drag and drop files from Windows Explorer or your desktop to the music library.
          Downloading files from the Internet - When you are connected to the Internet, MP3 files that you download are automatically added to your music library.

          Changing the music library display settings

          To change the music library display settings:

            1. In MusicMatch, select Options, then Settings. The Settings window opens.

            2. Click the Music Library tab.
            1. Select the categories that you want to display in the columns, then click OK.

          Listening to Internet radio

            Use the Radio feature in MusicMatch to listen to Internet Radio stations.

          To listen to an Internet radio station:

            1. Connect to the Internet, then in MusicMatch, click Radio Stations.
              The Radio window opens.
            1. To select one of the MusicMatch Internet radio stations, select one of the Popular Stations. You can also choose another Internet radio station by clicking Broadcast Stations, then clicking Station Selector.
            1. Select a radio station, then click Play. MusicMatch connects to the station.

               

          Using advanced features

            You can also use MusicMatch to create your own music CDs and to download MP3 files to your portable MP3 player. See the MusicMatch online Help.