TechNote (Archived)

Packaging Director movies

There are several ways to package Director movies.This TechNote covers packaging options as well as issues that should be considered prior to packaging a Director movie. Please read the documentation included with Director for more detailed instructions on how each method works.

Considerations prior to packaging
Movie distribution involves preparing or packaging a movie and it's associated files for delivery. Each method of distribution will dictate how issues about media, Xtras, licensing, file protection, etc. need to be considered.

Authoring files and protected Movies
A Director authoring file is the native file created from Director. On Windows, this file has the extension ".DIR". Unlike a projector or Shockwave movie, an authoring file can only be opened using Director. Authoring files are not protected. Anyone running Director on their machine can open a Director file as long as their version of Director is at least as new as the version with which the file was created.

Director files can be protected. The Windows extension for a protected Director file is ".DXR". Protected files can be useful if you want to distribute a project that contains native Director files. To protect a file go to Xtras>Update Movies and choose"protect".

Xtras
Most Director movies require Xtras to function. Xtras are similar to plug-ins in that they enable specific functionality. For example, the Flash Asset Xtra is needed to display Flash movies in Director. Xtras used in a Director file can be found by going to Modify > Movie> Xtras. Xtras can also be added to a Director file from this dialog. Shockwave movies and Projectors have different ways of packaging Xtras. For more information about what Xtras are and how they work see Using Xtras in Director: An overview (TechNote 14888).

Media
Most media used in Director can be fully embedded. Once an element is imported into Director the external file is not needed. To embed elements into a movie use the "standard import" option upon importing media, rather than the"linked to external file" option. The "standard import" option is chosen by default, and can be accessed by going to File>Import

Digital video cannot be embedded within a Director movie and is always linked regardless of which import setting used. When including digital video in a Director presentation the appropriate player must be installed on the end users machine. For example, if you include a QuickTime video in a Director movie, the end user must have the QuickTime player installed on their machine.

Passing information between movies
Global variables are placeholders for information. They can have any name and many forms of information from numbers to property lists. They can be used to pass information between two or more movies. See"global" in the Lingo dictionary for more information about global variables. To see an example of using global variables between movies see How can I pass a variable between Director movies? (TechNote 15648)

Licensing
Please refer to the licensing agreement for information on logo requirements. Not all projects require that a logo be present. For specific information on how to properly include a logo see Made with Macromedia and Shockwave Player Licensing Programs.

Distribution methods
Projectors
Shockwave movies
DVD
Digital video

Projectors
A Projector is a stand-alone version of a movie intended to play without Director.There are several ways to package projectors. The method you choose will depend on the design of your movie. The following table outlines different methods for packaging projectors. Note that the speed at which a projector launches is also dependant on a given machines processor speed and hardware, as well as the content within the projector.

Type	Description	File size of projector	Speed of Projector
Standard Projector	Projector with Xtras packaged internally. Usually includes all DIR files and media internally. Under projector player options, "Standard" is chosen.	standard size (usually 1-2 MB with no media and only default Xtras)	standard speed
Compressed Projector	A standard projector that is compressed. Under projector player options,"Compressed" is chosen.	smaller than standard projector	May launch slower than a standard projector because the file has to decompress first.
Stub Projector	A small standard projector that may package Xtras externally and navigates to an external Director file. Under projector player options,"Standard" is chosen.	smaller than standard projector, though not as small as a compressed projector	launches faster than a standard projector
Shockwave Projector	A projector that packages Xtras internally and uses Shockwave compression. Under projector player options, "Shockwave" is chosen.	smaller than standard projector or a stub projector	launches faster than a standard projector
Fast-Start Projector	A projector that packages Xtras externally and uses Shockwave compression. Under projector player options, "Shockwave" is chosen.	smallest of all projectors	the fastest launching projector

Projectors are a useful method of distributing Director movies because they do not require an external player in order to run. The Director Player is built into the projector. Projectors are compiled, meaning they are protected and the authoring information is not accessible.

Note:Projector files are not cross platform. For more information see Director authoring requirements for cross-platform delivery (TechNote 14254)

Including all movies in one projector
One or more Director movies can be packaged within a projector. However it is not required that all movies are included in a projector. Consider what the size of the final projector will be if all DIR files are included in it. The size of the projector can directly affect how long that projector takes to launch, and can affect performance. If your presentation appears to slow down or stutter you may want to consider using a stub projector that branches off into several DIR or DXR files. See "Creating a stub projector" below for more information.

Creating a "stub projector"
A stub projector is a projector containing a small Director movie that branches to DIR or DXR files. When a projector opens a DIR or DXR file, that file opens within the projector as if it is embedded. It looks the same as if you had included the movie within the projector. A stub projector usually launches quickly because its file size is small.

For more in-depth information about what a stub projector is and how it works see What is a stub projector? (TechNote 13530)

Fast start projectors are stub projectors that are designed to launch as quickly as possible that usually include externally packaged Xtras.For information about how to create a fast start projector, see How to create a fast-start Director projector (TechNote 14431).

Shockwave movies
A Shockwave movie is a 'published' Director movie that has been compressed. Unlike projectors they do not include a player. Shockwave movies are created primarily for distribution over the Internet for playback in a Web browser. To play a Shockwave movie in a browser, the Shockwave player must be installed on the end users machine. There are separate player installations for Netscape and Internet Explorer, so it is possible to have Shockwave installed on one kind of browser and not the other. Shockwave movies are automatically compressed to save space and ensure smooth playback over the internet. Distributing Shockwave movies on CD is not recommended. For more information see Distributing Shockwave movies on CD (TechNote 15517).

The Shockwave Player
The Shockwave player can be downloaded by going to the Downloads menu on the Macromedia web site. An alternative to downloading the player is to distribute the stand-alone installer. The installer may be acquired by filling out a licensing agreement: see Who should license the players?

DVD
For information about distributing Director movies as DVD see Director and DVD (TechNote 13446)

Digital Video
A Director movie can be exported in a digital video format, such as QuickTime or AVI, or as a bitmap (Windows) or pict (Mac) sequence. When saving as a BMP/PICT format, each frame is exported as an individual BMPor PICT file. There are limitations to this feature. For information see Exporting Director movies as digital video.