Frequently Asked Questions
What is EVX™?
What do I need to send or enjoy an Atomic Greetings card?
I don’t have a web cam, can I still see the EVX?
Do I have to install any software for Atomic Greetings cards to work?
How does EVX work best?
What type of computer system do I need for Atomic Greetings cards?
My web cam doesn’t seem to work. What do I do?
How do I record a great message?
How can I make my message look good?
My video looks stuttery. What’s happening?
What is EVX™?
EVX stands for Enhanced Vision Xperience. It is the technology that allows us to (virtually) attach video messages to the Atomic Greetings™ cards. This technology can be traced back some 20 years to its invention when it was called augmented reality (AR) by Tom Caudell. It is experienced by millions of sports enthusiasts watching televised football in the U.S., rugby and cricket in the United Kingdom, and swimming competitions world-wide.
Atomic Greetings calls its implementation of augmented reality EVX because it better describes the exciting vision people experience when sending and receiving Atomic Greetings cards.
What do I need to send or enjoy an Atomic Greetings card?
Atomic Greetings cards are high-quality paper greeting cards that can be sent and enjoyed just like traditional paper greeting cards you buy and send today. Where an Atomic Greetings card is different is its use of EVX – a computer technology that virtually attached video messages to the surface of the greeting card. In order to experience an Atomic Greetings EVX message you will need a personal computer (Mac or Windows) connected to the Internet, a web cam, and the latest version of the Flash® player 10 software. Flash software can be downloaded from the Adobe® web site clicking on the Get Flash Player graphic below. If you want to check which version of Flash you have on your computer now click on Adobe® Flash® Player Version
I don’t have a web cam, can I still see the EVX?
EVX requires a web cam for your computer to “see” the Atomic Greetings card. If you don’t have a web cam the EVX technology can’t work to record or play back a video message.
Do I have to install any software for Atomic Greetings cards to work?
No. You don’t need to install any software from Atomic Greetings for our cards to work. The only thing you may need to install is the Flash player 10 software from Adobe. However, Adobe’s Flash software is already installed on the vast majority of computers in use today.
How does EVX work best?
Make sure your computer area is well lit. Atomic Greetings cards should be lit by indirect light for your web cam to see it well. Hold your card steady. Quick, or shaky movement will reduce the quality of your experience and may cause the card to not work correctly at all. Make sure that the card isn’t bend or folded as creases may prevent the EVX from working.
What type of computer system do I need for Atomic Greetings cards?
Hardware:
Windows (Minimum Supported System)
Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz, AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3400+ processor (or equivalent)
1GB RAM
64MB of VRAM
Macintosh (Minimum Supported System)
Intel Core Duo 1.83 GHz or faster processor
1GB RAM
64 MB of VRAM
Operating Systems and Browsers:
Microsoft (R) Windows Vista(R) – Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or later, Firefox 2.x, Firefox 3.x, AOL 9, Opera 9.5 or later, Safari 3.x, Chrome 2.0 or higher
Microsoft Windows XP – Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Firefox 2.x, Firefox 3.x, AOL 9, Opera 9.5 or later, Safari 3.x, Chrome 2.0 or higher
Macintosh OS X v10.4 or later (Intel) – Firefox 2.x, Firefox 3.x, Opera 9.5, Safari 3.x
Macintosh OS X v10.6 – Firefox 3.x or later, Safari 4.x or later
Adobe(R) Flash(R) Player 10
My web cam doesn’t seem to work. What do I do?
If you’re trying to send a card or have received a card and the web cam portion doesn’t seem to work (ex: you only see a black screen). Start the process over again and when you see the Adobe Flash Player ask you if it can turn on your web cam right-click on the box if you have a PC or click on the box while holding down the CTRL key if you have a Mac. The following fly-out menu will appear.
When the menu appears, select “Settings…”
The settings options will appear. This is where you can select your web cam and configure Flash to work its best by clicking on the bottom tabs.
The first image you will see is the privacy screen shown above. This screen allows you to activate your web cam and see what it’s image looks like.
The first thing you want to do is click on the last tab on the right which will display the camera panel. From here you can select the web cam or video options your computer has available to you. Most web cams (internal and external) are connected to computers using USB. If you have one that uses a Firewire connection or something else those options will appear and you can select whatever is appropriate.
The first tab on the left is the setting to turn on or off hardware acceleration. Toggle this setting on or off to get the best EVX performance from your computer. The second tab is the privacy screen that displayed when you first clicked on “Settings…”
The next two images are for Flash’s cache and audio settings. The cache controls how much information Flash can temporarily store on your computer. The audio setting controls the quality of the sound in Flash.
When you’re done making your selections and changes to the Flash settings, go back to the second tab and allow Flash access to your web cam and system by clicking on the “Allow” radio button. If you’re happy with how Flash and EVX are working on your computer you can also check off the “Remember” option and the system will remember all your settings and turn on your web cam automatically whenever you go to “Record a Video Message” or “View a Card’s Message.”
When you’re done, click the “Close” button.
How do I record a great message?
Be yourself! Seriously. The best and easiest way to record an Atomic Greetings EVX message is to show people who you really are and how much you care for them.
You may want to collect your thoughts before clicking on the “Record” button but the best thing you can do is be true to yourself and show your personality, energy, and emotion!
How can I make my message look good?
The best part of Atomic Greetings EVX cards is that you can preview your message on your computer before you send it. So you never have to send a message that doesn’t make you totally pleased.
First thing you’ll need is a well lit area. Video camera need a lot of light to work really well and your web cam will need even more. So make sure you have good lights around your computer area or, if possible, move your laptop computer to a well lit room.
For your computer to pick up what your saying you’ll need the room to be pretty quiet. So you may want to turn off any TVs or music playing in the background – or at least turn the volume down.
My video looks stuttery. What’s happening?
If you are using wireless Internet the connection might be too slow to record video well. If possible, try to connect to the Internet using a network cable, a faster wireless connection, or a connection that isn’t being used by as many people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is EVX™?
What do I need to send or enjoy an Atomic Greetings card?
I don’t have a web cam, can I still see the EVX?
Do I have to install any software for Atomic Greetings cards to work?
How does EVX work best?
What type of computer system do I need for Atomic Greetings cards?
My web cam doesn’t seem to work. What do I do?
How do I record a great message?
How can I make my message look good?
My video looks stuttery. What’s happening?
What is EVX™?
EVX stands for Enhanced Vision Xperience. It is the technology that allows us to (virtually) attach video messages to the Atomic Greetings™ cards. This technology can be traced back some 20 years to its invention when it was called augmented reality (AR) by Tom Caudell. It is experienced by millions of sports enthusiasts watching televised football in the U.S., rugby and cricket in the United Kingdom, and swimming competitions world-wide.
Atomic Greetings calls its implementation of augmented reality EVX because it better describes the exciting vision people experience when sending and receiving Atomic Greetings cards.
What do I need to send or enjoy an Atomic Greetings card?
Atomic Greetings cards are high-quality paper greeting cards that can be sent and enjoyed just like traditional paper greeting cards you buy and send today. Where an Atomic Greetings card is different is its use of EVX – a computer technology that virtually attached video messages to the surface of the greeting card. In order to experience an Atomic Greetings EVX message you will need a personal computer (Mac or Windows) connected to the Internet, a web cam, and the latest version of the Flash® player 10 software. Flash software can be downloaded from the Adobe® web site clicking on the Get Flash Player graphic below. If you want to check which version of Flash you have on your computer now click on Adobe® Flash® Player Version
I don’t have a web cam, can I still see the EVX?
EVX requires a web cam for your computer to “see” the Atomic Greetings card. If you don’t have a web cam the EVX technology can’t work to record or play back a video message.
Do I have to install any software for Atomic Greetings cards to work?
No. You don’t need to install any software from Atomic Greetings for our cards to work. The only thing you may need to install is the Flash player 10 software from Adobe. However, Adobe’s Flash software is already installed on the vast majority of computers in use today.
How does EVX work best?
Make sure your computer area is well lit. Atomic Greetings cards should be lit by indirect light for your web cam to see it well. Hold your card steady. Quick, or shaky movement will reduce the quality of your experience and may cause the card to not work correctly at all. Make sure that the card isn’t bend or folded as creases may prevent the EVX from working.
What type of computer system do I need for Atomic Greetings cards?
Hardware:
Windows (Minimum Supported System)
Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz, AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3400+ processor (or equivalent)
1GB RAM
64MB of VRAM
Macintosh (Minimum Supported System)
Intel Core Duo 1.83 GHz or faster processor
1GB RAM
64 MB of VRAM
Operating Systems and Browsers:
Microsoft (R) Windows Vista(R) – Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or later, Firefox 2.x, Firefox 3.x, AOL 9, Opera 9.5 or later, Safari 3.x, Chrome 2.0 or higher
Microsoft Windows XP – Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Firefox 2.x, Firefox 3.x, AOL 9, Opera 9.5 or later, Safari 3.x, Chrome 2.0 or higher
Macintosh OS X v10.4 or later (Intel) – Firefox 2.x, Firefox 3.x, Opera 9.5, Safari 3.x
Macintosh OS X v10.6 – Firefox 3.x or later, Safari 4.x or later
Adobe(R) Flash(R) Player 10
My web cam doesn’t seem to work. What do I do?
If you’re trying to send a card or have received a card and the web cam portion doesn’t seem to work (ex: you only see a black screen). Start the process over again and when you see the Adobe Flash Player ask you if it can turn on your web cam right-click on the box if you have a PC or click on the box while holding down the CTRL key if you have a Mac. The following fly-out menu will appear.
When the menu appears, select “Settings…”
The settings options will appear. This is where you can select your web cam and configure Flash to work its best by clicking on the bottom tabs.
The first image you will see is the privacy screen shown above. This screen allows you to activate your web cam and see what it’s image looks like.
The first thing you want to do is click on the last tab on the right which will display the camera panel. From here you can select the web cam or video options your computer has available to you. Most web cams (internal and external) are connected to computers using USB. If you have one that uses a Firewire connection or something else those options will appear and you can select whatever is appropriate.
The first tab on the left is the setting to turn on or off hardware acceleration. Toggle this setting on or off to get the best EVX performance from your computer. The second tab is the privacy screen that displayed when you first clicked on “Settings…”
The next two images are for Flash’s cache and audio settings. The cache controls how much information Flash can temporarily store on your computer. The audio setting controls the quality of the sound in Flash.
When you’re done making your selections and changes to the Flash settings, go back to the second tab and allow Flash access to your web cam and system by clicking on the “Allow” radio button. If you’re happy with how Flash and EVX are working on your computer you can also check off the “Remember” option and the system will remember all your settings and turn on your web cam automatically whenever you go to “Record a Video Message” or “View a Card’s Message.”
When you’re done, click the “Close” button.
How do I record a great message?
Be yourself! Seriously. The best and easiest way to record an Atomic Greetings EVX message is to show people who you really are and how much you care for them.
You may want to collect your thoughts before clicking on the “Record” button but the best thing you can do is be true to yourself and show your personality, energy, and emotion!
How can I make my message look good?
The best part of Atomic Greetings EVX cards is that you can preview your message on your computer before you send it. So you never have to send a message that doesn’t make you totally pleased.
First thing you’ll need is a well lit area. Video camera need a lot of light to work really well and your web cam will need even more. So make sure you have good lights around your computer area or, if possible, move your laptop computer to a well lit room.
For your computer to pick up what your saying you’ll need the room to be pretty quiet. So you may want to turn off any TVs or music playing in the background – or at least turn the volume down.
My video looks stuttery. What’s happening?
If you are using wireless Internet the connection might be too slow to record video well. If possible, try to connect to the Internet using a network cable, a faster wireless connection, or a connection that isn’t being used by as many people.