Igor

In v3.75 was first music player we have used. Since v4.10 we fully rewritten music player and now using built-in MP3 decoding library. In v5.00 we again rewrote music player. Version 5.0 contains the most reliable music player, simple code, and potential for future improvements.

Updated build 5.03: + Creating of ISO image of DVD disc in VideoBuilder works much faster now. In 10x faster. * Fixed bug under old Windows 95/98/Me in the slideshow engine. When Help window, or startup screen adjusted without an image appeared, slideshow crashed. * Fixed bug when startup screen with an image could be larger than current screen resolution (for example, if you used huge 3500x2200 image).

I improved it in the newest buld 5.03: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7056 Please let me know how it works now.

Please try updated beta of PicturesToExe Deluxe 5.03 http://www.wnsoft.com/test/apr-deluxe_503.zip (4 MB) It should work very reliable and changes are small, but I called it beta because I would like to receive confirmation that described problems solved: + Creating of ISO image of DVD disc in VideoBuilder works much faster now. In 10x faster. * Fixed bug under old Windows 95/98/Me in the slideshow engine. When Help window, or startup screen adjusted without an image appeared, slideshow crashed. * Fixed bug when startup screen with an image could be larger than current screen resolution (for example, if you used huge 3500x2200 image).

If I remember rightly, some time ago Apple started sales of unprotected tracks in MP3 format 256 kbit/bitrate. Not all compositions and with higher price. These tracks can be used directly in slideshows without prior converting.

Urmas, It was very difficult to realize this behaviour as in v4.48. Due to Pan/Zoom effects. I can't promiss that we will able make it as earlier in the next v5.1

John, since build 5.02 PicturesToExe displays the build number in the About window and in the installer (left-bottom corner of a window). According your screenshot you use build 5.00 or 5.01 It's an usual practice - displaying only major version number in a caption of the main window.

At this moment I don't know where to better storate rotation information. If it's JPEG image with rotation flag in EXIF section, this problem will not occur when you backup your project. For manual rotation of an image, it better do it in "Objects and animation" editor. Because in this case rotation will be performed with hardware acceleration by video card during rendering of a slide with zero cost of CPU time for this operation. If you manually rotate images in the File list or in the Slide list (or JPEG image contains rotation flag in EXIF field), image will be rotated after loading of an image (but before rendering of a slide) and it will take 20-400 ms. depending on size of an image (1024x768 = ~ 30 ms. or 3400x2200 = ~ 300 ms.). Probably we'll find a way to do both rotations always with hardware acceleration. There are some logical difficulties with it.

I was not able reproduce this problem. Please explain why you want to create VCD disc? It provides so low quality. Use DVD-Video disc. And would be better to use VideoBuilder which will quickly burn DVD disc.

Currenty PicturesToExe 5.0 supports only Comment, Description, Date and Time EXIF fields. We'll add other EXIF fields in the next version.

I presume you added personal music file(s) to slide (in Slide properties, Music tab). It doesn't work when "Synchronize music and slides" mode enabled (Project options, Main tab).

Please let me know - what version of PicturesToExe you have used - old v4.48 or new 5.0 ? Probably the problem in CD disc? Please try to write slideshow again on another CD disc, or to a flash drive. And copy this EXE file with slideshow from the CD disc to hard disc of a PC before run. Also try to run another small slide show on those PCs (say 5 or 30 MB). We've tested PicturesToExe Deluxe 5.0 under Windows Vista, of course.

It may happens if you use large images with close interval between slides. PicturesToExe tries to keep synchronization and skips transition effects. Solution: - Reduce images - Or set longer interval between slides.

Sorry, I forgot to realize scaling of an image in the startup window. I'll try to fix it soon in a next update 5.03 of version 5.0

Robert, George, I just sent you emails.

At this early stage of the work I would not speak about all features we've scheduled for this new version of PicturesToExe. Periodically I shall visit "Ideas and suggestions..." section of the forum to mark other features which will be included to version 5.1. Some features which planned for version 5.1: + Masks for objects for special effects. + Many improvements in VideoBuilder (music in DVD menu, accepts MPEG2 files, much faster rendering, and etc.) + Improved starting of another slideshow from current slideshow in hardware accelerated mode (no flashings more). + Vast optimization for old video cards on slideshows without Pan/Zoom effects in hardware accelerated mode. + "White frame for image object" option. + Also a lot of small improvements. ? User manual and help file for all functions and options. I think we will release version 5.1 and next versions every 6 months.

We already started works on the next version 5.1 Some future features already in development since May of 2007. VideoBuilder will be vastly improved. New features and it will work much faster on modern video cards and dual core CPUs. PicturesToExe 5.1 will support Masks for object(s) (for special effects). Also a lot of features that you asked. Additionally we started work on some features which you will see in version 5.2 and even in future versions in the next year. To be competitive we should do such investigations for future.

We'll make possible combining of several projects (slideshows) to one EXE file. It's in our plans. I like this idea. Probably already in 5.1 but most likely in version 5.2

In our TODO list. Probably in version 5.2

This feature in my plans. I'm thinking for a long time how to better realize this function. Currently I didn't find suitable variant.

Olivier, Please visit Microsoft's website: http://www.microsoft.com/directx Then click "Download the latest DirectX". I hope it will help.

Olivier, Please read my reply here: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6997

Olivier, We will try to help you solve this problem. If bug in PTE, we will quickly fix it. I would like to clear moment with old version 4.31. In another topic you wrote different results for v4.31's slide shows: I'm sure it definitely points that problem in drivers of Intel video card. We have one PC with Intel 865 integrated graphics and all is OK, because of this I think that updating of video drivers should help. Most likely you will find similar problem with 3D games with these current drivers.For lucky_frogger Olivier, If all is OK with v4.31 or v4.48 and this problem happens only in new version 5.0 please perform several tests which will help us to exactly determine a reason of the problem. 1) How this slideshow plays on your PC? http://wnsoft.com/apr/show/PteShow.zip (8 MB) 2) Create simple slide show with Fade effects only and DON'T add any music files. How it will play without music? 3) Create simple slide show with Fade effects only, go to Project options window, Screen tab. Uncheck "Hardware acceleration" option and click "Preview" button in the main window of PicturesToExe. Or create EXE file. How it will play now? 4) Again open Project options, Screen tab. Change back again and set checked "Hardware acceleration" option and choose "Windowed mode" instead of "Fullscreen mode". How it plays now? I didn't recieve any bug-reports on created in version 5.0 slideshows in our technical support for past 2 weeks. No problems. We very carefully developed slideshow engine and, I hope, well tested it. Because of this I suspect that this particular problem can be in Intel video card or drivers or combination of other factors. However a very strange problem. I would like to solve this problem, of course.

I just fixed this visual bug. Please download newest build 5.02

Build 5.02 + Updated Polish language file. * Duration value didn't show on the status bar when you visually changed duration of a transition effect on the timeline. * Fixed rare bug of previous versions when "Select all images" action in popup menu not always worked for the File list.