Igor

I wish for you Happy New Year! Also I hope you had wonderful Christmas recently, too. Glad to work together. Thanks to your ideas and ours we have *a great list* of features even for the future one-two years of development. With warmest regards!

Thanks for the good results you've got! Concerning speed of encoding I'm still think how to increase this performance. Here are my current results of test for speed (with PTEV video codec, 12 sec. of show, 3 slides with effects): Pinnacle Studio: Interlaced video = 1:12, Progressive video = 0:59 TMpegEnc: Interlaced video = 0:40, Progressive video = 0:32 Ulead DVD MovieFactory2: Interlaced video = 1:00, Progressive video = 0:48 So these results show that "weak point" not in interlaced video, because rendering of progressive video faster only on 15%-23% and it can't be optimized more. I'll have a look on rendering of slides - may I find "weak points" for next improvements. p.s. TMpegEnc has the most fast encoding. But I prefer quality with Ulead MovieFactory2

I just sent you special test with option for Pinnacle Studio. I think DVD with this option and produced in Pinnacle Studio will has much more smooth transition effects as with using of Ulead or TMpegEnc products. It's normal - producing of interlaced video takes much more time, but I'll try to optimize this process.

I just added this "For Pinnacle Studio" option to PTE. In beta #6 it will work properly. Thanks for your results, I'll perform additional tests - probably it will possible to a little optimize encoding. It won't encode so quickly as another video codec because PTE renders slides in video on the fly when MPEG2 encoder requests frames of video stream. As one more test, if you *temporary* turn off "Interlaced" option, it will encode faster (but don't disable it - only for test!).

I just found that we must add new special option to AVI dialog: "For Pinnacle Studio" because this software sets another order of fields in produced MPEG2 file (than in Ulead DVD MovieFactory2 or TMpegEnc). So currently DVD video produced in Pinnacle Studio has no smooth transition effects as DVD video produced in MovieFactory or TMpegEnc.

Sorry for my late response! I'm glad that all works now and please let me know in case of any problem with PTE. Such problem usually requires performing of several simple tests (our test presentation as "Per aspera ad astra" on our Web site) and compare results to exactly localize where the problem occurs.

Dear Dana, On my Athlon XP 1600+ encoding of DVD takes 1 min of video x 4 = 4 min. It's absolutely normal. When I've added usual AVI file with MPEG4 codec it took exactly same time. Ulead DVD MovieFactory2 works with same speed. Finally I had ability to test with Pinnacle Studio 8 full version and it created correct DVD video disc with audio. Dana, please couldn't you perform several additional tests to help us find reason of that problem? 1) First, try to create MPEG1 or MPEG2 file .mpg (not DVD disc) and how it will play. 2) Download MPEG4 video codec www.wnsoft.com/beta/mpeg4.zip (130 Kb) from our web site. Unzip it and click right mouse button on mpeg4fix.inf file and then select "Install". In PTE choose "Custom AVI file", click "Video codec" button, find Microsoft MPEG4 video codec v2 and select it. Then PTE will create usual stand-alone AVI file. Now it possible to try how Pinnacle Studio encodes this AVI file. Also it would be great to try with some your usual short AVI files (5-10 sec. to save your time for tests). Thanks!

I suppose this difference between DVD and SVCD can be noticeable on very large TV screens with 100 Hz refresh rate. I fully agree. miniDVD video on usual CD discs plays very bad on many DVD players.

Thanks, Harold! I've added your idea to my cogitation-list for the next version.

Bill think(box) will be with us together soon! He had temporary difficulties in another area. We talked several times.

Thanks, Al! I've fixed this old small but unpleasant bug yesterday.

It's very difficult to add MIDI support for AVI video. We should to use DirectX 8/9 capabilities and probably add large code to PTE. I'm not sure that we'll make this feature, exactly not in v4.20.

Please wait for the next beta #6. I just added .wma and .ogg support for sound comments to slides.

New MIDI engine is added since v4.20 beta #1 and later. This beta #5 also contains that new MIDI engine. 2. Yes, you're right. It's a bug old small bug (3 years!) - PTE should find sound so well as it finds background music in case of changed file path. Probably now it can be realized via personal music to slides? But there will be no background music.

Al, Excuse me I need time to think how it will works. Yes, color can be adjustable. Semi-transparency won't be very soon. I feel we have to add various variants of view. About sound button. I wanted to say that sound volume/mute button may affect locally on sound level for this application of presentation or globally for Windows in whole.

PicturesToExe v4.20 beta #5 http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums//index...t=ST&f=2&t=1440 This thread is intended for discussions concerning video part of beta #5

PicturesToExe v4.20 beta #5 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1,4 Mb) What's new in beta #5: + Added "Disable mouse wheel" option (Project options | Advanced tab). + Improvements in AVI video dialog: > Fixed problem with converting of produced AVI video files in Pinnacle Studio. > Added ability to create video for not synchronized presentations and for presentations without background music. > Various another improvements. > Fixed bug with encoding AVI for presentation with WMA music. p.s. for discussion of AVI video please visit "How to create video" forum. http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums//index...t=ST&f=4&t=1441

OK! I consider this option the most important. It's a part of future improvements in graphical area and we scheduled it for next versions when it's done. How you think, it should mute/control sound globally or for application of this presentation only? Good idea. Yes. OK! I'll try how it may looks. . I have drafted many variants how nav. bar may looks. http://www.wnsoft.com/beta/NavBars_withSlider.gif But it still requires work on its visual view. I'd like to make it elegant. Thank you for your suggestions! I've printed all message from this thread and will work on it more.

Thanks, I'll add .wma support to sound comments to slides. I don't recommend to share .avi files, because there are many problem with playing such video files (problems with codecs, another strange problems, lower performance and more worse transition effects, large size of .avi file). The most best way which I see it's DVD or SVCD video disc.

I'm glad that this feature can be useful

Oh, I forgotten that I've already done this option, even in v4.14. I just wanted to add this option and found that it's already available Just open .pte file and change opt_runapponexitiflastslide=1 to: opt_runapponexitiflastslide=0 And your another app always will start when you close the main presentation.

Does anybody tried how new "Permit the control of show" option works for synchronized slide-shows? It should allows to rewind or pause playback as in unsynchronized presentations.

Let me ask you about your suggestions what can we improve and add in Navigation bar. I'm working on it now and I'd like to hear your thoughts about this to don't miss most important things. Thanks! p.s. also we're adding new effects for the next versions of v4.20.

Ok, I should explain what "Interlaced video" option means in AVI dialog in PTE. When it enabled, PTE will produce special 50 (60 if NTSC) half-frames in 25 (30 if NTSC) frames of video. Playing of such video makes transition effect terrifically smooth on TV screen. 50 (60) half-frames fully responds to requirements of TV standard. It's absolutely correct video. So we have AVI video file with interlaced video inside (50 or 60 half-frames per each second). Now we have to say to TMpegEnc that we want convert this AVI file into INTERLACED MPEG2 video, too. So we must to set Video type = "Interlaced" and Field Order = "Bottom field first (Field ". By default, TMpegEnc doesn't know what is our AVI video - progressive or interlaced and just we say TMpegEnc that we added interlaced AVI and TMpegEnc will mark converted MPEG2 file that it contain interlaced video. So I very much recommend to set "Interlaced video" in PTE, too.

I couldn't reproduce this problem in DMF2. It works properly. Probably you have trial version of Ulead which may contains this limitation? Try with any another AVI, MPG or QT (QuickTime) video file.