Igor

I just prepared two new test versions. Harold and Cici please try out: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr_beta_FastTimer_100ms.zip http://www.wnsoft.com/apr_beta_FastTimer_50ms.zip Both variants in 2 times more often check up current position of playback (even much better than v4.01 or 3.80). First variant has 100 ms. time compensation (as Harold tested with beta #8). Second has 50 ms. time compensation. Which variant will provide more exact timing as in v4.01? p.s. interesting moment. Compare how smoothly (in both betas) cursor runs on the time-line under Windows 98/Me than earlier before.

1) Is this delay for one slide or for all slides? 2) How it will work in v3.80 or v4.01? 3) Please make sure again that you really re-compiled the show in v4.10 beta #8. You can compare with beta #7 where there is a delay in 100 ms.

Beta #8 contains fix when time points composed in v4.01 or v3.80 were processed on 100 ms. later than it's necessary in v4.10 beta #1-#7. About moment between two files of music tracks. It possible very small pause in transition effects at this moment. Because CPU tries to quickly process opening of a new sound track. Here v4.10 works as v4.01, as I tested. Please let me know if it is not so!

Thanks for your various suggestions on improvements of PTE! We plan add many improvements to the Vis. editor in the next version. Also in the next version I think to make possible pause and full control on presentation in the synchronized mode, including access to objects.

Really that problem happens only for synchronized show when intervals (not including the time for transition effects) between slides lesser than 500 ms. So, e.g. 1,5 sec. for the effect and 1 sec. for show of a slide are enough for *all* PCs. It's not easy to realize such system for analyzing of situation. We can't determine exact time of preparing of next slide, because it depends on size of a picture, type of transition effect. I need to think about this.

PicturesToExe v4.10 beta #8 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.3 Mb) What's new in this beta: * Fixed bug with 100 ms' delay of slides in synchronized presentations created in previous versions of PicturesToExe. The problem is fixed now. + Added optimization to the new music player. It takes lesser CPU usage. p.s. also please let me know how new very important feature of v4.10 works (Instant start of presentation, even with large mp3 files).

Please, don't worry! That delay in previous betas didn't depend on CoolEdit or another sound editors. It was a simple mistake in calculating of real position of playback. Delay was exactly 100 ms. (1/10 of second) from real playback. So now v4.10 beta #8a and v4.01 (or 3.80) have exactly similar timing. Also this beta contains a little optimization in the music player. So it takes lesser of CPU resources. To Harold: Yes, you could fix that problem if move every transition point to the left on 100 ms. But now it's not necessary to correct presentations created in previous versions of PTE. About glitch in another presentation. Was it glitch in music playback or just slide had not enough time to be calculated and shown? You can test with WAV music file. If it solves the problem then it's because new music player takes more CPU load.

Harold, I very grateful for your help in reaching of high exactly timing! Here is PTE v4.10 beta #8a which should fixes that time delay: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr_beta1.zip p.s. I couldn't see that difference earlier because my LCD Sony M51 has real refresh every 50 ms. And it was needed to test it on 100 Hz's CRT display (10 ms.).

Thank you, Harold! I just received mp3 file and list of time points. You was right, I also noticed small (about 70 ms.) delay in current betas of v4.10. Only with your wonderful mp3 file and quick transitions without effects it shown this difference on the border of senses! It can be easily fixed, if this delay is constant and I just will add time correction.

Yes, I've just sent you email with details. p.s. silence place begins starting from 4.183 sec. when I composed this file in Ahead Nero WaveEditor.

Dear Harold, Please resend your letter again. It didn't arrive yet.

Really 99,99% of users needn't never disquiet about this limitation! All things have own limitations. For example, Windows also may fall if you open 200 or 300 applications. Or if we add high-resolution (5000x3000) pictures it will vastly slow down the show of slides About GDI resources (graphical resources - this is Microsoft's technology). Windows NT, 2000 or XP have in 10 times more GDI resources for applications than under Windows 95,98 or Me. You can watch this limit ("Canvas doesn't allow drawing") under Windows 98 when run many (10-20) applications with complex interface. Each picture, or button, or label, or checkbox takes 1 or 2 GDI resources. So you can calculate how many GDI resources take one *visible* window of some program One photo or background picture (even very large!) takes ONLY 1 GDI resource. Usual application uses 150..350 GDI resources. For example MS Word - 140, Media Player 8 - 343, Photoshop 7 - 242. Concerning PTE. PicturesToExe uses 192 GDI resources. And I'm glad to say that usual produced presentation takes only 60-70 GDI resources during all time of show! And it can be 100 Mb show with long mp3 music, and 10000 of slides and 10-20 objects per *each* slide. So please forgive about some limitations. It doesn't matter. p.s. of course, we free objects and main picture after show of a slide, because they are not necessary more. Every slide will be prepared dinamically when it's necessary.

Thanks for your testings! So I'll return previous way to run Preview of presentation. About timing when running produced .exe file. I just sent you new special test version of PTE please try with it. And also I've attached my test example where I check up exactness of synchronization. In this show on 4rd second it will be shown black screen and silence moment in the music (exactly simultaneously). Please let me know about results!

Thanks, Bill! There is a limitation in Windows for creating too much graphical objects (simultaneously at one moment). No problem with usual slides (even 100'000 of large pictures), because they are showing one after another. It's quite another matter when you add many small pictures (as objects) into *one* slide. And they all will be displayed together. In your presentation, you've sent me, there are more than 500 small pictures per slide. Each picture (small or very large) requires 2 GDI resources of Windows. So 500 pictures will require 1000 GDI resources. There is no problem when it added 100-200 and maybe 400 sub-pictures in the Visual editor of objects. And greater number may cause the problem. So I see two possible tricks how to solve this limitation. 1) Optimization (in the memory storage) for repeated picture-objects; 2) Or algorithm which will storages many small pictures into one large bitmap (as mosaic). As I said earlier Windows has an interesting mechanism and 100x100 or 1600x1200 picture requires equal number of GDI resources (2 GDI per bitmap). But both variants require many changes and even not one week of work, unfortunately.

Thank you, Harold! I really thoughted that more slower running with "Preview" button may be occured, because I've added some changes. Probably it takes more CPU utilization. Please try this beta #7b with old way of running Preview (as in v3.80 or v4.00): http://www.wnsoft.com/apr_beta1.zip Concerning usual running of produced .exe file from Windows Explorer. Best result with WAV when you run .exe file shows that in your case it depends on CPU usage. Wav playback takes in several times lesser CPU load than MP3 playback. Excellent result on the time-line when you pressed Play button is explainable. Because pictures in the small preview area are loading with scalable optimization (lesser graphical preview takes lesser CPU time than showing of full graphical size (e.g. 1024x768). If you temporary replace them on smaller pictures you'll see that each picture will be shown exactly at specified time. Please however let me know your CPU, version of Windows and average graphical size of a pictures. p.s. I forgotten to ask you about one more moment. Has your presentation *at least one* transition effect or all slides use only quick transition?

PicturesToExe v4.10 beta #7 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.3 Mb) What's new in this beta: * Fixed hangs up on closing of presentation on dual-processor PC under Windows NT, 2000 or XP. It was a bug of the previous betas of v4.10 * Fixed old visual bug on the time-line (in the Customize synchronization window) when sometimes it didn't show preview for selected transition point in the Pause/Stop mode

Dear Guido! We all thank you for your great help on the forum! And I'll happy to see your future presentations You're always welcome! With kindest regards,

Harold, I didn't change anything in the code of preparing slides, but I'll check up for this situation! Please let me know your CPU Mhz, version of Windows, screen resolution and typical graphical size of pictures. And as I understood some slides were skipped during playback of the show or is there a small delay (30.. 50 or 100 ms.) with show of a picture? Also please try out: 1) How your presentation works in the *Preview* mode (if you press "Preview" button in the main window). 2) When you run READY .exe file. 3) Third test, when presentation will be ran in the "Custmize synchronization" window by the "Play" button. (And you see changing of slides on the area of preview.) 4) And final test. Please convert your mp3 music file into simple uncompressed Wav file and temporary set up it instead of mp3 music. So it may shows possible delay in the synchronization, because playback of uncompressed WAV music takes in several times lesser CPU loading. Thanks for testing!

Yes, beta #6 is available! It adds OGG Vorbis support. Timing in v4.10 should works exactly as in v4.00. I've done many tests and checked up with my presentations. But I think it happened because there are too small intervals between slides in your presentation (some are only 200 ms., it's a 1/5 of second). New player takes a little more CPU resources under slow PCs to play mp3 files (10% under Celeron 400), but provides much better sound quality. However we're continue work on optimization of the playback!

Thanks for letting me know about this. I'll check up it tomorrow or on Monday! p.s. beta #6 is available with OGG Vorbis support: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip

New music player uses external Micrsoft API to play WMA files. So I don't know really. With beta #5 you can try it out. p.s. also OGG Vorbis support can be added to v4.10 (And WMA and OGG support realized as an options - presentation will not contains additional code if these formats are not used).

"Run application at the end of presentation" option will be added in the coming betas, of course!

I all time keep this suggestion in the mind. But new music player required so many time and work and I'd like to concentrate to make it without bugs. I can promiss that it will be the next step in development of PTE. New music player is written to realize this feature as well, and as future support of the OGG Vorbis, for example.

PicturesToExe v4.10 beta #5 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1,3 Mb) What's new in this beta: * Realized support of WMA music files in the new music player of v4.10

We've fully realized and support of WMA music files in the new music player of v4.10. In beta #5 soon.