alrobin

Jeff, You might get a better answer if you post this on the "video" section of the forum, but to answer your question (a newbie to video speaking here ), yes, it is possible to create "true" avi files from the temporary PTE avi files, save them, close PTE, and then use the new avi files to build up a multi-show DVD. At least I have been able to use this method with Nero 6, in order to create avi's that I could use with Pinnacle Studio 8 for a multi-show dvd. Watch the total time of the shows, however, as normally DVD's are limited to about an hour of video.

Jeff, There is an "apr.ini" parameter file, but "time of points" is not included. So, you can't even accomplish this by creating a "dummy" template with a different "time of points" setting and saving it as a starting point for future shows.

Ralph, Thanks for verifying the procedures for wide-screen and HD video production - this is a big help, especially for those of us without HD sets. And, I agree with you that my problem in producing a correctly-sized image probably lies in not using the standard HDTV resolution for the conversion from PTE. I'll redo it at the earliest opportunity, but this time with higher-res images as well. The results you obtained are encouraging!!

Just to add to Lin's excellent description, there is another way to play a PTE show on a TV set without using a DVD player, provided that the computer has a video output (such as s-video), and provided the TV set provides for "video" input mode. If this is the case, it's a simple matter of connecting the computer to the TV set via s-video or component video cables, and in the case of the former, connecting the sound from the computer, either to the TV set or to an external amplifier. Then when you play the show on your computer, your TV will also pick up and play whatever you are viewing on the computer monitor. Since, as Lin has said, the resolution of the normal TV set is much less than that of the usual pc monitor, be prepared for a significant reduction in quality of the image.

Ed, I basically agree with you. I thought (or, should I say "assumed") that you were asking if we should create the AV production itself around a different format than 1024x768 - so, I was suggesting that (if we did), it should perhaps be the one most used in the 500 or so shows I've watched so far. However, I would be happy not having any restrictions at all on individual image size or aspect ratio - as long as the contributors are equally happy with having the producer(s) crop and/or otherwise edit their work in order to adapt it to the overall production.

Leonard, If you go back over the posts in the thread at the top of the main page, "Suggestions for the next version", you will see many of the new features described. Also, when Igor issues a new version he always provides a detailed list of the changes and fixes included - I imagine he will do this with version 5 as well.

Thanks, Dave, Instead of putting each show onto a DVD-RW, I can also "export" them in "file" mode to the HD, and then copy them all over to the DVD disk when they are all ready. I seem to have the process resolved for "ordinary" DVD's - now, with Ralph and Ken's help, I'm trying to get the parameters right for making HDTV disks. PTE's "pan" transition is a good way to test whether the vertical and horizontal dimensions are correct, as well as the quality of the rendering.

Ken, Looks like you have things down pat after all that experimenting and your usual attention to detail. It's a good thing to keep good notes like you seem to be doing - thanks for passing them on to us. I'm going to upgrade to Premiere Elements 2, so will let you know what happens with that.

Thanks again, Ray, I guess I chose 720x540 because that's the aspect ratio of my desktop monitor. and also most of my slideshows. I was under the impression that one had to match the size of the images. I have since put together a wide-screen (1280x768) show using 720x480 format. I used Nero 6.0 to render it to HDTV format. However, the mpeg file played back at only half-screen size in Real Player on my wide-screen laptop monitor. And, the vertical "pans" had gaps between the images (the horizontal ones were fine). So, now I have to resize my images to the 16:9 aspect ratio to see if they will play without spaces between them. I'll also burn it to a dvd to see if it plays at the proper size on my son-in-law's wide TV screen. It's coming - slowly! Thanks for your help!

Pbar, Welcome to the Forum! This feature still works for me. Of course, as you probably know, if you move the mouse during the show the cursor will appear momentarily, and then disappear again when you stop moving the mouse. I'm using version 4.44.

Thanks very much, Ray - this info is really helpful. It seems counter-intuitive, but you seem to know more about it than I do, which isn't saying very much. I can set the video output format to 16:9 in Nero, but I haven't figured out how to do it in Pinnacle or Premiere Elements. Maybe because up to now I have chosen 720x540 instead of 720x480? I created a huge file from PTE using no compression, but Pinnacle wouldn't accept it. One really has to play around with this stuff and experiment a lot, but it is sooooo time-consuming!

John, Welcome to the Forum! The litle "slice of bread" is still there. You have to have images in the slide list, and have clicked on one to highlight it, though, in order to see the little icon.

Ed, In order to encourage maximum participation by Forum members, I suggest we stay with 1024x768 for this project. I, too, am using a wider aspect ratio now as it more readily fits my 3/2 originals. However, as you mentioned, there are pros and cons. I find I am often wanting to crop some images horizontally in order to retain maximum vertical information, and avoid some of the distracting details near the left and/or right edges. Guess that's why we sometimes used to use the vertical format. I doubt if we'll ever convince projector and monitor mfrs to go to a 1/1 format, though.

Ray, I don't understand - I can use Nero or Pinnacle or Premiere Elements to reduce a show to a 720x480 AVI, too, but this is not an HDTV aspect ratio. What I would like to do is retain the 1280x768 resolution as long as possible in the rendering process in order to maintain maximum quality.

Leonard, Welcome to the Forum! You can select from a number of codecs by clicking on "Create custom AVI video file" in the "Video" menu. Otherwise, the PTE codec is the default selection.

Jeff, As I indicated in my email, you are customizing several slides with new background music - something that is not supported in PTE - use the "sound" line instead.

Is that the same thing as "build it and they will come"?

Sure, it might be a wide screen lcd tv, and it will still play any format of dvd, but that doesn't mean that the dvd was made specifically for wide-screen or HDTV.

Jeff, Your original post reads: "When I have customised a slide and added a bit of commentary and therefore taken the music off, I can only play the show in non sync mode". If you have now unchecked "Play new background music", how are you adding your commentary? You can't add any music or commentary using "Customize slide" as the show won't run in sync mode if you do. However, you should be able to add commentary via the "Sound" line. If you want, you can email me a copy of your ".pte" project file (without image or sound files) and I'll be glad to have a look to see if there is something amiss. My email address: alrobin@alrobinson.com .

SB, I have played around with various 3d modelling programs and have always found them extremely user-unfriendly, and require a huge amount of pc resources and time. I don't have any experience with any of the big-name programs like Poser, or Maya, or 3d Studio, however, so perhaps that's why I've been so frustrated. One that I'm trying to come to grips with right now is "Alias", but the learning curve is very steep. Adobe "Dimensions" is another one that will render 3-d text and simple geometric forms, and is not too difficult to learn and manage. It is also compatible with Photoshop. "Poser" seems to be dedicated to human form modelling, whereas it's sister program, "Shade", looks like it would be more versatile, and a little less expensive. 3D computer modelling looks very appealing, and the results are astounding, judging by the galleries of some of the more experienced 3D artists on the web.

Ken, I couldn't see any reference in Carol's posts to wide-screen aspect ratios. Do you have the date for that particular post?

Has anyone successfully converted a wide-format PTE show (say around 1280x768) to a wide-screen mpeg file or burned it as a wide-screen or HDTV DVD? If so, what software and general procedure did you use? What "video" settings for converting PTE to AVI? What codec do you use in PTE? I used the PTE codec to create a wide-screen AVI file, but I can't seem to get Premiere Elements or Pinacle to retain that format in the rasterizing process. In Nero Express-2 I can change the aspect ratio to HDTV (16:9) settings. But then I encounter my old problem of not being able to put more than one show on the disk, even though there is plenty of space. Too many options - too confusing! But an interesting challenge!

Thanks Igor! Even when you have your hands full with version 5, you still keep our current versions working smoothly.

Ray, You can leave the text in if you like, and just position a transparent GIF over it in Object Editor to make it programmable. One caution with using either method, though. Objects in PTE are not scalable in that if you view the completed show in a different resolution they will move around relative to the images in the show. It's OK if you plan to do all the viewing on your own favourite pc or laptop, but if you want to distribute your show the viewers may not be able to view things in the proper orientation. According to Igor, this problem will be fixed in the next version of PTE (5.0). Best of luck!

Jeff, When you say "does not work", what precisely do you mean? No sound at all, some sound then cutoff? It works for me so it should work for you. By the way, if you want dubbed-in sound to extend past the slide used to activate it then you have to also check "Don't interrupt sound comment when next slide appears" in "Project Options / Music". And make sure you have not selected "Play new background music files" in "Customize slide / Music" for any slide in your show. The sound played via the "Sound" line is "dubbed-in" sound, not "background music". If you still can't get it to work, try adding it to a different slide (one which stays on-screen longer), and try using different sound files (mp3's work best) until you get it working.