Problem Displaying PtoE Slideshow on HDTV [SOLVED]

[Pat Ball]

I have a problem when showing PtoE shows on my 1920px x 1080px HDTV. The screen always shows a black band at the top and bottom of the screen. I always set 'fullscreen'; an aspect ratio of slide to 16:9; and virtual size of slide to 1920 x 1080.

Any ideas why I get the black bands?

Many thanks, Pat.

[davegee]

How are you interfacing with the TV - laptop, DVD?

If laptop - HDMI or VGA? What's the resolution / aspect ratio setting of your laptop's monitor?

Does the picture look "squashed" top to bottom OR "stretched" side to side?

DG

[Ronniebootwest]

You need to resize the images in your show to 1920x1080 to match the your HDTV. Then compile your show.

Ron

[Pat Ball]

How are you interfacing with the TV - laptop, DVD?

If laptop - HDMI or VGA? What's the resolution / aspect ratio setting of your laptop's monitor?

Does the picture look "squashed" top to bottom OR "stretched" side to side?

DG

[Pat Ball]

I'm using a computer connected via VGA to the HDTV,and my pctures are edited to be 1920 x 1080. The computer however is set to 1280 x 768 i.e. 15:9 whereas 1920 x 1080 is 16:9 which I now realise is probably the problem. Thanks - my brain must have stopped! Apart from the black bars the slight distortion was scarcely visible.

Thanks again, Pat.

[Pat Ball]

You need to resize the images in your show to 1920x1080 to match the your HDTV. Then compile your show.

Ron

[Pat Ball]

See answer to DAVEGEE - problem solved (I think!)

Thanks for the reply,

Pat.

[davegee]

When you connect any computer to a HDTV the output resolution has to be 1920x1080.

In some cases (where the laptop computer monitor's resolution is a different aspect ratio) you will not be able to see both the monitor and the HDTV picture at the same time.

VGA is not an ideal way to connect to a HDTV and if at all possible a DVI (plus seperate audio connections) or HDMI connection is prefered.

I hope that your problem is solved.

DG

[goddi]

You need to resize the images in your show to 1920x1080 to match the your HDTV. Then compile your show.

Ron

==============================

Ronnie,

When you say 'resize', do your really mean Resize in Photoshop? I ask this because I use a different method and I am wondering what the best way to get the image to fit in the 1920x1080 HDTV screen.

If I take a photo and Resize it in Photoshop to 1920x1080, the image fits the 1920x1080 format but the top and bottom portions of the image are 'squeezed' into the image. You don't lose any of the image but it looks distorted.

If I take a photo and Crop it using the 1920x1080 size, the image is not distorted, but, of course, I lose a bit of the top and a bit of the bottom portion of the image.

My method, which I have mentioned in other postings, seems to me to be a better way. After setting the 'Aspect Ratio of the Slide' in PTE to 16:9, I then zoom the image manually so that the left and right edges of the image match the left and right borders of the 16:9 black screen. Yes, I lose the top and bottom of the image as I do with Cropping in Photoshop, but I can move the image to regain whatever portion of the top or bottom that I deem more important while in PTE's O&A. With Cropping in Photoshop, once it is done, you can't adjust it unless you start the Cropping process all over again. With my method, you can tweak it at anytime within PTE.

I don't hear of anyone else doing it. My method is tedious but adjustable within PTE as you go along. To make it less labor intensive, I am going to make a suggestion to Igor that when you highlight an input, such as one of the Zoom inputs, that that cell will stay highlighted when you hit the arrow buttons to go to the next image. Then all you have to do is go to the next image (after doing one Ctrl C to copy that Zoom input number) and do a Ctrl V to Paste the same Zoom input. This would make it much easier to pass on the same input to multiple slides with more ease.

Does this make sense to you?

Gary

[davegee]

Gary,

I think Ron means to crop to a 16:9 aspect ratio and THEN resize to 1920x1080.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with your suggestion to do the crop in PTE but please consider that if your screen resolution is 1920x1080 and your image is greater than 1920x1080 then PTE is processing an unecessarily large image.

If you are zooming into the image then that's a different matter.

The way I look at it is "why tax the system any more than necessary".

DG

[Ronniebootwest]

Yes it makes sense to me.

I always size my images in Photoshop, using the 'Crop' method but I also set the resolution box to the same as my monitor resolution i.e. 90.1 then in Pictures to Exe, tick the Fixed size of slide box in Project Options. Try it and see if it works for you.

[goddi]

Yes it makes sense to me.

I always size my images in Photoshop, using the 'Crop' method but I also set the resolution box to the same as my monitor resolution i.e. 90.1 then in Pictures to Exe, tick the Fixed size of slide box in Project Options. Try it and see if it works for you.

==================

Ronnie...

Ok. Cropping in Photoshop appears to me to provide less flexibility. I run my original images through a program that batch-compresses these images to its default of 1000x699. I use it because it is quick and easy and does not distort the images. I have not really used 'Fix size of slide box' so I am not exactly sure what the results would be. As I understand it, if this is ticked and it is shown on a larger monitor, the show will not expand to fill the larger screen. However, what would happen if it were played on a smaller monitor? Will the show reduce to fit the smaller screen or will it stay at the 'fixed' size, going beyond the smaller sized screen?

Thanks... Gary

[Ronniebootwest]

==================

Ronnie...

However, what would happen if it were played on a smaller monitor? Will the show reduce to fit the smaller screen or will it stay at the 'fixed' size, going beyond the smaller sized screen?

Thanks... Gary

Good question! I don't know the answer though. I do not have a smaller screen to test what happens. If you have one, try it and let me know what you see.

Ron

[goddi]

Good question! I don't know the answer though. I do not have a smaller screen to test what happens. If you have one, try it and let me know what you see.

Ron

===================

Ronnie,

I just gave it a try. I created an exe and an MP4, both with the 'Fixed size...' checked.

I played the exe on a laptop which has a smaller screen. I saw no difference.

I played the MP4 on a smaller HDTV with my media player, I saw no difference.

Both showed the full 16x9, with nothing missing.

So I don't know what I am to think about using or not using 'Fixed size...'. Maybe my test were not done in a way that this is supposed to show a difference. I hope someone will give an explanation about when or how thie 'Fixed size...' makes a difference.

Thanks...Gary

[JRR]

===================

....

I hope someone will give an explanation about when or how thie 'Fixed size...' makes a difference.

Thanks...Gary

Gary:

I use FIXED SIZE to prevent my images being enlarged beyond what I think they can handle. For example I have some OLD shows done at 800x600, which I used to show on a 800x600 projector, my projector is now 1024x768. So I allow a fixed size of 1024x768 and the pictures are still OK

But sometimes they are shown on a projector that is 1400x1050 and there is no way the images would stand up to that (They were scans and not done well) so the 1024x768 keeps them projected at 1024x768 even on a larger res projector

[goddi]

Gary:

I use FIXED SIZE to prevent my images being enlarged beyond what I think they can handle. For example I have some OLD shows done at 800x600, which I used to show on a 800x600 projector, my projector is now 1024x768. So I allow a fixed size of 1024x768 and the pictures are still OK

But sometimes they are shown on a projector that is 1400x1050 and there is no way the images would stand up to that (They were scans and not done well) so the 1024x768 keeps them projected at 1024x768 even on a larger res projector

=======================

JRR,

Thanks for the clarification. This makes sense if you are going to use a projector to show the slideshow. Would these concerns apply if you were using a media player showing MP4 files or the basic exe files on HDTVs?

Gary

[JRR]

=======================

JRR,

Thanks for the clarification. This makes sense if you are going to use a projector to show the slideshow. Would these concerns apply if you were using a media player showing MP4 files or the basic exe files on HDTVs?

Gary

Gary:

I think it applies anytime your images might be shown at a res/size you don't think they could handle.

Yes projecting it will make it obvious, but the lack of image quality also shows on my monitor if I take one of the 800x600 and let it get too big.

Again these were not the best scans of some slides that were used in a true SLIDE projector show

[goddi]

Gary:

I think it applies anytime your images might be shown at a res/size you don't think they could handle.

Yes projecting it will make it obvious, but the lack of image quality also shows on my monitor if I take one of the 800x600 and let it get too big.

Again these were not the best scans of some slides that were used in a true SLIDE projector show

============

JRR,

Thanks. I will keep my eye on this option. I don't have a projector yet or have anything that gets too big. But it might be a good thing to think about when creating shows. It will be a pain to have to go back and recreate all my MP4s since the 'Fixed Size...' has to be implemented in the creation of the .pte file before the MP4 has to be re-created.

Thanks... Gary