Video builder problem

[jdearman]

Jim,

It does. And your licence will then remain good for whatever version(s) of PTE you have installed on the day that it expires. Only when you install a new version of PTE, after the expiry date, will you need to consider an upgrade. It also implies that you bought this present licence round about May 2010 or just before then. Does that ring any bells with you?

Bottom line - PTE Licence validity is not your problem. So, what is?

regards,

Peter

Peter,

I am not sure what my problem is, however, intuitively I feel it is most likely caused my me since PTE has always worked well before.

1. First, I am going to try to be thorough as I can in describing it.

2. My OS is Windows 7, professional version

3. I have been using PTE V 6.5 and had made a number of slideshows in that version, burned them to DVD for showing on the TV. All aspects of V 6.5 worked flawlessly.

4. I had been looking forward to V 7.0, especially for the ability to use movie clips ; so when V 7.0 became available, I downloaded it.

5. In V 7.0, I opened a slideshow, made with V6.5, and added several movie clips. Saved the file in V 7.0 and attempted to burn it to a DVD. The show is 35:29 long with 208 slides, four of which are movie clips. Size of show file is 1.79GB.

6. After opening V 7.0 and selecting the show that I want to burn on to a DVD, I:

A. Click on the "Publish" tab and select "DVD-Video Disc"

B. The Video Builder screens comes on and the show that I selected is shown in the lower section .

7. Under "Project Options" I selected

A. TV System NTSC

B. Menu aspect ratio 16.9

C. TV screen aspect ratio 16.9

D. Video Auto

E. Bitrate was 7000 kbps

8. After this I click "Next" in the lower right corner.

9. It is at this point that the software freezes

10. I have tried to publish numerous shows, with or without a movie clip.

11. I am unable to use video builder in V 7.0

12. I have tried with anti-virus on and off. It makes no difference.

I will keep trying. The problem has to be staring me straight in the face. I just have not seen it yet. I would appreciate any and all comments that you might have even up to uninstalling and reinstalling the software.

Thanks

Jim

[Guest Yachtsman1]

It could be a resource problem on your PC. All the PTE working are contained on your C drive, check how much free space you have on your C drive. 1.79GB is a heck of a size for a show.

Yachtsman1.

[jdearman]

It could be a resource problem on your PC. All the PTE working are contained on your C drive, check how much free space you have on your C drive. 1.79GB is a heck of a size for a show.

Yachtsman1.

I had thought of that. I guess I should have been more specific on my item number 10 above. { 10. I have tried to publish numerous shows, with or without a movie clip} Some of the shows contained as little as 5 slides. Small on purpose to check out this very thing.. Video builder still would not work.

Thanks for your input

Jim

[fh1805]

Jim,

Can you successfully Publish a short (2-3 slides with music) sequence as a HD Video, taking defaults as set by PTE? What I am trying to determine is whether it is just the DVD-Video that's the problem or the entire Video-Builder. If you use Facebook, YouTube or an iPad/iPhone, you might care to try those options as well.

Let's narrow down the scope of the problem if we can. Then we can set about investigating the specifics.

Also, following DaveG's standard diagnostic step: can you create a custom AVI that you can then burn using an independent DVD burner such as Nero or Roxio or whatever you have. This will prove that your DVD burner device is working.

regards,

Peter

[Ken Cox]

FROM MY ARCHIVED FAQ'S

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4976-slide-show-too-big/

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/6798-avi-problems-request/page__pid__42952__mode__threaded

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/6880-got-burned-at-99/page__pid__42914

ken

[jdearman]

Jim,

Can you successfully Publish a short (2-3 slides with music) sequence as a HD Video, taking defaults as set by PTE? What I am trying to determine is whether it is just the DVD-Video that's the problem or the entire Video-Builder. If you use Facebook, YouTube or an iPad/iPhone, you might care to try those options as well.

Let's narrow down the scope of the problem if we can. Then we can set about investigating the specifics.

Also, following DaveG's standard diagnostic step: can you create a custom AVI that you can then burn using an independent DVD burner such as Nero or Roxio or whatever you have. This will prove that your DVD burner device is working.

regards,

Peter

Peter,

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I can publish a short HD Video, which I can open with Quick Time, but not Windows Media Player even when I select media player as default.

Yes, I can publish a short video to Facebook

I have checked out my burner and I can burn photos, etc to it which proves that it works, however I could not create a custom AVI.

During this testing, I accidentally clicked on publish a DVD-Video. Out of curiosity I went ahead and clicked on the "Next" button and the function worked. Had I continued, I could have made a DVD. I was not able to duplicate this after numerous tries.

Hope all this helps.

Jim

[fh1805]

Jim,

Let's not get sidetracked with the Windows Media Player "problem". I, too, have found that WMP cannot play HD video when other players can. It's probably a problem associated with codecs. We'll park this one.

Now, you say that at one point it looked like you had got past your problem and could have burned a DVD. Think back carefully, at what point in the testing did that happen? What had you just done prior to that erroneous click? What did you then go on and try after giving up on the possible DVD burn? I feel that the apparent willingness of PTE to move past the point where it had previously stalled is highly significant. If we can get a better understanding of this we may be able to identify a workaround. And if this is a bug, we be able to point Igor and the team at the part of the code wherein lies the fault.

Also, and as an aside, I am going to try and change the title of this topic, to remove the reference to myself. I don't want other forum members put off replying because they think this is a personal discussion between the two of us.

regards,

Peter

[davegee]

For clarification:

My standard approach to this problem is as follows.

Click on PUBLISH>DVD Video Disc.

You are now in the Video Builder dialogue.

Keep on clicking NEXT until you are at the page which offers you the options of creating MPEG2 Files, DVD Folders, ISO File or Burn DVD disc.

Turn everything OFF other than the ISO Option and click on START. Make a note of WHERE the ISO will be created (use a drive OTHER than your C drive if possible).

Depending on the size of your project this will take a little while.

If successful it will tell you so.

If you have suitable software installed (I use ROXIO) you can double click on the ISO File and the appropriate Image Burning Module will open and you can write the ISO file to a DVD.

The beauty of doing it this way (splitting the process into different sections) is that you at least have an idea where to look if things go wrong.

The other advantage is that if you want multiple DVDs you don't have to start again in PTE. The ISO file can be used as many times as required.

DG

[jdearman]

For clarification:

My standard approach to this problem is as follows.

Click on PUBLISH>DVD Video Disc.

You are now in the Video Builder dialogue.

Keep on clicking NEXT until you are at the page which offers you the options of creating MPEG2 Files, DVD Folders, ISO File or Burn DVD disc.

Turn everything OFF other than the ISO Option and click on START. Make a note of WHERE the ISO will be created (use a drive OTHER than your C drive if possible).

Depending on the size of your project this will take a little while.

If successful it will tell you so.

If you have suitable software installed (I use ROXIO) you can double click on the ISO File and the appropriate Image Burning Module will open and you can write the ISO file to a DVD.

The beauty of doing it this way (splitting the process into different sections) is that you at least have an idea where to look if things go wrong.

The other advantage is that if you want multiple DVDs you don't have to start again in PTE. The ISO file can be used as many times as required.

DG

Dave,

Thanks for the reply. I get one try at clicking the next button. Video Builder freezes at that point. If I click twice or more , Video Builder goes into a non-responding mode.

Jim

[davegee]

Jim,

Do you mean that you get only one try at clicking NEXT from the first VB page or can you get to the last page and then it freezes when you click NEXT?

DG

P.S. In the VB Options where is your Temp Folder located?

[jdearman]

Jim,

Do you mean that you get only one try at clicking NEXT from the first VB page or can you get to the last page and then it freezes when you click NEXT?

DG

P.S. In the VB Options where is your Temp Folder located?

Dave,

After I click NEXT the first time, VB freezes. Thats all she wrote!! I can sit here till the cows come home! and nothing will happen.

C:\Users\Jim\AppData\Local\Temp\ Temp folder location

Thanks,

Jim

[davegee]

Jim,

I don't know if it will help you but get the Temp location off your C drive - it shouldn't not be there.

It's only at that location for "travelling". Use a different drive for ANYTHING that your software is going to write temp files to - Scratch Discs etc.

By different drive I don't mean a partition on the same drive - that's just as bad.

DG

[jdearman]

Jim,

Let's not get sidetracked with the Windows Media Player "problem". I, too, have found that WMP cannot play HD video when other players can. It's probably a problem associated with codecs. We'll park this one.

Now, you say that at one point it looked like you had got past your problem and could have burned a DVD. Think back carefully, at what point in the testing did that happen? What had you just done prior to that erroneous click? What did you then go on and try after giving up on the possible DVD burn? I feel that the apparent willingness of PTE to move past the point where it had previously stalled is highly significant. If we can get a better understanding of this we may be able to identify a workaround. And if this is a bug, we be able to point Igor and the team at the part of the code wherein lies the fault.

Also, and as an aside, I am going to try and change the title of this topic, to remove the reference to myself. I don't want other forum members put off replying because they think this is a personal discussion between the two of us.

regards,

Peter

Peter,

Bottom line to start with---I made it work!! and I know how. As I implied before, this was most likely a problem on my part. What tipped me off was an warning message that I started to get that my CPU was at 100%. I opened device manager and could see that the only thing major running was PTE. I had a lot of past shows saved to the C drive and on the advice of one of the members, I moved some saved files to another drive( external HD). The ones that I did not move, I deleted. Now the C drive was completely cleared of any old PTE files.

I then went to the recycle bin and restored one file, opened it in PTE and it worked as it should all the way thru the burning. I tried this several times with different files and it worked each time.

I feel that the problem is solved and it was caused by my having too much saved in the C drive.

I want to thank you and all the others that came to my aid. I sincerely appreciate your efforts.

That having been said, I now have a video problem. From what I have read in other post, others have had the same problem. My videos are slow and jerky.

I need to do my homework and post again when I have my act together.

Thanks again everybody,

Jim