Music Sync with Different Resolutions

[klubera]

Hi Igor!

I've been using PTE for a couple of months now, and I'm excited to hear about 4.00! I haven't downloaded the new beta yet, but I do want to ask about a couple of things, which you might have already addressed in the beta.

First off, I noticed that the music synchronization changes depending on the resolution the screen is set to. For example, I've created a slideshow while my monitor was set to 1280x1024. Everything sync'd up just as I wanted it. But then, when I execute the file when the screen is set to 1024x768, the slides go a little faster, and even faster at 800x600. So for example, on one of my slideshows where I have my last slide sync'd to the end of a song, the show ends ahead of the music, and the music doesn't have a chance to finish before the show exits. Note that I'm setting the slide and transition durations in this example (i.e., specifying seconds and milliseconds). My guess is that it simply takes a little longer to render the images when the resolution is higher. Is there a way to compensate for this? One workaround, obviously, would be to create a slide in the beginning for the user to select their resolution, but then I'd have to create multiple presentations and have PTE execute the appropriate file. Is anyone else experiencing this?

My second question is a lot simpler ... are there plans for more new transition effects?

Thanks for listening,

Kevin

[Guest guru]

Hi Kevin!

I'm not quite sure I have correctly understood your talk. Better, I realized your problem, but I am in doubt about your working method. You say "the music synchronization changes depending on the resolution the screen is set to", but later you say you are "setting the slide and transition durations in this example (i.e., specifying seconds and milliseconds".

Normally, when one uses the sound custom synchronization function (i.e. time-line) he doesn't set slides durations, but only the exact moment when each slide appears on the screen following music time. And if you use the "auto" synchronization you don't see at all the slides timing (set by the program).

I made some experiments with different screen resolutions, and I ALWAYS got a perfect synchronization or pictures and sountrack.

Maybe did you use a "pseudo-synchronization" without utilize the time-line?

If so, it's normal your show runs differently changing the screen size, and you clearly realized the reason of this issue.

As to new transition effects, we should ask Igor... but, if I remember well, I think he announced something alike some weeks ago.

[klubera]

Guido,

Thanks for the response. I can see how I could've confused people with my terminology. By synchronization, I actually meant that in general, vice using the synchronization "feature". I did not use the timeline, and while I think that might work more accurately and more consistently with various resolutions, I found that it was too tedious to make adjustments to the timeline when I needed to add and/or remove slides here and there. So, I defined my timing by adjusting the seconds and milliseconds of each slide and the transitions in between, because I only needed to make adjustments in a couple of places.

I had one slideshow where I wanted to have the music start on the second slide, several seconds after the first slide was on screen. I could not figure out how to use the timeline and not have the music start on the first slide. So, I resorted to setting the seconds and milliseconds for the whole show. There are other reasons why I'll sometimes use this method versus using the timeline.

The only problem I have with this method now is that I can't control the timing of the music at certain transition points when the folks watching it are using different resolutions. Perhaps I just need to experiment more with the timeline and figure out a better way with more consistent results.

Thanks for your help.

Kevin

[LumenLux]

klubera Kevin -

When you "sync" as you have done, you join a great club of people who for very good reasons have done the same thing. When you join this club, you automatically get free grief. How much grief you get depends on how important the sync is in your particular show and audience. It is not just the different resolutions which cause the grief. Every power factor of the viewing hardware plays a role. I have a PTE show that was nicely in sync when I made it in early September. Unfortunately the show has never made it to it's main intended "audience." Before mailing the show off to our friends in Germany, I ran it on a slower computer. The sync was no longer in sync. Although the show was and is available on Beechbrook site, I am sure many viewers have not enjoyed the intended effect as the sound sync has probably not been right on many of their pc's. It has been very tedious each time I have tried to correct or re-do. I am about to attempt the "adjustment" soon with the new tool that alrobins has made available to use with Excel. Perhaps I may be able to smile again about this show. You will have to decide what is important and worth the effort for your needs. My show was made with earlier version where some of the timeline features were not yet available. The nice thing is, not only do we learn but the program also progresses - usually faster than I learn.

[Guest guru]

Yes Kevin, shows "synchronized" without time-line are not really synchronized, because their actual duration depends very much by the speed (CPU frequency) and memory of the machine.

I made several tests in the past (when there was not yet time-line sync feature), and I noticed important differences running the same show on various computers, ut to 4-5 sec per minute (the slowest computer was a Pentium II 266 with 64 MB Ram, the fastest a Pentium III 933 w 128 Ram).

[Ian]

I have several "non-synched" shows made in previous years with an earlier version of PTE. None of them now run properly on my current hardware as the processor I have now is much faster than the one I had then.

I could never work up enough enthusiasm to re-do them on the timeline as it would take so much effort to do. With version 4.0 though, the timeline displays the transition duration even on "old" PTE files, so converting them to synched versions isn't as tricky as it was before. I've already converted some, and found that I could do it on just one run-through with minor tweaks afterwards.

Ian

[Guest guru]

I agree, Ian. I too have PTE shows made with old versions of software (3.60, 3.65), and I'd tried to synchronize the sound without the time-line (appeared for the first time in v3.70).

Now all these presentations are "out of sync" because of different and faster machines. But if we want only to end music with the pictures, a simple "Automatic Sybchronization" is enough. Sure, if we need a more sophisticated correspondence between pictures and sound, it's necessary to work a little more, but with the time-line we have now it's an easy job.

I found it's always convenient to start by an Automatic Sync, and then to correct the timing points.