PTE show, run in Powerpoint

[LumenLux]

Trying to "help" daughter with a required Powerpoint presentation. I know very little Powerpoint. Two things I quickly observed.

1.To use a .mov (Quicktime) show in Powerpoint may require either converting the .mov to something else or having to make sure the creating and playback pc's are doctored with the same codec.

2. When I use an "object" in a powerpoint slide to call a PTE.exe show, it takes forever for powerpoint to turn the screen over to the .exe show and then a second forever for power point slide to return after the .exe show.

We could certainly use help on either of the two problems, but especially with the .mov file. Has anyone experience with this? The microsoft website offers several "work arounds" but I would have more faith if I knew a trusted forum member had experience or knowlege to narrow this down to success.

[lathompson]

Seems to me that simply using P2Exe instead of Powerpoint would do the trick. Both can be running at the same time so switching back and forth shouldn't be a problem, should it?

I have used Powerpoint many times and for me, it's a propritary pain in the a$$.

lt

[LumenLux]

Decent advice lt, but this is a college assignment where the whole point is to demonstrate that you know how to use Powerpoint. So we still need further help. The only reason it is a problem is that the video clip she needs to use is .mov. I think the clip originated as a "video" from a compact still camera. Is it possible the .mov format is because the photographer processed it on his Mac computer? Maybe the original camera file was not a .mov file? In trying to make it work, I found Powerpoint would work fine with .mpg, .wmf, and .avi. Only the .mov is an obstacle. (Presumeably because .mov comes out of the Apple/Quicktime relationship vs. the Microsoft stable?)

[Ken Cox]

Robert

can you not convert the mov to what you can use?

or

can your daughter not get it converted by someone at school

if you had found the excuse to use MSN and xferred it to me i could do it

or

put it on your site and email me the url and i will send it back via YouSendIT

or see

http://www.videohelp.com/tools?convert=MOV%20to%20MPG

or

L:ast October I set Harry Fitzner up with

http://www.radgametools.com/

The RAD Video Tools [1.2 MB]

Maybe if Harry see's thread he will jump in and help you out

ken

[nickles]

Lumenlux,

My memories a little vague as this was a couple of years ago...but to the best of my recollection......

I have a niece who had a Powerpoint college assignment which involved a .mov file of 911 that she couldn't get to work in Powerpoint. She called on her trusty old uncle for help...a lot of good that did her!

In order to get it to work I had to convert the file to an .avi or mpeg1...and I'm sure I supplied her both. The real kicker was that the only means I could find to convert to and avi from a .mov was to purchase a licensed copy of Quicktime Player (the free version would not do the conversion) which cost me $20-$30....ahh...what the heck the neice was worth it.

There may be other solutions now...but at that time...that's the only one I found.

maybe this helps.....

ken

[LumenLux]

Thanks friends - I knew you could do it.

You confirmed my fears and my faith.

Lt got me thinking a little further. Nickles you are exactly right. And Ken of Canada, you pointed me to so many possibilities - how could I miss?

Here is an abreviated (believe it or not) itinerary. There are indeed now some freeware solutions that were pointed out as possibilities. The one I used appears to be able to convert many formats and many variations with even a choice (!) of codecs for some combinations. I was able to convert the original .mov to mp4, mpg, avi etc. But when I tried the new files in powerpoint, none of them would work as needed - even though other videos I tried in those formats would work! Sensing a codec issue, I upgraded the laptop's version of Windows Media player, hoping the upgrade might include some of the necessary codecs. The upgrade solved some problems but still did not provide all that powerpoint was willing to use. Then it occurred to me that the most likely compatible format might be Microsoft's own .wmv files. So back to the conversion software. Of all the offered output formats, the .wmv had an * still experimental Sure enough, the software would produce only an aborted try, no .wmv file. I then had to give up the fun for a while. But somewhere in my forced absence from the problem, the final puzzle piece dropped into place. I had earlier tried Windows Movie Maker (included in WinXP) but it would not read the .mov file. Now I had been able to convert the .mov to most everything else , so -- I loaded the .avi into Windows Movie Maker, saved it as .wmv. Daughter slipped it into Powerpoint and it works. My only caution at this point is that the tempermental fussiness of Powerpoint and playback pc's, may mean that the powerpoint that works on this laptop, might not work on the PC that is hooked to the school projector. Then again, maybe it will. Good night and good luck.

The freeware program is named, simply, Super

Official site of "Super"

The actual download link is at bottom of page.

[Ken Cox]

Robert

please show url for

SUPER

for others to have a look

ken

[davegee]

Don't forget that the appropriate codec (for the movie) must be available on the machine neing used for the presentation. If you are using the same laptop, for instance as the PP was constructed on you should be OK. If not the presenter needs to TRY IT before the date of the presentation - MOST IMPORTANT!

I have been through this with students many times - just because it works on one machine does not mean that it will work on all machines.

[elIvarz]

Hello! The one way i see is find free converter: mov to swf.... Then you can download PP add-in from GlobFX and this combination (SWF in PP) seems working perfectly, at least for me. Regards, elIvarz

[nickles]

Don't forget that the appropriate codec (for the movie) must be available on the machine neing used for the presentation. If you are using the same laptop, for instance as the PP was constructed on you should be OK. If not the presenter needs to TRY IT before the date of the presentation - MOST IMPORTANT!

I have been through this with students many times - just because it works on one machine does not mean that it will work on all machines.

In my experience, MPEG1 (same as used by VCD format) seems to be the most compatible across most machines and Windows operating systems variations....I think in my neices case she chose the MPEG1 file I gave her for the Powerpoint presentation. Maybe you've had similar experiences?

ken

[Ken Cox]

Dave

would the same thing be true in regards to "fonts" -- in the past we have had members say that they made an exe with fancy fonts and when played on somebody else's system they did not show as they were not installed -- does power point act the same way re fonts?

ken

[davegee]

Yes Ken,

Same goes for fonts.

NEVER assume that anything you create on your machine is going to work on any other machine where PP is concerned. You can however (with fonts) choose to "Embed True Type Fonts" which takes care of that problem. Same does NOT apply to Codecs.

I repeat, if you are not going to use your own machine to do the pres then checking it well before-hand on the machine to be used is advised.

The font problem should not affect PTE exe files?

[alrobin]

The font problem should not affect PTE exe files?

Dave,

I believe that the same font problem also applies to PTE.

[Ken Cox]

Dave

I made exe's with some of word's handwrinting font's one time and when displayed on a system without WORD the fonts were all windows default -- times or whatever the system was set for:)

ken

[davegee]

I always create any text elements in Photoshop and therefore save them as part of the JPEG file.

I rarely use the Object Editor for this purpose. It is possible that the Fonts used by the Object Editor would be affected but I cannot see how the Fonts in my Photoshop created Text would be affected?

[LumenLux]

Robert

please show url for

SUPER

for others to have a look

ken

OK, I have now edited the original post to include this:

Official site of "Super"

The actual download is at bottom of the page.

Thank you all, the education continues. ElIvarz, I know so little of Flash or .swf, I saved that possibility until last and did not end up using it. Thanks for pointing out the possibility. Dave, you are confirming my "fears" of the whole situation. That is the codec nightmare that seems to exist with Powerpoint (and elsewhere). You know more than I about it, but that is why I am hoping that a codec used for Microsoft's own .WMV might, just might, be more likely to be part of a pc that is running Powerpoint. (I know, this is "hope" without any knowledge support.) The more I get into the codec maze, I begin to think that codecs are the computer equivalent of DNA. And my advice for both is - Don't mess with it. (if you can avoid it!)

The font issue in PTE while annoying, is much simpler in my mind. I have come to like using PTE object editor if I just need a simple text item or page. If I feel the font is critical (usually), I will take a screen shot of the slide and then use the .jpg of the screen shot. This of course is not for interaction unless I then open the new slide in object editor to add additional objects.

[LumenLux]

For those following along at home -

The result of Powerpoint presentation at the school was one I had not dreamed of! My daughter insisted she would have no opportunity to run the show from her own computer and so she took the PP show on a little flash drive to be run on the school's PC attached to a digital projector. The Powerpoint presentation went as expected until the video, which as you may recall was now a .wmv file. The video ran fine on the pc connected to the projector - but the video was not visable in the projected image! The powerpoint slide continued in the projected image, but the video portion appeared only as a black box, ie an empty video window. I have a couple of ideas about this, but will see if someone else can explain it better by the time I wake up in the morning. It seems it may be that .wmv shows on a different "level", like the "overlay" that JPD is discussing in another topic. But it certainly surprised me that it would show on the computer screen but be simultaneously absent in the projected image.

[Ken Cox]

Bob the black screen problem is another can of worms - there is a codec missing on the system at school

example

My #1 son in law is a teacher -- he made a movie for the robotics class >4gb

i downloaded it from the school's server -- sound but no pict on my latest system but would run proper on my old system -- when Jeff Evans started his thread about codecs, i did not have the ms codecs that he used and what JP used [Microsoft mpeg4 v2 Codec,] on my NEW system so i installed a massive codec pak and got the missing ms codecs -- these codecs are old and have been upgraded - thus they were not on my new system but were on the old.

When installed on new system, the son in law's show ran perfect

I have also had the reverse happen when i am missing a sound codec -- pict but no sound

You are old enough to remember a cartoon whose punch line was "IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE"

ken

[LumenLux]

I agree about the codec jungle, but I think the case of the black hole existing only in the projected image is a different critter. I think this is like you pointed out to me when I told you I could not figure a way to capture even a still image from the eagle-watch video feed. I think you told me you had found some of the Windows Video stuff that would not be captured. It seems to run above or below the radar so to speak. At least it doesn't register where our capture programs and the college projector expect to find the image.

[alrobin]

Bob,

I too have had this problem on occasion (and I can't remember all the details now). However, I remember I had to go into the video-card setup (right-click/properties/settings/advanced/displays) and make the projector the primary viewing device. The video was then visible in the projected image but not on the laptop.

[LumenLux]

Thanks Al. You may have even shared your experience before. But I probably glossed over it as I knew I didn't have a dual monitor setup. But now, it sounds like I better get out the projector and see if that does apply here. Then if it does, I may just try to share this whole thread with the instructor. Might prove useful in the future.

[bmccammon]

I had a similar problem in that a DVD presentation would play beautifully on the laptop screen but would not project anything but a black rectangle. I found that if I toggled the laptop screen off then the show projected as desired. I figured it was due to limited system resources but really have no idea why it would not project with the laptop screen set to "on".

[alrobin]

Yes, sometimes you can replicate the set of options for selecting the prime monitor/projector with one of the function keys. I can never remember which one does what, though, so always end up screwing up the settings and then it takes me forever to get back to where I was! I think different laptops have different function key assignments, too, which doesn't help matters any. On my present laptop it seems to be F4, but then I can never remember whether I'm to press "Control" or "Alt" or none of the above along with it. (that's not a laugh, it's a cry for help!!!)

[Ken Cox]

Robert

see

Despicable Microsoft WMP 10 bugs

http://cdcer.blogspot.com/2005/09/despicab...mp-10-bugs.html

http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/20...s-media-player/

http://help.lockergnome.com/lofiversion/in...php/t43173.html

re: screenshot of wmp screen

i have just spent +- 1 hr trying the methods mentioned

the resulting pict were 3-4 mb each and the image was there when i mailed it to myself in bmp format then when i tried to save as a jpg i got the usual black screen

and when i shut down wmp the images were also gone in the origial email

but patience paid off

i did screenshots of the mail and saved as gif

your turn:(

ken