Flicker on fast transitions

[Mike Reed]

Hi All

Is anybody experiencing flicker on fast transitions with v5.5. I am using XP on a fast computer with maximum Ram. I have a section of a sequence with about 14 slides all with a quarter second dissolve and it is flicking. Any ideas as I have not experienced this with earlier versions. It does not do it when viewing from the time line only when I go to a full screen preview

Mike

[fh1805]

Hi Mike,

There are several avenues of possible exploration here:

Perhaps the most likely culprit is the Graphics card in your PC (or the Graphics chipset if you are using a laptop).

- What Graphics card is installed and how much on-board memory does it have?

- Do you have the latest drivers installed for your graphics card?

Next possibility is the image file sizes.

-How large are the image files involved in these rapid transitions?

-Are any of these images involved in Pan, Zoom or Rotate activity?

Also a possibility is that you don't have Hardware Acceleration turned on.

- Check in Project Options...Screen tab

You mention "earlier versions":

- Which other versions have you used?

- Have you taken this part of your current sequence into an earlier version to see if you get the same result?

[Igor]

Mike,

Please couldn't you publish your slideshow? I'll check up.

We didn't change slideshow's engine of EXE file in v5.5 It's exactly same as in previous v5.1.

[Conflow]

Mike,

You don't say whether you are using a PC or a Laptop ?

In either case ~with large LCD Monitors or Screens~ (+19" or +480mm)

using 'resolves' of 250millesecs or faster. Its absolutely imperative that

the Monitor has a 'response-time' better than <5millesecs.

With bigger older LCD and TFT Monitors the response times were somewhere

between 6~9millesecs (too slow) and usually gave after-smear when the cursor

was dragged across the Screen with 'Cursor Shadow' turned off, thats also a handy

indicator of response time (see below). Today,such Monitors have response times

less than 4millesecs. With fast transitions 2millesecs would be the required norm.

(Older CRT Monitors also slow-up after years of usage)

Check up on the response time of your Monitor before any other actions, you

can find this by visiting the Manufacturers Web-Site and checking on the Model

and Serial No. Also check the 'Frame-Rate'(It might save you a lot of hassle)

Brian.Conflow.

Quik-Chek for Response Time

(Cursor means Mouse Pointer)

On the (open) Desktop drag the cursor across the Screen at at moderate rate.

'After-smear' on the moving cursor should be less than: < half the cursor width.

[Mike Reed]

Hi All

Is anybody experiencing flicker on fast transitions with v5.5. I am using XP on a fast computer with maximum Ram. I have a section of a sequence with about 14 slides all with a quarter second dissolve and it is flicking. Any ideas as I have not experienced this with earlier versions. It does not do it when viewing from the time line only when I go to a full screen preview

Mike

Thanks everybody for your advice.

I really don't think it can be the graphics card in the PC (DEll Precision T5400 with 3.5GB of Ram) with an Nvidia Dual Head Quadro NVS290 graphics card with 256Mb of memory.

The viewing monitor is an Iiyama with a response time of 2ms maximum. The chip set is an Intel Xeon running at 2.5Ghz with XP service pack 2.

Hardware acceleration is turned on.

I tried the curser dragging exercise and there was no tail at all.

Igor I will zip the file to which address shall I sent it?

[Mike Reed]

Mike,

Please couldn't you publish your slideshow? I'll check up.

We didn't change slideshow's engine of EXE file in v5.5 It's exactly same as in previous v5.1.

Igor

I have posted a reply with more information. Where do I send the zipped file? Do you want it as an EXE file or as a template so you can see my dissolve timings? By the way I tried it out on 5.1 and it did the same thing. At themoment it requires a narration so is just pictures and music.

Mike

[Igor]

Mike,

Before you send the file, do you see that problem on these slideshows: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/PteShow.zip

http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/PaintsOfSummer.zip

p.s. according our experience I think that problem can be in damaged settings of DirectX or drivers of a video card. Please download and install latest DirectX from Microsoft's website and newest drivers for your video card.

[Ken Cox]

Igor

would the 2 shows you posted

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index....ost&p=54092

satisfy this entry?

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index....ost&p=53865

ken

[Mike Reed]

Mike,

Before you send the file, do you see that problem on these slideshows: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/PteShow.zip

http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/PaintsOfSummer.zip

p.s. according our experience I think that problem can be in damaged settings of DirectX or drivers of a video card. Please download and install latest DirectX from Microsoft's website and newest drivers for your video card.

Igor

I think I might have solved the problem.

I discovered that the group of images in the fast section were all 4288 x 2848 pixels rather than my normal 1024 x 685. Having resized them it now appears flicker free.

I ran the two demo sequences without any problem so I guess I was asking the computer just to do too much in the time available. What is your opinion or should I still download new drivers and Direct x?

Mike

[Conflow]

Mike,

Nice to see you found the 'fault' ~ human error, it happens all the time.

Just to explain 'Monitor-Response' time - its tha ability of the Monitor to go

from Full-Black to Full-White and return to Full-Black in xx Milleseconds at

its native Design-Resolution. (You quoted 2mS but not the Size Resolution)

(Thats an All-Colour excursion from black to White in xx mSecs)

In your case, from the figures you quoted, it appears that the Images were

17x larger than your 1024x685 pixels and I reckon they were some 12x

larger than the native resolution of the Monitor, in terms of pixel counts.

In that case the Monitor response time would have fallen off drastically to

something near 20mS per frame ~ that would have created your flicker

irrespective how powerful the PC actually is.

(The price we pay for going beyond design criteria accidental or otherwise).

Hope that was of some help.

Brian.Conflow.

[Mike Reed]

Mike,

Nice to see you found the 'fault' ~ human error, it happens all the time.

Just to explain 'Monitor-Response' time - its tha ability of the Monitor to go

from Full-Black to Full-White and return to Full-Black in xx Milleseconds at

its native Design-Resolution. (You quoted 2mS but not the Size Resolution)

(Thats an All-Colour excursion from black to White in xx mSecs)

In your case, from the figures you quoted, it appears that the Images were

17x larger than your 1024x685 pixels and I reckon they were some 12x

larger than the native resolution of the Monitor, in terms of pixel counts.

In that case the Monitor response time would have fallen off drastically to

something near 20mS per frame ~ that would have created your flicker

irrespective how powerful the PC actually is.

(The price we pay for going beyond design criteria accidental or otherwise).

Hope that was of some help.

Brian.Conflow.

Thank you Brian for the technical bit. As you will see I have resolved it by reducing the file size. You learn a bit more every day and I've only just had my 70th Birthday!

Mike