Solving the jumpy slideshow issue

[hilldjuk]

Hi There,

I'm new to PTE and have created my first slideshow which works fine in preview. However, when I try and run the show in exe it's really jumpy and doesn't work at all really. It does have some zooms and pans in it.

I've had a look through the user guide and the forum and have:

- resized all pictures

- used an mp3 file for the backing music

This has taken it down to a 24MB file so it should be manageable for my computer. I have Windows Vista, 1GB RAM, Intel core duo processor, and have downloaded DirectX, but it still doesn't work. The only thing I can think of is the video card - which I'm not sure if I need to purchase or if it's already on my laptop.

It's a pretty new laptop and has been able to everything else I've asked of it - not sure why it can't handle a 24MB file? Is it the zooms and pans, or something else? Can I keep these zooms or do I have to get rid of them to be able to play the slideshow fullscreen?

Any tips would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Dave

[cjdnzl]

Hi There,

I'm new to PTE and have created my first slideshow which works fine in preview. However, when I try and run the show in exe it's really jumpy and doesn't work at all really. It does have some zooms and pans in it.

I've had a look through the user guide and the forum and have:

- resized all pictures

- used an mp3 file for the backing music

This has taken it down to a 24MB file so it should be manageable for my computer. I have Windows Vista, 1GB RAM, Intel core duo processor, and have downloaded DirectX, but it still doesn't work. The only thing I can think of is the video card - which I'm not sure if I need to purchase or if it's already on my laptop.

It's a pretty new laptop and has been able to everything else I've asked of it - not sure why it can't handle a 24MB file? Is it the zooms and pans, or something else? Can I keep these zooms or do I have to get rid of them to be able to play the slideshow fullscreen?

Any tips would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Dave

Welcome to the forum, Dave, there's a wealth of knowledge and experience available from many of the members here.

Regarding your laptop, I fear it may be the graphics capability of your machine that is the problem. The speed of your processor, single or dual core, and the amount of memory you have are, beyond a certain miminum, not the problem. PTE, like other modern graphics-intensive programs, makes extensive use of the advanced capabilities of the graphics processor. A GPU not up to the task will negate all other attributes of your machine.

Almost all GPUs will handle PTE without pans, zooms, and rotates - collectively known as PZR, but those movements really need a better than average GPU.

Some laptops have separate video/graphics cards, specially those intended for gaming use, and others have lesser GPU capability, usually on the main board, like the Intel 950 and similar chipsets. Unfortunately, unlike desktop machines, it is usually impossible to fit a better GPU into a laptop.

You don't say what your computer is, or what the graphics processor is. If you can give us more information about your laptop somebody here may be able to help clarify the situation for you.

Colin

[hilldjuk]

Hi Colin,

Thanks for your quick response. I have a HP 530 Notebook PC - but I can't find any evidence of a graphics card - which is where I think I'm coming unstuck.

Does that mean that if I remove all pans and zooms then I should be able to play slideshows without any issues - at least that will be a temporary solution until I upgrade!

Thanks again

Dave

[fh1805]

Hi Dave,

To determine what graphics chipset is built into your laptop proceed as follows:

Start...Computer

In the list of folders, right-click Computer

Select Properties from the pop-up list

Select Device Manager from the Tasks

Expand Display adapters

This will tell you what chipset your system uses for its graphics capability. Report back with this info and somebody should then be able to give you further advice.

[hilldjuk]

To kind of answer my own question I have since removed all zooms and pans from the slideshow but it's still jumpy moving from image to image.

Is there anything else I can do?

Thanks

[hilldjuk]

Excellent - thank you.

From that advice I have found out that I have a Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset Family.

How does that sound?

[cjdnzl]

Excellent - thank you.

From that advice I have found out that I have a Mobile Intel® 945GM Express Chipset Family.

How does that sound?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Dave, but I think the HP is intended as a business computer, and as such is not up to the task of graphics-intensive output. The write-up by Intel on that chipset sounds great, but it's no competition for powerful GPUs like the Nvidia 8400 or 8600 or similar as fitted to gaming machines - as distinct from business machines.

Depending on your interest in sound-slide programs, you might be up for another computer

Colin

[fh1805]

Dave,

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that chipset, so am unable to offer any immediate advice in respect of it.

Just to extend the information gathering exercise: could you please confirm the version of PTE? (it's obviously v5 of some kind because you were using PZR, but which version?)

You said you had resized your images. What size are they (expressed in pixels wide by pixels high)? Have you confirmed that you have used the resized images by watching the bottom info bar of the PTE window to see what size PTE says they are?

You've made a sensible start on the diagnosis by removing all the PZR effects. Some further avenues of investigation that spring to mind are:

- Is the "jumpy" behaviour present on every transition or only some?

- If only some, which transition type does it occur on?

[hilldjuk]

I think I might be doomed judging by Colin's answer (at least on this laptop).

The version of PTE is Deluxe 5.5.

My landscape images are 1024 x 683

Portrait ones are 1024 x 1536

I resized them according to the instructions in the manual.

It's pretty jumpy on all the transitions. Music sounds fine but the images don't work.

Is there any other slideshow software that I could find that would work on my laptop that you know of?

Thanks for your help anyway - I'll hold onto the program and bide my time.

[davegee]

It is probably irrelevent to THIS discussion but if you are including portrait images in what appears to be a 3:2 aspect ratio show (1024x683) and are not performing any zoom effects the the HEIGHT of the portrait images need be no more than 683.

DaveG

[cjdnzl]

I think I might be doomed judging by Colin's answer (at least on this laptop).

The version of PTE is Deluxe 5.5.

My landscape images are 1024 x 683

Portrait ones are 1024 x 1536

I resized them according to the instructions in the manual.

It's pretty jumpy on all the transitions. Music sounds fine but the images don't work.

Is there any other slideshow software that I could find that would work on my laptop that you know of?

Thanks for your help anyway - I'll hold onto the program and bide my time.

You could have a look at ProShow Gold, a slide show program by Photodex. Its video quality is not as good as PTE, but it has the advantage for you that it uses the CPU to do the work, and doesn't demand the same performance from the GPU. It has a good range of features like PZR, and does a reasonable job, if you don't compare it with PTE. Worth a look in your case.

Colin

[xahu34]

You could have a look at ProShow Gold, a slide show program by Photodex. Its video quality is not as good as PTE, but ...

Colin

Hello Colin,

Wouldn't it make sense here to recommend PTE v.4.49, or v.5.5 with deactivated hardware acceleration, instead of buying the next product?

Best regards,

Xaver

Munich

[Conflow]

Dave & Colin,

Colin you wrote.."I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Dave, but I think the HP is intended as a business computer, and as such

is not up to the task of graphics-intensive output"...

Colin with respects, that's an unqualified statement and is completely untrue and misleading. Hewlett-Packard make 83 Laptops -

I know,because we have 4 of them...and they ALL WORK PERFECTLY with PTE.

The Intel 945 Bridge-Chipset with 1Gb of RAM and the matching Duo-Core Processors are an Industry Standard designed by Intel

in co-operation with Hewlett-Packard for IBM Business Laptop Markets.

(HP manufacture the laptops for IBM).

The Chip-Set was designed to work with XP and optimise all the best 'speed-features' of XP which is lightning-fast with these Chips.

Dave, they were NEVER intended for use with Vista and had you visited the HP Website they offer

the laptop in XP ~ one of the few Manufacturers who do so. Should you wish to stay with Vista you will

need a RAM Upgrade to 2.Gb because Vista need all of your 1.Gb)

Personally, I would dump Vista ~It is not Laptop friendly~ Its O.K for Desktops, if you like that type of 'bloated' OP.Sys.

(Hewlett-Packard will help you with this. Contact Customer-Support with Laptop Reg No: and ask for XP-Install Disc).

There in lies your problem, either provide more RAM or better still, install XP-Home...I did say XP-Home !.

It's the fastest XP version.

Brian Kelly.

Conflow Services.

Dublin.

[cjdnzl]

Dave & Colin,

Colin you wrote.."I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Dave, but I think the HP is intended as a business computer, and as such is not up to the task of graphics-intensive output"...

Colin with respects, that's an unqualified statement and is completely untrue and misleading. Hewlett-Packard make 83 Laptops -I know,because we have 4 of them...and they ALL WORK PERFECTLY with PTE.

The Intel 945 Bridge-Chipset with 1Gb of RAM and the matching Duo-Core Processors are an Industry Standard

designed by Intel in co-operation with Hewlett-Packard for IBM Business Laptop Markets.

(HP manufacture the laptops for IBM).

<snip>

Brian Kelly.

Conflow Services.

Dublin.

Hello Brian,

Just a comment on your comments (this could be endless!). I am aware that HP have a range of laptops, but my comments were more or less specific to the model Dave has, and as you say above, the Intel 935 chipset is intended for business computers, not graphics-intensive applications where the GPU is called upon to do most of the work. In any case, a dedicated GPU like the nVidia 8nnn series is a better choice for graphics than the Intel chips, whose design is based more on minimal power requirements than sheer graphics grunt.

You're right about Vista not being the best for that machine; frankly it isn't the best for any machine, in my humble opinion.

If Dave installs XP SP2 he would see some improvement, but having said that, a clean install is not something to be taken lightly, specially if the computer manufacturer has 'tweaked' the OS to suit the machine. I remember, back in the DOS days, having an NEC computer running a DOS version different to the other machines on the network, and we tried to upgrade to DOS 3.3, whereupon the NEC would not boot. NEC then told us that standard DOS would not run on their computers, as they had modified their version for 'improved performance', whatever that was. A right pain in the nether regions, was that. I hope HP's are standard in that respect.

Regards,

Colin.

[cjdnzl]

Hello Colin,

Wouldn't it make sense here to recommend PTE v.4.49, or v.5.5 with deactivated hardware acceleration, instead of buying the next product?

Best regards,

Xaver

Munich

Hello Xaver,

Thanks for your reply.

I think it would make sense only if Dave were to forego all animations. If he wishes to continue with animations, Proshow would allow that since it uses the CPU and not the GPU. I don't recommend ProShow, but depending on what kind of show he wants to make, it might be a better choice than no animation.

Kind Regards,

Colin.

[hilldjuk]

Hi All,

With the installation of XP and the re-booting of the Intel 945 Bridge-Chipset, my slideshow is now jump free, with zooms and pans included so I'm very happy indeed.

Many thanks for all your help and assistence!

Cheers

Dave

[Conflow]

Dave,

Glad to be of assistance to you and thanks for the 'Off-Forum' reply ~ this following my advice to install

the XP-Op System in deference to Vista which came ready pre-installed on your Hewlett-Packard Laptop.

As I had said, the '945 Chip-Set' was never designed to run Vista with 1.Gb of RAM, but then this is so

typical of Microsofts' arrogance trying to "ram" Vista down our throats and worse still "trying" to force

Manufacturers such as Hewlett-Packard and Intel to use this 'bloated' Op-System.

Someday, do try and upgrade your Memory to 2.Gb and watch your '945 Chipset' really take off.

If I can be of further help to you, just drop me an EMail.

Brian.Conflow.