Igor

PicturesToExe Deluxe v5.00 beta #8t http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr-deluxe_beta.zip (4 MB) It's a minor update of beta 8: + Video Builder: added "Show safe TV zone" option. * Video Builder: Added compatibility with more range of DVD writers. * Video Builder: Fixed bug with black picture in DVD menu (it mistakenly shown a first frame of slide show) * Fixed several bug with duration of slide show in AVI file and DVD (for not synchronized show, and more than 1 music file). * Improved compatibility (graphical interface) of main program of PicturesToExe with Windows Vista. p.s. we're simultaneously working on beta 9 right now: full music synchronization (in progress), support of old video cards (completed), drop shadows for objects (completed).

Dave, Pure DVD-Video disc should not contains any folders/files except of content of VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS. However all DVD players during last 5-7 years can play DVD-Video disc with additional files/folders. And many commercial DVD movies contains various files (e.g. "Harry Potter" movie). I think it's a limitation of DVD-Video standard that allows only some number of files and folders for DVD-Video. Nero will not allow to add any additional files/folders if you choose create DVD-Video project option. But please don't create your project as DVD-Data with adding of VIDEO_TS folder, because such disc will not play on many stand-alone DVD players (even modern).

Thank you, friends! I wish you Merry Christmas and good coming New Year! We'll work all next week and continue our work on January 4th.

Thanks, I very glad! Rarely I hear about similar problem that occur in 3D games. In all cases it was definitely bug in drivers and updating always helped. However I never heard about this problem in slide shows before. p.s. a similar bug was found in NVIDIA drivers that included to Windows Vista (final release). Fortunately the problem happens only with Microsoft Media Center in Vista - screen flickers. And no problem in other 3D programs/multimedia software. I think NVIDIA already issued updated drivers.

I think it's a bug in this particular version of drivers. Please download and install latest drivers from ATI web site: www.ati.com

In the next beta 9 you'll see option to show soft shadows for objects - images and rectangles. With many options (like in Photoshop, PixBuilder Studio or Video Builder). (And real-time soft shadows for text objects in beta 9 or 10) Also shadow will keep direction (angle of projection) if you rotate object. It adds impression of a deep of space.

Peter, I'm afraid it would be difficult to trace this problem. If even we write new music player and spend 2 months for rewritting of that code, no chance to quickly check up - will it help or not, if this problem occurs so rarely. As I know even WinAmp sometimes stutters when some programs work in background, especially on integrated sound cards.

More new video card will render video in several times faster. For example even ATI Radeon 9600 Pro renders AVI/DVD in 5 times faster than ATI Radeon 9000. We use high quality rendering with Bicubic like quality of resizing to DVD format.

Chess, Aero Glass user interface, Media Center - all they in Windows Vista use fullscreen Direct3D mode. And this main reason why ATI realized unified gamma settings for Vista. I think they understood now why it so important. I agree with you and I hope that ATI will release new XP drivers with unified gamma, too.

Nor PicturesToExe, nor slide show don't set Internet or local network connections. Probably this warning occur because in beta 8A I always copy temporal EXE file of Preview to Application Data folder? I reworked this moment and now installer puts Preview.exe file to Program Files where located other PicturesToExe's files. Please try future beta 8i which I will release today.

Urmas, If you don't play 3D games ATI drivers for WinXP up to spring of 2004 should solve this problem , at least you can try. I tested today Windows Vista RC2 with latest ATI drivers and gamma and brightness/contrast settings unified for desktop and fullscreen slide shows created in v5.00 p.s. according unofficial letter of a person from ATI, they plan to fix this problem with gamma also in Windows XP, but as I understood it will be available when they finished works on drivers for Windows Vista (as their primary goal now).

Hans, Please try latest beta 8g, it may solve problem with 99% of burning: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/apr-deluxe_beta8g.zip 1x1 images will be correctly supported (in other words, - ignored) in the next betas.

Urmas, ATI said me that their drivers for Windows Vista will use unified gamma settings for desktop and for DirectX. So there will be no problem with slide shows.

Did you rebuild EXE file of this slide show in v4.48 and same problem? What file size of the EXE file? What kind of music file you added to this project: MP3 or WMA? Will the problem gone if replace music to another MP3 file?

Yes, you can use one license for PicturesToExe on your second PC (laptop) if only you work with PicturesToExe on this second PC. On your first PC all users may use PicturesToExe.

Robert, Thanks! We just reproduced this bug and fixed it. Please wait for the next minor beta very soon.

Peter, How many times it occured with v5.00? It would be enough for me to learn that for example it occured at least at 2 different days. Was this problem with previous v4.xx versions? Please let me know what sound card you have installed? Thanks in advance,

Lin, OK! p.s. Are you already tried Fade effect for 199 ms. on each slide? It should gives excellent smoothness for your demo example.

Dear Urmas, Thanks! I also just sent new a letter to ATI. Probably I'll receive the answer tomorrow.

Thanks, Robert! I've asked Sergey to fix this bug. Urmas, (Sorry, I don't know your name!) Yes, this problem exists. Since 2004 drivers for ATI video cards don't support Windows Color Management in fullscreen Direct3D mode that we use for slide shows in v5.00 I read a lot of complaints on the forums. Your calibration software use Windows Color Management system. I discussed this problem with ATI but they don't want to change anything. Several days ago I also asked my friend in Microsoft and asked help me find a person with whom I could speak about this problem. Thanks for reminding, I'll write again to a known person from ATI. NVIDIA video cards don't have this problem. There are several ways of solution: 1) Use GDI graphical engine or not exclusive 3D mode for slide shows (both options will be available in the next beta 9 of v5.00). 2) Ask ATI to fully support Windows Color Management as they did earlier (up to 2004). I'm sorry about this problem, but I don't know what we can do more?

Jack, Thanks, as I see slide show's engine can't read one parameter of slide show as it was damaged. 1) Please try to copy EXE files again to that 4nd PC and run again. 2) If it will not help, try to temporarily replace music file as Lazarus recommended you. If you use WMA, add MP3 music instead. 3) How other slide shows work on your PC? For example this: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/Light_of_the_Far_Worlds.zip

Lin, I just checked up beta 8a and beta 8g and repeating always worked. Slide show engine exactly same in beta 8g and 8a. But 100ms. is too small interval. Try to set 1000 ms. will it solve the problem with repeating? Please make two EXE files (e.g. beta8a_OK.exe and beta8g_problem.exe) to illustrate this problem.

Peter, Please let me know, do you hear "skips" or "stutterings" in music when you watch slide show or fullscreen preview of slide show created with v5.00 beta 5?

I recommend you install and use latest v4.48 please open and create EXE file with slide show in v4.48 and let me know how it will work now. If it will not help, please upload EXE file with slide show. I'll download it and quickly solve this problem. It seems that it's combination of parameters that causes this error message. The good moment that slide show works without any error on any PC, or slide show has this error also on all PCs. Because of this please don't worry about other slide shows if they work fine on your PC.

Peter, We use well known mpg123 MP3 decoder it should give very good quality independently from installed audio codecs on particular PC. Are you use equaliser in WinAmp/Windows Media Player? p.s. it seems that the problem described in this topic caused by drivers or hardware problem. Same problem with WinAmp + slide show without music. And with both sound engines - WaveOut and DirectSound.