Igor

We're trying to prepare the first public beta of v5.00 to Christmas.

Thanks. PTE and well known WinAmp - both show 8:34 for this MP3 file. Media Player 10 shows 8:02 So I suppose that some low-bitrate and especially non-usual (43 Kbit/s) MP3 files may have problems with detecting their real length. Please use usual 128 kbit bitrate or higher. Or try 48 kbit instead of 43 kbit. Because it better to use default bitrate values like 48, or 64, 96, 112, 128, 160, 192, 256, and etc.

Jim, Please could you send me this MP3 file which shown with the different length in PTE? Write me to int_support@

Please look at an attached image below. Do you have this option enabled? If yes, and the problem still exists, please could you repeat this problem again and send me step-by-step instruction how to reproduce this situation?

No problem, Bill! We also changed server and I know that it's only a temporal delay before opening of a new server.

I already wrote new Navigation bar for v5.00. Currently without editor, but using .ini file (like .pte project file), you can create own Navigation bar with any form, buttons, textures, and partial semi-translucency, shadows.

No, please don't do it. BMP files have large size, and they loads long time because of their large size on the disc. Please use JPEG files. JPD Currently, if you add 10 copies of one JPEG/BMP/MP3 file, EXE file with slide-show includes an one copy. But in the memory of PC, all 10 copies of one JPEG image in the some slide loaded as separated images (as they are different). In v5.00 we added optimization for it. And you can have even 100 copies of one JPEG image objects on an one slide together. And PTE has only one copy of this image loaded to the memory of PC.

If an original image in BMP file, PTE just copies it (almost as is) to the memory of PC as a bitmap data. If JPEG or PNG file, PTE decompresses it and also copies to the memory as a bitmap data. Some image (for example 1024x768) may has various file size in PNG, BMP or JPEG file formats, but being loaded to the memory of PC, PTE keeps it as a bitmap data and all images with 1024x768 take same size as BMP file. PTE decompresses PNG files directly to bitmap in memory and store as 32-bit RGBA (4 bytes per pixel). However PNG decompression is not very fast as JPEG, so it better to use PNG for text objects, buttons, and various graphical elements in a slide. And it better not to use PNG for large (1280x960) images, if you want to set short interval between slides. Of course, if you have enough time between slides (4 seconds and more) you can freely use PNGs even for large images. - As usually use JPEGs for all slides. - And PNG for special effects, like some slides with partial semi-translucency, text objects, buttons, borders of a slide.

As I wrote recently, a brand new Visual editor of objects will be included already to v5.00 So all your key suggestions will be realized. And we've almost realized a lot of new important features concerning animation of objects. It makes possible a number of terrific visual effects. Although it has many new features, the new Visual editor still easy in use.

All sound cards play differently MIDI music files. As a play of two musicians. So some sound cards give more long delay on MIDI ending and incorrect position of playing (several jumps to forward and backward) falls synchronized show of slides. Many MIDI files may give above mentioned problem and I highly recommend to use reliable and exact in playback MP3 music files.

Gary, I reproduced this problem also in Microsoft Media Player 10. The first MIDI file in your slide-show stops earlier on 1.5 second. Please look at attached screenshot. So I recommend you: - Make this slide-show not synchronized. - Or visit Time-line window, press Timed points button. Click "Add arranged points". Then find all places between music files (vertical blue lines) and set at least 6 seconds for slides which placed between two music files. Unfortunately it's not our bug with MIDI files, and it difficult to solve it right now in PTE.

Yes, HD video requires much more modern PC (especially CPU and video card) than PTE v5.00

These HD video samples have some problems. - It requires much more powerful CPU and video card than future PTE v5.00 - I found that WMV video narrows color gamma. You can see this unplesant moment experimenting with Media Encoder 9. - Large size of the WMV file. - Defects of video compression. - Moire effects in some scenes.

I found that this MIDI file has an incorrect length. It shows on 1.5 second more than in fact. If you open and play this file in Media Player 10 you will notice same thing that it stops on 1 second earlier that cursor reaches end of the file. So exact synchronization in PicturesToExe can't work when MIDI file has incorrect way and current position of playing jumps to forward. (This problem never occurs with MP3, WAV, OGG or WMA music files.) However we'll fix this problem in the v5.00. I can't add to v4.4x because it requires to change all synchronization mechanism in the program. So for now I recommend you: - to take another MIDI file; - or convert that MIDI file to MP3. - or disable synchronization.

OK!

Tom, It's impossible! We'll never sell PTE to Microsoft. I too love this program to make it 70-MB-with-slow-work-on-WinXP-only. I just again thought that not always all PCs can run PTE slide-shows fine. Earlier in 2001 year we presented Fade effect and it worked only on high end PCs. We speeded up Fade effects only in 2004 in v4.20. Before v4.20 Fade effect worked slowely even on Pentium 4 1600 Mhz on 1280x960 screen. So I'm sure that within 1-2 years we will freely use Pan/Zoom on any PC. Interface of v5.00 is not changed at all. All placed as earlier. Except of Visual editor which we improved and added Pan/Zoom rotate tab. I suppose even that many users will not notice ability of Pan/Zoom settings in this version. Patrick, I well understand what you mean about problems with ProShow. It doesn't work good even on my Athlon 64 3 Ghz with powerful GeForce 6800 !

Patrick, I hope that in v4.44 we almost fully realized potential of old PTE engine. And no perspectives for serious enhancements like Pan/Zoom. And main moment concerning v5.00, if you don't use Pan/Zoom effects, your slide-shows will work with same quality and speed on old PCs. I also found that even old effects look much better in v5.00. For example, Page effect with 400-1000 thickness of smoothing line, Curling of page. Same 1.5 MB of PTE, small EXE file of slide-show and fast work of the program and instant start of slide-shows. Forget about problems with Pan/Zoom effects and quality of picture that you might view in other programs. I worry not lesser about all these potential problems and we every day discuss these questions with quality and reliability. Please let wait for v5.00 and then we will discuss all new moments and related questions.

Yes, really there is a problem. I reproduced it with EXE file you've sent me. I think it's a bug in PTE which happened in this particular slide-show. Combination of factors: MIDI music + auto synchronization, so some slides were shown with a little delay and became too near to next slides. I think that MIDI music is not a good and reliable solution for slide-shows and it better to use MP3. I'll try to solve it. Thanks!

As I just again checked up, screen saver may not start while PTE EXE slide-show is started.

Gary, I just sent you email with request about additional testing. Please read it. If you didn't receive it, write me to int_support@ Your help is very important or us!

Slide-show have to work on any PC with any Windows. Maybe screen saver is set for 1 minute on those notebooks and desktop? Or log-off option in Windows after 1 minute? Of course, I'll check up for this situation tomorrow, maybe I'll buy new notebook for more testing. Please try with another slide-shows, if it possible. p.s. I think that you have EXE file created with v4.40 or later?

I consider that we'll show beta #1 before Christmas. I know that it's very difficult to wait so long, but v5.00 is not simple task. It's beautiful and highest mountain for us. We're working maximally fast. tom95521 *Any* EXE file created in PTE v5.00 will work *everywhere*. If no modern video card or old DirectX version, this slide-show *automatically* will use CPU based effects like Fade/Circle/Mosaic/Pan/Zoom/Rotate/etc. We'll try to make that "old" effects like Fade effect will work with same speed in v5.00 as in v4.44 on slow PCs. Please give us a chance with v5.00

If you create slide-shows without Pan/Zoom/Rotate effects (like current slide-shows) they will work on any PC (even old) as earlier. No need to change anything - PTE v5.00 automatically chooses optimal graphical engine and you have one EXE file for playback anywhere. If you create slide-show with Pan/Zoom/Rotate effects, it also will work anywhere, but smooth ideal playback will be reached on PC with video cards like Geforce 3 and higher or Radeon 8500 / X300 and higher. As our poll shows currently about 70% of PCs are fully ready for Pan/Zoom/Rotate effects. But I hope during 1-2 years there will be more PCs with powerful video cards, because next Windows Vista from Microsoft (next Autumn of 2006) requires at least Geforce 5 FX or ATI Radeon 9500 with 64 MB of video RAM and such video cards will be very widely spreaded. New user interface of Windows Vista fully uses DirectX and 3D mode (even Pixel Shaders 2.0!) and features of video cards for various visual effects, like shadows, semi-transparency, scalable windows. Also once upon a time tried high quality Pan/Zoom/Rotate and animations with special effects in v5.00, I think, you will not want to create slide-shows without these features

The response from Invision support:

Slide-show and Visual editor - both use new graphical engine. By default if hardware allows, DirectX engine is prefered. On more slower video card it automatically use CPU based engine. If you want it possible to manually choose engine for your slide-show (DirectX or CPU based) in Project options. However it's impossible to mix these engines - only some one engine for entire slide-show. But as I wrote we will not release final v5.00 if some problems leaved unsolved.