Igor

Thanks for your responses! Of course, Slide and Push effect are very CPU dependent. It better to show them or very quickly (lesser than 500 ms.) or slowely (3500 ms. and higher). Mainly I imagine usage of the effect for menus, for animation of textes. An image file size doesn't matter for effect quality. It depends of graphical size of the image and size of screen. The uninterrupted sequence from several slides can be realized in DVD/SVCD video. Ok, I'll think about this moment for the next version! Interesting moment! To OGL 1. Please try Push and Slide effects with above suggested duration. 2. Smoothness of Mosaic effect will be improved in the next betas! (By the way, try 8x8, 10 and 1500 ms.)

PicturesToExe v4.20 beta #6 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1,4 Mb) What's new in beta #6: + Improvements in transition effects: > Added new transition effect - "Advanced hour hand" (with variations). This effect has special "Offset" option for fine customization of its view. > Added new "Push" and "Slide" transition effects. > Vastly improved "Mosaic" transition effect (old name "Hot blocks"). This effect has new smooth view. Available 3 parameters for fine customization. > You can quickly select/deselect groups of effects clicking on title of effect (see Project options | Effects tab). > Fade effect is turned on in Project options by default now. + Added .wma and .ogg support in sound comments for slides. + Added "For Pinnacle Studio (Field A first)" option in AVI video dialog. Use this option if you will convert produced AVI file into DVD-Video or SVCD in Pinnacle Studio software. * Fixed several minor bugs. I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to present new Navigation bar in this v4.20. It's doesn't look as I'd like. I need more time to develop it with all scheduled features. I hope the new gamma of effects (4 main and 25 variations) will became some compensation For new Mosaic effect I know as least 4 wonderful combination of paramaters which produce absolutely new effects. Also I think we'll a little optimize speed of this effect. p.s. I'll try to set lesser cycle of development for new versions, and more often release them. So the first beta of v4.30 will be with new Nav. bar.

Again I'm glad that we have separated server for the forum! p.s. I just talked with the administrators of our web hoster and they promised to solve the problem with www.wnsoft.com within short time today.

Please don't worry. We're transferring our Web site into new dedicated virtual server. I didn't inform you because I thought that this process will be inconspicuous, but they turned off old server before DNS records were updated to the new server. Sorry to trouble you! Also we're near to show next beta version of v4.20 with new features, and new transition effect (with variations). Probably new Navigation bar also will be ready in this beta #6. Thanks! And please excuse me for my long absence - I had various hard work during first part of January.

We'll think about this idea for the next future versions. I consider it's interesting idea.

Ray, If you use Pinnacle Studio 8 please try this new build: http://www.wnsoft.com/beta/pte420preb6.zip And set checked up "For Pinnacle Studio" option in AVI dilog in PicturesToExe. This build will solve flickering.

There is no such transition effect earlier. We could add it now, but this effect doesn't look smooth (on many technical reasons). However it's suitable for title or finish stages of slide-show (e.g. text appearing). Probably it better to realize it in personal settings of a slide only? p.s. Thanks!

Even if you don't have DVD writer you can burn SVCD video on usual CD-R disc on CD-R/RW writer with near to DVD quality. I've tried with creating SCVD discs and it gives me almost same quality as it could be DVD video. So it better never create VCD video which will looks very blurred and shows terrible transition effects. And DVD or SVCD will make maximally possible for TV details and smoothness of transation effects in your presentations. SVCD video disc can be played on any PC with CD-ROM or DVD-ROM and software for playing of DVD video disc. Or on most of stationary DVD players connected to TV.

Alan, what usual graphical size (in pixels) and file size (in Kbytes) of the image of a slide? And what version of PTE you have used to produce all those slide-shows?

It still in progress. I'm thinking how to improve it better. Especially in context of development of new Navigation bar.

I wish for you Happy New Year! Also I hope you had wonderful Christmas recently, too. Glad to work together. Thanks to your ideas and ours we have *a great list* of features even for the future one-two years of development. With warmest regards!

Thanks for the good results you've got! Concerning speed of encoding I'm still think how to increase this performance. Here are my current results of test for speed (with PTEV video codec, 12 sec. of show, 3 slides with effects): Pinnacle Studio: Interlaced video = 1:12, Progressive video = 0:59 TMpegEnc: Interlaced video = 0:40, Progressive video = 0:32 Ulead DVD MovieFactory2: Interlaced video = 1:00, Progressive video = 0:48 So these results show that "weak point" not in interlaced video, because rendering of progressive video faster only on 15%-23% and it can't be optimized more. I'll have a look on rendering of slides - may I find "weak points" for next improvements. p.s. TMpegEnc has the most fast encoding. But I prefer quality with Ulead MovieFactory2

I just sent you special test with option for Pinnacle Studio. I think DVD with this option and produced in Pinnacle Studio will has much more smooth transition effects as with using of Ulead or TMpegEnc products. It's normal - producing of interlaced video takes much more time, but I'll try to optimize this process.

I just added this "For Pinnacle Studio" option to PTE. In beta #6 it will work properly. Thanks for your results, I'll perform additional tests - probably it will possible to a little optimize encoding. It won't encode so quickly as another video codec because PTE renders slides in video on the fly when MPEG2 encoder requests frames of video stream. As one more test, if you *temporary* turn off "Interlaced" option, it will encode faster (but don't disable it - only for test!).

I just found that we must add new special option to AVI dialog: "For Pinnacle Studio" because this software sets another order of fields in produced MPEG2 file (than in Ulead DVD MovieFactory2 or TMpegEnc). So currently DVD video produced in Pinnacle Studio has no smooth transition effects as DVD video produced in MovieFactory or TMpegEnc.

Sorry for my late response! I'm glad that all works now and please let me know in case of any problem with PTE. Such problem usually requires performing of several simple tests (our test presentation as "Per aspera ad astra" on our Web site) and compare results to exactly localize where the problem occurs.

Dear Dana, On my Athlon XP 1600+ encoding of DVD takes 1 min of video x 4 = 4 min. It's absolutely normal. When I've added usual AVI file with MPEG4 codec it took exactly same time. Ulead DVD MovieFactory2 works with same speed. Finally I had ability to test with Pinnacle Studio 8 full version and it created correct DVD video disc with audio. Dana, please couldn't you perform several additional tests to help us find reason of that problem? 1) First, try to create MPEG1 or MPEG2 file .mpg (not DVD disc) and how it will play. 2) Download MPEG4 video codec www.wnsoft.com/beta/mpeg4.zip (130 Kb) from our web site. Unzip it and click right mouse button on mpeg4fix.inf file and then select "Install". In PTE choose "Custom AVI file", click "Video codec" button, find Microsoft MPEG4 video codec v2 and select it. Then PTE will create usual stand-alone AVI file. Now it possible to try how Pinnacle Studio encodes this AVI file. Also it would be great to try with some your usual short AVI files (5-10 sec. to save your time for tests). Thanks!

I suppose this difference between DVD and SVCD can be noticeable on very large TV screens with 100 Hz refresh rate. I fully agree. miniDVD video on usual CD discs plays very bad on many DVD players.

Thanks, Harold! I've added your idea to my cogitation-list for the next version.

Bill think(box) will be with us together soon! He had temporary difficulties in another area. We talked several times.

Thanks, Al! I've fixed this old small but unpleasant bug yesterday.

It's very difficult to add MIDI support for AVI video. We should to use DirectX 8/9 capabilities and probably add large code to PTE. I'm not sure that we'll make this feature, exactly not in v4.20.

Please wait for the next beta #6. I just added .wma and .ogg support for sound comments to slides.

New MIDI engine is added since v4.20 beta #1 and later. This beta #5 also contains that new MIDI engine. 2. Yes, you're right. It's a bug old small bug (3 years!) - PTE should find sound so well as it finds background music in case of changed file path. Probably now it can be realized via personal music to slides? But there will be no background music.