Ian

Hi Ron Your points are mostly true, except for the bit about "72 dpi" - this setting is not relevent for projected or screen images as the output device will run at a fixed pixel dimension. Most digital projectors in general and club use are currently XGA resolution - ie 1024x768 pixels. That's why it is still advantageous to have your show images at this dimension as they will fill the screen on a 1:1 basis. Anything larger than this size, and the video card will have to "hide" the pixels present in the image that it won't be able to display. Most of my sequences I have made at 1024 pixel width, however some of the newer ones I've made at 2048 width. When the video card has to decide which pixels to discard to fit on to a 1024 display, it is a fairly easy calculation to hide every alternate pixel, and the projected results are very good. If you choose a size that is not easily divisible, then you are un danger of getting "jaggy" edges where an uneven number of pixels get hidden. The reason I've made some at 2048 width is that these shows will still look sharp (possibly sharper) as and when hardware improves and 2048 pixel projectors become generally available. The other thing to remember is that if your sequence is to be played back on a variety of equipment, it is still worth considering that some hardware may struggle to keep pace with larger files, especially if played back from a CD Rom. I'm doing a show/seminar at the Waves AV Group in Bath on 22nd Jan, and at Cheltenham CC on 3rd March so if you're in the area come along and say hello! Ian

Hi Mary Windows Media Audio files (.wma) is the native format of Media Player. Microsoft developed this format as an alternative to MP3 files. The compression is more efficient than MP3, so the files tend to be smaller in size. However, the format has a built-in licensing system which means that by default the wma files can be played via Media Player on the host computer, but further copies won't play. In practise this means that using wma files in PTE shows is a bit hit-and-miss as the music may not play back. There are settings in Media Player Options menu to disable the license feature, but I'm not sure if this will over-ride any embedded settings on downloaded files. It is much safer to use MP3 files, as these tend to be much more universal. Media Player 10 has a setting in the Options menu to save as MP3 instead of wma, so you may be able to re-save the files and use MP3 format instead. You can also use Media Player (and lots of other programs) to rip CD tracks from your CD collection to MP3 files. Ian

and a Merry Christmas from Wantage Ian

I've had this happen when putting together a "club" sequence with various pictures supplied by different club members. They were all in the same folder, but pictures from one particular member had exactly the same symptoms described above. The thumbnails only displayed the "damaged jpg" message, but when the show actually previewed okay and the finished exe file was fine. I suspect the problem is something to do with the method of saving the jpg, and the format is generating the error message even though the pictures are there. Try re-saving one of the images as a test, using the "Save for Web" option (if you're using Photoshop" as this produces the 'cleanest' images for screen display. Ian

I've demonstrated PTE at various events recently, and always give the audience details of how to download the software etc. Several people have contacted me this week to say that they've used the trial version okay, but when they try to register for the full version they are blocked from doing so because their e-mail addresses are from web-based systems like Hotmail and Yahoo. A couple of them were a bit aggrieved as they use these addresses to trade with lots of other vendors, and don't understand why they are being barred. I've not come across this as a problem before - can anyone verify that this is happening, and if so is it a recent change of policy? Regards Ian

I tried autostitch yesterday with various images, and was amazed! I've tried various programs for this, most recently the Canon software, and found that they all leave "ghosting" effects on some parts of the final image that then have to be cleaned up in Photoshop. Autostitch provided a perfect image every time, even on files that the other programs had real problems with! You need to set the parameters on the "options" menu first, then import the source files. I set the output file at 100% and the finished quality was excellent. Its not a very pretty interface, and all the work goes on in the background with no visual stitching, but so far I'd say it was definately the best of the bunch. Get it now while its still free! Ian

Thanks Fred & Granot The autoreg idea probably won't be workable as the pen drives will be given to customers, and hence the shareware wouldn't be installed on their machines. Granot's solution works fine - the menu doesn't quite autorun, but the user is given a strong prompt to run the highlighted file. Using an icon helps too, as this is displayed in the autoplay dialogue box and again gives a strong prompt for the user to run the menu. Diolch yn fawr i chi! Ian

I'm trying (unsuccesfully) to get a PTE menu to autorun from a pen drive. For a CD, I can happily write an autorun.inf file to fire up the menu, but this doesn't seem to work on a USB pen drive. I've tried several types of autorun commands in the root of the pen drive, but nothing works. It might be that what I'm trying to do is impossible, but I'm hoping that one of the PC techies might have a solution - how about it, Al?! Fingers crossed...... Ian

Barry - you can workaround this by having the menu exe run with a fixed resolution and no border selected, and the buttons grouped together as one object. I usually set the dimensions at 1024x768 as this will be the expected size of the screen. If the screen is higher res then the image will stay the same size but have a border around it. The buttons won't move as they've been grouped. I also leave sufficient space around the buttons so if the file is run on an 800x600 screen they will still be visible. Again, they won't overlap if they are grouped into a single object. Ian

Hi Mike & Chris Thought your sequence and images were great! Likewise, could I show it at Wantage Camera Club? We are actually hosting the next PAGB Assessment Day specifically for AV on March 12th next year, and I'd like to drum up some local support for it. Maybe you could enter the sequence as an AV application and get another PAGB distinction from the same images!!! Ian

Hi Beth I think you have answered your own query! If you have 80 slides in the sequence, but only 79 transition points on the timeline, then slide 79 will stay on the screen indefinately. Remember that the transitions define how each slide will appear on the screen, so if you have 80 slides to show, you also need 80 transition points. Scroll to the end of the timeline and click "new transition". If it places a new slide on the line, then problem solved! Ian

Hi Beth Thouroughly endorse the recommendation for the Medion laptop from Aldi - you're unlikely to find a higher spec machine for the money anywhere else. You'll have to hurry though, the offer ends on Wednesday 8th Sept. If your local store has run out of stock (as it undoubtedly will have), they are allowed to take orders during the week of the offer. What happened to the Shuttle you were using last time I saw you? Ian

Maureen - can you bring "Mad World" to the AV Group meeting next week? Love to see it! Ian

Hi Alan Don't put your grant application in just yet - wouldn't want you crossing the water for the Geoffrey Round when I'm over for the Dublin AV Day on the same weekend! Hopefully see you then!! Ian

Sorry to join in so late - I'm an infrequent visitor to the forum these days! Ron - you are spot on with your assumption about dpi - for screen display it is a totally irrelevent measure as mentioned by the contributors above. I'll get my plug in for the Geoffrey Round Competition as well! There weren't many entries from Forum members last year, so hoping to see a lot more this time round. I'd particularly like to see one entered by the Image Suite man (Mr Homer I presume?) as it would be interesting to see the type of sequence covered by the training courses. Regards to all Ian

MP3 is definately the way to go, though Igor has said that WMA files will be supported by the internal player in a forthcoming beta. There are several "MP3 Ripper" programs that allow you to save an MP3 file directly from an audio CD without having to save an intermediate wave file. Have a look at Audiograbber at Audiograbber The trial version lets you convert half of the tracks from any CD. It randomises the selection, so by ejecting and re-inserting the CD you'll eventually get the ones you need! When you get frd up with doing that, its quite cheap to register anyway (about $20 from memory). Another one is Direct Audio Copy, which is freeware, though the interface isn't as good as Audiograbber. Ian

Igor - will the internal player still play the WMA file even if the host system has the Windows "anti-piracy" security setting active? Ian

If its the Hayange and Nilvange Festivals you mean, Gaphe did actually post a reply in the other thread: Hi Ian For the Hayange and Nilvange Festival we will use the following equipments: - Processor Athlon 2200, - -Windows XP - -Hard Drive 7200t/m - -512 Mo of RAM - -Graphics Card ATI Radeon 9200 with 128 mo of video memory A 2nd computer with similar characteristics will be in reserve, as a back up

Just read Igor's note - the new Beta 4.1 doesn't yet play wma files, but will be able to soon. (Still can't imagine why anyone would want to use them though!) Ian

Actually it does support wma files, but there may be a protection issue when other people's computers try to use them. I think that the default setting for wma files is that Windows allows one copy, but subsequent copies won't play. I'm not really sure as I don't use them. As Al says, use MP3 files for much greater compatability. Ian

Excellent news Igor - editing from the timeline will be a real enhancement! Ian

The use of copyrighted music is a bit of a grey area. Traditionally, AV makers in the UK have purchased a licence from the IAC (actually an MCPS licence) that allows the use of recorded music in a public show so long as no money is made. The terms of the licence really related to "shows" given to the public, and were written well before the days of digital sequences and CD Roms. At the moment we are still relying on the cover given by the MCPS licence, but once the sequence is burned to a CD Rom its debatable as to whether its covered or not. If anyone has done any research and could shed some light it would be appreciated! Ian Bateman

Hello Gaphe Do you know what computer hardware will be used to play the sequences? ie - what type of graphics card and memory it will have? Ian Bateman

This request has come up several times in the past - see Previous thread for some more comments. Igor has said that he will add the functionality in a subsequent release. In the meantime, I have an alternative workaround that will preserve the synchronisation, though its a bit messy. I needed a short introductory show as the opening sequence in a recent Digital AV Festival, with the last slide staying on screen with buttons to launch the other sequences. As it would ultimately be run on several different computers, the introductory show had to be synched. As we know, this means that any buttons placed on the last slide are inoperable. As a solution, I made two shows. One of them was a fully synched show that had the dummy buttons at the end. The other was a simple two-slide show, with the first slide just being a black screen with a single "Run" button, and the second slide a copy of the 'last page' of the other show, complete with working buttons. The "Run" button on the black screen simply called up the fully-synched show, which ran in front of it then exited. Meanwhile, the two-slide show underneath changed to the second page with working buttons, which stayed there until the synched show exited and revealed the working buttons beneath. As I said, a little messy but almost invisible to the user or audience. Ian

Couldn't agree more! I used the trial version for a while, re-starting the program until all the required CD tracks were complete. But its only something like $15 to register anyway, so it was well worth it! Ian