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How do I reload the encoding codecs from P2E? Dave

Just recently (like since 5.6), I've been having problems with having no sound. I create the DVD using my usual settings, pop the disc into a DVD player and I'll either get only 1-2 seconds of sound or nothing at all. If I take the disc to a computer, it will play. This DVD player plays all of my older presentations (made with 5.5), just not the newer ones (made with 5.6). I have created the audio files in both Audacity and using the LAME converter with the same results. I also tried OGG with no change. Any one have any ideas? Dave

(I tried to search for SWF, but that term is too short, so I have to ask.) Yes, here is that questions again: Are there any plans to export directly from P2E to SWF any time soon? Yes, I know the quality of SWF is rather poor, but for a website "rotating image" banner it would be fine. I'd rather not have to buy yet another software tool and I like Pictures2EXE. Thanks. Dave

I can wait for the next beta. I never installed v5.5. I've been using 5.1. Dave

Wow, thanks! Dave

I'm using 5.6 Beta 8 and trying to create an AVI video file. If I try to create an "HD-1280x720p 60 FPS" file, I get this error message. If I try to create an "HD-1080" file I can generate a file, but the video and audio are no longer synced and I have no transitions (just quick cuts).

AVIDeMux is free (http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/) and does conversions to FLV Dave

Good questions. As a programmer who has dealt with this exact issues, let me explain what I would do. How it fits into PicturesToEXE, I don't know. Either the logging code gets included in all EXE files (only if it is small enough) or it is included in the EXE optionally when the EXE is created. The logging would be off by default if always included in the EXE files. In addition, the logging could be enabled by either a command line switch or a secret keyboard press on the first slide (or something like that). Log messages ("audio data lost" or "transition shortened to catch up with music" or whatever) would only be generated only when an error (seen or unseen) has already occurred. Log messages could either be written to the hard disk as generated (could create other speed issues) or maintained in memory until the presentation ends. The latter could take very little memory if done correctly (< 100 bytes per message). As how to handle development on one machine and showing the presentation on another system, you could either generate two EXEs (one without the logging code and one with the logging code) or have a command line switch to trigger the logging only when you need it. Just my thoughts... Dave

I don't want to complicate anything, but might it be possible for an EXE presentation to OPTIONALLY write out a log file when video card memory usage is too high or CPU utilization is too high? Basically I'd like PicturesToEXE to warn me when a presentation may be compromised (jerky transitions or movements or audio skipping) because of hardware issues. Information like what slide number and what the issue is would be very helpful. Thanks. Dave

I recently went on a 4-week trip with a older single-core Dell laptop. In practice before we left all was well. But as things go from our first presentation on the road I'd get a minor audio glitch every minute or so. Once we got back home I did a little sleuthing. I suspected the week video card as it was only a typical 8 MB video card built on to the motherboard. However, in running Windows' Performance Monitor ("perfmon"), I discovered a different story. Disk activity was quiet as I expected so it wasn't the hard drive. Pages/sec (which indicates a lack or system memory (not video memory) was non-existent so I wasn't running our of memory. CPU utilization however was averaging 90-100%. I saw no correlation to the spikes and the audio loss. I turned off the anti-virus and a few other running programs/services and got a few more CPU cycles freed up. The audio skipping occurred fewer times per minute but never went away. I tried the same presentation on a newer laptop (dual-core). The CPU utilization was between 10-20% and I never had any audio problems. In short, close as many apps down as you can, run PerfMon and then your presentation. You just might see the problem. Unfortunately, PerfMon can't show video card memory usage.

While I am hesitant to add my voice to this issue... It would be nice to be able to had the EXE show the presentation on both monitors of a dual setup. I frequently show my presentations on dual setups. So far I've used systems I could switch to "clone" the main screen on the secondary screen (usually a video projector). But someday I may not be so lucky (some laptops don't do this easily). If all else fails, perhaps a command line switch? Then I could use a shortcut for the secondary screen. Thanks. Dave

Since I mentioned this program... You "Open" the file, then under "Auto", you select FLV. Now you have a "Configure" button that you can use to change the bitrate. Dave

I completely agree. It's amazing to find such a diamond in the rough, but frustrating that documentation can sometimes be so poor. However, since I am a programmer, I realize that sometimes you create a program for limited uses and by the time your are done with it, you are beginning to hate the program now and the thought of spending more time on documentation is a rather hateful idea. This program is strictly a converter and a little bit an editor. It outputs no supporting HTML. I used the fine JW FLV Player (available here) on my website.

I don't know what version of Flash it is using. I don't have any programs that indicate this. Avidemux appears to be an English only program. But it seems to work well and it's free. Documentation is pretty much non-existent. Dave

To answer my own question ("May I ask what you folks are using to convert your movies to FLV..."), I had previously used FFmpeg (available only on Linux) and my results were rather poor, but I didn't know any better. Yesterday I converted a PtoE AVI file to FLV using Avidemux (http://www.avidemux.org). I converted it at 375 Kb/sec and am very happy with the result. The file I created with Avidemux is about the same file size as the FFMpeg and the quality is so much better. An example can be seen here: Flowers of the Eastern Highlands in Papua New Guinea Yes, it's kind of small, but I didn't want to lock out the people with slower connections. I'll be converting the rest of the "videos" on my site through Avidemux in a few days. I just want to say I am quite happy with Avidex (and it's free).

May I ask what you folks are using to convert your movies to FLV and perhaps some of the settings (size, frames per second, bandwidth, etc.)?

OK, problem figured out. How it got this way, I don't know. "Include addition folders and files to disc" was checked and pointed at the root of my hard drive. I would never do this especially since it's a 500 GB drive 80% full! Seems like VB should be asking about scanning a drive that big before it does it. Dave

When I get to the last screen in VideoBuilder 5.1 and uncheck"Burn DVD disc", VB starts scanning my hard drive like crazy. The command line program "openfiles" confirms it is VideoBuilder.exe and that it has 4-8 threads running accessing my drive. What is going on? I've been able to duplicate the problem twice. Thanks. Dave

Finding high quality sound effects that "fit" with the pictures I am taking is sometimes difficult. I'd like to start recording "environmental" type sounds (crickets, surf, birds, etc.) while I and taking the pictures. Does anyone have any experiences with digital recorders like the Zoom H2 or even the cheaper recorders? Just wondered. Dave

I know this is just going to gall some people that I am bringing this subject up again, but about the desktop transitioning feature that was removed with 5.x because of the problems it caused... There have been a few times I wish this effect was still available. I have a suggestion that would seem to work, though it does not exactly duplicate the original effect. This is no doubt not an original idea, but I couldn't find a thread to match this idea. If PicturesToEXE had the ability to call a program (and waited) before the slideshow ran and could bring in an external JPG file at runtime, a similar effect could be created. I wrote a very simple GUI-less program that when it was run would capture the current screen to a JPG file. I then used that file as the first slide in a presentation with no transition effect. When I ran the created EXE from the desktop I previously captured, there was only the slightest flicker and then my "desktop" faded into my presentation. Just an idea. UPDATE: I just found out that an external app could be run on each slide, so if only PTE could bring in an external slide at runtime...

Very beautiful pictures. May I ask where the music came from? One other question: Did you bevel or shade the edges of the pictures themselves, or did you use a mat overlay with shadows and a transparent center? Thanks for the idea. Dave BTW: The MediaFire page was showing a soft porn advert. Rather disgusting. Not your fault though.

I'm looking for ideas on how you folks handle slide shows with mixed portrait/landscape pictures and odd aspect ratio (even square) pictures. I've started doing presentations of archival photos from several different film formats. Usually I just put them on a static background of some sort and fade the photos in and out. This gets old and I'd like some fresh ideas. Thanks. Dave

Just to add my two cents... Until just recently, I was part of a help desk situation with over 600 computers, all using "Symantec Anti-Virus Corporate Edition" which is the business version of NAV. When I came on board four years ago they had been using it for several years. I have also been a big proponent of Norton AV and have used it (until this year) exclusively. All of us in the computer support area got together and decided that Symantec the past three years was getting harder and harder to support. Machines we're slowing down and the uninstall could be a nightmare. Eight out of ten would uninstall fine. One would require some extra registry clean-up. The tenth one required full-on registry hacking to remove it. The built-in uninstall program is a joke. I considered writing my own uninstall program, it was that bad. The uninstall documents on the Symantec website were 3-5 pages for each version. Needless to say we torched a few Windows installs (with trained guys even). They switched to AVG completely last year, even losing the last year of their Symantec support contract. From what I have heard, they are extremely happy they made the switch. I have AVG on my three computers and have so many weird problems have disappeared, I can't help but say it was the Symantec/Norton AV.

In working with many different video projectors over the years, I am never surprised at how Windows freaks out trying to run with multi-monitors, meaning the LCD panel plus the video projector. It doesn't even act consistently from event to event. I usually make sure the built-in LCD panel is switched off and the video projector is the number "1" monitor on the laptop. Even then some computer's video cards do not implement the external VGA port properly. Having said that, many video projectors will freak out when the VGA port does something unexpected, like a resolution change or a timing change. If all of your presentations did the same thing, I would try someone else's PTE presentation and see what happens. I suspect you encountered an interaction between your specific laptop and that projector. If you really want to find an answer, change one thing at a time and keep careful notes. Dave

Perhaps this is a brute-force solution, but when I am confronted with a lot of changes like this, I resort to opening the PTE file in a text editor and do a search-and-replace. When changing font or point sizes you may need to reposition the text elements, but it's a whole easier than cycling through all the slides and poking through all the pulldowns. Dave