Danabw

So sounds like you're saying that you don't always get a "blip" between songs in shows? Dana

Did a show tonight that had two songs (MP3s) and between the first and second there is a brief snatch of sound that appears to be just a second or so of the first song playing again before the second song starts. I remember this bug from before, but thought that it had been quashed. Still exist for others as well? I'm on PTE 4.01. Dana

Found my backup - whew! I had created a template from the project and forgot that the PTE file would be in there along w/the images. Saved! But still interested in what was going on... Dana

I was editing a project file (PTE) in Notepad to change some image paths. I saved my changes over the original and now PTE won't open it - gives me the error dialog "incorrect version of project file" error dialog w/an OK button, and the file won't open. I tried opening another good PTE file and replacing all the slide entries in it w/the ones from the "bad" file, and that gives the same error. I've checked the image paths a few times, and they are correct. I've made similar edits in another PTE file just now w/out any problems. So what's up w/my PTE file, and more importantly, how do I save my project? I do not want to start over... I know it was dumb to not backup my PTE file first, so please, no lectures on backing up, I've already given them to myself! :-) Dana

Also...Ctrl-Esc will bring up the Start menu... Dana

XP will do that, if you are running XP. Not sure about earlier Win OS's. PTE should be able to do that, but can't yet. There are some problems w/the sorting in the PTE file list. We asked Igor to update the sorting capability of the File list some time back, not sure of the status of that...sort on date created in the EXIF data is a must-have IMHO, in this age of digital cameras. Dana

Ray - I think you mean "Eight is Enough." Never watched it, but remember the ads... I'm a "My Three Son's" fan myself. :-) Dana

WMA support - very low importance to non-isssue. I'd leave it out as others suggest, and only spend time to add it later if it appears to become an issue. This sounds very cool, Igor. Very glad to hear that this is getting us one step closer to video output.... Dana

Can't get the #*$^# hook out of my mouth.... Dana

Climbing on board...option 3, please! Clean and simple. Easy to find the folder info, doesn't clutter the Slide list. Nice! Them's fightin' words, pardner! Semi-seriously, Ken, I hope that we don't start building features into PTE that assume a specific work-flow for the program to be effective. Part of the great strength of PTE is its current flexibility that serves many different ways of putting together shows (as well as creating many types of shows). I would be disappointed, and I believe PTE would be lessened, if PTE began to require certain work-flows to be used effectively. I know I'm over-reacting, but we "multiple-folder browers" are a paranoid lot. Dana

Sam: You said - Maybe you haven't noticed this PTE feature...if you want a back-up of your project - all files including audio, icons, etc. - use the PTE Template feature. Creating a template creates a complete backup of all assets used in your current show. One old request of Igor was to update the template feature to allow us to select the output directory (currently it goes to C:\program files\pte\templates\project name), and/or create a kind of a copy of the template feature that would be called Project Backup (or whatever) which would allow us to specify a directory for the backup of the project. So the desire to backup a project does not require that you move all show assets to a folder before you create a show - even now you can simply use the template feature and then move that folder to whereever you want to. Dana Dana

There isn't a simple answer for this, obviously. People use PTE differently and thus would desire different thumbnail implementations... Some of us create folders for slideshows, putting the desired images there, even rearranging and renaming them in that folder. Then they start PTE and go from there. At the other end of the spectrum (closer to where I live) others may work from anywhere from one to quite a few folders, adding images to the slide list from the file list. In that case, the images will only ever exist together in the slideshow. And some, I'm sure, use either method (or something in between) depending on their mood, number of images, the phase of the moon.... :-) So Igor isn't likely going to be able to make all of us (equally) happy. That having been said, here's what would float my boat: - Add a button or menu selection to open a secondary PTE window for either the File list or the Slide list. (Same basic window display functionality, just feed it the listing of the images contained in the list that has focus.) That window shows all images in thumbnails (small/med/large or slider size options!?) . Displays thumbnails w/their file name below them. - File list: If the window is opened from the File list, then its function is to provide a view of the thumbnails in that current folder and allow adding them to the show. Allows scrolling up and down, selecting thumbnails (single, multiple, shift-click ranges and ctrl-click) and an "add to show" button to add selected thumbnails to the slide list. - If the window is opened from the Slide list, then it allows the same range of thumbnail selection options, only in this case the selected images may be deleted from the show, moved to a new location in the show, or a custom slide setting may be assigned to them. (I.e., select five thumnails and change their transition duration.) I know that may be much more than was being considered, but I prefer to request a full loaf, rather than 1/2 or 1/3. As to whether this is more important than other things Igor is working on, I would say (for me) no. Igor's addition of the "preview from here" option makes it a breeze to quickly look at a section of your show, and I can live w/that level of functionality for now. What I really want are: - Usability: The most important usability feature that PTE is missing for me right now is multiple selections on the Slide list. If that was added in the Slide list's current text only format that would be a huge boon in terms of being able to delete/move/adjust multiple slides in a show at one time. (Even if only the delete and move functionality could be applied that would be great). Even if you do prepare outside PTE and pre-organize your slides (as I have sometimes) it is very common to find that as you view the show your ideas change a bit and you want to move things around. And if, like me, you often develop shows from multiple folders directly in PTE, being able to move and delete groups of slides would be a tremendous improvement. Now, if Igor added the thumbnail view of the Slide list and included the ability to select multiple and move, etc., as I described above, then that would be a double win. - Output: The most important other option for me would be the ability to output an AVI from PTE, for use in creating DVDs (and I know others want this option to create VCDs and SVCDs). That is the way the industry is headed, and is PTE's most glaring functionality gap compared to the competition at this point. Providing AVI output would put PTE back into competition w/tools that offer PC and TV slideshow output. So, 1) Add multiple selects/delete/move to the current Slide list: 2) Add AVI output; and 3) Then go back to work on thumbnail views. Of course, this is all just my humble opinion....but in my mind I'm right! Dana

Good clarification... - W/PTE, not yet (but options are coming...) - W/other tools, sure. Go to Google and search on VCD or SVCD. Go to http://www.dvdrhelp.com for tons of info on VCD, SVCD, DVD, etc. Dana

Search on VCD and AVI in this forum, and you'll find all the info you need. Short answer is right now there isn't a terribly simple way to do it. Dana

Great update, and matches my experience w/DVD slideshows on the TV. Luckily, the change for Ray (or anyone) from VCD/SVCD to DVD really only entails two small changes (once the DVD writer is purchased/installed): - Select DVD mpg rather than SVCD mpg as the output - Burn to DVD rather than SVCD There are some seriously looonnnnggg encoding times (processor-bound) when you change from PC shows to DVD shows, but for me the time is worth it for the results. I just start the encoding/burning process and wander off to do other things. Dana

Ouch! Discretion (and what would we know about that?!) being the better part of valor, I'll drop this potato before it gets too hot... :-) Dana

Ray: Thanks for the link... The one I was looking at was bigger...maybe 45". (Don't take it personally that mine was bigger than yours.) :-) I'll have to see what brand it was, but I don't remember it being a Sharp. Dana

Ray: Do you remember which brand LCD you were looking at? On the one I looked at, if you stood centered on the screen and then began moving to either side the picture brightness fell pretty rapidly as the viewing angle increased. If there's an LCD that isn't as prone to that problem I'll be on that bandwagon as well. No birthday, but I maybe I can make it an anniversary present to my wife? :-) Dana

I'd have to caveat my response w/the following: - Only looked at one LCD screen - Haven't spent a ton of time inspecting plasma displays in a serious way (my purchase is likely four or more months away) The angle issue is pretty important to me - I really hate picture quality drop-off when you move off center. I haven't (in my causual looking) noticed a general problem w/the plasma screens being too grainy. I have seen some (plasmas from differernt companies) next to each other and had definite favorites, but haven't found them generally to be a problem. So right now, if you give me the money, I'd take plasma. If it's my money, I'd likely still take plasma, but maybe a slightly smaller screen than you'd buy for me. :-) The one issue on plasma that has scrared me a bit is longevity/reliability - I've heard that there may be some issues in that area. Dana

Ray: Been thinking about this as well, just a bit. I checked out an LCD screen at Best Buy the other day, and the one down-side was that it is more sensitive to angle than the plasma. As you move from the on-center viewing position, the picture falls of more quickly than w/plasma. Something to check out when you look at them in person. Aside from taht I really liked the LCD. Can't remember the brand right now... Dana

Must be thinly veiled jealousy on my part. I thought I was "over the top" w/my collection of drives (40g, 60g, 60g, 80g, 120g, 180g) but I clearly am falling behind! (One of the 60's and the 80 are for my removable dive bay, and contain backups of all my important data - swap them monthly to have redundant backups and store one at work while the other is at home). Now if I could just find time to finish that bomb shelter/pool room... ;-) Dana

Heck, I can beat that. I have a really, really big cardboard box in my garage that's almost completely empty! (It's the only space in my garage that isn't 100% stuffed w/junk). Talk about valuable storage! :-) Dana

Gonna post any screen shots? Or a small sampler? Dana

Amazing...how's your day job going? :-) It would be great to see some screen shots of what you've done (uploading is out of the question!). Care to post any? (www.beechbrook.com/pte) Dana

Granot: This one is pretty cool, I think, for those w/older PCs who's CD drives are a bit slow for large shows. Providing this as an option on a PTE menu could be a useful option. Much easier than what I do now, which is advise in the readme that users should copy the show to their hard drive if they have problems w/performance. Dana