Cannot play videos in PP 2003 after trying everything!

[jt]

OK, I've spent 2 days trying to play videos in PowerPoint 2003 on my
HP Pavilion zt3000 with 64mb Radeon 9200 video card. Videos import,
but when they play, it is a blank screen. It seems as others have had
this problem but reading through all the solutions and trying them
hasn't worked. Was hoping Elecard MPEG2 decoder pack would solve my
problem, but no go.

Here's what I've tried:
1) Read http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm
and checked registry
2) Have installed latest video drivers
3) Videos don't play in Safe Mode, but do play with mplayer2.exe in
standard mode and safe mode
4) If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg, but with
mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play. It will not play
any other format.
5) Played with video outputs and doesn't make a difference.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm going nuts and have a big
presentation this week that needs to use these videos.

Thanks,
jt

 

[Guest]

Thanks for posting all the stuff you've tried already, JT. That helps tremendously.

One thing to consider is that mplay32.exe (not mplayer2.exe) has a limit to the number of characters it can handle in a path. It's something like 124 or 128. So try putting the video on the C drive and inserting it from there. That's just a test to see if the path length has anything to do with it.

The other thing to consider is that PPT 2003's multimedia handling is a little different than it is in previous versions. If mplay32.exe can't play the file, it attempts to pass it off to Windows Media Player. What I think happens is that there's a problem somewhere with the handoff from mplay32.exe to WMP, but I can't swear to that.

At any rate, I am going to suggest something a bit bizarre for you to try -- change your hardware acceleration as described at http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00129.htm This has resolved at least one other instance of this issue.

Also make sure you have the latest version of Direct X installed.

Iyou can email me the movie, I'd love to pass it along to Microsoft for review.

Oh, and can you confirm this, please?

3) Videos don't play in Safe Mode, but do play with mplayer2.exe in
standard mode and safe mode

Do you mean that videos don't play when you open PPT in Safe Mode, but they do play with mplay32.exe in Windows in both standard mode and in Windows Safe Mode?

Also this is confusing to me:

4) If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg, but with
mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play. It will not play
any other format.

"If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg" -- what's "it"? PPT or Roxio or mplay32.exe or what?

"With mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play." You mean if you use Main Concept's MPEG2 codec to render from Vegas Video, the file will not play in mplay32.exe? Or do you mean it won't play in PPT?

"It will not play any other format."
I assume you mean that no matter what format/codec you use to render in Vegas Video, the resulting video won't play in PPT. Is that correct?

(Sorry, but I'm obviously having a comprehension problem today.)

Do I understand correctly that if you encode your video with Roxio, it will play in PPT? If so, I'd just use that to encode the thing and be done with it.

 

[TAJ Simmons]

Just a quickie ..... in addition to Echos excellent advice....That's a laptop/notebook right?

Videos import,> but when they play, it is a blank screen.

A blank screen on the laptop or when projected?

If when projected see
Videos play correctly on computer but not on projector (black box)
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00467.htm


Cheers
TAJ Simmons
microsoft powerpoint mvp

awesome - powerpoint backgrounds,
free powerpoint templates, tutorials, hints and tips etc
http://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com

 

[Guest]

oooooh, good point. Totally missed that!

Echo

Just a quickie ..... in addition to Echos excellent advice....
That's a laptop/notebook right?

A blank screen on the laptop or when projected?

If when projected see
Videos play correctly on computer but not on projector (black box)
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00467.htm


Cheers
TAJ Simmons
microsoft powerpoint mvp

awesome - powerpoint backgrounds,
free powerpoint templates, tutorials, hints and tips etc
http://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com

 

[jt]

Echo - I LOVE YOU!

Amazing. Sure enough, the files that won't play are deep within my
file system. I moved them to the c: drive and they play fine. The
reason the Roxio encoded videos play fine is that they were put in a
higher level folder. I took one video that had a 136 character name,
changed it to 111 and it worked fine. All of my videos are just on
the edge and that's why some played and others didn't.

Two solid days of lost work for this?!?!?!

Come on Microsoft, shouldn't this be an issue in the knowledgebase?

Again, thanks Echo.

jt

Thanks for posting all the stuff you've tried already, JT. That helps tremendously.

One thing to consider is that mplay32.exe (not mplayer2.exe) has a limit to the number of characters it can handle in a path. It's something like 124 or 128. So try putting the video on the C drive and inserting it from there. That's just a test to see if the path length has anything to do with it.

The other thing to consider is that PPT 2003's multimedia handling is a little different than it is in previous versions. If mplay32.exe can't play the file, it attempts to pass it off to Windows Media Player. What I think happens is that there's a problem somewhere with the handoff from mplay32.exe to WMP, but I can't swear to that.

At any rate, I am going to suggest something a bit bizarre for you to try -- change your hardware acceleration as described at http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00129.htm This has resolved at least one other instance of this issue.

Also make sure you have the latest version of Direct X installed.

Iyou can email me the movie, I'd love to pass it along to Microsoft for review.

Oh, and can you confirm this, please?

3) Videos don't play in Safe Mode, but do play with mplayer2.exe in
standard mode and safe mode

Do you mean that videos don't play when you open PPT in Safe Mode, but they do play with mplay32.exe in Windows in both standard mode and in Windows Safe Mode?

Also this is confusing to me:

4) If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg, but with
mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play. It will not play
any other format.

"If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg" -- what's "it"? PPT or Roxio or mplay32.exe or what?

"With mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play." You mean if you use Main Concept's MPEG2 codec to render from Vegas Video, the file will not play in mplay32.exe? Or do you mean it won't play in PPT?

"It will not play any other format."
I assume you mean that no matter what format/codec you use to render in Vegas Video, the resulting video won't play in PPT. Is that correct?

(Sorry, but I'm obviously having a comprehension problem today.)

Do I understand correctly that if you encode your video with Roxio, it will play in PPT? If so, I'd just use that to encode the thing and be done with it.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

OK, I've spent 2 days trying to play videos in PowerPoint 2003 on my
HP Pavilion zt3000 with 64mb Radeon 9200 video card. Videos import,
but when they play, it is a blank screen. It seems as others have had
this problem but reading through all the solutions and trying them
hasn't worked. Was hoping Elecard MPEG2 decoder pack would solve my
problem, but no go.

Here's what I've tried:
1) Read http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm
and checked registry
2) Have installed latest video drivers
3) Videos don't play in Safe Mode, but do play with mplayer2.exe in
standard mode and safe mode
4) If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg, but with
mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play. It will not play
any other format.
5) Played with video outputs and doesn't make a difference.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm going nuts and have a big
presentation this week that needs to use these videos.

Thanks,
jt

 

[Geetesh Bajaj]

You'll find more info here:

How PowerPoint 2003 Plays Multimedia Files in a Presentation -
http://snipurl.com/pp2003multimedia


--
Geetesh Bajaj, Microsoft PowerPoint MVP
http://www.indezine.com
http://www.powerpointed.com
The PowerPoint Blog at http://www.indezine.com/blog/

Echo - I LOVE YOU!

Amazing. Sure enough, the files that won't play are deep within my
file system. I moved them to the c: drive and they play fine. The
reason the Roxio encoded videos play fine is that they were put in a
higher level folder. I took one video that had a 136 character name,
changed it to 111 and it worked fine. All of my videos are just on
the edge and that's why some played and others didn't.

Two solid days of lost work for this?!?!?!

Come on Microsoft, shouldn't this be an issue in the knowledgebase?

Again, thanks Echo.

jt

Echo S <[email protected]> wrote in message

to the number of characters it can handle in a path. It's something like 124
or 128. So try putting the video on the C drive and inserting it from there.
That's just a test to see if the path length has anything to do with it.little different than it is in previous versions. If mplay32.exe can't play
the file, it attempts to pass it off to Windows Media Player. What I think
happens is that there's a problem somewhere with the handoff from
mplay32.exe to WMP, but I can't swear to that.try -- change your hardware acceleration as described at
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00129.htm This has resolved at least one
other instance of this issue.they do play with mplay32.exe in Windows in both standard mode and in
Windows Safe Mode?you use Main Concept's MPEG2 codec to render from Vegas Video, the file will
not play in mplay32.exe? Or do you mean it won't play in PPT?will play in PPT? If so, I'd just use that to encode the thing and be done
with it.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

OK, I've spent 2 days trying to play videos in PowerPoint 2003 on my
HP Pavilion zt3000 with 64mb Radeon 9200 video card. Videos import,
but when they play, it is a blank screen. It seems as others have had
this problem but reading through all the solutions and trying them
hasn't worked. Was hoping Elecard MPEG2 decoder pack would solve my
problem, but no go.

Here's what I've tried:
1) Read http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm
and checked registry
2) Have installed latest video drivers
3) Videos don't play in Safe Mode, but do play with mplayer2.exe in
standard mode and safe mode
4) If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg, but with
mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play. It will not play
any other format.
5) Played with video outputs and doesn't make a difference.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm going nuts and have a big
presentation this week that needs to use these videos.

Thanks,
jt

 

[Guest]

I am *so* happy to hear that you were able to resolve this, JT.

Re the KB, I thought this was documented somewhere, but I may very well be wrong there. I'll try to double-check on that sometime this week.

Echo

Echo - I LOVE YOU!

Amazing. Sure enough, the files that won't play are deep within my
file system. I moved them to the c: drive and they play fine. The
reason the Roxio encoded videos play fine is that they were put in a
higher level folder. I took one video that had a 136 character name,
changed it to 111 and it worked fine. All of my videos are just on
the edge and that's why some played and others didn't.

Two solid days of lost work for this?!?!?!

Come on Microsoft, shouldn't this be an issue in the knowledgebase?

Again, thanks Echo.

jt

Thanks for posting all the stuff you've tried already, JT. That helps tremendously.

One thing to consider is that mplay32.exe (not mplayer2.exe) has a limit to the number of characters it can handle in a path. It's something like 124 or 128. So try putting the video on the C drive and inserting it from there. That's just a test to see if the path length has anything to do with it.

The other thing to consider is that PPT 2003's multimedia handling is a little different than it is in previous versions. If mplay32.exe can't play the file, it attempts to pass it off to Windows Media Player. What I think happens is that there's a problem somewhere with the handoff from mplay32.exe to WMP, but I can't swear to that.

At any rate, I am going to suggest something a bit bizarre for you to try -- change your hardware acceleration as described at http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00129.htm This has resolved at least one other instance of this issue.

Also make sure you have the latest version of Direct X installed.

Iyou can email me the movie, I'd love to pass it along to Microsoft for review.

Oh, and can you confirm this, please?

3) Videos don't play in Safe Mode, but do play with mplayer2.exe in
standard mode and safe mode

Do you mean that videos don't play when you open PPT in Safe Mode, but they do play with mplay32.exe in Windows in both standard mode and in Windows Safe Mode?

Also this is confusing to me:

4) If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg, but with
mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play. It will not play
any other format.

"If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg" -- what's "it"? PPT or Roxio or mplay32.exe or what?

"With mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play." You mean if you use Main Concept's MPEG2 codec to render from Vegas Video, the file will not play in mplay32.exe? Or do you mean it won't play in PPT?

"It will not play any other format."
I assume you mean that no matter what format/codec you use to render in Vegas Video, the resulting video won't play in PPT. Is that correct?

(Sorry, but I'm obviously having a comprehension problem today.)

Do I understand correctly that if you encode your video with Roxio, it will play in PPT? If so, I'd just use that to encode the thing and be done with it.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

OK, I've spent 2 days trying to play videos in PowerPoint 2003 on my
HP Pavilion zt3000 with 64mb Radeon 9200 video card. Videos import,
but when they play, it is a blank screen. It seems as others have had
this problem but reading through all the solutions and trying them
hasn't worked. Was hoping Elecard MPEG2 decoder pack would solve my
problem, but no go.

Here's what I've tried:
1) Read http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm
and checked registry
2) Have installed latest video drivers
3) Videos don't play in Safe Mode, but do play with mplayer2.exe in
standard mode and safe mode
4) If encode with Roxio player, it will play mpeg, but with
mainconcept mpeg 2 within vegas, it will not play. It will not play
any other format.
5) Played with video outputs and doesn't make a difference.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm going nuts and have a big
presentation this week that needs to use these videos.

Thanks,
jt

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I am *so* happy to hear that you were able to resolve this, JT.

Re the KB, I thought this was documented somewhere, but I may very well be wrong there. I'll try to double-check on that sometime this week.

Good work, tha botha yas.

BTW, this is listed as a potential gotcha here:

Links break when I move presentation (and at other times)
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00155.htm

 

[Guest]

BTW, this is listed as a potential gotcha here:

Links break when I move presentation (and at other times)
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00155.htm

Ahhh, so *that's* where I've seen it before. Now we just gotta figure out what kind of KB article should have that kind of info (or at least what keywords). It's a link issue, sure, but it's also not something you'd necessarily think of as being a link issue, you know whutta mean, Vern?

Echo

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Ahhh, so *that's* where I've seen it before. Now we just gotta figure out what

kind of KB article should have that kind of info (or at least what keywords). It's
a link issue, sure, but it's also not something you'd necessarily think of as
being a link issue, you know whutta mean, Vern?

Got *that* right. And that's exactly what I was thinking ... so whaddaya think, I
rename the article to "Why sounds and movies don't play"? Include links to the
MotleyMedia tutorials and such?

Seems right to me.

 

[tracy]

I had the same problem and solved it by going into
MediaPlayer, selecting TOOLS, OPTIONS, PERFORMANCE, and
changing the video acceleration from full to none. Hope
this helps.