Video flunkie

[Rivets]

Hello again, from a recent lurker.

I'm using Powerpoint XP on a couple of P4 machines (described below) with a
video playback problem.

I originally thought the source of my woes with inserting video clips had to
do with the addressing, but it seems this is not the case.

Using an Author machine, I've constructed Powerpoint slides, inserting one
video clip (between 3 - 12 seconds) on each slide, set to start
automatically. The Powerpoint file itself is saved in the same folder as
the video clips. The clips are .mpeg files 640x480, generated from Pinnacle
Studio8. The Powerpoint presentation runs perfectly on this machine.

Upon transferring the folder to the Presenting computer, the videos would
not play in Powerpoint. I verified that the list of codecs on each machine
was identical. The .mpeg files play fine using Windows Media Player.

During troubleshooting, I tried generating an entire new presentation on the
Presenting computer, saving the new .ppt in the same folder as all the mpegs
and re-inserting them. Nothing. The best it will do is give an extremely
brief flash of an image, then just show a big black box. The Presenting
machine plays both .mpegs and .avi files equally well with Media Player 9.

The only success I've had getting Powerpoint to play a video clip of any
sort is to use the Insert/Object, and navigate to a .avi file nearby. It's
a clunky method.

I'm just curious what I should be checking on the "Presenting" computer....
video resolution & depth? I've been checking some of the websites suggested
on this forum, but certainly willing to visit them again for more info.
Could this be an OLE issue? If so, where do I check OLE in WinXP?

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

Kev


The "Author" Machine: P4 2.4, 512 ram, 128m video card, tons of fast free
disk space. WinXP Pro, and Office XP, fully up to date with SP1 & 2.
Media Player 9 onboard. 1024x768 on dual monitors. Pinnacle Studio8
installed. RealVideo too.

The "Presenting" Machine: P4 2.8, 512ram, 128m video card, 40gig drive
mostly empty, WinXP Pro, and Office XP fully up to date also. Media Player
9 onboard. 1024x768 on single monitor. Pinnacle Studio8 installed.
RealVideo.

 

[Echo S]

I'd first check
http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm Pay
special attention in section 3 when it talks about the registry/MCI
settings. Since you're using WinXP, you'll want to make sure your
registry settings match. That's the first troubleshooting step.

The next is to make sure you've used a standard codec for those video
files. There are some listed in that link above.

 

[Rivets]

Thanks Echo - I'll check over the next day or so, and post any results.

Kev

I'd first check
http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm Pay
special attention in section 3 when it talks about the registry/MCI
settings. Since you're using WinXP, you'll want to make sure your
registry settings match. That's the first troubleshooting step.

The next is to make sure you've used a standard codec for those video
files. There are some listed in that link above.

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

Hello again, from a recent lurker.

I'm using Powerpoint XP on a couple of P4 machines (described below) with a
video playback problem.

I originally thought the source of my woes with inserting video clips had to
do with the addressing, but it seems this is not the case.

Using an Author machine, I've constructed Powerpoint slides, inserting one
video clip (between 3 - 12 seconds) on each slide, set to start
automatically. The Powerpoint file itself is saved in the same folder as
the video clips. The clips are .mpeg files 640x480, generated from Pinnacle
Studio8. The Powerpoint presentation runs perfectly on this machine.

Upon transferring the folder to the Presenting computer, the videos would
not play in Powerpoint. I verified that the list of codecs on each machine
was identical. The .mpeg files play fine using Windows Media Player.

During troubleshooting, I tried generating an entire new presentation on the
Presenting computer, saving the new .ppt in the same folder as all the mpegs
and re-inserting them. Nothing. The best it will do is give an extremely
brief flash of an image, then just show a big black box. The Presenting
machine plays both .mpegs and .avi files equally well with Media Player 9.

The only success I've had getting Powerpoint to play a video clip of any
sort is to use the Insert/Object, and navigate to a .avi file nearby. It's
a clunky method.

I'm just curious what I should be checking on the "Presenting" computer....
video resolution & depth? I've been checking some of the websites suggested
on this forum, but certainly willing to visit them again for more info.
Could this be an OLE issue? If so, where do I check OLE in WinXP?

Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

Kev

The "Author" Machine: P4 2.4, 512 ram, 128m video card, tons of fast free
disk space. WinXP Pro, and Office XP, fully up to date with SP1 & 2.
Media Player 9 onboard. 1024x768 on dual monitors. Pinnacle Studio8
installed. RealVideo too.

The "Presenting" Machine: P4 2.8, 512ram, 128m video card, 40gig drive
mostly empty, WinXP Pro, and Office XP fully up to date also. Media Player
9 onboard. 1024x768 on single monitor. Pinnacle Studio8 installed.
RealVideo.