Best Video Format?

[Brian Lynn]

Assuming file size is not an issue, what is the best format to ensure
compatability of video clips with PowerPoint?

I have used mplay32.exe to test and test and test and have come to the
conclusion that it doesnt matter if mplay32.exe can play a video... only half
of the videos that test OK in mplay32.exe play OK in PowerPoint. And of
course WiMP is useless for testing since only around 15% of what plays in
WiMP is reliable in PowerPoint.

I am trying to get a group of doctors to all conform to a single format.
Right now I am getting .avi using dozens of different codecs... Cinepak
Radius (half of those work in PPT half do not), Ligos Indeo (super
frustrating rip off that you have to pay for...), TSCC (Techsmith Screen
Capture Codec, used by many medical devices to out put flouroscope scans,
sonograms, etc.), Sony DV, MPEG-1, M-JPEG, Morgan Multimedia M-JPEG codec,
and many many more... I have come to dread .avi video for use in PowerPoint
simply due to the amount of clashing codecs that .avi can use to encode.

Unfortunately no one seems to know what .wmv is or that you can often
re-code a video that runs on one PC, make it a .wmv and it will play on
another PC, and the software to make that is free from MS.

Is .wmv the best format to use to ensure compatiblity across PC platforms?

..mpeg as far as i know is just as convoluted as .avi with many possible
codecs available. But I may be wrong about that. .mpeg seems to work around
50% of the time.

I know there is the "PFS" that can be used but most of the time I don't have
the access to use PFS or the time... Doctors presenting presentations with 20
videos talks are 20 minutes long and none of them bring be their files until
2 minutes before the go on. No time to recode a video before they go up to
garuntee playback.

So... is .wmv the preferred format for video in PowerPoint? PFS uses it so I
am assuming so... I need to be able to give my client a request for formats
in the future but with my experiences so far there has been no easy answer. I
am hoping for easier, not even hoping for totally easy...

Thanks for the info to anyone who responds.

Rant:

PowerPoint needs to get off its proverbial behind and take their heads out
of the hole that's found there... Keynote handles multimedia with ease... it
has better transitions, better text handling by lightyears, and PowerPoint is
quickly loosing ground to presenters who just want it to WORK. I do tons of
adjustments to my Windows PCs to make them as widely acceptable of videos,
etc. and still I can't get past 50% reliability when I am dealing with videos
that I did not create or have input into. Release a verison in 2002, and
another in 2003?? 2003 should have been a patch. Wish M$ would give us
preview of what's to come so I can choose to jump ship now, forever, before I
take more time, and waste more of my clients time using PowerPoint.

 

[Brian Lynn]

CORRECTION:
All references to PFS should be PFC: Plays For Certain, Austin Myers tool
for inserting video into powerpoint. sorry for the confusion!

 

[Austin Myers]

Brian,

WMV is the format I would use (in fact that is what PFCMedia uses). However
(you knew it was coming) there are several codecs and methods that can be
used to create a WMV file and not all of them are compatible with the MCI
player (used in PPT). If you are going to encode them to a WMV format (or
rather have the doctors do it) you/they really need to spend some time to
read and understand video formatting for use in PowerPoint. (Things to
consider are data rates, codec compatibility, color depth, native
resolution, motion, I & P frames, etc.)

I sympathize with the fact the Docs show up and you don't have time to
straighten it all out before it's time to put on the show. sigh...
Unfortunately this happens far too often. But regardless of what you use to
encode the video, it's still going to take time.

As far as being more Mac like... Naw, I run into just as many problems on
that side of the fence as I do the Windows side. Go figure...

Perhaps the real solution if to give the Docs (have them download it) a copy
of the trial version of PFCMedia and let them have the presentations ready
when they show up. ;-)


Austin Myers
MS PowerPoint MVP Team

Provider of PFCMedia http://www.pfcmedia.com

 

[Brian Lynn]

I never said I wanted PowerPoint to be more mac like... Well maybe in some
aspects. PPT2003 tends to mangle fonts that animate and the drop shadows are
really pathetic.

I recomend PFC to everyone I know that has issues with video in PPT. Ever
since you first linked me to it. I still don't like the uninstall process but
I can get over that with the ease it allows my clients to use video in PPT.

So what are the codecs that .wmv uses? When I use WME the only choices I get
are quality (download, stream, etc which I assume effects the compression
ratio, and there fore the quality) for the video, and the audio if they are
present.

Some of the Docs are very tech savvy and a tool like yours, to them. makes
them feel like they are not capable... not a good thing to do to some of
these egos... So I recomend they download and use WME to create .wmv for use
in PowerPoint. Most of the time the file sizes end up a LOT smaller then what
they were working with before and they like that. And so far its been pretty
fail safe...

What are some of the issues to look out for if I continue to use WME to
create .wmv? Can't seem to make .wmv out of anything else I've got (premier,
aftereffects, vegas, etc.) so I use WME exclusively at this point for
encoding .wmv

I will admit to having many similar issues with macs... but as long as they
stick to the mac format quicktime it seems to be a lot better then anything a
PC can do as far as reliable output of the video. Mac tends to not have the
issues that PC laptops have as well (the black screen on the non-primary
video channel).

Mostly I am impressed at the ease with which presenters can build
presentations in keynote. Its not as powerful as powerpoint underneath the
skin but I think that's part of its advantage too... its not trying to be a
full power too... just a presentation tool... The transitions are very nice,
some distracting but they are still of a quality that powerpoint can't touch,
even with Crystal Graphics (not my favorite) and some of the other plugins
you can't match the slickness of some of the transitions, i.e. the plasma
fractal one...

I like PowerPoint and other then Keynote the alternatives are pretty poor
and even worse at handling multimedia. Flash might be a pain in the rear in
PowerPoint but its purely impossible in OpenOffice and similar apps.

So after all that... I guess my new question is: what should I look out for
that trips up even the .wmv format?
Thanks Austin for the input... you really run these posts! lol =)

 

[Brian Lynn]

But seriously... I used to do Buena Vista shows on powerpoint... they are
very quickly changing to keynote because powerpoint is so clunky and
frustrating for them to work with. Plus the mac's handle fonts WAY better
then PC does.

Why does PPT 2003 mangle animated fonts? older versions seemed to do a lot
better at keeping the text edges smooth. I see this issue on any PC running
powerpoint with animated text...

 

[Austin Myers]

I never said I wanted PowerPoint to be more mac like... Well maybe in some
aspects. PPT2003 tends to mangle fonts that animate and the drop shadows
are
really pathetic.

I think your going to love how PPT 2007 and Vista handles fonts then.

I recomend PFC to everyone I know that has issues with video in PPT. Ever
since you first linked me to it. I still don't like the uninstall process
but
I can get over that with the ease it allows my clients to use video in
PPT.

Ah, the latest revison addresses that (due in part to your suggestions) and
it is now removed via Add/Remove programs.

So what are the codecs that .wmv uses? When I use WME the only choices I
get
are quality (download, stream, etc which I assume effects the compression
ratio, and there fore the quality) for the video, and the audio if they
are
present.

WMV comes in several flavors (7, 8, and 9 and a half doxen in between
steps).

Some of the Docs are very tech savvy and a tool like yours, to them. makes
them feel like they are not capable... not a good thing to do to some of
these egos...

Yup, I've ran into that myself, even when they aren't so tech sharp. <g>
One thing I point out to folks that really do understand it is that using
PFC also addresses linking issues and allows them time to work on a great
presentation instead of spending time making vids.

What are some of the issues to look out for if I continue to use WME to
create .wmv? Can't seem to make .wmv out of anything else I've got
(premier,
aftereffects, vegas, etc.) so I use WME exclusively at this point for
encoding .wmv

The issues are sort of widely spread out. As an example two pass vs. single
pass encoding, poorly configured profiles for the audio portion, etc.

I will admit to having many similar issues with macs... but as long as
they
stick to the mac format quicktime it seems to be a lot better then
anything a
PC can do as far as reliable output of the video. Mac tends to not have
the
issues that PC laptops have as well (the black screen on the non-primary
video channel).

Yup, and if everyone stuck to WMV on the Windows side... LOL

 

[Brian Lynn]

I think your going to love how PPT 2007 and Vista handles fonts then.

***I hope so! Are you saying there is a good change I won't have to be
jealous of the nice soft edge drop shadows anymore?!? lol... Almost anything
(besides going back to ppt2k) would be better then the way fonts are handled
now... I am waiting with baited breath to jump on version 2007. 2002/3 has
been great but not without its obvious limitations...

Ah, the latest revison addresses that (due in part to your suggestions) and
it is now removed via Add/Remove programs.

***Perfect! Sorry I was so opinionated about that but for the common user it
kinda freaks them out when they can't easily uninstall. Even for myself
trying to uninstall without your input on where to find it was very
frustrating. Very happy to hear that has been updated you rock!

WMV comes in several flavors (7, 8, and 9 and a half doxen in between
steps).

***Well currently I have all my clients on the latest WiMP, and if they
don't then at least I run it on the show computers. Currently using wmv9
format and WME from MS website to encode it. So far I've not had a hiccup
excpet for those presenters that don't check in on time and there is no time
to check... /slap lol

***Yes... So far ppt2003 seems to handle re-connecting the videos to their
spots pretty well. Even copying between computers, flash drives and back, the
videos seem to be holding pretty well. If they come in a folder I leave the
hierarchy intact and pull the entire folder into my c:\ppt folder. Works
well. Also helps to make your root folder name short so when the Doctors show
up with long file names on their videos its less likely for PPT to not play
the video due to the 128 character limit on nameing... This issue just seems
goofy to me. Any possiblity this will be fixed down the road? Yes, its goofy,
but it often makes me the hero when with a few clicks I can get the videos to
run just fine... LOL

Yup, I've ran into that myself, even when they aren't so tech sharp. <g>
One thing I point out to folks that really do understand it is that using
PFC also addresses linking issues and allows them time to work on a great
presentation instead of spending time making vids.

***Great presentations with 8 point fonts and 100x100 tables with 8 digit
numbers being shown to 3000 people on 15'x20' projection screens... lol... we
call them "eye charts" lol

The issues are sort of widely spread out. As an example two pass vs. single
pass encoding, poorly configured profiles for the audio portion, etc.

***Well so far I have had great success with WME, and your PFC has done a
good job helping many others...

Yup, and if everyone stuck to WMV on the Windows side... LOL

***Ha ha... That's the goal! I've built a small html page and I've been
copying it to Doc's flash sticks... it has some basic guide lines on building
slides for legibility (stand 30 feet back from your 17" monitor... can't read
it? then they won't be able to either...) and compatiblity across PC
platforms... I don't even try to address Mac->PC and back issues... I just
bought two 17" PowerBooks for backup to take care of that headache... what a
mess that is... lolThanks for the input Austin. As always you've been very helpful!