embedded PowerPoint Files

[Tom]

I received an unsolicited email containing a PowerPoint slideshow
called "Shopping for Husbands". The slideshow had embedded backgroud
music. I extracted the music by saving the slideshow as HTML and then
searching through the directory of files until I found the .wav file.
The file is quite compressed. It plays for 47 seconds, yet is only 52
kilobits in length. Amazingly, the sound quality is remarkably good.

One anomaly: When I play it in Windows Media Player, and select
Properties from the File Menu, it says Audio Codec: MPEG Layer-3
Decoder, indicating that the file is really an mp3 file (though it has
a .wav extension). However, the file plays in the Windows XP sound
recorder, which I believe only plays true .wav files. Another anomaly
is that, under WMP Properties, it indicates that the bit rate is 0
Kbps.

I would love to be able to create music files like this one for my
PowerPoint slideshows, but have no idea how. Can someone tell me how
this file was created?

I would be glad to email anyone a copy of the music file who would like
to examine it.

 

[TAJ Simmons]

Tom,

I received an unsolicited email containing a PowerPoint slideshow
called "Shopping for Husbands".

How did you know it was not a virus, or did not contain a macro virus?

TAJ

 

[Michael Koerner]

There is a utility out there at http://www.studiodust.com/riffmp3.html which
will change the mp3 header into making everything think that it is a wav file,
which allows you to embed into PowerPoint.

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Michael Koerner [MS PPT MVP]


I received an unsolicited email containing a PowerPoint slideshow
called "Shopping for Husbands". The slideshow had embedded backgroud
music. I extracted the music by saving the slideshow as HTML and then
searching through the directory of files until I found the .wav file.
The file is quite compressed. It plays for 47 seconds, yet is only 52
kilobits in length. Amazingly, the sound quality is remarkably good.

One anomaly: When I play it in Windows Media Player, and select
Properties from the File Menu, it says Audio Codec: MPEG Layer-3
Decoder, indicating that the file is really an mp3 file (though it has
a .wav extension). However, the file plays in the Windows XP sound
recorder, which I believe only plays true .wav files. Another anomaly
is that, under WMP Properties, it indicates that the bit rate is 0
Kbps.

I would love to be able to create music files like this one for my
PowerPoint slideshows, but have no idea how. Can someone tell me how
this file was created?

I would be glad to email anyone a copy of the music file who would like
to examine it.

 

[Tom]

Michael - Thanks a million. I downloaded the utility at the website
you provided, ran it on a test file, and it worked perfectly. I was
able to embed my pseudo .wav file into PowerPoint. Right now, I
couldn't be happier.

 

[Tom]

Taj - I used a bad choice of words. I received the email from a friend
of mine. He received it from anotrher friend, etcetera, etcetera, so
it was not feasible to trace it back to the original developer.

It definitely does not have a virus associated with it.

By the way, the answer to my problem was provided by Michael Koerner
(see the replies to my post).

 

[Michael Koerner]

Glad to hear that it worked for you. Thanks for getting back to us.

--
<>Please post all follow-up questions/replies to the newsgroup<>
<><>Email unless specifically requested will not be opened<><>
<><><>Do Provide The Version Of PowerPoint You Are Using<><><>
<><><>Do Not Post Attachments In This Newsgroup<><><>
Michael Koerner [MS PPT MVP]


Michael - Thanks a million. I downloaded the utility at the website
you provided, ran it on a test file, and it worked perfectly. I was
able to embed my pseudo .wav file into PowerPoint. Right now, I
couldn't be happier.

 

[Tom]

Michael - I notice that my pseudo- wave files will not play in Windows
Sound Recorder so evidently the header does not look exactly like a
wave file - not that this is important to me. However, the pseudo .wav
file from the slideshow I received via email does play in Windows Sound
Recorder so it is possible to construct the "perfect" header.

However, I have a more general question. Given that it is possible for
PowerPoint to play embedded .mp3 files, why doesn't Microsoft simply
let you embed them in the same manner as .wav files? Why must we
resort to trickery?

 

[Michael Koerner]

Hopefully in upcoming versions Microsoft will add that capability.

--
<>Please post all follow-up questions/replies to the newsgroup<>
<><>Email unless specifically requested will not be opened<><>
<><><>Do Provide The Version Of PowerPoint You Are Using<><><>
<><><>Do Not Post Attachments In This Newsgroup<><><>
Michael Koerner [MS PPT MVP]


Michael - I notice that my pseudo- wave files will not play in Windows
Sound Recorder so evidently the header does not look exactly like a
wave file - not that this is important to me. However, the pseudo .wav
file from the slideshow I received via email does play in Windows Sound
Recorder so it is possible to construct the "perfect" header.

However, I have a more general question. Given that it is possible for
PowerPoint to play embedded .mp3 files, why doesn't Microsoft simply
let you embed them in the same manner as .wav files? Why must we
resort to trickery?