PowerPoint Mac 2004, audio file problem

[mark2]

From Mark2, was Mark, can't remember what email address I used originally. I appreciate the answer from Jim Gordon, but the question is still unanswered. The reference he gave tells how to make a PPT file that everyone can use. Once made there is no mention of how to "fix" it. I have fixed the problem by telling folks not to send me pps files with sound in them. I think the real answer is that "it just can't be done." Once the file is made into pps on a Windows machine, it's done, you can't get sound from it on a Mac, any Mac, ever.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

From Mark2, was Mark, can't remember what email address I used originally. I
appreciate the answer from Jim Gordon, but the question is still unanswered.
The reference he gave tells how to make a PPT file that everyone can use. Once
made there is no mention of how to "fix" it. I have fixed the problem by
telling folks not to send me pps files with sound in them. I think the real
answer is that "it just can't be done." Once the file is made into pps on a
Windows machine, it's done, you can't get sound from it on a Mac, any Mac,
ever.

Hi,

It sounds like (oooo a pun!) the problem is not Mac vs Windows, it's that
the Windows people don't understand how to embed a sound into a PowerPoint
presentation.

If a sound is embedded, that means the sound is now part of the PowerPoint
file itself.

But if a sound is linked, then the sound is played from the file location
that the sound file happens to be located. PowerPoint keeps the entire file
path, but that path is most likely valid only on the computer on which the
presentation was made. If the presentation is sent to another computer by
email or any other means, then the link is broken - even if the sound file
is sent along with the presentation.

So the person who made the presentation in the first place had to know
enough to use a WAV file format for the sound and to change the powerpoint
preference on the General tab in Windows PowerPoint so that the file size is
larger than the file size of the sound file. Otherwise it just won't play
on any other computer - Mac or PC.

It can be done - and quite easily, once the Windows people learn a few
simple things about the way PowerPoint works.

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

That very well could be. But in ppt 2004 I was able to import a wav file I
made but the same file would not work in ppt 2008. I'd like to think there
was rhyme and reason, but I think it's probably just a bug.

Just a bit of followup, though it's by no means clear that this is the issue in
this particular thread ...

WAV files can indeed carry DRM information. Previous versions of PPT didn't pay
any attention to DRM but on the Windows side they have since PPT 2003. You can
no longer embed or even use media that's DRM protected. If 2008 now honors DRM
protection (which I suspect it does), that could account for some failures to
play media.

In those cases, the file would fail to import in the first place rather than
fail to play on Computer B after having been imported into a presentation on
Computer A.


================================================
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

 

[Yves Dussault]

I just stumbled on this thread but it is adressing a problem I have been trying to solve for a while. As described by others, I sometimes get Windows .pps files with music imbedded. These are typically photo slide shows, sometimes with poetry, and classical music.

However, contrary to what has been discussed above, the slide shows play the music without any problems on a Windows PC with PPT 2002. But the music refuses to play on my Mac with PPT 2004. So it is clearly not an issue of the music file not having been included when the presentation was sent.

If I inspect the presentation, I can see that the music is in a .wav file associated with the slide transition for the first slide and the "Loop until next" check box is checked. All the other slide transitions have no sound associated. The music is obviously imbedded in the presentation as it will play by itself on the PC.

As sugested by Jim Gordon earlier, I checked the QuickTime Mime settings and WAVE audio is checked.

Any thoughts on what the problem could be and how to fix it.

TIA. Yves.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

I just stumbled on this thread but it is adressing a problem I have been trying to solve for a while. As described by others, I sometimes get Windows .pps files with music imbedded. These are typically photo slide shows, sometimes with poetry, and classical music.

However, contrary to what has been discussed above, the slide shows play the music without any problems on a Windows PC with PPT 2002. But the music refuses to play on my Mac with PPT 2004. So it is clearly not an issue of the music file not having been included when the presentation was sent.

If I inspect the presentation, I can see that the music is in a .wav file associated with the slide transition for the first slide and the "Loop until next" check box is checked. All the other slide transitions have no sound associated. The music is obviously imbedded in the presentation as it will play by itself on the PC.

As sugested by Jim Gordon earlier, I checked the QuickTime Mime settings and WAVE audio is checked.

Any thoughts on what the problem could be and how to fix it.

TIA. Yves.

Hi,

If you provide a download link we can take a look at the file and try it
on our machines.

Thanks.

-Jim

 

[Yves Dussault]

Here, try this.

illaberek.floppy.hu/Festival_de_tulipan_.pps

Thanks. Yves

 

[Enric Mañas]

Yves,

Save the Festival_de_tulipan_.ppt as a Web Page at the Desktop.

Close Festival_de_tulipan_.ppt

Open again Festival_de_tulipan_.ppt and select in Transition (Sound -->
Other sound) the sound (sound003.wav) that you'll find in the folder at your
desktop, Apply.

Save as Festival_de_tulipan_Yves.ppt

The ppt will weight 4,1 Mb (2,9 Mb before) but you'll hear the music...

Very cordialmente

Enric

 

[Yves Dussaut]

Thanks, that works.

I must admit though that I was looking for a more "change a few settings or install some plug-in" type of solution that would not involve doing a manipulation on every file.

The reason is that I have a few friends that are not very tech savvy that were complaining to me about this problem and I would like to be able to simply tell them (or do it myself on their machine), "do this and this" and then all the slide shows they get would play correctly, including the music, without having to do anything else.

Is this a pipe dream or can we think of a solution of this type.

TIA. Yves.

 

[Enric Mañas]

Yves,

Just closed the Mac...

;-)

Surely "they" are using *something* (CDex or something similar) to add a
riff-wave header to mp3-sounds to wavify the mp3 (keeping the low weight of
the mp3) and fooling Windows-PowerPoint telling him that the mp3 is a wave.
That works in Windows... The wavefied-mp3 do not work on the Mac side... And
it is worse if the sound is inserted in the Transition...

If you make the change, the ppt will work on Mac and Windows... but the ppt
will "weight" more...

Very cordialmente

Enric

 

[mastadon]

I have a sound problem in PPT for Mac: I designed a presentation using PPT 2004, but when I transferred it to a newer Mac using PPT 2008, even though my sound files remain linked, they do not respond in the same manner: a file that used to stop playing when a new file is activated continues to play at the same time as the newly selected sound. If fact, I can't even stop the first sound by double clicking on it prior to selecting the next sound file - it just restarts.

The sound links are all inserted into one slide (there are many similar slides); my intention is to select one sound file at a time, starting or stopping them whenever I choose.

Any recommendations?

 

[Don_Jenson]

When I receive a PPS file that is supposed to include audio, none is heard. Ongoing issue for months.

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi,

This question gets asked almost every day, so there's a nice explanation
on this web page:
Sounds/Movies don't play, images disappear or links break when I move or
email a presentation

http://pptfaq.com/FAQ00155.htm

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are independent experts who are not affiliated with Microsoft.


Visit my blog
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-i7JMeio7cqvhotIUwCzaJWq9

 

[Alberto_Rodríguez_Báez]

Incoming emails with PowerPoint - often PowerPoint will not respond and I have to force quit, in essence, I cannot view the presentation at all. Other times, the presentation will play but the music will not. I have a Mac OSX 10.4.11 and PowerPoint 2004 for Mac, version 11.3.2.

Any ideas out there?

Hi,

I have exactly the same problem with the same OS version and the same PP version.
Please, someone help us!!! :frown:

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi,

I have exactly the same problem with the same OS version and the same PP version.
Please, someone help us!!! :frown:

Hi,

I've also noticed that some PowerPoint presentations will hang in
PowerPoint 2004, but the same presentations will play in PowerPoint 2008
and NeoOffice.

When this happens you should use PowerPoint's Help > Send Feedback
feature and offer to send Microsoft the offending presentation along
with your contact information. I don't know if Microsoft plans any more
updates to the 2004 product, but it's worth a shot.

If you don't want to spend the money on PowerPoint 2008, give NeoOffice
a try http://www.neooffice.org/ - it's free. You probably won't find
NeoOffice suitable to be your first choice for presentations, but if you
get that occasional problem presentation it's worth giving it a shot.
Expect the presentation to play slowly with ugly fonts, but at least it
might play.

The sound problem is something altogether different. The PowerPoint FAQ
addresses this issue:
http://pptfaq.com/FAQ00155.htm

I think that the sound problems could be greatly alleviated if
PowerPoint embedded, rather than linked, sounds and videos by default.
If you agree that this is a good idea, please send feedback to Microsoft
(use PowerPoint's Help > Send Feedback feature)and maybe in the next new
version of PowerPoint they will change the way PowerPoint works.

Thanks.

-Jim

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are independent experts who are not affiliated with Microsoft.


Visit my blog
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-i7JMeio7cqvhotIUwCzaJWq9