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General discussion

What software to create DVD slideshows to view on TV?

by tazio Aug 7, 2006 2:34AM PDT

I want to create DVD photo slideshows to view on my TV via my DVD player. The photos are mostly .jpg with some in .tif format. Simple menus and transitions are OK. (I might get more ambitious later.) No video involved. The OEM software that came with my computer will not create slideshows. What software would you recommend?
Tazio

Windows XP Pro
Pentium D 3.2 GHz
2 GB RAM
250 GB hard drive
LG DVD/CD-ROM: DVD+/-RW GWA4164B
NVidia GeForce 6800 video card
DVD Player: Panasonic DVD-A120 DVD/VCD/CD player

Discussion is locked

14 Posts
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Pinnacle Studio 9
by mt232fd Aug 7, 2006 3:04AM PDT

I like studio 9, it is very quick to set up a simple photo slideswow on DVD, but studio 10 is out and at least for awhile has has bad reviews, I'm looking to see if that has improved. If you're interested in background music, the cheaper programs usual have a limitation of one music file which can be annoying.

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Try Proshow gold from photodex. Demo at link
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 7, 2006 3:29AM PDT
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Software for DVD slideshows
by tazio Aug 10, 2006 4:49AM PDT

Thanks for the responses.
Any opinion on Roxio products, e.g., Easy Media Creator or MyDVD? These seem very popular. Is that only based on low cost?
Tazio

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(NT) (NT) Since ProShow has a free demo, why not?
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 10, 2006 4:55AM PDT
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ProShow
by tazio Aug 10, 2006 11:41AM PDT

In response to R. Proffitt, I am inclined to stay, if feasible, with software that has widespread usage. (Hence, interest in Roxio or Nero products.) My thought is that if I have a problem with a widely used product, I am more likely to find an experienced user who can help. Also, hopefully, I can, in time, become proficient and there would be a greater chance I could help others, as in this forum. (I have seen the many posts that R. Proffitt has made!)

Having said that, ProShow may have that extensive use. I just have not seen it but that may be merely a newbie observation.

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Nero and Roxio are fine CD/DVD recorder software.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 10, 2006 11:46AM PDT

But they only recently began making presentation software. Proshow started with presentation and keep going.

Best of breed?

Bob

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Slideshow software esp. ProShow Gold
by tazio Aug 12, 2006 4:58AM PDT

Point well taken! Thanks for your responses.
I'll look into PSG.
Tazio

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It's a good one...
by MelH Aug 12, 2006 4:57PM PDT

I have it and it works great. And as an added bonus, their technical support is way above average.

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Slide Show
by snapshot2 Forum moderator Aug 11, 2006 6:54AM PDT

I used Ulead DVD Picture Show 2 for over a year and found it OK.
I later updated to Ulead DVD Picture Show 3 because it offered the Ken Burns effect (zoom and pan). It was a disappointment because I was not able to control the Ken Burns effect. It worked automatically only......which is a huge shortcoming.

I spent over a year searching for a slideshow program that had all the features that I wanted.

I finally ran across ProShow Gold by Photodex.
I have an early version 2.0 and am still using it.
They are up to version 2.6 now.
I have created over 30 different slide shows, including two wedding slide shows.

Just sent a DVD slide show to a friend in New Zealand and had to use ProShow Gold to render it in PAL mode (instead of NTSC) so that it would work on their televisions sets. He reported that it worked fine on his television.

There is now an independent users group for ProShow Gold at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proshowgroup/
That users group has come up with a lot of ideas, for adding pizazz to your slide shows. They are also good about helping others.


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PhotoShow Gold
by tazio Aug 12, 2006 5:01AM PDT

Both you and R. Proffitt think highly of PSG; it's got to be real good. I'll look into it.
Do you know if there is a limit (in PSG) in the number of images per slideshow and per DVD?
Thanks for your response.
Tazio

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ProShow Gold
by snapshot2 Forum moderator Aug 12, 2006 9:47AM PDT

Download the trial copy. It is fully functional.
It just puts a watermark on every image.
I suggest that you create one small slideshow the first time (about 50 slides). This will show up the mistakes you will make on the first try.

There is no limit to the number of slides......except when you exceed the capacity of the DVD.
You can also include copies of the original images on the DVD (optional).

You can have several shows on one DVD.
I have had as many as 14 shows on one DVD.
The menu is limited to 6 shows per page.
I don't think there is a limit to number of pages.

Rendering time on a full DVD can take several hours.
So a fast computer is an asset.

You do not have to size your photos for the slide show.
I suggest you leave the photos full size. Use the zoom and pan feature to pick the part of the image that you want to show.

On my last slide show, I used an 8 megapixel camera just to really try out the zoom capability. I was able to zoom deeply into the image before it finally gets blurry.
Using 8 megapixel photos is great, but make sure you have at least 1 gig of computer memory. More would be better. I have 1.5 gig.


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ProShow Gold
by tazio Aug 13, 2006 7:46AM PDT

Thanks, Snapshot2, for the great information.
PSG sounds like just what I need.

I was about to order it when I went to the User Group site you linked. Good info there too but some complaints about uncorrected bugs in PSG 2.6. Someone implied the users were acting as unofficial beta testers!

Have you experienced any of these problems? Are they mainstream problems or ones only affecting the more complex features of PSG?

Some of the users appear to be doing very "tricky" effects (at least they appear so to this new guy). At this point, I'm more interested in the basic authoring and burning processes. Certainly I want to create slideshows I can be proud of but the discussion of bugs was scary.
Tazio

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The bugs are usually not widely noticed.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Aug 13, 2006 8:35AM PDT

Be sure it will affect you. The demo may hold that answer.

Bob

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ProShow Gold
by snapshot2 Forum moderator Aug 13, 2006 9:22AM PDT

There have been complains in the Users Group, but strangely I have not seen many lately, since that last update.

There are no widespread problems, only bugs that seem to occur to certain people. Probably something to do with their computer configuration.

Some problems had to do with the burning process and particular DVD burners. But a solution has been found.
For people who were having burn problems, Photodex has suggested that they do not directly burn the DVDs from the Proshow Gold program.
Instead, those people should create an ISO file with ProShow Gold and then burn the DVD (from the ISO file) using a free program called ImgBurn (www.imgburn.com).

I feel this problem may be related to not having enough memory.

I tried the ImgBurn program and I like that better, even though I had no DVD burn problems at all. When you create the ISO file, you can go back later and burn more copies without having to recompile the slideshow. It saves lots of time.

Download the trial copy of the ProShow Gold program and give it a go.

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