Can't burn a PC slideshow-cannot find the slideshow player?

[Chadwikk]

I bought and installed Photo Impact Pro 11 and built a slideshow using Photo Explorer. I have some clips with audio and some with just words. I can burn a CD for viewing on the TV (VCD) but the quality of the photos and the writing (too fuzzy to read) isn't very good.

I wanted to burn the slideshow for viewing on the PC because the quality of the slideshow on the PC is way better than what the VCD produced (not to mention the disk only played in 1 of 3 dvd players I have and all the dvd players say VCD compatable on them)

The problem is when I select the Burn PC slideshow, I get the next box asking what to name disk and what path to use to store the temp files for the burn - it's when I hit next on this screen that I get a box that pops up that says " Cannot find the slideshoww player. " The box is titled Ulead Photo Explorer 8.6.

I loaded the software on another computer to see what would happen and it does the exact same thing?

How do I fix this so I can burn my slidehow for viewing on another PC?

Thanks,

Chadwikk

[sjj1805]

Easy - forget VCD and create a DVD

[Chadwikk]

I wanted to make a DVD from the get go but I can't figure out how?

I'm one of the rare men who actully reads instructions to figure stuff out but I have come up empty trying to figure out how to burn a slideshow to a DVD??

Any help would be greatly apprciated as I'm trying to finish this project for a Christmas gift

Thanks,

Chad

[Ron P.]

In PhotoExplorer 8.6, look for the icon in the top left, that is a movie reel and a video tape. Hovering your mouse over it should reveal the tool tip, Burn TV Slideshow.

Press that icon and you should get the following dialog window;


The drop-down menu beside Output Format should have DVD as one of the options if you do have a DVD burner properly installed.

VCD, and SVCD or for burning CDs.

Do you have any other DVD authoring applications installed? Do any of them have a "drag-n-drop" utility with them? These type utility applications can hi-jack the burner, preventing other applications from using the burner.

[Chadwikk]

The only choice it gives me for burn slideshow for TV is VCD.

I have a Plexter dvd recorder and it came with some drag and drop program. I'll have to check when I get home which program it is. How do I un highjack the DVD player so that i can select it in Photo explorer??

Again, any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chad

[heinz-oz]

If your drive is a DVD ROM (will play DVD but can't record DVD) you will only be able to burn VCD or SVCD. Some software will also allow you to create a so called MiniDVD, DVD structure on a normal CD blank, but there are only a handfull of player which will play that format.

What you need to make a DVD is a DVD burner, not player.

[Chadwikk]

The dvd drive I have is the Plextor PX760-A which is a DVD +R and +RW recorder.

The software on my PC is Roxio Easy Media Creater 7

Do I need to have a DVD disc in the drive for it to allow me to select DVD??

Any thoughts on how un highjack my DVD player?

Thanks,

Chad

[sjj1805]

.....
Do I need to have a DVD disc in the drive for it to allow me to select DVD??
....

Have you put one in to find out?

[Chadwikk]

I put a +R dvd disk in and it still only gives me VCD option...

Any ideas how to get the program to read my drive?

Thanks

Chad

[heinz-oz]

Are you sure you are putting in a DVD blank? The problem might be either hardware, software (ROXIO) or media related. The easiest would be to try another disk. Just make sure it is a DVD blank and not faulty.

Next step, for me at least, would be to uninstall ROXIO. Let me rephrase that, because of what I know about ROXIO, it might be my first step.

If all that fails, get your hardware checked.

[Ron P.]

Does your version of Roxio Easy Media have Record Now? If so is it disabled? This is one of the Packet-Writing applications, that tend to hi-jack your DVD burner. I think with Roxio's you just need to disable it, where as with Nero's it needs to be uninstalled.

Heinz,
Beat me on this one..

[heinz-oz]

You may be right Ron but then again, if the burner is hijacked, no disk is recognized. It doesn't simply disable DVD burning but allows CD burning.

I have never used PEX for slide shows and just did a quick trial as I'm at work.

When attempting to burn a TV slide show, I get the option for DVD, if I want to burn a PC slide show I don't. It only allows you to record to CD. No mention of VCD or DVD, just CD. VCD or DVD only come into it if you want to play it with a set top player.

We need the OP to state what exactly it is he is trying to do.

[Ron P.]

That's strange Heinz,

I done the screenshot from selecting the Burn TV slideshow, and it provided me with the option to create a DVD. Also I don't have Nero or Roxio installed. Never used them.

When I first purchased my PC about 4 yrs ago now, it came with Record Now installed. I got rid of it asap..

[heinz-oz]

That's right Ron, when I select TV slide show the option DVD is highlighted as default.

With PC slide show, there are no choices of DVD or VCD because you would simply burn the slide show to disc. That also explains why a slide show player would be required unless REX can play such a show. That bit I don't know because, as I said, I never used PEX for slide shows.

[heinz-oz]

Just for the heck of it I just completed a small slide show using PEX and the preset for PC slide show.

The only option given was to burn to CD. I inserted a DVD and burned it to that. No complaints. When inserting the DVD again into my drive, the slide show was played using the Ulead PhotoExplorer Slide Show Viewer.

That indicates to me that the OP has a faulty installation of PEX to content with.

I would remove the program completely and do a fresh reinstall.