MANYPROBLEMS WITH SLIDESHOW FEATURES

[Mike Stosich]

Before explaining my problems with DVD Movie Factory 6 PLUS, I must explain the following: I only use it for photographic purposes. I have built 5 DVDs, each with many dozens of individual slide shows. Many are from scanned photos, 35 mm slides, and even negatives. Half are from my various digital cameras. I previously used DVD Picture show, version 1. I have found that only these particular ULEAD products will mimic the behaviour of a slide projector and are just what a photo enthusiast wants. One can perform every feature of a Kodak Carousell projector, once the standard of slide projectors, i.e., set default slide presentation times, pause, jump back, jump forward. While this may seem simple, I have found no other, so-called "slideshow" programs that will do this. Instead, they make a film that plays the slideshow. Maybe you can pause, but that is it. When you try to advance, it may fast forward like a movie, or you may receive an error message saying "this feature not allowed."

I have always had problems using it and had to employ time consuming work arounds. Tech support has been of little help. In fact, I have usually had to explaing the features to some of them as some even told me that DVD Movie Factory 6 PLUS had no slideshow features and that I should purchase something else, an attempt at blowing the customer away.

I am hoping that some of you may have experienced these and come up with better answers. I have used DVD Movie Factory 6 PLUS on several computers. These problems have occured on each one. My previous computer was one I built for a ProTools HD system and it imployed an ASUS P4P800E MB, and P4 processor with maximum RAM. I also used it on a new HP VISTA laptop with duo processor, and another P4 XP computer. In every case, the same problems occured and Tech Support said I had a computer problem.

This is my latest computer. I built it two months ago with an aim of having no more problems with video programs. I have only one video program that has persistant and continuous problems, COREL ULEAD DVD MOVIE FACTORY 6 PLUS.

Intel I7 920 uP
Noctua NH-U12PSE cooler
ASUS P6T MB
6 GB OCZ DDR3-1600
WD320 GB 7200RPM 16 MB SATA2
WD320 GB 7200RPM 16 MB SATA2
Antec WE 750 W
Antec P182 case
BFG NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT 512 MB
Samsung SH-S223B DVDRW SATA
BYTECC 1.44 MB
BYTECC 3.5 I/O
M-Audio 2496
Vista

Here is the big problem:

A. After a DVD slideshow disc is produced, it is extremely difficult to update the disc with new slideshows. These bugs persist when using Thumbnail menus, and are very time consuming to work around:

1) If one adds a new slideshow, one cannot access the slideshow by highlighting any of the new Thumbnails. Pressing the slideshow number will access it.

The fix is very time consuming.

2) One must revert back to any other menu mode, such as Text. Then, one must change back to Thumbnail.

3) Once Thumbnail is chosen, one must change back to the previous formatting of Frame and Layout (I usually choose 6 thumbnails). Often these require several button presses. There is usually no feedback that the button has done anything. This can take a few minutes. The screen may go white.

4) The loud and obnoxious Background Music is always defaulted to. If previously turnedd off, it returns with the above reversion. When attempting to turn it off, there is usually no feedback that the button has done anything. Repeated button presses may be necesary. This can take a few minutes.

5) Although the Title of the pages may have been retained, when you burn the disc, you will find that the Titles have reverted to MY TITLE. If you reopen the slideshow file, you will find that the Title of each page now shows as "MY TITLE." This may or may not occur, but usually, the Title is lost.

6) You must retype the Title of each page of the slideshows. Logic would have it that the first page would be copied to all. The Title may have shifted to another side of the window and also its font may have changed.

7) The Titles of each individual slideshow, thankfully, remains, but any font you used will be set back to 18. I find it universally necessary to use 16 font to fit the wording. Thankfully, one only has to fix the fonts of Page One only, then use the Customize button to apply to all pages. That works.

OTHER PROBLEMS:

B.When editing a slideshow if I click to arrange, I get only one chance. If I try to arrange another slideshow during the same session, the screen will go white and the computer lock. The work around I have employed is to edit one slideshow, then close, then reopen the program, another waste of time.

C. After some months the program will become unstable then finally refuse to open. This always requires complete uninstall/reinstall.


D. From what I understand, DVD Movie Factory 6 PLUS will not be updated or fixed. Also, that it is being replaced. I tried the suggested replacement and found it to be just like all the rest of the slideshow programs and inappropriate. In fact, I could not figure out how to make a slideshow, only a "movie." So I gave up.

To add to this, they tell me that DVD Movie Factory 6 PLUS will not run on WINDOWS 7. Has anyone confirmed this by actually trying it?

Mike

[sjj1805]

Mike,
I am quite interested to hear HOW you do that jumping backwards / forwards through your photo slide show. I have several programs capable of producing slide shows including
MovieFactory 4
MovieFactory 5 Plus
MovieFactory 6 Plus
MovieFactory 7 Plus
VideoStudio 9 through to 12
CD&DVD Picture Show 4
DVD Workshop 2
MediaStudio Pro 7 & 8
ProShow Gold
ProShow Producer
and possibly a few others I can't think of right now.

I have never yet found a program that enables you to step forwards / backwards through a slide show one photo at a time. They all as you put it - create a video.

When you create your menus you must manually SAVE the project to retain the Titles you have set, you cannot rely on the automated message that states it is "saving...." we have yet to discover 'what' is being saved!

As far as I am aware MovieFactory 6 Plus will run on Windows 7 but I don't have time right now to insert my windows 7 Hard Drive into my Desktop and install MF6+ to find out.

[Mike Stosich]

Well That was what half of the "tech support" people were telling me. I kept telling them that the older versions of ULEAD allowed you to do that, just like a slide projector. OK, how do you do it:

When in edit mode of the a slideshow, you will notice about in the middle a bunch of cryptic icons. One will look like a page with a black "X" on it. If you click on it, it says "interval," and good old Corel/Ulead does not really explain this. Most "tech suppor" people have no ideas. When I first encountered this, the default setting just happened to be the number of pictures in my slideshow....big mistake.

Well, using the remote advance/forward did nothing. I had to watch the whole slideshow from beginning to end. I had already called Corel telling them that their "support" was worthless as was the program and asked for a refund. That very day, I got a supportee message, saying to use that feature. I reinstalled the program (I thought for the last time) and played with settings of "interval." Low and behold: You have to set it to "1!" Those moron software idiots did not default it to one. Once it was set to one, you could skip all over a slideshow. I called them back up an repurchased it.

I have used that exprience with other slideshow programs available. Alas, the children they have in their various tech supports have never seen a 35 mm camera, or a slide projector. They look at pictures on computers just like their favorite Cinemascope movies. So they have no idea of if or why anyone can do anything with their stupid programs. I guess there's nothing like a 10" screen. Who would want a 12 foot screen?

The Tech suport people told me W7 will not work. I called up and played dumb and asked about prepurchase info. They tried their best to get me to buy their latest program (which I tried and could not figure out how to do anything). They told me that MFG+ would not work on W7. On the face of it I should accept that. However, I know that most of what they have told me is fantasy and BS. So, I have hope that it will actually work in W7.

Mike

[sjj1805]

Thanks for that info, I am not at home right now - just keeping myself awake on a quiet night shift by browsing the Web Board. I must check out that routine later today you have mentioned.

As for whether MovieFactory 6 or 7 works on Windows 7, as far as I can tell anything that works on Vista also works on Windows 7. One sure way to find out is to download the 30 day free trial and install it.