Powerpoint / Keynote - Inserting video - both behave differently ?

I don't believe you can embed a movie in a PPT file. Anyway, if you use .Mov files on your mac ppt, they won't play on the pc inside ppt...you can blame Microsoft for that one.

According to its help files, PowerPoint (or at least PowerPoint X for Mac) definitely can't actually embed a video file into the presentation. Instead, you can Save As a PowerPoint Package, which will create a folder that has the PowerPoint file and any linked movie(s). You won't get one file, but this approach does mean that all the linked files are gathered together.

PowerMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

...And if you have any idea at all how to get PowerPoint 2003 on Windows to play a QuickTime movie, please let me know...! (grumble grumble grumble)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The easiest way to play a high quality Quicktime in PPT is to switch to Keynote.

PowerMac G5, Dual 2.7 Mac OS X (10.4.2)

heh, now we're stuck in a circle. Keynote to ppt windows...have problems in ppt windows, solution? go back to Keynote, which is mac only.

he was griping (with good reason) about the fact that Microsoft has purposely hampered PPT for windows so it WILL NOT play a QT movie placed on a slide. You MUST use something windows media player understands, such as AVI.

powerpoint can't embed a video file, it must be a linked file.

all you have to do is to place a copy of the video file in the same folder as the powerpoint file, before, you create the link to the video file. Then make the CD

Also, create an MPEG video file, it will play play on every windows computer, more smoothly and at better quality than an AVI file.


G

The problem with mpeg1 is that unless you really know what you're doing, most apps spit out 320x240 mpeg1 files. Taking that up to 1024x768 looks pretty lousy.

I know this is a little long, but it works:

Create a new folder that include your ppt presentation and all the movies you will include in it.

Then re-link the inserted movies in your presentation with the new movies included in the folder and save.

When burning to a CD, burn the whole folder and links will be saved. When e-mailing, just zip the folder, attach and send.

Good luck,
Robby!



PowerBook G4, 1.6Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.2)

An easier way to accomplish the same thing is to use Save As and select
"PowerPoint Package". This will automatically create a folder containing both the presentation and all associated media, properly linked to the presentation file.

PowerMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

The point still stands though...PPT on Windows cannot (or will not) play QuickTime movies placed on a slide, even if they're linked not embeded.

Wow!

Great shortcut Tulse!

Thanks.

Brian

AS you keep replying with references to QT, the points you make are actually technically incorrect and misleading.

Powerpoint in fact is unable to play any video files, it can only play still images and sound files, as only these files can be embedded.

The method Powerpoint uses to play video animations or flash files, is to link the presentation to the video file which is then played in the apropriate player.

The unfortunate thing about a QT file is that it launches with the QT player's metalic frame visible, it can be manually switched to full screen though if so desired.

Therefore as has been suggested a number of times, mpeg video is the most popular choice. MPEG can be played on every windows machine with out making any settings ( QT has to be installed as a separate function in Windows).

It is not normal practice to stretch the video size as you suggest, but to use the default frame size for maximum resolution and smooth running.

To obtain better playback quality, MPEG 2 of course can be played as a linked file, but a separate encoder has to be manually installed on each users machine to enable playback.

G

"Powerpoint in fact is unable to play any video files, it can only play still images and sound files, as only these files can be embedded."


The mac version CAN play videos inside PPT right on a slide. They are linked, but they still play ON the slide. Basically anything the QT player can play, ppt can play right on the slide. I assumed PPT for windows could do this with formats OTHER than QT.

You're saying that NO VIDEO FORMAT IN EXISTANCE can play ON a slide in PPT for windows? I find that hard to believe.

I've seen many folks post here suggesting AVI works just fine and can be played right on the slide in PPT for Windows. Mpeg1 is normally 320x240 and well, honestly it looks like crap on a 1024x768 screen (and most people these days do NOT want to show a 320x240 movie at regular size on a large slide), so I stand by my comments made previously, unless someone can post that they tested an AVI and PTT for windows actually bumps you OUT of ppt and into a player (full screen or not). I just can't imagine that's what it's doing. QT on the other hand, is pretty much broken except in the way you described, playing it in the QT player, which is why no one wants to do that.

Brian

It is a common misconception that Powerpoint plays media files when in fact on Windows systems it is the Multimedia Control Interface, better known as the MCI, that does all the work. This fact alone explains why QT files cant be played with ease or why DVD video cant be played using PowerPoint.

As reference material, I will let a Microsoft expert explain in full rather than my personal view at:


http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/multimedia.htm#How







G

Well, finally someone answers the question. Honestly, this has been discussed over and over, and while there have been complaints about PPT not playing QT in the app, NO ONE has ever pointed out the fact that PPT for windows doesn't play ANY media in the app. I have no idea why it's never been mentioned, but obviously, it's true as you pointed to a page describing it.

What completely amazes me is that the mac version of PPT behaves completely different. Since as far back as I can remember it has allowed you to simply place a file on your slide and play it. Anything that QT supports will play fine (including non QT codecs that have been added to your system).

I have to ask though, does every format pop OUT of PPT when it's playing, you just don't see that, or is it that PPt just can't handle PLAYING a ppt file inside that framework, so it pops out of it and into the actual player? If the first is true, than my assumptions up to this point have been correct, in that it appears that your media is playing ON a slide (as in, you see other parts of the slide as well as the movie). If the second is true (you ONLY see the movie because you've been bumped over to another player) than I have to wonder what the heck was Microsoft thinging when they built it this way. It also severly limits the effects you can do in ppt since in Keynote you can stick a movie behind things and even build text bullets in front of it while it plays.

So, what I really want to know is, if you make a pretty slide, and stick an mpeg, wmv, or avi file on a slide, but don't make it fill the whole slide...when you play it do you see ONLY the movie, or do you see the slide too? If you see the slide too, then my assumptions and comments from earlier were correct, it's just that you were focusing on what's going on behind the scenes (engine wise). I'm focusing on what the user sees and thinks is going on.

Make sense?