which codec works with powerpoint??!!!

[schmoron13]

HELP!!!!

 

I'm putting together a slide show for a presentation my boss will be giving, and it uses a number of animations done in 3ds max 5. I decided to use the Microsoft MPEG-4 codec v2, but the problem is that the computer(s) that powerpoint will play on don't have good video cards. When I use that codec, the screen goes white whenever I play the slide show on my computer, but on others, it tends to say that they don't have the right codecs. I re-rendered the anims with Radius' Cinepak Codec, but the files get huge, and I get really bad antialiasing. WHat I don't get is that we tested an animation someone else did that was 45mb (don't know format or codec) and it works fine (though it's done @320x240)....I am so confused!!!. I have the 3ds max 5 bible and the user reference and I can't find anything about codecs. Is there a codec I can use that won't be huge (my files range between 2 to 12 secs) that will run in powerpoint, even if they don't have the latest microsoft updates?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Doron Serban

Computer Graphics

CUREE

[kainoa]

Hey Doron,

 

What I do for my office is render avi movies using the divx codec (get it free here). It offers the best compression/quality ratio around. Just make sure you install the codec on your workstation AS WELL AS on the comp you intend to run your slideshow on . As i recall, powerpoint will only play avi or wmv movies. No quicktime stuff. Hope this helps.

[schmoron13]

thanks for the quick reply, but my problem is that this show is gonna be for various engineering conferences around the world, each of which will generally have a standard "show" computer where every presenter's slideshow will reside, and thus, I have no way of knowing what codecs they'll have. Is there a general codec standard to use? at the very least, I want it to play, then worry about anti-aliasing, and then worry about size....

[plastic]

then deliver multiple formats.

divx is the first choice, but i always save as quicktime and mpeg too, especially mpeg plays on every computer.

[kainoa]

Yeah, either INSIST that divx be installed on the comp or deliver an mpeg. mpg movies will play in powerpoint too. That's probably the way to go.

[schmoron13]

Thanks guys. I def cannot insist on what codecs they have installed as our presentation is not necessarily the focal point of any presentation, but mpeg will work? I tried with mpeg 4 v2 and that's when the latest driver issue comes up...is mpgeg4 v1 any good?

[AHaidar]

Kainoa and plastic are referring to MPEG-1. You can try TMPG Enc if you want to convert your existing avi files to mpeg.

[schmoron13]

ok, I used mpeg 4 v1 and it seems to have worked...incidentally, I did a comparison of cinepak, idio 3.2, and mpeg 4v1 and mpeg 4 kicks their butt...I know that the other two are old (standard on every windows version since 95) but why are they so much bigger and yet of lesser quality?

[Gambit]

Presentation to Video Converter. http://www.geovid.com/presentation_to_video_converter

Hope it will help you!

[Life Style]

I find if you want to have your video in a format that works on any windows computer and app, Windows movie maker is the easist solution.

 

The workflow is pretty simple:

 

1. Render out your anim in seperate frames

2. Use the RAM player in max to save the files as an uncompressed AVI

3. Open Windows Movie Maker (not the most current version, it should be on your original XP disc, I don't know why but the new version doesn't have the better sttings for compression)

4. Load the AVIs onto the timeline

5. Save the file to your computer under the "best fit to size" option, with the file size at the highest possible value (Should be from 4-15 megs)

6. Render out the file to your computer.

 

This isn't the best compression option but it is definitely the safest for distribution, and the videos are still clear with good anti-aliasing. Just make sure you don't increase the resolution above what you rendered out in MAX.

 

I hope this helps.