higher resolution slide shows for PC playback

[Barb O]

I think that this is really a Windows Media encoding question - but it is for the benefit of slide shows, so I am asking here.

I have seen some references to making higher resolution output for slide shows played back on a PC to either a monitor or a projector.

With Photoshop Elements slide show, I think that it can be achieved with coding a custom Windows Media encoding .prx file. However, I don't understand if it as simple as changing the dimensions in an existing .prx file or if the dimension increase means that other changes are also required for good results.

For Premiere Elements, I don't really know how. Perhaps if the dimensions required exactly matched HD, I could use a HD project definition. But what if my projector resolution is higher than standard DVD but not as high as HD?

My question to the community here is -

Have people done this? If yes, are there samples (like a .prx file) or instructions that can be provided on muvipix for others to use?

[RJ Johnston]

Barb,

I don't have a video projector to test out, but you can create at least a 1280x720p WMV in Premiere Elements 3.

File > Export > Windows Media > Advanced Settings.

Change profile to Windows Media 9 Advanced Profile.
You want 2-pass CBR
Then change the frame size to 1280x720, change bitrate to 4000 Kbps, change buffer size to 5 s, keyframes 3 s.

For Audio: 96 kbps, 44 kHz, stereo (A/V) 2-pass CBR

That should work or at least be a start for you, and basically how you do the HD for Windows Media in Premiere Elements 3.

You can do the same in the Encoder. It does take a while to process this stuff.

[Paul LS]

I usually go the PE3 HDV 1080i project preset route to create HDV slideshows. I assume your projector would have some kind of scaler in case the resolution is less then the slideshow.
Robert's export to 1280x720 WMV is also a good solution, if necessary the projector would scale it up, also it has a smaller file size and probably easier for a media player to play at this resolution.

[Barb O]

Thank you Rob and Paul. I think that I will start with Rob's -

At home our most powerful PC is a XP Media Center on an AMD dual core with 1 GB RAM and an LCD monitor at 1680x1050 resolution.

I use a projector in a classroom - so I need to wait for info. However Paul's comment about "easier for a media player to play" made me think of the fact that the XP Pro PC in the classroom has much less "horsepower", so that will probably argue for a lower resolution/file size even if the projector supports a higher resolution.

A related question - what is a good software player for these files?
Since they are WMV files, should I just play them with Windows Media Player 11? Or is it worthwhile to buy additional software?

[RJ Johnston]

My new favorite player is the VLC Media Player. Some codecs play back smoother with it. There are also some nice video controls (press CTRL-G). It does play back Windows Media.

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/VLC_media_player