Recommend export file to play on a computer/projector

[JerryWest_44]

First, I want to give thanks to the great tutorials offered here via subscription. It saved me a few weeks of time & frustration. My 50th Wedding anniversary slideshow (for my aunt & uncle) is nearing completion. It consists mainly of Photos (all rescaled to 1000x750,750X1000) etc. There is one small video clip I imported at the end. Once the slideshow was completed and completely rendered, I then shared via DVD NTSC & played it on my home theater DVD player & Hi-Def LCD and the slideshow was phenomenal - a very crisp & vibrant slideshow.

However, I will not have access to a DVD player and LCD TV at the 50th anniversary. I intend to play it on a laptop hooked to a projector.

I played the above DVD on the laptop and clarity & vibrant colors disappeared -- the pictures looked muted as if the contrast was reduced etc..

Anyways before I experiment with the various share exports for computers can anyone recommend a format & it's appropriate settings. Thx in advance.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

My belief is that changing settings will not achieve any improvement.

Remember that you have produced a DVD that plays well on a DVD player and LCD TV. You have seen the finished result on the target delivery hardware. But most of the people at the anniversary celebration will not have had that opportunity so they will like what they see come what may.

My advice is not to worry about it too much.

[Dave McElderry]

The laptop display is not a TV, and you can expect your show to look different there. Playing it through the multimedia projector is an even more significant change of venue. In addition to color, brightness and contrast differences the projector will almost certainly be low resolution. Remember too that even the amount of ambient room light and the surface/screen on which it is projected will affect the way it looks.

Having said this, my recommendation would be to try making an MPEG, and a separate AVI file. On the computer you will likely see a difference; the AVI should be the better quality. However, it will also be a much larger file. When projected, you will probably not see any difference at all. But if you have plenty of hard disk space it's easy to generate these files and have them ready. On your dry run you can try all 3 - DVD, MPEG, & AVI, and make your decision as to which you prefer. That's the luxury of the laptop, and it will be a good learning experience. When you're done you can delete the files and recapture your hard disk space.

[Dave McElderry]

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[Steve Grisetti]

In terms of performance and quality, you can't beat a good DVD. It should look every bit a clean and crisp as an AVI -- and yet be about 1/5 the size. Besides, as others have discussed, your DVD player will likely produce at least a good an image as your laptop will from an AVI -- and without the performance problems big AVIs can cause to modestly powered computers.