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Category Archives: MediaShout tips
ShoutWriter Vs. TED
February 26, 2008 – 11:30 pm
I thought I would address the issue of Text cues in MediaShout because of the number of calls taken recently about ShoutWriter. There are still a few users who do all of their Text cues using ShoutWriter instead of Ted. I personally have used it only a handful of times and only then because I needed bullet points.
ShoutWriter has not changed since the completion of Version 2.5 and is a carry-over into V3. Ted, which was not available in V2.5 allows you to type directly into the text box and see exactly how your cue is going to look in relation to the background image and position on the screen. This becomes especially important when your background media contains focus features that you would not want covered with text. You can still highlight portions of text and change the font, color, size and alignment.
My biggest issue with using Ted is the lack of support for bullet points. Text copied from ShoutWriter or Word does not retain formatting. The bullet points are removed or replaced by hollow squares in the place of the intended bullet design. One alternative is to manually type a symbol into the the field that would act as a bullet point, such as a -, *, >,~
Many churches are still inserting PowerPoint presentations for the pastor’s sermon outlines and announcements. This is perfectly understandable, especially when you have a pastor that has been doin his sermons in PowerPoint for years.
Another option to both Ted and ShoutWriter is to create a Word Doc, .rtf, or .txt file and setup your page to be 6″ high by 8″ wide. This will give you the same aspect ration as your 4:3 display screen.
Perhaps the most common reason users are still utilizing Shoutwriter instead of Ted is so that they can save those text files and use them again later. Well, you can still do that in Ted.
- The first way to preserve a Text cue with embedded text rather than text from a file is to drag the Text Cue into Boxer and save that Boxer script.
- The Second way to preserve your text is to select the text cue then click on the Edit menu. Choose Convert > Export to RTF file. This will allow you to save the entire Text cue and its sub-cues to an RTF file that you can access and use again at a later time.
If you have any other ideas I would love to hear them.
Bugs and Such
January 11, 2008 – 12:20 am
First an apology for the silence between posts. I want to talk about something that effects everyone who uses a computer, BUGS. Simply put, bugs are the the things within an applications programming code that cause problems or errors.
The inspiration for this post came as I updated my web browser to the latest version. The browser automatically opened to a page listing the “fixes” and feature add-ons.
That’s when I realized that the famous children’s book was right.”everybody poops!”
When I get calls about bugs or errors within MediaShout I sometimes get the sense that the caller has never had an issue with an application before, and that’s when I wonder how long they have been using computers.
As I read the list of fixes that Flock instituted in their latest version updates, I felt pretty good. Then, I had a pop-up announce that my updates were ready to be installed from Microsoft. These updates are sent out because something needs to be fixed or changed. Some programs do a better job of releasing software then others but regardless of how much beta testing was done, once it hits the public there will always be somebody who finds the variable that was never tested.
MediaShout Recently released the update to Version 3.5 and I have not had to deal with many bug related issues. The few that I have dealt with have already been fixed by a build that is now available in Beta on the User Forums.
So here are some things to think about when you encounter a bug.
- Did it behave this way before I updated?
- What other changes have been made on my pc recently that may be involved?
- Can I reproduce the issue?
- What information can I gather about the issue that would be helpful to tech support?
- OS
- App Version and Build Typically found under Help>About
- Can it be reproduced.
So although software bugs can be an aggravation, gather the info you need and contact Tech Support or check the FAQ or User Forums for answers. There’s a good chance that you could help solve the issue with the detail you can give.
Later,
A Word About Resolutions
October 21, 2007 – 11:38 pm
I wanted to touch on the topic of resolutions. Those of you on laptops will usually run your primary (laptop) screen at 1280X800 or close to it. Your options for screen one should typically be set at their highest, unless your screen goes to 1920X1200. Desktop users will probably want to run the primary monitor at 1024X768 or 1280X1024. It is recommended that your secondary monitor, your audience’s display, should be at 800X600 or 1024X768.
The purpose of running the secondary monitor at these resolutions is to not overwhelm the video card. The higher the resolution the more work for the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), which could lead to poor video playback and lag.
There are problems that could arise from resolutions that too low or high. If your primary is lower than 1924X768 your Cue Properties Box will not be fully visible and and you will not be able to see all of the buttons at the bottom of the window. If your secondary is set to high, the video may not load or it will play with jitters and pauses.
A note about widescreen: Widescreen primary and secondary displays are becoming more popular and affordable. A high resolution primary screen will give you more landscape to customize your control screen layout. Just be sure that if you are going to run the secondary in a widescreen format that you have a great video card.
So, check to make sure you have your resolutions set properly if you begin to have trouble and as always be sure that you have recent drivers for your video card.
This ain’t your daddy’s PowerPoint (Extended Desktop)
October 17, 2007 – 10:40 pm
Every day new users become frustrated trying to figure out how to get the MediaShout presentation up on the projection screen. So they make the call. The conversation usually goes like this, ” I connected my laptop to the projector and then I hit the fn+F7 keys to get the picture on the projector.” Those of you who are still using PowerPoint can rest assured that MediaShout can still play your PPT files but the setup for this is done differently.
PowerPoint is typically set up using the cloning feature usually activated using the fn+F? feature. This setup does not allow MediaShout to display separate images, one control screen, one display screen. MediaShout requires Extended Desktop mode so that the computer is sending out 2 separate outputs from the computer. This cannot be done by using a splitter to send one image to a monitor and another to the projector.
How to set up Extended Desktop mode:
Windows XP- Right Click on the desktop of you computer and choose Properties. From that menu choose Display Settings. There will be two boxes in the Windows Display Settings a 1 and a 2. Click on display 2 and check the box that says Extend my windows desktop onto this monitor.
Note: Be sure that your display resolution on monitor 2 is at least 800X600. Resolutions higher that 1024X768 could result in a lag if your video card cannot handle it.
Once these settings have been made click the OK button. Yous should now see the same desktop image without the icons.
Windows Vista - Right Click on the desktop and choose Personalize. Choose Display Settings and you will see the same window as in Windows XP.
Once the Extended Desktop mode has been set, Open MediaShout and your projector screen should go black and the control screen will be displayed on the primary monitor.
If your computer sends the primary screen to the projector you will need to set the laptop screen as the primary using your video card’s control panel. These settings are usually found under the heading of Multiple Monitor Set Up.
So there you have it, now go Shout!!
Create your Own Content
September 6, 2007 – 12:25 am
Something I often tell MediaShout users is to take your camera or video camera with you.
Shortly after I started using MediaShout and had purchased a nice consumer grade Camcorder, I started looking at scenery as loopable content or a canvas for text files.
I recently had the difficult job of going to Estes Park, Co for an Integrity event. I was surrounded by the most beautiful scenery. I knew that was going to have an opportunity to shoot some great stuff so I came prepared.
Think about the places you will be traveling to or even the common landscape where you are now. There is probably something that would make a great background.
If you are blessed to live in a scenic environment, get out there and capture it. Share it, Shout it, and save yourself some money. Start looking through the eyes of your properties box and find those shots that capture something that grabs the viewers attention or applies to the topic at hand.
LOOK AROUND!
Blogged with Flock
Codecs Codecs Codecs
August 19, 2007 – 10:13 pm
What are codecs and why do they matter?
This is what the wise Wikipedia has to say about codecs.
“A codec is a device or program capable of performing encoding and decoding on a digital data stream or signal. The word codec may be a combination of any of the following: ‘Compressor-Decompressor‘, ‘Coder-Decoder‘, or ‘Compression/Decompression algorithm’.”
Remember as a kid those decoders you used to get in the boxes of cereal? That red film that you placed over the red picture that had a mystery message was the decoder.
When media files are created, codecs are used to compress the file into a specified format. When those files are read, the corresponding codec is then used to read, or open, the file. For instance, there are many mpeg 2 codecs that can be used to encode a video file. That same group of codecs may be used to open an mpeg2 file, however they may not decode it properly or entirely.
You may find that after installing a new video editing software or DVD encoder that your presentation software does not play media files properly. Just like those cereal box decoders, the red film may reveal a portion of the message but the green film will reveal the message in its entirety.If you have a file that seems to be improperly decoded you can install new codecs for your software to use so that it can read the entire file.
The following solution seems to solve many of the codec issues I have encountered. Originally this solution was designed to deal with the newest Cyberlink Power DVD software Dell and others were using at the end of ‘05 and beginning of ‘06. Here is the link used by MediaShout for solving codec related issues. www.mediashout.com/download/InstallingCodecs.pdf
The instructions have a link to the K-lite Mega Codec pack from www.codecs.com. This codec pack includes a quicktime alternative, and mp4
If you have updated your drivers and still not getting audio from a video file or DVD playback is poor or non-existent, try installing these new codecs to get better playback.
Still having problems? leave a questions in the comments.
The Art of Problem Solving
August 5, 2007 – 6:54 pm
What do you do when things go wrong? Problem solving is a learned skill that requires determination, investigation and risk. That last word is probably not what you wanted to read but its true. You may have to try a possible solution that also brings the potential for making things worse.
What is your first response when something unexpected happens? The key in any situation is not to panic because your first response if your panicked is probably not the correct one. I have been in a very high profile show that had a cue go wrong and instantly the pressure of the entire show at that moment was sitting on my shoulders and my reputation. Yes, it seemed as though all the blood drained from my body, as my heart raced and adrenaline shot out of my veins, but I had to take quick, LOGICAL action to fix the embarrassing miscue. Unfortunately my first action of choice was the wrong one.(not good!) My second action was the right one but it did not erase the awkwardness of the moment. Perhaps more about that incident in a later post.
Not all problems are in the heat of the moment, some problems take place during preparation. Many of the calls I have recieved are those who are simply trying to set up their computers to run the presentation. Those who have used PowerPoint for years are often discouraged because the way to get the presentation on the screen is no longer fn+F8. After pressing every fn+ combination they can think of they finally call for help. If you want to be better at problem solving you need to be determined to find the answer by research and investigation. I know that MediaShout, for example, clearly documents that Extended Desktop is necessary for proper display of your presentation. I must admit that I am not much of a reader of manuals and books but if its on a computer screen it seems to decrease my attention deficit. This is how we learn. If you get an error when running any program there will often be an error message or code. Write it down or copy it and paste it into “The Google” and browse the results looking for clear explanations and answers.
People will sometime ask me how I know so much about computers. I tell them every time, I have had lots of problems with computers and in searching for answers I learned a lot. As I read and investigated some solutions suggested changing, editing or deleting things I was unsure of, which is where the risk comes in. Not every solution worked and I had to continue to the next one. A PC I built suddenly started crashing and not restarting, not loading windows, and I spent 3 months trying to fix it. I literally spend over 100 hours trying to get my creation to run again. Finally, my wife said it was time to bury it and so we went and bought a new one. I later realized that the Motherboard was bad and used many parts to complete a new barebones system.
So my point is this, when you have a problem search out the answer and be willing to try the solutions you find. Don’t panic when something goes wrong, think it through clearly and logically. If one day everything works fine and the next day it doesn’t, consider these things: Automatic updates from Windows or other software, installation of software or possibly the misadventure of another user. Remember this, it’s not always the computers fault.