What Software/Techniques Needed to Write Slide Show to DVD?

Question

Created my first slide show of +/- 1,200 slides in PSE 4.0 slideshow. No problem there. I want to burn this slideshow to a DVD that I can use in a laptop or other computer to view the slideshow on other computers with DVD drives, not necessarily to view on a TV. PSE 4.0 Help file says: Select "File"; then "Output Slide Show"; then "Burn to disc"; then "Select DVD Option." I'm ok to step "Burn to disc," but then there is no "Select DVD Option." Only options at this point are to select video format (NTSC or PAL), and Output Speed. "Burn VCD on drive (Phillips DVD+RW-D28)" is pre-printed in the dialog box and cannot be changed. Inserted a DVD+RW in drive, clicked "OK," and this disk was immediately ejected with a pop-up box reading "Incompatible media. Please insert a blank CD-R or a CD-RW disk to burn the VCD". (1,200 slides will not fit on VCD.) One user suggestion to reboot the computer to see a DVD option on screen did not help. My OS System is Windows XP. Two programs installed on my computer with the DVD burner, that I believe are DVD authoring programs: MyDVD v.3.5, and PowerDVD v.4.0. Must I have Photoshop Premiere Elements 2.0, or some additional software (recommendation?) to create a "portable" slideshow to view on other computers?
Would appreciate any help!

Answer 1

>Must I have Photoshop Premiere Elements 2.0, or some additional software (recommendation?) to create a "portable" slideshow to view on other computers?
Glad that you added the fact that you want to play the DVD on other computers - it does make a difference. As the prior post indicated, you really do need Premeire Elements or Nero Vision Express or Sonic MyDVD to make the DVD to view on a TV DVD player.
However, there is something else that might work if all people who will watch this slide show have a DVD player on their PC/laptop and play it using Windows Meida Player 10. So I suggest that you try it on your PC.
- In the slide show Editor of PSE 4, do your Output command to a WMV file on your hard drive.
- Then use whatever DVD software came with DVD burner to burn this WMV file to a DVD as a data file (NOT as a video DVD). Choose an output resolution that will be good for the monitors of the recipients.
- Next try to play this DVD on your system using Windows Media Player 10 (I don't know if earlier versions will play). I doubt that the software on your PC that plays commercial DVDs will play the WMV file; that is why I directed you to use Windows Media Player.
If you plan to distribute this to the general public, I think you will have problems with the recipients not having the necessary hardware or not understanding that they can't use their normal DVD player software. However if you are sending to a limited set of relatives and friends, it might work. If anyone has an Apple computer, I think there is software that will play a WMV file on Apple software, but it seems that many people may not have it.
In closing I will say
- be sure to save your slide show as a project so you can do multiple experiements (you may have already done this)
- it would be much more flexible as to how it is played if you did make a video DVD. However, you actually have a choice of using higher resolutions if you only save as a WMV file for play on a computer.