FAQ
1. How can I view Mpeg-2 and DVD movies in MediaGun?
Operating Systems prior to Windows 7 did not automatically provide the codec and system resources required to play Mpeg-2 and DVD. As of MediaGun v. 1.8, these resources are included as an optional part of the MediaGun installation.
2. What are the minimum requirements to play High Definition (720p) video?
Windows XP, 64 MB video card, Windows Media Player 9 Series, 1024 x 768 pixels screen resolution, 2.4 GHz processor or equivalent, 16-bit sound card, 512 MB of RAM, Speakers
3. Can I build a Master List from files which are in different folders?
No. All the elements of a Master List must reside in the same Resource Folder. However, the workaround is to use shortcuts. Many MediaGun users use Resource Folders which are entirely made of shortcuts! This enables you to gather elements from different folders into the same Resource Folder. And because shortcuts are very tiny files (1 KB), you don’t have to give up valuable hard drive space. Unlike most competitors, MediaGun checks that the link between a shortcut and the target file is valid and informs you if it's broken. If you can click the "RUN" button, you know you're OK.
4. How do I make a shortcut?
2. With the mouse cursor on the selection, right-click.
3. Select “Copy” from the drop-down menu.
4. Open the folder where you want to create the shortcuts (MediaGun’s future Resource Folder).
5. Right-click in that folder and choose “Paste shortcut” from the drop-down menu.
6. For better readability in MediaGun, you can delete “Shorcut to” with which every shortcut name now starts.
5: How can I play a PowerPoint presentation in MediaGun?
You need to install either PowerPoint from version 2003 onwards, or the PowerPoint Viewer 2010, found at http://blogs.office.com/b/microsoft-powerpoint/archive/2010/05/13/powerpoint-viewer-available-for-download.aspx
Playing a PowerPoint slideshow in a SOLO Portfolio requires either any version of PowerPoint 2003 onwards or the PowerPoint Viewer 97-2000, which can be found at http://www.exponentsoftware.com/downloads1/PPointV.zip. More recent versions of the Viewer are not yet supported. We hope to address this limitation shortly. This issue does not apply to a STANDARD Portfolio or to MediaGun itself.
Please note that if PowerPoint 2000 and the PowerPoint Viewer 97-2000 are present on the same machine, MediaGun sees it as a conflict, which it is not able to solve. The solution is either to uninstall PowerPoint 2000 and use the Viewer, or to upgrade to PowerPoint 2003 or more recent.
6: Why does a Solo Portfolio hang up on a Flash animation (swf)?
Animations entirely based on the timeline without any nested clips are quite straightforward to handle. All you have to do is to place the following command on the frame where you want the animation to stop: fscommand("quit","");
When nested clips are used, you should reserve enough frames on the timeline of the main scenario. This will enable MediaGun to play the entire animation.
- For example, if you have 4 clips, each containing 100 frames and instructed to play one after another, you should reserve 4 x 100 frames on the main scenario timeline, i.e. 400 frames at least.
- At the end of the entire animation, a quit command is necessary.
See FAQ 06 in ReadMe File, which can be downloaded from Screenshots and Docs, in English, French and German.
7: How do I make sure that everybody can play my Portfolio? (In Windows)
The good news is that as of MediaGun 1.8, an automatic connection to the web page where any missing codec or supporting resource is available will occur. However...
1. If possible, you should opt for file formats that require no installation. These are:- Movies: mpeg-1 or .wmv
- Text: .pdf (or .txt)
- Audio: .mp3, .wav
- Pictures: .jpg, .bmp
Such a Portfolio would only need the Windows Media Player, which is (in principle!) part of the standard Windows system anyway.
2. If you don’t know the user operating the target PC, check both boxes in the Portfolio dialog window: “A: Add Installer (System)” and “B: Add Resources (Local)”. (See “History of past versions” – Release Notes MediaGun 1.5 below).3. Save your text files as Adobe .pdf. Make sure that your fonts are embedded in your text documents. (see FAQ 9)
8. Why are my pictures too small, too big or too slow in MediaGun?
This is because MediaGun does not resize them. This is to prevent performance slowdown or loss of quality.
If a picture is larger than the screen’s, or of a resolution in Dots per Inch (DPI) larger than 100, it may require 10 seconds or more to appear on the screen. This may be perfect for printing, but not for multimedia!
Say you have taken some great .tif or .jpg shots with a multi-mega-pixel digital camera. The resolution is 3200 x 2400 pixels. If you play them as they are on your XGA laptop (1024 x 768 pixels) you will only see the center of your pictures, and you will have to wait…
Another example is if you use a picture document which is meant to be printed and not to be displayed in a multimedia context. Such a file has a typical definition – or density - of 300 – 600 DPI or more. In MediaGun – or in any other software program – it may take a long time to show up on the screen, for no extra quality!
If a picture smaller than the screen is enlarged, quality degradation occurs. (pixellation and other artifacts). That’s why MediaGun does not enlarge it. Instead, a black background is displayed around the picture.
The solution is to prepare your pictures at the screen resolution – for example 1024-768 pixels, and at a definition between 72 and 96 DPI. Also, make sure that its color mode is RGB, 8bits/color.
9: Why doesn’t my pdf file display the correct font(s)?
10. I get an error message during MediaGun installation on Windows 2000
11. Why do I need the Word Viewer to display .doc files?
Also, you should not include a .doc file in a Solo Portfolio, for this will launch the Word Viewer and never give the hand back to MediaGun.
We are planning to fix this issue on the next version. For the time being, we recommend that you export your .doc files to PDF.12. How do I make use of the Word doc to PDF templates?
1.Choose the template that matches the destination screen resolution, in pixels. This information is contained in the Word .doc document file name, for example ‘1920.1080.doc’ for a Full HD screen. Choose between ‘1 page’ and ‘many pages’.
2. Fill the file with your input, save, convert to PDF This will ensure that each page of the document matches the exact dimensions of the screen, and that the page separation is not visible. In a Solo Portfolio, MediaGun is able to change page automatically, by calculating the duration of each page according to its text and image content.
If you cannot find a template that matches your screen resolution, this is how you do it:
Before word 2010
1. In MS Word, go to File/Page Setup/Margins. Choose between Portrait and Landscape.
2. Choose the Paper tab
As of word 2010
1. On the Page Layout tab, in the Page Setup group, click Orientation. Choose between Portrait and Landscape.
2. . Click on Size, choose “Custom Margins”
Finally
3. Enter the Width and Height values. Unfortunately, these are in centimetres. To convert your destination screen resolution – in pixels – to centimetres, do as follows:
- Divide the width screen resolution (in pixels) by 37.89, enter the result into the Width box.
- Divide the height screen resolution (in pixels) by 37.89, enter the result into the Height box.
If your document has more than one page, you should subtract 0.4 centimetres to the width, to allow for the vertical scrolling bar.
For example, for a multi-page 1280-800 screen resolution: (use your Windows calculator):
Width: 1280:37.89=33.782000527843758247558722618105. Copy-paste from your calculator into the Width box of Word) You now have to subtract 0.4 cm to leave space for the scrolling bar. This yields 33.382000527843758247558722618105
Height: 800:37.89=21.113750329902348904724201636316. Copy-paste into the Height box of Word13: How can I use a DVD-Video menu in MediaGun?
1. The physical DVD must be present.
2. If the DVD is the only element in your Master List, point MediaGun (the GET button) to its VIDEO_TS/VIDEO_TS.IFO file. Otherwise, make a shortcut of the ‘VIDEO_TS.IFO’ file of the DVD.(see FAQ 4 -‘How do I make a shortcut?’)
3. Paste this shortcut in the Resource Folder relative to your current Master List.
4. Add it to your Master List.
This file gives you access to chapters, to language selection, to subtitles, etc., provided they have been included by the DVD authors
WARNING: Although using the file «VIDEO_TS.IFO» to access the DVD menu is extremely practical in MediaGun itself, it is not advised to use this file in a Portfolio. The «VIDEO_TS.IFO» file does not contain any data, but merely a table of contents linked to the actual audiovisual assets. The workaround is to find and add to the Master List the actual video file (for ex. «VTS_01_4.VOB) which contains the desired contents AND CHANGE ITS EXTENSION FROM .VOB TO .MPG, before you generate the Portfolio. The File’s name can also be changed, as you will then identify it more easily.14. in a Solo Portfolio, the duration of a pdf file is incorrect.
Download : 17_Acrobat_Writer_Properties_Settings.jpg
15. During the making of a Portfolio, some files were exported UNINTENTIONALLY!
It is therefore crucial to make sure that that folder does not contain any file you wouldn’t want to distribute! If that is the case, here is what to do to avoid any mishaps.
- Move the .exe element to a new folder.
- Put any external file it needs in the same folder, or in a sub-folder.
- Double-click on the .exe icon and check that all the links with the external files function. Re-establish them if necessary. Save.
- Quit the .exe, right-click on its icon and select “Copy”.
- Open the Resource Folder of the Master List.
- Right-click in this folder and select “Paste shortcut” (It must replace the old .exe)
- Start MediaGun and insert this new shortcut into the Master List if necessary.
16. How can I export external files linked to a PowerPoint presentation into a Portfolio?
- Move the external files into a folder named, for ex. “Links” placed at the root of Drive C. (The links between the .ppt file and the external files are now broken.)
- Open the .ppt and re-establish the links with the external files.
- Save, Quit.
- Put the .ppt file or its shortcut into the Resource Folder of the MediaGun Master List.
- Generate the Portfolio
- Copy the Portfolio AND the folder “Links” onto the target PC, and put the “Links” folder at the root of drive C.
17. How do I set up a PowerPoint presentation for its playback in a Solo Portfolio?
Download : PowerPoint_SetUp_Show_Settings.jpg
18. How can I avoid the black empty slide at the end of a PowerPoint slide-show
19. Why don’t my videos play full screen in my Solo Portfolio?
20. How can I download a clip from YouTube?
Operating Systems prior to Windows 7 did not automatically provide the codec and system resources required to play Mpeg-2 and DVD. As of MediaGun v. 1.8, these resources are included as an optional part of the MediaGun installation.