MORE INFORMATION
PowerPoint does not have a built-in feature that you can
record a presentation to videotape with. However, you can use a number of
third-party products to perform this operation.
Before you start,
consider the following issues:
- Video uses an analog signal that is both fuzzier and lower
resolution than the digital signal that is used by your computer to display
information on the monitor. Because of this, do not use tiny or finely detailed
text or graphics in your presentation.
- Information close to the edge of the screen may be cut off.
Do not position text close to the edge of the slides.
- Some colors, such as bright red, do not display well on
video. Because of this, avoid using bright reds and yellows in your
presentation.
To videotape your PowerPoint presentation, use either of the
following methods:
Method 1: Use a Scan Converter
A scan converter is a device that gives you the ability to put
what appears on a computer screen on a standard National Television System
Committee (NTSC) or Phase Alternating Line (PAL) television monitor, or
conversely, you can watch television on your computer screen. You can also use
a standard videocassette recorder (VCR) to record what appears on your computer
monitor.
Some video cards (for example, the ATI All-in-Wonder video
card by ATI Technologies) allow you to transfer the video playback from your
VCR to your computer video card TV-IN connection and from your computer video
card TV-OUT connection to your VCR.
For
information about how to contact your video card manufacturer to determine the
capabilities of your video card, click the appropriate article number in the
following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
65416
Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K
60781
Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P
60782
Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z
Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you
find technical support. This contact information may change without notice.
Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact
information.
To record a presentation by using a scan converter,
follow these steps:
- Install the scan converter device to your computer and VCR
by using the manufacturer's instructions.
If you do not know what type
of video card you are using or if it has a built-in TV-OUT connection, look at
the back of your computer where your monitor plugs in. Look for either an "F"
connector or an "S-Video" connector. An "F" connector is the one most people
are familiar with and is used universally on televisions, cable boxes, and
VCRs.
Most newer video devices (televisions and VCR's) use an S-Video
connection. If all your equipment (your TV, VCR, and Scan Converter) has an
S-Video connection, it is highly recommended to use it, as S-Video will provide
a higher-quality picture.
There should be two "jacks" or connections
marked "video in" and "video out". To record from your computer to your VCR,
connect the Video Out (TV-OUT) on your computer video card to the Video In
(TV-IN) connection on your VCR. - If your presentation contains sound, connect the Speaker or
Line Out jack on your computer's sound card to the Audio In jack on the
VCR.
Note To complete this step, your computer must have a sound card and
you must obtain the correct cable (generally a cable with a mini plug on one
end and an RCA plug on the other). - Press Record on the VCR.
- On your computer, run your PowerPoint
presentation.
If everything is connected correctly, the VCR should now record
your PowerPoint presentation slide show.
Method 2: Use Digital Video Editing Software and Hardware
Digital video editing offers a more advanced method for using your
computer as a source to create videotapes. This method uses an adapter card
that either replaces, or works in concert with, the video adapter card in your
computer. This card has output jacks for several different types of video
signals, and may also have input jacks for several different types of video
signals. Some examples of this type of card include the Matrox RT2000 by Matrox
Electronic Systems Ltd. and the Pinnacle DV500 by Pinnacle Systems,
Inc.
To control these cards, you must use a video editing program (for
example, Adobe Premiere by Adobe Systems, Inc. or Video Factory by Sonic
Factory).
Note You must also have a VCR to connect to the video editing
adapter.
With this hardware and software configuration, you can record
Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) files, QuickTime movies, or images stored
in various formats, and then record them to videotape.
Also note the
following:
- PowerPoint can save presentations as a series of graphic
files. The supported formats are Graphic Interchange Format (GIF), Joint
Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), or Portable Network Graphics (PNG) formats.
If an earlier version of PowerPoint is installed on your computer, you can use
a screen-capture utility to save each slide as a graphic file.
- If you have a program that permits you to create a
QuickTime movie directly from the screen display, you can use it to create a
movie file of your presentation.
- You can use your digital video editing program to send the
graphic or movie files to the VCR.
The
third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by
companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty,
implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these
products.