A movie is displayed as a black box on a secondary monitor or on a projector that is connected to the computer in PowerPoint 2003 and in PowerPoint 2002 (906313)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003
  • Microsoft PowerPoint 2002

SYMPTOMS

You have a computer that has either a secondary monitor or a projector that is connected to the VGA port. When you play a movie in a Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 presentation or in a Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 presentation, the movie plays as expected on the primary monitor. However, the movie is displayed as a black box on the secondary monitor or on the projector.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use one or more of the following methods, depending your situation.

Method 1: Update the video driver

Visit the Windows Update Web site for an updated video driver. If an updated video driver is available, install the video driver to determine whether the new driver resolves the issue. To determine whether an updated video driver is available, visit the following Microsoft Web site:If an updated video driver is not available on the Windows Update Web site, contact the manufacturer of your computer or the manufacturer of your video card for an updated video driver.

Method 2: Change the display device

Use a different monitor or projector if you have one available. Make sure that you adjust the appropriate display control panel settings to support the new device. Try this method until you find a combination of hardware and video driver settings that resolves this issue.

Method 3: Change the movie file name extension

Part of on how a movie is played in Microsoft Windows is determined by the file name extension of the movie. If you change the file name extension to another movie file name extension without changing the encoding of the movie, you may be able to play the movie. Try the following file name extensions:
  • .avi
  • .wmv
  • .mpg
Then, insert the new movie file in the PowerPoint presentation to determine whether the issue is resolved

Note To change the movie file name extension, you must rename the movie file.

Method 4: Save the movie as a different file type

Use a Microsoft tool or a third-party tool to save the movie as a different movie file type. For example, import the movie into Microsoft Windows Movie Maker. Then, save the movie file as a .wmv file or as an .avi file.

Note Insert the new movie file in the PowerPoint presentation to determine whether the issue is resolved.

Method 5: Reduce hardware acceleration

To reduce hardware acceleration, follow these steps:
  1. Right-click the Windows desktop, and then click Properties.
  2. Click the Settings tab.
  3. Click Advanced.
  4. Click the Troubleshoot tab.
  5. Move the Hardware acceleration slider to a reduced setting, and then click OK.
  6. Click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box.

Method 6: Enable multiple monitor support

Enable multiple monitor support in Windows. Then, make the secondary display device, for example, the secondary monitor or the projector, your primary display device. To do this, enable the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor option.

Note When you enable the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor option in Windows, the Show Presenter View option is enabled in PowerPoint.

Method 7: Disable multiple monitor support

If you are already using multiple monitors, the video card might perform better if you disable multiple monitor support. This behavior occurs because the video card does not have to drive two independent display configurations. To disable multiple monitor support, disable the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor option.

Note When you disable the Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor option in Windows, the Show Presenter View option is disabled in PowerPoint.

If you use a portable computer, you can reduce the amount of video card processing even more. To do this, use the hardware function that is available on most portable computers to turn off the built-in display. When you turn off the built-in display, you use only the secondary monitor or the projector.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about how to enable multiple monitor support in Windows, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

307873 How to configure and use multiple monitors in Windows XP

238886 How to set up and troubleshoot multiple monitors in Windows 2000

179602 How to enable multiple display support using Windows 98

328312 How to set up and troubleshoot multiple monitors in a Windows Server 2003 environment

For information about how to contact manufacturer of your computer or the manufacturer 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 vendor contact information, A-K

60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P

60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z


Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/9/2005
Keywords:kbVideo kbdisplay kbtshoot KB906313 kbAudEndUser kbAudITPRO