On 11/23/2009 07:11 AM, Christian Lippka - Sun Microsystems GmbH - Hamburg wrote: > Greetings, > > I'm currently working on embedding audio/video files in impress > documents. > > Current situation is as follows: > > Users add sounds for slide transition or shape effects and videos to > slides in a presentation. They send this presentation to other > people and expect the sound and video are still working. Since the > document contains only links to the media files still on the authors > hard drives, the links are now broken. > > The same basic problem exists with images. There it is possible to > choose between linking and embedding. When embedded, a copy of the > image is stored inside the document. Therefore it is not lost when > the document gets moved. The user can choose between linking and > embedding by either using some keyboard modifiers while > drag'and'drop a picture into the document. Or he can use the insert > picture dialog which contains a "Link" checkbox. The default for > inserting pictures is embedded. > > My initial idea was to handle video/audio the same as pictures. This > would be > > _Option 1_ > > a/v files can be inserted either embedded or linked which can be > choosing during insertion by the user and the default is embedded. > This would be consistent to images. Problem is that we already have > complains from users who (without thinking about it) embedded very > huge images into their documents causing performance and memory > issues. This will definitely be worse for audio and especially for > video. > > _Option 2_ > > Same as _Option 1_ except that linking is the default. This would be > ok for 'advanced users' who can decide for them selfs which files > will be linked or embedded. Problem here is that we still have the > usability problem for 'basic users' who do not care about that > checkbox and still expect their documents to work when send to other > people. > > _Option 3_ > > Do not give the user the choice for embedding or linking but do this > automatically by looking at the size of the media file. If the size > is below a (configurable) value then the file is embedded, otherwise > it is linked. Linked files could still be embedded by using the "Edit > Links" dialog. This option is also used by PowerPoint. > > Currently I do not favor any of these options. I'm hoping to hear > some more opinions. > > One remark, embedding a huge media file inside the document has not > only an effect on the documents size. It also has a performance > penalty during load/save operations. > > Regards, Christian
Just so we are clear; the reference issue is: http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=16937 but applies equally to video. My preference would be an Option 2 and a 'wizard' or 'extension' that would allow the presentation to 'Pack & Go'. By 'Pack & Go' I do not mean that an OOo viewer be packaged with the presentation, but instead package the Impress presentation into a .pps style package that will include the presentation and all linked sound and video files. The current inability to even modify the links within an Impress file creates considerable issues. A user, not realising the pitfalls of: <http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Documentation/OOo3_User_Guides/Impress_Guide/Inserting_other_objects> <quote> Note that Impress will only link the media clip, therefore when the presentation is moved to a different computer, the link will most likely be broken and as a consequence the media clip will not play. An easy workaround that prevents this from happening is the following: 1. Place the media file to be included in the presentation in the same folder where the presentation is stored. 2. Insert the media file in the presentation. 3. When sending the presentation to a different computer, send also the media file and place both files in the same folder on the target computer. </quote> spends a great deal of time creating a presentation not realizing that the sound and video files that he/she has inserted from their various 'media' system folders/directories are not embedded, nor are the links to those files editable or even viewable. Satisfied with their work, then then send the .odp off to email, customer, boss, etc., fully expecting the other side to be able to open and run the presentation with OOo. Unfortunately this isn't the case. The other side gets the presentation minus the linked media files. So, the author, thinking OK I can fix this, sends off the media files... The other side (target) puts the files in their .odp folder and tries to run the presentation... doesn't work. Why? Well, the video was linked from folder xyzvideo and the sound was linked from abcsound on the author's computer - the target doesn't have these folders/directories on their computer. In the meantime the sender has moved on to other presentations/projects and forgets where he/she got the media files from. What is the target to do? Both the sender and the target opens the .odp and tries to view the original links; nope, won't work as the links aren't viewable. The only way to possible tell is to open the xml files and sort through those... As most of us know, proper presentations take some time to create; they are massaged, tuned, edited, re-edited, and are often sent off or used at the last crucial moment. Think of every time that you (generic) as developers are required to give a presentation to a customer, the boss, an investor, or the engineering group. How would you feel in a similar situation? Now think of the sales guy/tech/admin sending off a presentation to your boss (perhaps he/she's flying around the world on a business trip) and trying to get this to work. Ditto for a student/teacher/professor. o The first reaction is frustration in trying to figure out why your presentation isn't working as it was on your base system o The next is embarassment; initially for the presenter, then for the author o The final reaction is anger; anger at OOo, opensource, the tech/person/department that made you use OOo instead of MS Powerpoint. This is when they boss/author/target decides to scrap OOo; it's free, but it just cost me/us/them $$$ in sales because they couldn't get the presentation working, or cost the engineer/dev a project, etc., etc. Disregarding the email size issue; nowadays folks put their presentation on a USB stick or a thumbdrive and take it with them to wherever they are giving the presentation. It's bad enough that they have no portable OOO viewer (OK maybe they take along a portableapps OOo), but then what to do when you get there knowing the location has OOo (your version of course you checked beforehand) and realize that your sound & video media files are back home or on the office computer? The above scenario happens on a daily basis with OOo. This is why users resort to Powerpoint. Any development efforts to resolve the issue with most certainly help OOo. Note: I am going to add this subject to the users list as this is a critical issue that has been ongoing with OOo Impress for a very long time. Users of either list can edit out the other as they see fit, but I figure that it's important enough to post on both lists. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
