DVD PixPlay, Photo and Video Slideshow Creation Software          
History of
Dvd PixPlay
Photo and Video Slideshow Creation Software

v5.0 Top Twenty New Features
1. Motion Effect and Transition selectors now include thumbnails Click to see Screen Shot
2. Motion Effect and Transition selectors only show effects that you have enabled for the project
3. "Tip of the Day" on start-up
4. 50 new photo-based title page templates, 22 new transition effects, 30 new shapes and 16 new DVD menu themes
5. Added "General" tab to Project Properties dialog to set default display time, background style and slideshow logo
6. Added "General" tab to Frame Properties to set the frame caption, DVD chapter and edit the image
7. Improved "Insert Clip Art" dialog which now shows thumbnails for all images and includes an "All Clip Art" folder
8. Improved "Insert Shape" dialog offering thumbnails of all shapes and other improvements
9. "Add from Camera" dialog is now much easier to use and remembers all your default settings
10. Enhancements to more than 40 other dialogs to improve styling, comprehensibility and remember preferred settings
11. Test button (when burning) can now display just a quick preview of the conversion
12. Many improvements to printing including posters sized printing of your photos (Pro version)
13. Title page templates can now be selected from a thumbnail list
14. Enhanced "Align frames to music" function which can now re-time the entire slideshow and also adjust the default display time
15. Captions can now be added to video files
16. New "Move Frame" function to quickly relocate photos in your slideshow
17. Keyboard control over volume during a slideshow, including muting
18. Many improvements to PC Slideshow viewer including many keyboard shortcuts to pause and navigate the slideshow and a right-click menu with relevant functions
19. Various improvements to logo display for the slideshow (Pro version)
20. Windows 7 compatibility
 

Complete Change List

  • Added: Double-clicking a music file will play it
  • Added: Default size for video file display is 200%
  • Added: Total length of background music is always displayed
  • Removed: Slideshow autorun option (now always enabled)
  • Fixed: Wheel mouse scrolling of frame grid may act strangely
  • Added: Background Music list displays start times
  • Added: Full caching of music file lengths
  • Added: Now allows saving to read-only files
  • Fixed: When burning a video file the output size may not change when changing the TV type
  • Added: Better error message if try to burn a WMV file and requisite codecs are not available
  • Fixed: Changing the Slideshow Title does not update the Window title bar
  • Fixed: After drag/drop a file into an empty slideshow some relevant buttons are not enabled
  • Fixed: Preview from a frame other than the first uses the slideshow's introductory transition rather than the transition of the previewed frame
  • Fixed: Delete key does not work with missing files
  • Added: Now remembers grid position before going to full screen
  • Fixed: Can't navigate title page template selector with cursor keys
  • Changed: Now disables Edit button in title page editor if multiple items are selected
  • Fixed: When adding text to an image if you cancel the default text it is not removed
  • Changed: If you remove all objects from an image with text it reverts to an image file
  • Fixed: When update display time for multiple files it may not show the new time underneath thumbnails immediately
  • Fixed: May not show current image preview after applying a change to multiple selected files
  • Fixed: Much improved new filename generation
  • Added: Sort dialog now remembers all your selection
  • Added: Can now sort just selected files
  • Added: Now automatically detects changed folders for the default clip art
  • Added: Thumbnails are not displayed when showing sub-dialogs
  • Added: Now centers all sub-dialogs within their parent
  • Changed: Many improvements to internal data handling
  • Fixed: Error when selecting some remembered network folders
  • Removed: No longer specify a work folder. Project files are saved in a folder under the project file
  • Added: New Project Wizard always defaults to a unique project name
  • Added: Disables all irrelevant options on the frame caption tab of project options
  • Removed: No longer set project title on main screen
  • Added: Easier method to specify the display time for the frame
  • Added: Better warnings about valid selection in project options
  • Added: Improved transition performance
  • Added: Improved styling of toolbars
  • Added: Better caching of file dates for snappier display
  • Fixed: Play Music file does not pop up again when the track ends
  • Added: Title Page background dialog is much simpler to use
  • Removed: Preview checkbox in rotate dialog
  • Removed: Preview checkbox in print dialog
  • Added: Now remembers the size of the clip art dialog
  • Added: Disk space warning can be disabled
  • Added: PC Slideshow now uses the global JPEG save quality
  • Added: Preview timing option is now applied to PC Slideshows
  • Added: Reorganized options dialogs
  • Added: Categorized advanced and compatibility options
  • Added: Usage tips reset is now a checkbox
  • Added: Logo size can be specified
  • Added: Logo has own configuration dialog
  • Added: Logo options accessible via Project Properties
  • Added: Slideshow logo dialog now provides a preview
  • Fixed: Logo may not use correct margins when burning
  • Added: Hides external editing option if editor not specified
  • Added: If try to use the external editor (e.g. using keyboard shortcut) and it is not specified, user is prompted to browse to it
  • Added: Ctrl+A to select all in background music list
  • Added: Simplified printer quality selection
  • Removed: Center when printing option (now always centers)
  • Changed: Combined horizontal and vertical printing margins
  • Added: Poster printing option
  • Added: Printer properties dialog shows the current printer setup directly
  • Added: Shift key to clear existing serial number in About Box
  • Added: Preferred print settings are now saved
  • Added: Saves preferred settings in sort dialog
  • Added: Saves preferred settings in preview dialog
  • Added: Remembers last used alignment and background color for text objects and DVD menu buttons
  • Added: Shift + F11 show preview in continuous loop
  • Removed: No longer expose OPC option
  • Added: Missing files dialog is sizable
  • Fixed: Menus for links in frame properties dialog may pop up in odd locations
  • Changed: Transition duration cannot be set unless using a custom duration
  • Fixed: Shape gradients may not draw correctly
  • Added: Improved order of shape objects
  • Added: Automatically disables center locking if move object well off center
  • Added: Only shows center locked warning when there is a reasonable amount of horizontal movement
  • Added: Can specify which file types to save to your project folder
  • Added: Better algorithm for determining whether files should be copied to project folder by default
  • Added: Always remembers your preferred selection of image motion and transition effects
  • Removed: Deprecated file information detail popup
  • Fixed: In rare situation may display a random transition for the first frame in the slideshow
  • Added: New Project wizard now confirms cancellation of the creation
  • Added: If cancel new project wizard it clears all created files and reverts to the previous project
  • Added: Does not clear project if return to the first step of the new project wizard
  • Added: General tab on Project Properties dialog
  • Added: Can set default image display time in project options
  • Added: Much easier to move projects between systems
  • Added: 12 more clip art in evaluation version
  • Added: "All Clip Art" folder in Insert Clip Art dialog
  • Added: 30 new shapes and improved styling of existing shapes
  • Added: Motion Effect and Transition selectors now display graphic representations of each effect
  • Changed: Improved display of column data in Full Details mode
  • Added: 22 New transition effects
  • Added: Only shows the transition and motion effects that you have enabled for the project
  • Added: 16 new DVD menu title page themes
  • Added: 30 Photo based title page templates + 18 extra for registered users
  • Added: Many improvements to styling of template files
  • Added: Title page templates can now be selected from a thumbnail list
  • Added: Clip Art selection dialog now shows thumbnails for all images
  • Added: Shape selection dialog now shows thumbnails for all shapes
  • Added: Can now adjust or mute the volume during a slideshow/preview
  • Added: Can now pause PC format slideshows using P or O (latter pauses without stopping music)
  • Added: Right-click menu for PC format slideshows giving access to many functions
  • Added: PC format slideshows can now save the current frame to a file
  • Added: Viewer now supports HTTPS web sites
  • Added: Shortcuts E and W in Viewer to send email or launch web site
  • Added: General tab to frame properties where you can set the frame caption, DVD chapter and edit the image
  • Added: Frame properties dialog shows the commencement time for a frame
  • Added: Add from Camera dialog is now much easier to use
  • Added: Add from Camera dialog now remembers custom location of devices
  • Added: Align to music function can now retime the entire slideshow to match all music
  • Added: If the slideshow cannot be re-timed to match your music selection then no changes are made
  • Added: Frame re-timing can be undone
  • Added: More sanity checking to ensure frame synching is possible
  • Added: Sync to frames function also updates the project default display time
  • Added: Can now add captions to video files
  • Fixed: Windows may not include a definition for the DPG file type
  • Added: Can drag files and title pages onto the PixPlay icon to add them to a project
  • Added: Move Frame function to quickly relocate the selection
  • Added: Improved many graphics in the main toolbar and menu
  • Added: Can now test just a portion of your slideshow when burning
  • Added: Tip of the Day
  • Added: Improved "Please Purchase" dialog
  • Added: Better control over when you are asked to confirm removal of frames
  • Added: Improved easter egg
  • Changed: Burner progress avi now included in DLL
  • Added: Clean Up dialog displays progress

 

v5.01 Changes

  • Fixed: May encounter error when creating a new project
  • Fixed: Missing files and Tip of the Day may show at same time
  • Added: Improved display of frame timing info
  • Added: Now better quality when creating YouTube videos
  • Fixed: Move to Start function may fail
  • Added: Quick Set buttons when setting custom motion effect
  • Added: Now uses Windows Media Player as backup player if MPEG is not properly associated
  • Fixed: Text added to images may display with ellipsis
  • Fixed: Shift selection may act strangely after frame removal
  • Changed: Disables single file functions if multiple files are selected

 

v5.02 Changes

  • Added: Advanced option to display all effects, even if they have been disabled for the project
  • Added: New page flip effect
  • Added: When using the Add Images dialog the thumbnails of images already in project are shown as gray
  • Added: Checkboxes in thumbnail grid are correctly themed
  • Added: Many internal improvements to thumbnail grid control
  • Added: WMV support
  • Fixed: Pro Link in Logo dialog fails to load page

 

v5.03 Changes

  • Changed: Web site check recommendation changed to quarterly
  • Fixed: Audio times may not display fully
  • Added: Burner progress now displays in steps of 5 and always shows 100%
  • Added: Now offers to fix Image with Text creation errors
  • Added: Updated PXP Viewer
  • Added: Automatically creates PixPlay information frame

 

v5.04 Changes

  • Added: Installer no longer prompts for program files folder or start menu folder when updating an existing install
  • Added: Improved installer compression for smaller download
  • Added: Supports Windows 7 progress on task bar in application and installer
  • Added: Clip art Other button checks that file exists
  • Added: Title Page editor copes better with user clipart that is huge
  • Added: Many changes to the crop handling in the image editor to make it more logical and easier to use
  • Fixed: Frame Timing caption may not display during preview
  • Changed: Made all auto-calculated text sizes in text editor slightly more accommodating
  • Fixed: Break chars (//) may not work in output slideshow to disk

 

v5.10 Changes

  • Added: Can now add borders and picture frames to your photos
  • Added: Can now print thumbnail sheets for all files in project
  • Added: Main installation now always includes latest Raw decoding engine
  • Added: Enter key dialog better handles serial numbers of older and newer versions
  • Fixed: Some issues burning projects related to non-ansi character sets
  • Fixed: May not save changes if modify the source location of a file on project load
  • Added: Now prints file date with caption and the description below each image
  • Added: Hidden options to format the printed filename and description
  • Fixed: Under Windows 7 may try to write to program folder
  • Added: Now creates a folder just for log files (Win 7 and Vista)
  • Added: Ctrl + Shift + L to open the logs folder
  • Fixed: Burner may remain locked after clicking "Advanced"
  • Fixed: May not be able to clear all temp files after burning PC slideshow
  • Added: Now always cleans up when installing new version
  • Added: Close Project button to save and close existing project and then display the start-up dialog
  • Removed: Deprecated option: "Show text on toolbar buttons"
  • Added: "Tip of the Day" item under Help menu
  • Removed: Options to disable start-up windows in Options
  • Added: Easier method to specify extra buttons to display on the main toolbar
  • Added: Print button on main toolbar
  • Added: No longer number MRU items
  • Added: Autosize function in title page editor
  • Added: Spaces as suffices and prefixes for captions are now acceptable
  • Changed: WMV Exporting is now only included the Users Plug-In Pack (due to an incompatibility)

 

v5.20 Changes

  • Added: Now supports navigation of PC Slideshows using PowerPoint keys
  • Added: Improved warning message about slideshow limit
  • Changed: Increased slideshow limit to 100 photos
  • Added: Zoom function in PC slideshow and photo preview
  • Added: Now supports navigation using multimedia keyboards and presenter mice (such as the Microsoft Wireless Presenter Mouse 8000)
  • Added: Video soundtrack can be used even when videos are positioned amongst photos (for DVD and PC slideshows, not for VCD and multishows)
  • Added: When resizing images in the title page editor it locks the aspect ratio
  • Added: When inserting a large image the aspect ratio is maintained and it is centered in the window
  • Added: Right-click option to convert the current image to a page (i.e. a designed page where the current image is an object within the page)
  • Added: Can automatically delete all cached thumbnails on exit
  • Added: Videos now are displayed with a film strip style in the frame grid
  • Added: Use /RESET parameter to force PixPlay to reset toolbar and window positions
  • Added: Shift+Esc resets some view settings
  • Fixed: Issue trying to prevent PixPlay from using video soundtrack
  • Removed: Deprecated move videos to start function
  • Added: Shift+Alt+M moves videos to the start
  • Fixed: Frame timing information may not display during slideshow even if enabled

 

v5.21 Changes

  • Fixed: Finding Burner dialog in odd position when burning multishow
  • Fixed: If change TV format while using a custom menu for a multishow it may appear blank
  • Fixed: Changing TV format may not flag slideshow burn as changed
  • Added: Outputs conversion DLL versions to log

 

v5.22 Changes

  • Added: Reverse Page Flip transitions
  • Added: Displays warning if you are using a custom menu for a multishow project and you try to change TV format
  • Added: Error checking for oversized folder tree in Add Photos window
  • Added: May not get warning about duplicate file being added to the project
  • Added: Improved Help file
  • Added: Now detects Bluray write support

 

v5.23 Changes

  • Added: Updated burning library to v12
  • Fixed: DNG format not supported
  • Added: Extra logging for MPEG LIB failure
  • Added: Extra checking for valid file format

 

v5.25 Changes

  • Changed: Updated DVD authoring library
  • Added: Now includes test and fix utility for multimedia file types
  • Added: New "Check for Updates" function offering manual and automatic checking
  • Added: Copes better when using silent video files