Print Portfolios On DVD

I've been experimenting with putting my portfolios on DVD for display on large TV screeens. I'd like to hear about other's experiences.

So far I've found that when the images are converted to standard DVD format it is not hi-res enough for display.

While there are some formats where the res will remain hi, most consumer DVD players will not read those.

Playing DVDs back on computer monitors via the computer's DVD drive, there are many more options and display resolution is acceptable. I've yet to output the computer to a TV but that technique is more convoluted than I'd like.

Last year I changed my method retaining gallery print and film work.
I no longer keep my pictures on the PC. I store each image, full size on CD-R 700MB. As I only store 5X4, I am unable to use the floppy disc as the files are too large.
I make them TIFF images to avoid loss of detail.
Should I need to send off a file then it is a simple process to change the file to JPEG. So far it is working well for me. I am very pleased with the images on my 19" Diamond Screen. I use a Phillips CD Burner.

I am not a computer geek, perhaps there is
an apuger that can advise better.

Putting images on the little records makes it easier when throwing them out... the little records take up less space in the trash.
If you put them on the Compact Disks/Digital Video Disks you can't see them without a computer or player. What good is that? It takes longer than real prints & you have no control as to the viewer used. With original prints at least your quality is always seen.

I have done a number of CD presentations using Adobe Acrobat. Check out my website link, below. Go to the "Off the Wall" and "Fifty" pages of the web site to see examples.

The LensWork interview series are DVDs that do what you want.

Thanks for your comments.

War, It seems I did not make myself clear to you. I retain the all prints, I use the CD recording for just another record.

Joe. I have got the message, I like your site, introduction, and most of your work.

Thanks for the feedback... I already use the PDF format. With the DVD format I was hoping to:

* Make it easier for the end use to use.
* Increase the potential market to those without computers.
* Add sound to the portfolios.
* Add video segments (tours of the studio, darkroom, gallery, shooting trips, etc.).

I suggest that you look into Microsoft Movie Maker II which comes at no cost with the XP Service Pack 2 upgrade. Until recently I was using Acrobat as you suggest, but I converted to MMII when I discovered I could easily add narrative and video effects and produce a product that could be used without a computer.

Gene Farley

on a TV your limited to the TVs native resolution. For NTSC I think that's 480 lines (pixels) vertically. PAL is a little better (576 I think). Either way, not great! High Definition (HD) tele takes that up to better numbers (different standards all over the place from what I have read) and you'd need a HD DVD as well which I think might exist, you just can't buy pre-recorded material (ie. movies) at Kmart.. don't know if they exist at all. Not many people have HD tele's, even less a suitable DVD player.

I recently did a CD slide show for my in-laws 40th wedding anniversary. I experimented sizing the photo's until they looked the best and then uased the DVDs in built slide show to cycle thru the images which I taped on a VCR as the in-laws didn't have a DVD player. Quality was shocking but it was a hit (at the surprise party of 60 odd) as they looked at the pictures as pictures, not with their techy propellor hats on... watching yourself from 30-40 years ago has that effect. That combined with the image only staying on the screen for a sec or so.

So, maybe you're best sticking with a PDF where you know the image quality will be pretty good.

AfterEffects, InDesign, Quark Express & even Flash are some of the Multimedia authoring software packages available. The size of the resulting movie would be one determination for whether CD or DVD.

My business produces video documentaries on DVDs authored on Macs. We've found that some DVD players will play these "home-burned" DVDs and some will not. In order for our clients to use them, we've had to resort to buying DVD players we know will work and giving them to our clients.

It seems that there are two ways to burn DVDs, and I don't remember what they are called. The method used to make the commercial DVDs of Hollywood movies is very different than the method used by a burner in a home computer. There also seems to be a disparity in standards, or perhaps a looseness, in the burners for computers.

I thought of using DVDs as a promotional device, too, but dropped the idea after I saw how much trouble we had with playback.
juan

Seems most of the feedback here confirms what I have experienced and at present DVDs create more problems than they might solve (as compared to PDFs on data CDs)... I still wait for the time when one can place hi-res still images on DVDs for display to the average consumer on their TVs without a the worry of a dozen or so formats and different equipment types issues...

Again, thanks for the feedback....

This might help. But it is not portable. Might work great in a studio or office though.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=kievreport&msg=6331.1&maxT=13