Error initializing MCI

[Naveen]

Hi,
I tried inserting an .mpg file in powerpoint 2007, but i get an error
message saying "error initializing MCI". I tried opening the same file in
mplay32.exe and it works just like it should. Could someone help me fix this?
Thanks,
Naveen

 

[Telstar]

Powerpoint 2007 and earlier does not recognize many mpg 2 video files. MCI
is Media Control Interface.

You need to use the Hyperlink function to point to the filename and let
Player play it, or buy a third party add in.

It is stupid, but this has been going on since Powerpoint added the movie
function.

The other option is to convert to mpeg1 or .wmv.

 

[Austin Myers]

Naveen, if it plays in mplay32 then it SHOULD play in PPT. Try moving the
presentation and the video to a folder with a short path (eg C:\test) and
then reinsert it. For more information you may wnat to read this.

http://www.playsforcertain.com/tutorial.htm


Austin Myers
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team

Creator of PFCPro, PFCMedia and PFCExpress
http://www.playsforcertain.com

 

[Telstar]

Naveen, if it plays in mplay32 then it SHOULD play in PPT. T

Completely and utterly false.

 

[Naveen]

Thank you so much guys for your inputs.

1) I tried moving the file to a shorter path. It didn't work.
2) And the video is actually mpeg 1 and i tried .wmv too. With wmv
powerpoint hangs if i try to insert the video.

Just don't know what the problem is. But i really wanna have the video
running in the presentation and not in a player. So is there a fix for this.

I really appreciate your inputs again.

Thanks,
Naveen

 

[Austin Myers]

Completely and utterly false.

Really? And here I have been working with PPT and video for 15 years or
so, written multiple add-ins specifically dealing with multi-media in
PowerPoint, written tutorials and white papers, and all this time I was
clueless on how the two work together. Thanks for setting me straight, it
is umm, appreciated.

 

[Austin Myers]

Assuming you have a short folder path and you placed all the videos in the
same folder as the presentation AND wmv files will not play then you have
installed something (usually an open source type media player or a
misbehaving video editing application) and it has messed with your machines
settings and codecs.

Try downloading and reinstalling the Windows Media Player to correct it.
(The media player is not used directly in PPT but reinstalling it should
help correct system settings.)

If that doesn't do the trick do holler back.


Austin Myers
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team

Creator of PFCPro, PFCMedia and PFCExpress
http://www.playsforcertain.com

 

[Telstar]

Really? And here I have been working with PPT and video for 15 years or
so, written multiple add-ins specifically dealing with multi-media in
PowerPoint, written tutorials and white papers, and all this time I was
clueless on how the two work together. Thanks for setting me straight, it
is umm, appreciated.

I know who you are. It was the way you worded it. Everything that plays in
media player will not play in powerpoint. I deal with this subject all of
the time. Most mpeg2, even with codecs for mplayer, will not play in power
point. That is why you wrote the add-ins, no?

 

[Telstar]

Really? And here I have been working with PPT and video for 15 years or
so, written multiple add-ins specifically dealing with multi-media in
PowerPoint, written tutorials and white papers, and all this time I was
clueless on how the two work together. Thanks for setting me straight, it
is umm, appreciated.

PS

I have literally thousands of mpeg2 files that play in PowerDVD, Media
Player, etc and not one of them will play dropped into PowerPoint 2007. The
error mentioned by the OP turns up. They were captured and authored by
multiple hardware and software programs, including Hauppauge and ADS.

 

[Austin Myers]

I know who you are. It was the way you worded it. Everything that plays
in media player will not play in powerpoint. I deal with this subject all
of the time. Most mpeg2, even with codecs for mplayer, will not play in
power point. That is why you wrote the add-ins, no?

I have yet to see a Windows machine that is set up properly fail to play
mpg-2 files in PowerPoint. I don't advocate their use due to file size but
they should work. Microsoft has a utility to test Mpeg-2 codec
compatibility on their site. You may want to try it and see where the
problem lies on your machine.


Austin Myers
Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Team

Creator of PFCPro, PFCMedia and PFCExpress
http://www.playsforcertain.com

 

[Ram]

Hi Naveen

I had the exact same problem today! No issues with path length and it was
MPEG-1 with CODEC installed. I found that if I put in one slide with a
hyperlink like one of the people here suggested and played it once, then I
could play the 2 problematic animations like usual in PPT. I then deleted
the original hyperlinked slide and it still works! Not sure why and hope it
works tomorrow when I need it.

Seems like a bug in PPT to me.

Ram