PowerPoint 2016 exported mp4 video "jerks" on some slide transitions

Anonymous
2020-04-15T05:43:13+00:00

I am using PowerPoint 2016 - Windows 7. When I export to an mp4 video, I notice that at some slide transitions the video "jerks" (quickly flashes back and forth from previous slide). I am at a total loss as to why. I'm hoping this is something I am doing wrong and someone can help figure out how to prevent this from happening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2IYaXmGHRc - video file exported from ppt and imported into youtube

Link to youtube video showing behavior

where it jerks: 55 seconds, 1:45, and 2:36

The same behavior occurs in original mp4 file exported from ppt. If you download the mp4 file and run in Windows Media Player you will see the glitches at the time points. For some reason, when I just run the mp4 in a browser, the jerks do not show up, I guess are "smoothed over" by whatever video player the browser is using.

https://www.ehdp.com/out/ppt\_light\_bg\_alternatives\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.mp4 - video exported from ppt

Link to mp4 file showing behavior

You will notice there is kind of a pattern. Approximately 50 seconds between the glitches. I have noticed a more or less similar pattern, approximately one minute between the glitches, in some other tests I have done.

https://www.ehdp.com/out/ppt\_light\_bg\_alternatives\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.pptx - the powerpoint file

PowerPoint File 

I also see this happen when I remove the slide timings and set the mp4 video export to advance slides every 5 seconds. In that case, the jerks happen exactly at 1 minute and 2 minutes.

The transition "jerk" never happens when I run a slideshow from within PPT. Only happens in exported mp4 video.

Slide transitions set to "none".

Any help appreciated. Please let me know if additional information needed.

If a bug in ppt, any suggested workaround?

Daniel

Microsoft 365 and Office | PowerPoint | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2020-12-02T19:01:27+00:00

I too have this issue. The exported MP4 from O365 PP 2016 is experiencing the same "glitch" on transitions. After the transition completes, the previous slide pops up, sometimes the entire slide, sometimes only parts of it.

I've been using PP for this purpose for many years and never had this issue, even with Win 10 x64 and O365 2016 until recently. I'm suspecting it has something to do with one or more of the updates pushed out by Microsoft. (remember the debacle where the Win 10 update 1809 would delete your user profiles if you didn't store them in a "traditional" location?)

Anyway, in October this was working fine for me (we are a corporate entity that updates much slower than public users).

I've had to resort to two rounds of encoding making the process more lengthy.

Length of video is irrelevant unless of course it's shorter than the 55 seconds (yes mine also initially happens at 55 seconds go figure)

I am a software engineer and I can tell you that this is most definitely an encoding problem. It is NOT a player problem ... I suspect that the encoding is screwed up and some players more readily ignore them. But what do I know, I only design and write software for a living.

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-05-12T16:50:21+00:00

    Thank you for the two helpful replies.

    "I would be grateful if Microsoft would finally dive into this problem and solve it" - "this issue has persisted for some years now" - "it doesn't look like Microsoft is very serious in fixing it"

    I agree 100%. I am still going through the process of discussing this with Microsoft and will post the results soon. Unfortunately, so far it has been frustrating, and wasted a lot of my time and energy. :(

    Has anyone tested (export to mp4 from my original ppt_light_bg_alternatives_______.pptx test file, and see if jerks occur at 55 seconds) under Windows 10 / Office 2016 combination? I have not been able to do that test so far (do not have office 2016 on my windows laptop).

    It should be clear by now that this is a significant bug, a very undesirable effect, a problem that users want fixed. I would like to request that the moderator put me in contact with someone high up on the office development or testing team (not just some general help person at a call center in India).

    Daniel

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-05-12T09:07:42+00:00

    Right, thank you for the corrections.

    There are probably several methods PowerPoint can encode videos, and similarly several methods that players can use for playback (keeping in mind the hundreds of software-hardware combinations). Since, for myself, there was only one player that was depicting the issue (playback on YouTube worked fine too), I thought it was probably due to some bug in the way that player had decided to play that particular encoding type. If other users are seeing the jerks in other players too, then almost definitely it is a PowerPoint bug.

    I was using Windows 10 v1903 with Office 365 Version 2004 (Build 12730.20250 Click-to-run), the same as Bart123-123's above.

    Since this issue has persisted for some years now and apparently most users don't face it, it doesn't look like Microsoft is very serious in fixing it. Maybe we should try the "Feedback" feature built inside Office, that might get more attention.

    Regards,

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-05-12T06:34:11+00:00

    Hi,

    I have experienced the same issue and I cannot acknowledge that encoding a video file from PowerPoint to .wmv format would not produce the same jerks in the output.

    And as for player differences, I cannot reproduce your results either. This was the case with all other players I tested (Windows Media PLayer, Photos, Films & TV, VLC 32-bits).

    Also, streaming the .mp4 file to Youtube (using OBS), which was my ultimate goal produced the exact same jerks in the video as played locally. Same results when afterwards playing the movie from Youtube. For that matter, it would be a nice feature if PowerPoint could stream to Youtube directly, which shouldn't be too difficult to achieve.

    I am using Windows 10 Enterprise, 64 bits, version 1909, build 18363.778 on a Dell XPS 15 9570 laptop with a 2.90 Mhz i9-8950HK processor and 16GB memory. The Powerpoint I use is Office365 click-and-run version 2004, build 12730.20250 

    I would be grateful if Microsoft would finally dive into this problem and solve it, as it has persisted for many years already.  PowerPoint is a great tool to make video presentations.

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-05-11T16:38:29+00:00

    Thanks for responding. But this is *not* a problem with VLC video player. The jerks are in the mp4 file exported from PowerPoint. All the evidence is this *is* a PowerPoint issue.

    First, it is not plausible the video player would jerk back to previous slide on it's own. The video player does not "know" about PPT transitions. It just reads and displays bits. The idea that the video player could somehow jerk back to the previous slide on it's own is magical thinking. Only PowerPoint "knows" a transition is occurring.

    Second, it is 100% plausible that PowerPoint would malfunction on export to make some of the transitions "jerk".

    Finally, Windows Media Player and VLC and youtube all display the jerks. So that proves the problem is the mp4 file, not the player. Unless you are suggesting that all three players have exactly the same problem that makes the mp4 somehow jerk at 55 seconds. Not believable.

    For chrome and firefox, I believe they sample at a lower rate, and therefore do not display the jerks, instead "gloss over them". As to the other media players you listed, I have no idea why you do not see the jerks. But you could upload the mp4 file to youtube, or play it in Windows Media Player, and see the jerks, so it is *not* a VLC problem.

    What version of Windows / Office did you use? That would be helpful. If anyone else could report which Windows / Office version produces (or does not produce) the "jerks", that would help define the problem.

    Daniel

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