Getting a video to play

[jmt356]

Every time I insert a video into my PowerPoint presentation, it doesn't play. It's a Windows Media Player file. It doesn't play both when I click on it and when I don't click on it. How can I get it to play?

[HansV]

What do you see when you switch to Slide Show? A preview image of the video? A white rectangle? A black rectangle? Nothing?

What is the file format of the video? .wmv, .avi, .mpeg, ...?

[jmt356]

On the Slides preview pane on the left, it looks like a preview image of the video (an image corresponding to the first clip of the movie). It basically looks as though it were a photograph.
However, when playing the slideshow, it sometimes looks like a preview image of the video and sometimes a white rectangle.

It's a .wmv file.

[HansV]

You might try PFCMedia. It's not free, but it has a fully functional 14-day trial period.

[steveh]

Every time I insert a video into my PowerPoint presentation, it doesn't play. It's a Windows Media Player file. It doesn't play both when I click on it and when I don't click on it. How can I get it to play?

Hi JMT

I am making an assumption that your file is a .WMV, I went to this site Movietools and downloaded a free .WMV file (this is a great resource for free clips).

At home I have PowerPoint 2010

1. Insert Tab, select Video
2. Inserted Video from desktop
3. As is, it appears with controls so that you can manullay start it in the presentation
4. to autostart select the video and on the tool bar you will see on the right Video Tools
5. Select Playback and then you can select On Click or Automatic.

I logged into my work PC which has PowerPoint 2003

1. Select insert
2. Select Movie
3. Straight away you get a dialoug asking if you want to start on Click or Automatic

HTH