Open external program from Powerpoint

Question

Hi all,

I am using PowerPoint 2007. 

I have presentation which includes photos and videos.  If I simply include the video onto a slide I am not happy with the quality of the video playback.  It is not as good as simply playing the video with Windows Media Player.  I would like to achieve better quality video playback for my presentation.  My thought is to use a hyperlink from the slide to an external media player such as Windows Media Player.  I can put a button on the slide and when it is clicked Windows Media Player opens and my selected video plays.  However when the video is finished Windows Media Player remains active and I cannot continue my presentation without manually closing Windows Media Player.  Is there a way (perhaps using VBA or settings within Windows Media Player) that I can open Windows Media {Player, play my video, close Windows Media Player then continue to the next slide in my presentation?

Thank you

Robert

Answer 1

Older versions of the media player supported a /Close command line option that you could combine with other options to play a file then close.  The /Close option is no longer supported for some bizarre reason. 

Beyond that, you'd have to work out how to automate Media Player from VBA or possibly install another media player that allows the kind of control you want from the command line (a non-starter if you need to distribute the presentation to others for playback, unless you can get them to install the same software).