The following features are introduced by PowerShow in the Microsoft PowerPoint environment running on a machine supporting multi-monitor configuration. PowerShow introduces new interfaces to PowerPoint:

PowerPoint 2007 and later versions:

PowerPoint 2003 and previous versions:

Feature 1: View the slide show on a monitor while you continue working on something else on another monitor

You can setup a slide show to show on a secondary monitor if you have multiple monitor support. By design of PowerPoint, when you try to do anything else on any other monitor, the slide show would freeze. PowerShow works around this limitation to enable you to continue working on a monitor while the slide show runs on other one.

With PowerShow, you no longer require a separate machine dedicated to run the slide shows. This gets you significant cost savings since you no longer have to purchase separate machines and their software licenses.

Feature 2: View different presentations on different monitors simultaneously

Microsoft PowerPoint enables you to start slide shows on different monitors. By the design of PowerPoint, only one show can be active at any time. PowerShow works around this limitation to enable you to view all the shows simultaneously. All shows started by PowerShow remain active at all times. Multiple videos on the same slide or different slide shows run simultaneously. You don't need multiple computers to show different slide shows. Save significantly on hardware and software costs.

Among other uses, this is ideal for displaying slide shows in reception areas, fitness rooms, etc. You can drive all the slide shows from a single PC. You can equip the PC with additional display outputs using the widely available USB VGA display adapters that allow you to connect your displays to the USB slots on your PC.

Normally slide shows are configured for a 4:3 (Width:Height) ratio since normal monitors have that ratio. For a slide show to span multiple monitors, the show should have those dimensions. A show in Wide Format would have 8:3, 4:1, 16:3 kind of Width:Height ratios. To create such presentations in PowerPoint, set the slide size appropriately as follows:

1. Select File | Page Setup... menu item to launch the Page Setup dialog box.
2. Select the Slides sized for on screen show.
3. The Width to Height ratio should be 8:3 for shows to span 2 monitors. So, if the Height is set to 7.5 Inches, then the Width should be set to 20 Inches.
4. Click OK.

In addition to running multiple shows simultaneously, PowerShow offers you to view formatted notes for the shows on a different monitor. This feature enables you to have the notes view visible to the presenter and the slide show view to be visible to the audience. PowerShow keeps the notes synchronized with the currently showing slide. PowerShow retains the formatting of the notes text.

Multi-panel systems are usually arranged in matrix layouts to collectively form a big screen. PowerShow supports such configurations to enable you to span a PowerPoint slide show across the width and height of the layout. This feature allows you to show your PowerPoint slide shows on video arrays.

PowerShow enables you to edit the presentation slides when the slide show is running. Edit the file on one monitor while the slide show is running on another.

Feature 7: Run a ticker slide show simultaneously with the main slide show

PowerShow enables multiple slide shows on the same monitor. Among other things, this allows you to run a ticker slide show at the bottom of the screen while the main slide show runs. Visit Ticker Show page to know more about this feature.

Feature 8: See a video on a monitor while controlling it from another monitor

The Multi-monitor Media Player feature of OfficeOne PowerShow allows you to see a video on one monitor and control it from another monitor. When using this feature, PowerShow creates a presentation spanning multiple monitors. It positions the video on the slide in such a way that it gets shown on one monitor. The remaining part of the slide has the video controls that will be shown on other monitor. Visit Multi-monitor Media Player page to know more about this feature.

Feature 9: Control multiple slide shows from a single terminal

PowerShow introduces Session Controller that enables you to control all the slide shows started in a PowerShow Session. Session Controller also allows you to use your remote presenter devices to control multiple slide shows simultaneously. Visit Session Controller page to know more about this feature.

PowerShow allows you to control different slide shows running on different machines. Click here to know how to do this.

Feature 10: Slide design view can stay in-sync with slide show and vice-versa

The slide design view can stay in-sync with the projected slide show. This makes it possible to view the slides in the design view on your laptop while the slide show is beamed through the projector.

The slide show can stay in-sync with the slide sorter view. This enables you select a slide in the slide sorter view and PowerShow will beam that slide in the slide show.

Feature 11: View same slide show on multiple monitors

You can now view the same slide show on multiple monitors. PowerShow will keep the slide shows in sync with each other. Using this feature, for instance, you can elect to show presentations in different languages on different monitors and they would be kept in sync with each other. Visit Synchronous Shows page to know more about this feature.

PowerShow supports all the monitors that are connected to the system. The default PowerShow Session Settings dialog box enables you to configure 7 items in the session. It also provides the Add More Rows button that enables you to add additional items if needed.

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