Scanning for TV Slideshows

[Robin Royster]

Hi, kind of new to scanning. I purchased SilverFast for my scanner and would like to know what you suggest for best scans for slides for the TV, specifically I want to build slideshows to be shown on TV.

I've found lots of conflicting ideas on the internet, ie... 9600 dpi is best for scan, then enlarge to blah blah, or 300 dpi is all that TV's can handle.

I appreciate any help in advanced.

[ianders1]

Robin,

I've made a number of these on DVD for my clients, and the advice you've gotten so far isn't quite right. DPI is of little concern, although it is usually better to scan something in high-res work on it, and then downsize it, unless the slides/photos, etc. can be corrected in Silverfast by itself.

Then it depends on the format, CD-ROM or DVD.

For DVD, the max resolution is: 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL) It's actually a little greater with 16:9, but I don't know of any slideshow programs that use 16:9. You could do it in After Effects, though.

For CD-ROM, the resolution is usually lower, but I would just use the same as DVD.

If I were you, I would JUST worry about the pixel dimensions and shoot for more like 675x450 to ensure that the overscan (area beyond the screen) doesn't get lost on some TVs.

Let me know if you have any other questions as making these things can be more complicated than it seems.