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Laptop for use with SSP
Last Post 23 Jan 2006 03:28 PM by Matt Edwards. 23 Replies.
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Rod LuhrsUser is Offline
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29 Nov 2005 03:42 AM  
Posting this on behalf of Adam,

Who is using a laptop to run SSP in duel monitor mode?
What are the specs?

Need to purchase a laptop to run SSP on, want an idea of what combinations, (brand, model etc) That defininatly work and run.. SSP in duel monitor mode.

All feedback from laptop users would be great, to give us a general idea of where we need to start looking.

(PC is not an option... )

Thanks
Rod




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Gary PresleyUser is Offline
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29 Nov 2005 09:37 AM  
I have a Dell Latitude D600 without any special upgrades, and it works fairly well. I noticed at the Charleston, SC training that several others had either D600s or the Insperon equivelant.

I would check NewEgg.com to see if they have a customizable laptop that allows you to specify the video chip and system memory. Doing so will allow you to order just the software you want, and not have the system preloaded with resource hogging adware (or programs that want you to buy the full version).

I know you can check Dell.com for "refurbished" equipment, and then customize it. I believe you can also do the same with HP/Compaq.

You should look for something with at least a ATI 9200 or NVidia 5600 chip and 1GB of RAM.

gap
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Joel OsbornUser is Offline
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29 Nov 2005 01:05 PM  
The video card is probably the most important piece to watch for in a laptop. If you can find a laptop with a 128MB or 256MB video card, the rest is probably in line.

Another fun place to shop for laptops with high end video cards is Alienware

They have laptops with 256MB nVidia 6600s. But they only come in gray, now. 

...Joel

Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church
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"I'm working on my 5 year plan. I just need to pick a font." - Chuck
Keith ColemanUser is Offline
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11 Dec 2005 07:00 PM  
I have a laptop and can say the faster the better.
I have a 3.2 ghz processor and a Radeon 9800 256 mb video card.
You will need at least a 2.0 128 to run it but again the faster the better.

With the above config. I have not had any hardware problems just a few problems with some other software that does not play nice.  Good luck and I hope this helps.
Matt EdwardsUser is Offline
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18 Jan 2006 02:41 PM  

Did you purchase a laptop?  If so what were the specs and how does it run SSP7?

Our church is looking to upgrade the laptop we use for SSP 5.5 but I want to go ahead and get one that will not have a problem with SSP7.

Most dells come with the X300 ATI card and 128 MB.  Has anyone tried this chipset with SSP7 and had good/bad results?

Saint Mark UMC - Seneca SC - http://www.saintmarkumcseneca.org
Joel OsbornUser is Offline
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18 Jan 2006 02:51 PM  
Should be Ok. I have a dell desktop that had an ATI Radeon X300SE that we had lots of problems with. But upgrading the drivers helped and we found out that the VGA cable to our projector had problems.

The problem you might have is getting timely driver upgrades from Dell. With laptops, R-Technics says you should stick with the laptop manufacturer drivers, not drivers from and video card manufacturer.

I would look to see (or ask) what kind of DirectX support they have and then compare it with the SSP requirements.
...Joel

Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church
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"I'm working on my 5 year plan. I just need to pick a font." - Chuck
Matt EdwardsUser is Offline
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18 Jan 2006 03:00 PM  
While we are discussing laptops. We use one at our church becuase we have multiple volunteers who work on the slide shows each week and we take the laptop home each week. The laptop we use is the projection computer as well. I was wondering how possible it would be to move to a situation where the volunteers make the shows on their computers and then burn the show to a CD or put on a USB drive and import it onto a projection PC. Does anyone do that? Or do you have any suggestions of ways to get away from a laptop in our situtation?
Saint Mark UMC - Seneca SC - http://www.saintmarkumcseneca.org
Karen LynchUser is Offline
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18 Jan 2006 03:17 PM  
I make all of my shows at home and then package it to go and then take it to church.  However, you have to have a very fast computer at home in order to be able to run Songshow Plus at home.  If you are talking about only the slideshow portion, it would be easy though to make that at home and save it to a jump drive or CD and then bring that to church. 
Because He Lives,

Karen
Lee MenningenUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 10:01 AM  
Another consideration is the location of your background files and song database. Package-to-Go may have a problem if your data files are not located on the same computer.

For instance, all our background files are on two NAS-drives on a network (240GB and 500GB drives), not on the local c: drive. All of our SSB and SSP programs link to those files. I had to use Package-to-Go once on SSB but the finished package was too small, indicating to me that the contents of the background files didn't get copied, only their paths. And Package-to-Go knew all of the file paths correctly, it didn't lose any of them. I expected it to have copied each file into the "package", but it didn't.

I wonder about scripture and song databases with SSP, but I have never tried it.

Many people use both the SSB and SSP Package-to-Go features successfully and it might work for you; just be aware of this caveat.

Lee
David RencherUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 11:15 AM  
Regarding Laptops and SSP:

The one thing that laptops just don't do well is the graphics card.  You're stuck with what comes in it so I would suggest paying the extra money for a high end unit from the get go.  I'm talking specifically about the nVidia 7800 Go video card or an equivalent setup from ATI.  Using such a high end graphics chip now ensures that next year you're not trying to buy another laptop because it just can't keep up.

The X300 chipset does not work well with SongShow Plus.  Many people use it but frankly, it causes lots of problems and lockups.  It's basically the lowest end of the X300 lineup and really should not be considered for purchase in a new system to be used with SongShow Plus. 

Another problem with laptops is the lack of driver support.  While ATI and nVidia both release new drivers on a nearly monthly basis you have to go to your laptop vender and download their updates.  These updates can be as much as 18 months apart which makes it highly likely that there will be bugs in your drivers that simply can't be fixed.  In other words if we find a problem that's fixed by updating your video drivers you may be stuck dealing with that problem for a year or more.

In short, you should probably look for a pretty high end Laptop that incorporates a video processor of the 6800/7800 line from nVidia or the 1600/1800 line from ATI.  As always 1 gig of RAM is recommended as is a fairly fast processor. 

Is there a particular reason that you wish to use a laptop as the projection machine?  You could use a much lower end laptop as a workstation to build your programs on and then use a PC as your projection system at the church.  This would allow you to work from home and still have a nice projection system that can be upgraded easily. 
David
Joel OsbornUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 12:26 PM  
If I use a lower end machine to create the programs, I don't see how I can include the higher end effects and transitions in the program.

I'd have to go through, after I import it the the projection machine, and add all the goodies.
...Joel

Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church
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"I'm working on my 5 year plan. I just need to pick a font." - Chuck
David RencherUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 01:16 PM  
Actually, if you use a lower end machine that supports DirectX you can apply all the goodies you like.  They may not run well on the lower end workstation but you can at least set your program up to use them and not have to apply changes later. 


David
Joel OsbornUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 01:34 PM  
OK. That's what I thought. Thanks for clarifying.

Too bad Dell seems to have such a love affair going on with the X300.
...Joel

Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church
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"I'm working on my 5 year plan. I just need to pick a font." - Chuck
Matt EdwardsUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 02:17 PM  
Mainly the reason for the laptop is beacuse we have 4-5 volunteers that take a turn each week to create the slide show.  They take the laptop home every week to complete the show and then bring it back on Sunday to project.  Since we don't have someone on staff to do this full time that is the only way I know of to do it.

Would our SSP license allow us to load it on 4-5 volunteers computers at home and then take to the pojection machine at the church?

Saint Mark UMC - Seneca SC - http://www.saintmarkumcseneca.org
Joel OsbornUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 02:34 PM  
I've always been told that you can have as many "workstation" licenses as you want. It's the projection licenses that cost.
...Joel

Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church
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"I'm working on my 5 year plan. I just need to pick a font." - Chuck
Karen LynchUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 04:52 PM  
Posted By medwards on 01/19/2006 2:17 PM
Mainly the reason for the laptop is beacuse we have 4-5 volunteers that take a turn each week to create the slide show.  They take the laptop home every week to complete the show and then bring it back on Sunday to project.  Since we don't have someone on staff to do this full time that is the only way I know of to do it.

Would our SSP license allow us to load it on 4-5 volunteers computers at home and then take to the pojection machine at the church?

Every volunteer can load SSP at home and unlock it as a workstation.  If they have exactly the same files as the church does as far as the images, etc. then they don't even need to package it to go and SSP will recognize the program.  However, they have to have very fast computers to be able to see the motion backgrounds.  Why do they have to put it together at home?  I put our program together for years while I was up at church and I'm a volunteer.  When I am out of town and others need to put it together, they do it up at church also. 

On another note, when I purchased my Dell laptop, I had them upgrade the graphics card and the memory because the graphics card that came with it just wasn't fast enough.  SSP has the specs posted that you will need on your computer.  I have found that a PC desktop is cheaper than a laptop and the desktop will hold more memory and a larger graphics card.  Do you really want 4 or 5 people taking a laptop home with them?  I would think that would be difficult to keep the projection computer working properly.  We are very picky about who does what with our projection computer. 

Because He Lives,

Karen
Florin nusyoUser is Offline
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19 Jan 2006 06:17 PM  
aslo keep in mind that Centrino cpu's perform better ... so a Centrino 1.6Ghz will be equal to a 2.4Ghz or 2.6Ghz P4 desktop ... I can't remember exactly, but they are better, less heat & power consumption.
Dave GallowayUser is Offline
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21 Jan 2006 12:32 PM  
Posted By Karen39 on 01/19/2006 4:52 PM
We are very picky about who does what with our projection computer. 

I have to agree with Karen on this one.  I would be a bucket of nerves if I knew that 3 or 4 people were taking our projection machine home with them.  The thought of what could happen makes me shiver! But then again... ours is not a laptop.

We are VERY protective of our projection machine with only a very limited number of people having access to it.  We don't want ANY surprises during a service.

SSP allows an unlimited number of workstation licenses when you purchase the projection license.  This is how our programs have been put together since day one using package-to-go and transfering them via a thumb drive.  As a backup to the thumb drive, we have also created a Gmail account and we email them to that account so they can be downloaded to the projection computer if the thumb drive should fail for some reason.

Taking the projection computer home????  I don't think so!

Just my $.02

Dave G

Gale LegerUser is Offline
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22 Jan 2006 08:04 PM  
I have to agree here.  Unless your volunteers are all real computer techs (and even then I'd think twice), I'd have a heart attack if people were taking the projection machine home.

Matt EdwardsUser is Offline
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23 Jan 2006 08:31 AM  
We have been doing the service at our church for going on 4 years now and have never had a problem and we do at least one projection service a week sometimes 2-3. And they are not computer techs. We find that people pick up SSP very quickly.
Saint Mark UMC - Seneca SC - http://www.saintmarkumcseneca.org
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12 Mar 2010 11:11 AM
RE: Does December 2009 Edition Support Unicode? by dreece in User Support - V7

We understand the need for this, and work continues under the hood torward that goal. We will be sure to make it well known once this capability is supported.

12 Mar 2010 10:00 AM
RE: some avi's kill SSP by George in User Support - V7

All AVI files are not created equal....

AVI is a wrapper format that can contain audio and video in just about any format, created with just about any CODEC.  Part of the problem is that once in the AVI wrapper it is not obvious what file encode types are being used.  It is possible that either the audio or the video in the AVI file is not supported in SSP.

That said, even if something is not supported we would expect that we can make notification or at least exit gracefully without SSP dying.

Dick - If you can contact the support team they can verify the behavior and get one or two of the files you are using for testing. 

12 Mar 2010 09:49 AM
RE: Bug in 2/26/10 build by akins in User Support - V7

I might add to what George said by directing you to "presets" for songs and other items. We use somewhat similar formats for songs and scriptures each Sunday and I have "preset" these for quick application. I then can make modifications as desired for a particular Sunday.

12 Mar 2010 09:44 AM
RE: How to use ssptimer files by akins in User Support - V7

Just select the type you want (5 min, etc.) from the list and place it in the program. You can then edit the timer changing font, size, color (just two), placement, and two lines of text. Actually, the editing choices are fairly limited and have been the subject of wishes for sometime, but you can usually play around and get a decent look. Right clicking on the timer in the program and selecting "display properties" at the top of the list will allow you to add background color, images, and/or videos and you can apply "advance effects" to any of these.

11 Mar 2010 11:18 AM
Right-Click copy/paste menu does not work in PPT song import panel (TS098) by George in Troubleshooting

Symptom:
During a Song import from PPT the right-click menu is no longer available in the Slide Text box when importing song text from a PPT.  This may cause difficulty in editing content. Import is still possible and text entry and deletion are possible, only the right click menu is affected.   

Possible Cause:
Unknown - the root cause of this is still under investigation.
 
Possible Solution:
Import is still possible and text entry and deletion are possible.  The CTRL-X, CTRL-C and CTRL-V keyboard shortcuts work as well.  If a significant change in the arrangement of the text in the PowerPoint file is needed, this can be done using Microsoft PowerPoint. 

(TS098)

10 Mar 2010 05:37 PM
December 2009 Edition - Bug Fixes (SSP070) by George in SongShow Plus Issues

There are some previously reported bugs that have been fixed in the December 2009 Edition:

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  • Quick Message was broken and fixed in the Beta cycle. 
  • Live Video was broken and fixed in the Beta cycle.  This fix was an improvement of the previous patch that was required to use the Live Video Plug-in.
  • An issue with nvidia driver version 196.21 that broke the SSP Beta on XP was corrected.
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  • H.264 issue with playback of .m4v, .mp4v, and .mpg4 video corrected.
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  • Background Improv folder navigation and state save corrected.
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(SSP070)

10 Mar 2010 03:05 PM
H.264 videos or thumbnails may cause SSP to be unstable and lock up (TS097) by George in Troubleshooting

Symptom:
H.264 Video or thumbnails may cause SSP to be unstable and lock up when added or viewed.  

Possible Cause:
It appears that there are some H.264 video that can cause trouble in SSP. At this time this is very rare, however, the root cause of this is still under investigation.
 
Possible Solution:
This was discovered using movie trailer files that would play fine in applications other than SSP.  At this time there is no solution but it is best to try a different file to make sure it is not a wider issue.  Please contact the Support Team and provide the video file for analysis. 

(TS097)

10 Mar 2010 11:56 AM
RE: Audio clip doesn't restart when slide show restarts by George in User Support - V7

Hmm - Interesting...

I just tried this using blank slides entered as program elements and got the same expected behavior I described before.  Are you using "blank" blank slides (default blank slide is black color only) or do you have something else set for your blank slides?

I would say at this point if the behavior persists and you can duplicated it, contact the support team so they can do a remote with you and actually see what is going on.

09 Mar 2010 05:59 PM
RE: SSP Version 5.5 with SongSelect Online by iamgap in User Support - V5.5


I too would recommed that you backup/archive/zip your current R-Technics folder and install the evaluation of version seven. If the PC cannot handle it, which I doubt, do a complete uninstall of Version 7 and go back to version 5.5.

It is my understanding that version 7 is much more stable, and can function more efficiently on an older machine than version 5.5 can.

09 Mar 2010 05:52 PM
RE: 32bit vs. 64bit by iamgap in User Support - V7 on Windows 7


To add yet another fly into the ointment...

I didn't realize that my MoBo has a 4 year old (2 yr older than the mobo) chip on it (intel 945). So even though the processor and motherboard can support up to 4 GB of RAM, the chipset can only address 3.2 GB of RAM.

What I am most upset about is that the board advertised that it could support up to 4 GB of RAM, but didn't say it could only address 3.2. Had I known that, I wouldn't have bought this board. Time for an upgrade. Now I gotta find a board that supports the RAM that I just bought for this board.

09 Mar 2010 10:47 AM
Video file types supported in Video Chain (MI016) by George in Media Issues

The video file extensions that are supported in SongShow PlusTM for the Video Chain tool are a subset of the video file extensions that are supported in SSP globally. 

Keep in mind the required codec/filter still needs to be available on the system for proper playback of these file formats.

  • Video Clip (*.avi)
  • Video (*.mpg4)
  • Video (*.mp4)
  • Video (*.m4v)
  • Video (*.mp4v)
  • Video (*.mov)
  • Movie Clip (*.mpg)
  • Movie Clip (*.mpeg)
  • Movie Clip (*.mpe)
  • Movie Clip (*.m1v)
  • Windows Media Audio/Video File (*.wmv)

If some of the listed types do not appear in the Video Chain panel, review the instructions for selecting visible video types in the KB article MI010.

(MI016)

09 Mar 2010 08:11 AM
RE: SSP loses audio when run with PowerDVD by norvilles in User Support - V7

Ah. Never would have thought that those two things would go hand in hand.

09 Mar 2010 07:30 AM
RE: Cinematic Effects Collection: Easter Special from GoFishMedia by osborn4 in Latest News

And if you have multiple projection licenses, one purchase covers all of them.

08 Mar 2010 03:26 PM
RE: Animated GIF Support by pgulezian in User Support - V7

Cool!! I wonder when they'll finally add this as a feature??? I also wonder WHY it hasn't been added in the past. It just seems like a "No Brainer", because it's a basic feature to support. ESPECIALLY, because we're dealing with a projection type of program. Like I said, PowerPoint supports it and probably has for years... I guess it just confuses me as to why it wasn't always a part of SSP, being the awesome program that it is. GIF's MUST be harder to deal with than I think.

Thanks for your reply.

07 Mar 2010 02:04 PM
RE: Troubleadvancing through a program by osborn4 in User Support - V7

If you can reproduce it, I'd contact tech support.

You might want to try installing the latest release to see if that shakes anything loose.

05 Mar 2010 04:12 PM
RE: Resizing rotated graphics by Lucas in Beta Test Support

To me that makes perfect sense, cause it's keeping the image in the correct aspect.

05 Mar 2010 12:27 PM
RE: SSP Crashes when adding a song by KingsleyUMC in User Support - V7

Update 3:

I have updated to the december release. It appears the problem has gone away for the time being. I noticed there was an update in the visualitation'S .dll . Also this machine is 4+ years old. I wonder if the video card might not be beefy enough for the improvements you have give the program during that time. I did run the hardware test and it didn't have a problem with the card.

Well, the problem is under control for the time being. Let's let it die.

Tim Goldsmith

03 Mar 2010 12:10 PM
RE: December 2009 Edition Released by norvilles in Latest News

No problem.

Also I tested on Windows 7 64bit and Windows XP 64bit.

02 Mar 2010 03:50 PM
RE: Exporting slide show from one computer to another by iamgap in User Support - V7


As Joel said, add the slide show to a program, save the program, and then Package to Go.

You can also save the SSB to an external drive, and you can copy it to another computer. The down side to this is all the linked files (images and videos) will need to be copied also, and then pasted to a relative location on the other PC.

02 Mar 2010 03:14 PM
RE: Computer Setups by norvilles in The 'Wave Pool'

Well I see what you mean.
There is the debate between Linux, Mac and Windows. Then there is the debate between what Distro.

But Linux is becoming increasingly popular. You see it more and more often on the laptops of those setting in StarBucks.

But, all I'm saying is that if SSP could open up to the different platforms, that would be great.

And there will always be bugs in programs, no matter what. That is unavoidable.

Unless its a simple:

class Driver {
static void main(string[]args) {
System.out.println("Hello World");
}
}

SSP News

09 Mar 2010 07:30 AM
RE: Cinematic Effects Collection: Easter Special from GoFishMedia by osborn4 in Latest News

And if you have multiple projection licenses, one purchase covers all of them.

03 Mar 2010 12:10 PM
RE: December 2009 Edition Released by norvilles in Latest News

No problem.

Also I tested on Windows 7 64bit and Windows XP 64bit.

05 Feb 2010 08:13 PM
December 2009 Edition, 2/4/2010 Candidate Release by dreece in Latest News

The 2/4/2010 candidate test release of the December 2009 Edition of SongShow Plus is now available to current subscribers.

  • XP/nVidia driver problem is resolve.
  • Single core use is now the default. Users can still switch to multi-core mode.

Read What's New for a more complete list of new features and enhancements. Subscribers can also visit the Beta Test Support forum to post feedback and questions regarding the beta version.

You can download the beta test installation from within SongShow Plus using the menu command Update > Check for Beta Version Updates  or by going to http://www.songshowplus.com then to the Download page.

29 Jan 2010 03:40 PM
December 2009 Edition, 1/28/2010 Candidate Release by dreece in Latest News

The 1/28/2010 candidate test release of the December 2009 Edition of SongShow Plus is now available to current subscribers.

  • Various bug fixes. 

Read What's New for a more complete list of new features and enhancements. Subscribers can also visit the Beta Test Support forum to post feedback and questions regarding the beta version.

You can download the beta test installation from within SongShow Plus using the menu command Update > Check for Beta Version Updates  or by going to http://www.songshowplus.com then to the Download page.

 

22 Jan 2010 03:31 PM
December 2009 Edition, 1/21/2010 Candidate Release by dreece in Latest News

The 1/21/2010 candidate test release of the December 2009 Edition of SongShow Plus is now available to current subscribers.

  • Added configuration option to enable/disable multi-core support (for support purposes, the default is multi-core support enabled).
  • Fixed missing Ctrl-V keystroke for Slide Show Builder.
  • Fixed problem when Video Playback Settings is used for the first time with a video file (introduced in the first beta build).
  • Fixed spin controls for absolute monitor placement settings.
  • Fixed problem that could occur when selecting transitions in the Display Properties window.

Read What's New for a more complete list of new features and enhancements. Subscribers can also visit the Beta Test Support forum to post feedback and questions regarding the beta version.

You can download the beta test installation from within SongShow Plus using the menu command Update > Check for Beta Version Updates  or by going to http://www.songshowplus.com then to the Download page.

 

 

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