In MediaShout 6, we have added a New Feature that allows you to Import your PowerPoint files into MediaShout and play them through. This does not require any specific version of PowerPoint to be installed. Simply go to Insert Elements and choose Import Slideshow to select your PowerPoint file and begin the import process.
Keep in mind: In doing this, you will lose all animations and transitions that were built in PowerPoint. But, you gain the ability to consistently play this content through the MediaShout program.
What are "Click to Run and MSI Installers"?
With 2013, 2016, and Office 365, the file that you download is much smaller and quicker to install and uses what is called a "Click-to-Run" installer. Click-to-Run is an alternative to the traditional Windows Installer-based (MSI) method of installing and updating programs (such as Office). If you install Office by using MSI, you have to wait until the whole Office product is installed before you can open and start to use the product. But you have the entire program and all support files installed. With Click-to-Run, if you try to use a feature that is not yet downloaded and installed, Click-to-Run immediately tries to download and install that feature. This streaming capability resembles how you watch videos from the Internet. You can start to watch the first part of the video before the whole video downloads to your computer. The same is here - you can use the program without having everything installed. If something is needed, it will download and install it, but if it isn't needed, it never will be added.
NOTE: If you have already downloaded a copy of Office and you see "C2R" somewhere in the file name, this is a Click to Run installer and attempting an "Offline" install will not give you the results you need
How do i get an MSI version of Office 2016?
You can purchase the MSI installer, but you have to have a Volume License. The folks at TechSoup can help you through this process and provide you with all of the details. But to give you an idea on what to expect, I asked TechSoup for a brief walk through of the process and this is what they said.
In order to get Microsoft products through TechSoup, churches must first qualify (see options 1 and 2). The first step would be to join TechSoup, where you would go through a qualification process which usually takes a week. After that, You will need to request a copy of Office Pro Plus 2016 . The nice thing here is, it is only $40. When that is completed, it takes from 1-3 business days to fulfill the product and 3-5 days for Microsoft to make it available for download on the VLSC.
1. Churches can formally apply and be granted their independent 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. In this case, TechSoup requires that you submit a copy of your church's 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter. While churches are automatically tax-exempt with the IRS, to qualify for TechSoup programs they must additionally be granted 501(c)(3) status. We do not accept state documents. Letters dated later than 90 days ago will not be valid.
2. Many churches have 501(c)(3) status through a group ruling granted to their parent organization or the national office of their denomination. Local churches covered by such group rulings are generally considered valid. However, TechSoup requires that you provide your group exemption letter to clarify your relationship with the parent organization.
NOTE: Office 2010 (MSI) is still fully supported.
Why we can't support Click To Run!
Unfortunately, this Click-to-Run process does not always behave well when integrating with other software (like MediaShout). We've seen very mixed results ranging from it not working at all, to everything working perfectly (depending on what tools the Click-to-Run has downloaded and installed). And sometimes when it doesn't work, 20 minutes later it does work. The challenge is there are no steps that will allow you to "force" the needed components to be installed to make it work. For this fact alone, this is simply not acceptable for our application, so we do not recommend using Office 2010, 2013, 2016 or 365 that is installed using the Click to Run installer.
Important Information: Office 2019, which may be available in the second quarter of 2018, will not be available as an MSI installer according to the article titled "Office 2019 will be Windows 10 exclusive" . Please take the time to read this article as it may mean you will not be able to use the newer versions with MediaShout.