Dropbox and possible file-size limit?

[sadarryl]

I teach architectural history at a local university, and use .ppt presentations for my lectures. File sizes range from 20 MB to 45 MB. I store all of my files in Dropbox, since I am constantly switching between my MBP and the university's PCs in various classrooms and need to be able to save edited versions back to Dropbox. I have an iPad, and would love to use it for reviewing .ppt presentations before class (i.e, not to edit, just view). The problem is that, at about 20 MB or so, which is generally about half the file, images don't load anymore. The .ppt slides (and usually text) load, but about halfway through, no images. I've inquired on Apple Discussions, but no solution. Is there a maximum file size that I'm bumping up against?
Solutions which involve me having to download onto the iPad via iTunes are not satisfactory, as that version of the file isn't stored in Dropbox, and won't have subsequent edits.
Any thoughts?

 

[jeffkempster]

I have the same issues when they get this big. I assume it's a bug. Smaller ones work better.

What I do is open the PPT in Keynote on the iPad. It's just one more step and so far for me Keynote is rendering the images just fine. You do have to buy keynote $9.99.

 

[sadarryl]

the problem is that Dropbox is my 'central' storage site for the files. if i download one of my .ppt files from DB onto the iPad, regardless of what program i open it in, only half the images load. i don't want to edit on the iPad, just view the file: i'm editing on other machines (several), and thus the value of DB is that it saves the most recently edited version, regardless of which machine i'm on.

 

[jeffkempster]

Just to make sure we are are talking about the same thing.

1. I keep all my files as ppt in dropbox
2. Open big ppt file in dropbox and only some of the images load.
3. Use the arrow icon (upper right) in dropbox and open in keynote
4. Then after a few minutes keynote will load the entire presentation

I don't edit in keynote either just view. So what this means is that the entire file is being loaded in dropbox, it just is not being displayed correctly.

 

[sadarryl]

Thanks. I'll give it try later today when I rejoin with my iPad...crossing my fingers...!

 

[sadarryl]

Thanks for the tip...works like a charm! I now feel that my iPad is 100% functional for what I need it for! Except...now that I have Keynote, it would be great to be able to edit those .ppt files on the iPad, export them to .ppt from Keynote, and save to Dropbox, so they'd be accessible from other machines. Is that possible yet?

 

[Floris]

The only few issues I run into was 800mb .mbox file from outlook that we were moving between systems, I had to zip it up as it reported it was over 700mb.

The other 2 times I was on the road and uploaded a high resolution image of 2,5mb and failed a few times on 3g, saying it was over 2mb.

However, a few minutes later it went through just fine. I think it simply hit a timeout or something.