A Short Guide To Using WizFX...

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:20

Hi,

I originally posted this in answer to a user's question but thought people may find this useful as a FAQ. (Now updated with input from others - as posted below.) These instructions are based on version 1.0.1.4 of WizFX.

In WizFX you use the top half of the window to select a Beyonwiz unit (on the left) and a recording on that unit (on the right) for transfer. You click on the file to select it and then click Transfer on the menu bar to transfer the file in the default transfer mode (as selected with the Preference menu button). You can also right click the recording and select the mode of transfer directly. A file selector then pops up and allows you to select the target directory for the copy of the recording.

In WizFX you use the bottom half of the window to select a Beyonwiz .TVWIZ / .RADWIZ directory structure on any available disk or file-system on your PC or network. You then click on Change TS File to convert that file structure to a .TS file This button only becomes enabled when a valid .TVWIZ / .RADWIZ file is selected. The .TS file is automatically places in the same location as the source directory structure (not inside the source directory).

Please note that transferring or converting a recording as a .TS file the only way to correctly preserve all editing done on the Beyonwiz using the UI editing commands.

So, next thing is to explain what to do with the .TS file (if that is what your transferred):

1. Ensure that you have an NTFS formatted HDD if you want to download as .TS or convert a .TVWIZ/.RADWIZ directory structure/recording on your PC HDD to .TS. A high definition (HD) .TS file can be over 6 Gigabytes per hour. Most PC file systems, apart from NTFS, will only support file sizes of 2G (or 4G depending on the application).

2. If you just want to watch the file on your PC at this point, simply download one or other of these free players:
a: VLC Player
b: "The KM Player"
Both of these will play *many* video formats natively, rather than using the myriad of potentially different filters installed on your PC that Windows Media Player uses. The KM Player seems to play HD more smoothly with default settings vs VLC Player.

3. To fix errors in the recording, like lip-sync, in preparation for further processing, I highly recommend a compiled version of "projectX". It is a bit daunting to use at first, but will demux most .TS streams into elementary data streams (separate audio and video streams etc) and fix minor errors along the way. If you set it up to decode subtitles/teletext page 801, it will even strip out the subtitles for you (if they were broadcast with the signal).

Many DVD authoring packages accept these elementary streams, but some of those packages like AutoGK (Gordian Knot) to make DVDs or DIVX files want a whole program stream file (audio and video in the one file) so use an applications like "Mplex1" or "tsMuxeR" to get the audio and video remuxed back together after demuxing with projectX. ProjectX demuxing will also re-synchronise your subtitles if you advert cut using projectX.

http://www.videohelp.com/ or a million other websites have tips on how to create DVDs, AVIs, DIVX files etc. (If you want to convert a HD recording to DVD format you will need to down convert to SD in order to be DVD compatible. This is quite processor intensive and can take many hours. I won't go thru that process here.)

Regards,
Ian.

tonymy01 · Post by **tonymy01** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:44

Good one Ian. {snip as tips now incorped into Ian's post}

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:54

Hi Tony,

Now you can see why I like to proof read manuals but I should never be allowed to write one!

Regards,
Ian.

prl · Post by **prl** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:21

It may also be worth addiung that transferring as a TS file rather than a .tvwiz folder is the only way to correctly preserve any editing done on the BW when the recording is manipulated by any processing on the PC.

Gully · Post by **Gully** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 18:17

prl wrote:It may also be worth addiung that transferring as a TS file rather than a .tvwiz folder is the only way to correctly preserve any editing done on the BW when the recording is manipulated by any processing on the PC.

Maybe make that transferring as or converting to a TS file.

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 22:15

Nice work Ian. A moment ago, I 'bumped' my request for someone to do something like this, in the USB and Software forum.

One point though, your 3rd paragraph reads like a required step rather than an optional ability.

And, IMHO, the 1st paragraph is a bit sparse. It could also describe the purpose of the 4 different 'windows' and the various menu items. like what is listed in the top-left window and why. it also lacks any info on minimum required firmware version, required beyonwiz settings, and things that can prevent it working like firewalls and norton interent security etc.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 22:21

Hi Dave,

I said I was bad at writing manuals. I will have a bash at improving it later.

Regards,
Ian.

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 22:23

Anything is better than nothing.

elysian · Post by **elysian** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 14:58

IanSav wrote:Hi,
I originally posted this in answer to a user's question but thought people may find this useful as a FAQ. (Now updated with input from others - as posted below.) These instructions are based on version 1.0.1.4 of WizFX.

Thanks for this. Got me up and running in no time.

sydney2218 · Post by **sydney2218** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 21:37

Hi, the Wizfx starting point is to recognize the PVR & i can not get to first base. After opening the program what is the first step to show the recorded files on the Wiz ?

tonymy01 · Post by **tonymy01** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 21:58

Before you do that, you need to enable the WizPNP server on the Beyonwiz, that is essentially all you need to do.
Regards

sydney2218 · Post by **sydney2218** » Thu Dec 18, 2008 00:12

Thanks ....obvious now !

manic · Post by **manic** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 20:03

Can WizFX be used to download the tvwiz files from a portable hard drive to a PC ( and convert to .ts on the way)?

tonymy01 · Post by **tonymy01** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 20:15

Where is the portable HDD? Plugged into the PC? If so, then it can be used to convert tvwiz structure to TS structure no problems.

glow · Post by **glow** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:18

manic wrote:Can WizFX be used to download the tvwiz files from a portable hard drive to a PC ( and convert to .ts on the way)?

As far as I can see, WizFX always converts .twiz to .ts in the same directory so you can't directly copy+convert .twiz on a portable drive to .ts on another drive (you have to copy either .twiz or .ts files separately). I would like to have this function in WizFX or Wizilla to save the extra time and space consuming copying step.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 09:10

Hi Glow,

glow wrote:As far as I can see, WizFX always converts .twiz to .ts in the same directory so you can't directly copy+convert .twiz on a portable drive to .ts on another drive (you have to copy either .twiz or .ts files separately). I would like to have this function in WizFX or Wizilla to save the extra time and space consuming copying step.

In WizFX right click on any file in residing on the Beyonwiz and you get a pop-up menu offering to copy the file as either a .TVWIZ or as a .TS. That is, it is a single operation.

Regards,
Ian.

glow · Post by **glow** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 10:09

IanSav wrote:Hi Glow,

In WizFX right click on any file in residing on the Beyonwiz and you get a pop-up menu offering to copy the file as either a .TVWIZ or as a .TS. That is, it is a single operation.

Regards,
Ian.

Hi Ian
I know I can transfer from the Wiz in either format using WizFX.
The problem is if you've already moved/copied a file from the Wiz to an external drive using the Beyonwiz GUI, the files are always in tvwiz format. If you then take that external drive to your PC and want to convert it to ts format using WizFX, it seems to me that WizFX only lets you convert to a TS file in the same directory. The problem is that the external drive is FAT formatted (so the Wiz can write to it) but a 2 hour movie isn't going to fit in a single TS file. WizFX will split it into two or more TS files. What I really want to do is convert it to a single TS file on another drive which is NTFS formatted.
To do this I have to copy all the tvwiz files to my NTFS drive then run WizFX. This intermediate copying is just a waste of time and space.

Originally I didn't have my Wiz networked so I just moved recordings to an external USB drive. When that started filling up I wanted to compress the files to xvid avi. To do that I need the recordings in ts format.

Now I have my Wiz networked so I use WizFX/WIzilla to transfer in TS format from the beginning.

I hope I've explained the problem.

In short, it would be convenient if the "Change TS file" option in WizFX allowed the ts file to be in a different drive/directory from the tvwiz files.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 11:46

Hi Glow,

Now I get what you are after.

I guess this will need to go on the wish list.

Regards,
Ian.

madmax · Post by **madmax** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 13:46

Added wish 9(a), part (vi) for this one.

Billzilla · Post by **Billzilla** » Thu May 07, 2009 11:03

IanSav wrote:Hi,

I originally posted this in answer to a user's question but thought people may find this useful as a FAQ. (Now updated with input from others - as posted below.) These instructions are based on version 1.0.1.4 of WizFX.

In WizFX you use the top half of the window to select a Beyonwiz unit (on the left) and a recording on that unit (on the right) for transfer.

I'm trying to get WinFX working, but nothing appears in the left box, nothing to be selected. Is there any extra tricks to making it work?
Box is a DPS1, computer is an XP Pro SP3, network is wired and seems to work okay.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu May 07, 2009 11:16

Hi Billzilla,

Billzilla wrote:I'm trying to get WinFX working, but nothing appears in the left box, nothing to be selected. Is there any extra tricks to making it work?
Box is a DPS1, computer is an XP Pro SP3, network is wired and seems to work okay.

Have you enabled the WizPNP server on the DP-S1?
Have you opened the WizPNP port you are using in the Windows XP firewall?

Regards,
Ian.

Billzilla · Post by **Billzilla** » Thu May 07, 2009 13:39

Didn't know I had to do all that - Seems to work now - thanks!

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu May 07, 2009 19:14

Hi Billzilla,

Regards,
Ian.

Recusant · Post by **Recusant** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 20:54

Hi! Neato product.

I don't have networking, so i manually copy the files to the PC. I've tried navigating and then clicking on "Change TS File" and it churs away for a little bit and delivers a file slightly smaller than the collection of original files. I have KMPlayer, but it refuses to play this new .ts file (.ts files i've downloaded off the web work fine).

Original: ~59mb
.ts: ~44mb

The error KMPlayer is:
==========================================================
[filename] -> KMP MPEG2(TS) Splitter

Internal Error occured when connecting to above filter. You'd better not use the filter forcibly. This could make KMP unstable. Block it to customer filter manager? [yes/no]
==========================================================

This is a short recording - so is that the problem? I've noticed a recording on the Wiz that was less than a minute simply wouldn't play back (on the Wiz itself).

I will try a longer recording and get back to you, but if you've got other ideas....

Recusant · Post by **Recusant** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 21:14

OK, a longer recording seemed to work perfectly (now to learn how to effectively purge the ads). I feel so dirty

But i record documentaries that you can't buy, and will never be screened again

I also have a few old video's to convert - so the DP-P2 and this little program are a god-send.

ps. the failures i was describing earlier didn't have two complete 32mb chunks - which i gather is the minimum.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 21:24

Hi Recusant,

On the Beyonwiz all recordings should be a minute or longer. (Shorter recordings don't work with the Beyonwiz media identification code.)

Regards,
Ian.

Recusant · Post by **Recusant** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 18:03

Hmm... i just moved a few files to an 8gb memory stick, and then to the PC.

Now when i try the WizFX "make ts" it seems to do its thing, and then when i try to play it i get the same kind of error i describe above.

Loading it into MPEG Streamclip and then doing a "save as" (not convert) fixed it.

It's 4 video's that are roughly a gb each. Any ideas?

EDIT: When i then try to use MPEG Streamclip to save as MPEG it says "Error: Can't read the frame size". So running it the Streamclip didn't really fix it properly

EDIT2: I'm recording from VCR... hunting through this forum it seems a different codec is used - but i don't know where to go from here.

tonymy01 · Post by **tonymy01** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 20:05

I assume you only used the stick to transport the file, and not do all the work on it? Because you would not be able to manipulate it into something on a FAT32 stick.
I think MPEG streamclip is only for MPEG2. The Wiz A/V recordings are H.264/MPEG4.

Recusant · Post by **Recusant** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 20:18

Thanks TonyMy01, i thought it was a problem with WizFX - but it isn't.

As you say (and as i thought from my edit2 comment) the codec is different and that's why i was getting interesting results.

It's also interesting that KMPlayer simply can't play the file, but Windows Media Player (with K-lite H.264 codecs installed) was fine.

I will now hunt for a suitable program to play with the .ts file for my archiving. These threads might help others in the same position:
http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewt ... hlight=vcr
http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewt ... record+950

Cheers.

Doonks · Post by **Doonks** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 11:15

Hi

I just downloaded and used WizFX for the first time and it easily and successfully converted a TVWIZ recording to TS format. But in doing so it actually created 2 TS files. I would like it to convert to a single file only, so that I may in turn convert to a different format (avi, mp4 etc)

Is there any way of doing this?

WizFX 1.0.2.3
Windows 7 (64)
DP-P2

Thanks
Doonks

Gully · Post by **Gully** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 11:22

Doonks wrote:I just downloaded and used WizFX for the first time and it easily and successfully converted a TVWIZ recording to TS format. But in doing so it actually created 2 TS files. I would like it to convert to a single file only, so that I may in turn convert to a different format (avi, mp4 etc)

Is there any way of doing this?

The only reason I can think of where you would get two files is if you are saving the file on a FAT32 formatted drive and it was bigger than 2GB. You need to save on a NTFS drive.

prl · Post by **prl** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:10

Doonks wrote:Hi

I just downloaded and used WizFX for the first time and it easily and successfully converted a TVWIZ recording to TS format. But in doing so it actually created 2 TS files. I would like it to convert to a single file only, so that I may in turn convert to a different format (avi, mp4 etc)

Is there any way of doing this?

WizFX 1.0.2.3
Windows 7 (64)
DP-P2

Thanks
Doonks

IIRC, if the destination drive is formatted FAT32, the download is split into chunks (can't remember how big). If the destination is NTFS, it should download to a single TS file.

glow · Post by **glow** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:11

Gully wrote:
Doonks wrote:I just downloaded and used WizFX for the first time and it easily and successfully converted a TVWIZ recording to TS format. But in doing so it actually created 2 TS files. I would like it to convert to a single file only, so that I may in turn convert to a different format (avi, mp4 etc)

Is there any way of doing this?
The only reason I can think of where you would get two files is if you are saving the file on a FAT32 formatted drive and it was bigger than 2GB. You need to save on a NTFS drive.

Note that WizFX will convert tvwiz to ts on the same drive - you don't have the opportunity to choose a different one. Presumably you started with tvwiz files because you copied from your Wiz to a USB HDD which has to be FAT32. You'll have to copy the tvwiz to an NTFS drive then run WizFX. Using this triple handling method can take longer than the playing time of the recording.
A few suggestions
- use getwizpnp with -I for input directory, -O for output directory and --ts to convert to TS.
- Use WizFX over a network and convert to TS directly without the intermediate tvwiz files on a FAT32 USB HDD.
- Just use the two TS files as concatenated inputs to the next program along your conversion e.g. ProjectX will accept two files and concatenate them and allow you to specify a different output directory.

prl · Post by **prl** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:36

glow wrote:...
A few suggestions
- use getwizpnp with -I for input directory, -O for output directory and --ts to convert to TS.
...

Does WizZilla do disk-to-disk copies? If it does, it's much easier to set up and use than getWizPnP.

glow · Post by **glow** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 13:31

prl wrote: Does WizZilla do disk-to-disk copies? If it does, it's much easier to set up and use than getWizPnP.

I'm pretty sure that when I investigated this before, neither WizFX nor WizZilla could convert tvwiz to ts on a different disk that's why I was so happy you'd put those -O and -I switches in getwizpnp. If I recall correctly, I don't think WizZilla can convert tvwiz to TS starting from a PC disk, it only starts from a Wiz.
After all that hassle, I no longer bother with the intermediate tvwiz copy to FAT32, just use the network to go straight to TS on NTFS.

sub3R · Post by **sub3R** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 13:49

Something to watch out for with WizFX:

The last two times I did a .tvwiz to .ts conversion on the PC using WizFX, the first converted .ts file had 18 seconds missing from the start & the second converted .ts file had 11 seconds missing from the start. I gave up after that. This was last week using WizFX ver.1.0.2.3, I didn?t try the earlier 1.0.1.4 version.

Going by my experience so far with WizZilla, it is superior in most areas to WizFX (no doubt a lot to do with getWizPnP).

Edit 2-Jan-11: In most areas it is, but see my post here for a problem I am having with WizZilla 1.1.0.60 when running 01.05.320 f/w.

kendo · Post by **kendo** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:13

Hi

I have used WizFX to convert to TS file after using the DPP2 GUI to copy to USB drive (fat32). It works fine if I haven't used the P2 GUI to edit. However if it has been edited the new TS file picture freezes near the edit but the audio continues.

After checking on this forum I reformatted the USB drive to NTFS but could not copy the file "Designated file system is read only". The same thing with my NTFS USB HDD.

I then tried to just do the editing with ProjectX (portable 0904) but it wouldn't work with the mpeg4/11264 file.

DPP2-01.07.039
WizFX 1.0.2.3
(media player classic 1.2.1008.0 to view ts files)

Grateful for any advice.

Thanks.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:38

Hi Kendo,

Welcome!

The Beyonwiz can not write to NTFS volumes. The Beyonwiz can only read from NTFS disks. The disk must be formatted as a FAT file system in order for the Beyonwiz to write to it.

ProjectX can only edit/fix MPEG2 files. Try using a program like VideoReDo TVSuite version 4 if you want to edit/fix MPEG4 video streams.

This forum is full of information covering your difficulties. Have a read through the forum and specifically check out the FAQ threads. All your issues have been covered elsewhere.

Regards,
Ian.

prl · Post by **prl** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:40

Hi, Kendo; you could try using WizZilla as an alternative and see if that gives you better results.

kendo · Post by **kendo** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 16:19

Thanks.

It seems like I have to have the P2 networked to convert an edited wiz file to TS. Have to use wizFX or Wizzilla to do the conversion when actually transfering. Is that correct?

Is there no way I can copy to USB via UI a UI edited file then run WizFX to preserve the editing? Is it due to the UI copying a .tvwiz folder? Will this be addressed in future firmware?

(IanSav, is your mention in your opening post about projectx, not for P2 models?)

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 16:39

Hi Kendo,

WizFX can convert a .TVWIZ recording on a disk to a .TS file without having to do the conversion while the recording is being transferred from the Beyonwiz. That is, you can do the .TS conversion as a separate step after the transfer if you prefer.

ProjectX has not been updated to cope with H.264 (MPEG4) files. Virtually all broadcast TV in Australia is MPEG2 and compatible with ProjectX. The DP-P2 generates MPEG4 for the LiDiC (externally) recorded files.

I think you need to read my original post again and then have a browse through the forum for more information regarding the usage of your Beyonwiz and processing/conversion of recordings. I also recommend that you have a read of the latest version of the Beyonwiz manual as available from the Beyonwiz website.

Regards,
Ian.

kendo · Post by **kendo** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 16:56

Thanks again.

I have read all I can find and I have done the conversion to TS as a seperate step but it only seems to work properly if the .TVWIZ recording had not been edited by the UI (before the copying).

Yes these are externally copied home videos I was trying to bring into the digital age, but they need a lot of editing.

glow · Post by **glow** » Wed Feb 02, 2011 18:58

kendo wrote:I have read all I can find and I have done the conversion to TS as a seperate step but it only seems to work properly if the .TVWIZ recording had not been edited by the UI (before the copying).

Yes these are externally copied home videos I was trying to bring into the digital age, but they need a lot of editing.

You might be better off editing the TS files on your PC rather than editing the recordings on the Wiz. The Wiz UI isn't very accurate.

Ade · Post by **Ade** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:35

Hello.
This may have been answered elsewhere, but searching did not reveal an answer. If so, my profuse apologies.
At the moment I use WizFX to convert tvwiz to ts on an XP box. Is there soe way to convert tvwiz files to .ts on a linux machine/ I am contemplating using WINE to run an XP emulator, but if there is a native linux solution that would be fab.

Also, I tend to compress edited .ts files to .avi using autoGK or avidmux. I have seen a lot of talk about Handbrake. What do folks think of it? It uses a different codec (MP4 rather than .avi) Most grateful for opinions and thoughts.

Thanks for a great forum. Lots of good tips and questions answered.
Regards
Ade

glow · Post by **glow** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:45

Ade wrote:At the moment I use WizFX to convert tvwiz to ts on an XP box. Is there soe way to convert tvwiz files to .ts on a linux machine/ I am contemplating using WINE to run an XP emulator, but if there is a native linux solution that would be fab.

You can use getwizpnp which is a perl script.

prl · Post by **prl** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:00

glow wrote:
Ade wrote:At the moment I use WizFX to convert tvwiz to ts on an XP box. Is there soe way to convert tvwiz files to .ts on a linux machine/ I am contemplating using WINE to run an XP emulator, but if there is a native linux solution that would be fab.
You can use getwizpnp which is a perl script.

No GUI, though, and more options than you can poke a stick at.

Still, probably the most capable WizPnP file transfer client around.

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:00

Hi,

May I ask why this FAQ is suddenly being turned in to a general recording transfer discussion topic?

Moderators, can the discussion please be stripped off and moved to a discussion thread in the appropriate place in the forum.

Regards,
Ian.

glow · Post by **glow** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:06

Better get in quick before this discussion gets moderated for being Off Topic...

Ade wrote:Also, I tend to compress edited .ts files to .avi using autoGK or avidmux. I have seen a lot of talk about Handbrake. What do folks think of it? It uses a different codec (MP4 rather than .avi) Most grateful for opinions and thoughts.

Avidemux can output other container formats such as MP4 if you want.

Personally I use ProjectX and Avidemux to compress my Wiz TS files.
- ProjectX corrects transmission errors to prevent audio sync errors in the final output
- ProjectX extracts subtitle information into an SRT file compatible with the Wiz
- you can edit the TS file in ProjectX to remove ads and keep the audio, video and subtitles in sync
- You can set up ProjectX to automatically call another program like Avidemux with your favourite settings. See ProjectX Postprocess post commands
- ProjectX and Avidemux should work ok in a linux environment (though calling postprocess commands will be different than my Windows example)
- See netwmask's Guide to ProjectX for Beyonwiz

IanSav · Post by **IanSav** » Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:20

Hi Glow,

I am not trying to stop discussion. I believe it would be better if discussion occurs in the appropriate places elsewhere on the forum. If we bury the FAQs in unrelated discussions then the information provided by the FAQs will be lost/buried and made much harder to find.

Regards,
Ian.

A Short Guide To Using WizFX...

A Short Guide To Using WizFX...

Re: A Short Guide To Using WizFX...

Re: A Short Guide To Using WizFX...

Re: A Short Guide To Using WizFX...

IConverting tvwiz to .ts on a linux machine & Handbrake

Re: IConverting tvwiz to .ts on a linux machine & Handbr

Re: IConverting tvwiz to .ts on a linux machine & Handbr

Re: IConverting tvwiz to .ts on a linux machine & Handbr

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