WorldTV
version 6.0
(released June/10/2003)
WorldTV allows you to view and record Internet TV stations from around the world. You can record the TV programs in real time or setup one or more timers to start / end recording at a convenient time. Multiple programs can be simultaneously recorded. Version 6.0 supports Windows Media Player stream formats.
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About
Version 6.0
Conversion
to to Winows Media ASF format is done during recording.
Requirements
Windows
98, ME, XP, 2000.
Winodws Media Player 7 or higher.
NetShow (Windows Media Player 6.4)
WorldTV
Installation
Unzip WorldTV.zip in a directory of choise.
The program contains two executable files WorldTV.exe and WMR170.exe. WorldTV provides the access to the Internet TV sites while WMR170 is the recording program.
To uninstall delete all WorldTv files.
Running the program
When you first run the program, World TV searches for your Internet Explorer executable file (iexplore.exe) and Windows Media Player executable files ( wmplayer.exe or mplayer2.exe). These files are usually located in C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer and C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player directories. If your computer uses a language different than English or these files cannot be found a browsing dialog pops-up so you can locate them yourself.
Recording a TV station
Highlight the station name then click Record. Select desired option from the menu.
When you select Record Now option, WM Recorder is enabled and recording starts when the connection is established.
While recording, you can enable Windows Media Player to show the file being recorded (View / Stream). You can stop the Player, mute it or pause it without affecting the recording process. If you have a low speed connection (modem) and intend to use the Player while recording a file, start the Player first then start the recording. In this way, the Player will receive the maximum bandwidth available.
For every station selected a new WM Recorder window is created so you can record multiple stations at the time. The number of stations that can be simultaneously recorded is limited only by your connection bandwidth and computer speed. While recording, you can view other stations without interrupting the recording process.
Timers Setup
Highlight the
station name, then click Record.
Select Set Timer and setup the Start and End times for
the selected station.
Select Show / Delete Timers to view or reset previously
set timers.
Up to 5 timers can be programed.
WM Recorder
WM Recorder is enabled any time a TV station is recorded. You can bring it up manually by selecting View / WM Recorder from the WorldTV menu.
Selecting your connection speed
Specifying your connection speed is particularly important for low speed (Dial-Up) connections. Say for example that your connection speed is 56 K and you're downloading a video clip that has two bitrates (speeds) listed in its header (34 Kbps and 227 Kbps). If you specified your connection speed at 56 K than the 34 K version of the video will be downloaded. This version will have a lower video and audio quality than the 227 K version but it downloads faster. If you select 300 K for your connection speed the better quality 227 K version will be downloaded but at a much lower rate. So, on low speed connections you may have to compromise between quality and speed.
When a connection speed is specified WM Recorder selects the bitrate closest to the specified speed. In Auto mode, WM Recorder selects the highest bitrate posted by the media. On high speed connections (Cable, DSL) the connection speed should be set to Auto.
Note that multiple bitrates are not always available on the same stream. If your connection speed is lower than the stream bitrate you should probably search for another URL where a lower speed version of the stream is available.
Fixing connection problems
On poor connections Windows Media Player may experience the following behaviour:
1. The connection speed is lower than the bitrate (bit rate / speed) of the clip. In this case Windows Media Player can either switch to a lower bitrate (if the clip properties allows it) or feezes the image and plays only sound. When switching to a lower bitrate the picture and / or sound are lower quality. In both situations the Player will display the message "Buffering...".
2. Packets of data are lost. In this case Windows Media Player may either freeze both the picture and sound or show no picture at all. The time display however keeps moving forward.
When recording Windows Media files these problems may be fixed. WM Recorder does not switch to a lower bitrate so even though the received data rate may be lower the picture and sound will be OK when the file is played back. To compensate for lost packets, WM Recorder implements a time compressing feature which eliminates empty gaps. However, the lost information is not recovered.
You can also use the Reprocess option to fix some problems. A file with the extension .rep.asf will be created.
Recording high quality media on slow connections
High quality video and audio media require high speed connections (Cable, DSL). You can download high speed media (300 Kbps or higher) even if you have a slow connection (Dial-Up) by setting the connection speed to "Auto". However, you should expect a higher download time.
Playing a recorded file
To play a newly recorded file click Play on WM Recorder window, then select (double click) the wmr file ( Name.wmr ). This will convert the original file recorded from the Internet (wmr) to the format that Windows Media Player can play back from your computer (asf). Once the conversion is finished, the wmr file is deleted if the option Delete Original File is enabled and you only need to play the asf file.
You can also drag the wmr files on WM Recorder window or double click on them from Windows Explorer.
Stopping a recording in process
If the timer is
set recording will stop when the timer times out.
To manually stop a recording in process click Cancel on WM
Recorder window.
Splitting a recorded file
To split an asf file in one or more files click Split on WM Recorder Setup window.. Then select the file and enter the Start and End times of the split. A file with the extension .split.asf will be created.
Merging files
This feature allows you to merge two or more ASF files. A file with the extension .mrg.asf will be created. You can merge files regardles the actual time they were recorded. The merging files need to be compatible with each other meaning they all need to belong to the same original file.
Recording a stream from a known URL
Click View on
the WorldTV menu then click WM Player.
Enter the URL in WM Recorder window then click Record
URL..
To view the stream that is currently recorded click Preview.
Multiple stream recording
In some cases, TV stations may broadcast continous (Live) streams that contain multiple clips. WorldTV records all clips in one file and separate the clips when converting to ASF. Note that only HTTP files are supported. If the file is TCP (mms) try to change its URL from mms:// to http://. If the server does not have the HTTP version of the file, use the program WMR80.zip downloadable from www.netfor2.com.
Settings
Media Player Select
Select Windows Media Player to be used for playback and recording. There are two Microsoft media players in your computer. Winodws Media Player (wmplayer.exe) and NetShow (mplayer2.exe). These files usually reside in C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player.
Set File Directory
The default folder for wmr / asf recorded files is C:\MRecord. C:\MRecord is created when WorldTV is installed in your computer. Use Set File Directory option to change this folder.
Connection speed
Specify your connection speed. Note that this does not need to be the same as your actual modem speed (see above).
Network Client
If your computer is a LAN client and connects through a proxy server, use this option to provide your proxy IP address and HTTP port.
Compress time
Sometimes, the Internet TV data streams have a lot of empty gaps (due to poor transmission). In this case no sound or image is available. These gaps can last for seconds or even minutes. You can eliminate empty gaps by enabling the Compress time option.
Delete Original File
Enable Delete Original File option to delete the original Internet file (.wmr) after converting to asf.
General Guidelines
Warning
Please observe the Terms of Service and Copyright Policies of the Web sites providing the Internet TV programs.
Download WorldTV60.zip
Download WMR80.zip (Windows Media™ Recorder)