WMRecorder 4.1
(realeased October/27/2002)
WMRecorder (WMR41) allows you to record Windows Media™ stream video and audio clips from the Internet and save them to your hard drive or CD. Recording can be done in several ways. In Browse Mode you can record media clips while browsing the Net. The program detects the beginning, the end and names of different media such that multiple clips can be recorded in a row without exiting recording. In URL mode you can download media files from their Internet locations. You can also use Windows Media Player™ to play and record simultaneously. WMR41 supports HTTP and TCP Windows Media™ Player video and audio streams.
Version
4.1 summary
Adds
more user interface features
Improves TCP recording
General Guidelines
Installation
Program
description
Recording media in
Browse Mode
Recording URL's in
Browse Mode
Recording in URL
Mode
Recording using
Media Player
Using the Preview
option
Playing recorded
files
Browsing
Creating Windows
Media Playlists
Creating WMR
Playlists
File Sizes
Which Media Player
to use
WMRecorder Settings
WMR Files
Media Player Setup
Transfer speed
WMR Directory
Change Media Player
Set Timer
Save Window Position
Save All Urls
Delete ASX/WMR files
Disable HTTP / TCP
Proxy (HTTP) Ports
Network Client (LAN)
Disable Host Lookup
Windows Media Player
Setup
Windows Media Player
General Guidelines
1. Copy the unzipped files in a directory of choice. Run WMR41.exe.
2. On the dialog window that pops up click Setup. If you like to do a manual installation read the paragraph below.
3. If your computer is a Network client and you have a proxy server click Network Client and enter your proxy IP address and HTTP Port.
To uninstall, delete WMR41.exe from your computer.
Requirements
WMR41 requires Windows Media Player 6.4 (NetShow) and/or Windows Media Player 7.0 or higher.
Internet Explorer is the prefered browser but other browsers can also be utilized provided they have the Windows Media Player plugin.
Windows 98, ME, XP, 2K, IE4, IE5, IE6.
At the date of release, this version has not been tested on Windows NT.
Browse Mode
When operated in Browse Mode WMR41 creates a local proxy server and re-directs Windows Media Player through it. The proxy connection is enabled when the program starts and disabled when closed. When you first run WMR41 the existing Windows Media settings are saved in a file called OldReg.txt located in WMR41 directory. These settings are restored when you exit the program.
In Browse Mode you can record media clips while browsing the Net. Two files (.ASX and .WMR) are generated for every recorded clip. The ASX file contains the protocol information while the WMR file stores the stream data. Windows Media Player cannot play back the WMR files unless WMR41 is utilized (see below Playing and Which Media Player to use).
WMR41 provides a WMR to ASF converter. The ASF files are compatible with Windows Media Player and WMR41 does not need to be utilized when playing back these files. In case the recorded media cannot be converted to ASF you should use the WMR files. Otherwise, you can either delete both ASX and WMR files which are no longer necessary or enable the Delete ASX/WMR option in the Setup menu.
While playing or recording a clip from the Internet in Browse Mode you can save its address (URL) by enabling Save all URL's option.
Note:
In the event of a crash you should start and then close WMR41 to disable the proxy and restore your Windows Media Player normal settings.
URL Mode
In URL Mode WMR41 connects to a specified location (URL) and downloads the media file. Media Player settings are not changed.
While recording, WMR41 creates the ASX/WMR files. When you play back, the WMR file is converted to ASF.
Recording Media in Browse Mode
Click the RECORD button to enter the RECORD mode. In Browse Mode you can record while browsing.
WMR needs to be in the RECORD mode before the media clip starts.
After you click RECORD, start your browser and go to the site of your preference. WMR41 will not record until the beginning of a clip is detected so you can keep the RECORD mode active while searching for media clips.
You can record multiple clips in a row without exiting Recording. WMR41 will save them in different files. Existing files will not be overwritten. If the title can be found the file is saved with the name of the clip. Otherwise the name "New[x]" will be used where x is the next number available.
Click either PLAY or BROWSE to exit the RECORD mode.
Recording URL's in Browse Mode
While browsing or recording, click the Record URL button. The URL window and the last visted URL will be displayed. Click Record URL on the URL window to record the file.
While playing a clip from the Internet in Browse Mode click the Record URL button. The URL window and the last visted URL will be displayed. Close the clip and click Preview. The clip will now be played by the Media Player selected in your computer and you can use picture and sound enhancements of your preference. To record the clip, click Record Url.
Note: If the server is busy Windows Media Player will not retry the connection and an error message will be displayed. In this case, you should click Preview again.
No setup is necessary in URL Mode other then the Network Client (for LAN connections with a proxy server). WMR41 will download and save the media file that you specify. The URL (Internet address) of a media file can be found in several ways. You can right click on the Media Player window, then click Properties ->Show and copy the Location and File. URL = Location/File.
Or, in Browse Mode enable Save all URL's option.
You can use Windows Media Player to record media files from a specified address (URL).
Start WMR41 in Browse Mode , click RECORD then start Windows Media Player. Click File -> Open URL and enter the address of the file to be recorded.
Or, from Windows Media PLayer 7 click Open URL - Browse and search for WMR directory. Then click All Files and open the file URLS.txt. In this way you create a Play / Record list with all saved URL's. If you click RECORD and then Start the player, all listed files will be recorded.
Click the PLAY button to enter the PLAY mode. In this mode you can play the clips previously recorded using Windows Media Player and perform file operations (DELETE / RENAME). If the file is an ASX/WMR you need to have WMR41 running.
Media clips can be played either by selecting them from WMR41 list or using Windows Media Player 7 play lists. For the later case, you need to have WMR41 running before starting the Media Player.
You can use the BROWSE mode to browse the Internet as usual without recording or playing. When a Windows Media stream is detected WMR41 will display the words "Windows Media".
Creating Windows Media Playlists
From Windows Media Player 7 - Media Library - New Playlist create a new playlist. Then, use Windows Explorer to open your MRecord directory. Highlight the ASX (not WMR) or ASF files that you want to include in the playlist and drag them into Windows Media Player window.
Click Play->Playlists to enter the Playlist dialog. All playlists files created are saved in WMR41.exe directory as name.playlist.asx. You should use this option if you don't utilize Windows Media Player 7.
Windows Media stream format can save you considerable disk space when compared to other media file formats. Here are some numbers:
300 Kbps recording (Cable / DSL)
Music Video ( 44 KHz stereo sound) - 2.5 MB / minute
Movies ( 32 KHz stereo sound) - 1.5 MB / minute
Music Audio ( 44 KHz stereo ) - 0.3 MB / minute56 Kbps recording (Modem)
Music Video, Movies, Music Audio - 0.05 to 0.15 MB / minute
In Windows 98 and higher versions there are two Media Player programs both called Windows Media Player. Windows Registry designates them as MediaPlayer and NetShow. MediaPlayer (WMPLAYER.EXE) provides media stream playing and a multitude of other media functions (CD, MP3, visualizations, playlists, etc). The NetShow (MPLAYER2.EXE) is utilized for playing stream files only.
Either one of the Players can be utilized to playback the recorded ASF and WMR files. However, there are some differences:
When playing back WMR files, MediaPlayer requires an Internet connection even though no data is exchanged between your computer and your ISP. NetShow does not require the connection.
You cannot record TCP (mms) files using the NetShow. NetShow does not support TCP proxy connections. You can record TCP files either in URL mode or using Media Player - Open URL in Browse Mode.
MediaPlayer does not playback ASF, continuous stream file (Web TV or Radio). NetShow does. However, both players will playback the ASX/WMR files.
WMR41 Settings
During recording of a media two fies are generated (ASX and WMR). Both must reside in a sub-directory called MRecord. You create this directory when you install the program. The ASF files can be located in any directory.
You can delete or rename files using WMR41 DELETE / RENAME options. You can also use Windows Explorer to delete files. You should delete both the ASX and WMR files. However, you cannot use Windows Explorer to rename the ASX files.
This option brings up the Setup dialog. If your normal Windows Media Player settings have changed delete the file OldReg.txt from WMR directory and run Setup again to memorize your new settings.
In the PLAY mode, you can select the data transfer rate to the Media Player using this option. If Auto mode is selected WMR41 will negotiate a maximum transfer rate of 10 Mbps. If Media Player cannot handle this (due to low memory or resources) you can select a lower transfer rate. In this case the selected rate should be higher than the recorded speed of the clip.
When playing back WMR files set Windows Media Player connection speed to LAN (10 Mbps or more). This can be found in the Tools -> Options -> Performance -> My Connection Speed.
This option allows you to change the MRecord directory.
You can use this option to change media players. NetShow is Windows Media Player 6.4 (mplayer2.exe), Media Player is Windows Media Player 7 (wmplayer.exe). See Which Media Player to use .
This option allows you to automatically start recording from a URL at a specified time. The recorded files are named "Time New[x"]. Existing files are not overwritten.
This option allows you to save the WMR window position when you close the program.
This option allows you to save all Windows Media URL's found while browsing or recording in Browse Mode.
This option enables deleting the ASX and WMR files generated during recording before playing back the file. The ASX/WMR files are deleted only if the conversion to ASF was successfull.
Use this option to disable either HTTP or TCP protocol. This may be usefull on client LAN connections for which the TCP protocol is not available. Windows Media Player will not spend time searching for a TCP connection.
WMR41 default port is 8080. You can change this to any valid port number (1025 to 64000) using this option.
To setup WMR41 for network connections (LAN with a proxy server), click Setup -> Network Client and enter the IP address and HTTP port of your proxy.
If you connect to the Internet through a proxy you may not be able to record all TCP files. This is a limitation of Windows Media Player (NetShow) prior to WMP 9.0.
You can use this feature to automatically delete the ASX/WMR files after conversion to ASF.
You can use this feature to create a host lookup table (addresses of visited Internet hosts). In many cases this may speed up your Internet connection considerably.
Windows Media Player
Setup
(Windows Media Player 7 - WMPLAYER.EXE).
Run Windows Media Player and click Tools-> Options-> Network.
Check HTTP and TCP boxes. Uncheck Multicast and UDP.
Under Protocol, highlight HTTP and then click Configure. Check the box Use the following proxy server and enter the word localhost for address and 8080 for Port. Click OK to exit.
Under Protocol, highlight MMS and then click Configure. Check the box Use the following proxy server and enter the word localhost for address and 1755 for Port. Click OK to exit.
Windows Media Player (NetShow) requires an additional set of settings similar to the one above which becomes available when you are playing a clip from the Internet. To access this, run the file MPLAYER2.EXE located in Windows Media Player directory then click Options->Advanced->Change.
Check HTTP box. Uncheck Multicast, TCP and UDP.
Check the box Use proxy, click Configure Proxy Settings, enter the word localhost for address and 8080 for Port. Click OK to exit.
Download WMRecorder (WMR41.zip - 150 KB)
August//10/2002