Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Will BWF-Widget run on my
MAC? A:
BWF-Widget only runs natively on a Windows PC running the English version of
Windows 9x, Windows 2000 or Windows XP. However it will run (although much
slower) under a Virtual PC version of Windows on a MAC running OSX. Windows
Media Player 9 or later is required for playback of files with Time-Code.
although playback Under Virtual PC on a MAC may not be possible without
dropouts or stalling. Q: Will BWF-Widget print out my custom Sound
Report? A: BWF-Widget can print out its data in a neat
formatted layout either in portrait or Landscape. If you want to incorporate
the metadata in a custom Sound report with other data like Track assignments or
printed takes there is a way. Create a template of your Sound report in Excel
or other spreadsheet program. Leave the cells below the header blank. Then
after BWF-Widget gathers your metadata into a GRID, Use the mouse to select the
columns you want to include in your report. Right click on your selection and
choose "Copy selection to Clipboard". Then bring up your template in
your spreadsheet program and select the upper left hand cell for the data to be
pasted. Type "Ctrl V" or choose Paste from the context menu and all your
metadata will flow neatly into the cells of the spreadsheet. You can then edit,
re-format or ad notes to the line items or add instructions for Post.
Q. Can I edit or change the Meta-Data in the
original Sound Files? A: No, This version of BWF-Widget only reads
data from your files. It doesn't write any data to the disk other than database
text files that it creates. Once you save out the metadata to a text file or paste
it into a spread-sheet you can then add to or change the info, but this will
not affect the original metadata contained in the Broadcast Wave Sound files.
If you need to edit the actual metadata in the file you should use BWF-Widget
Pro. Q: Why won't my 24 bit files
playback in BWF-Widget with Time Code? A: They will if your computer sound hardware
can natively support 24 bit and 96khz or Multi-Track (more than 2) files. See
the other file from this section called "Notes on Using BWF-Widget"
available on the same page where you opened this file. There is a work-around
for 16 bit hardware mentioned in that document. If you do have 24 bit hardware,
make sure to uncheck the choice in the Options menu that limits playback to 16
bit 48khz files. BWF-Widget Pro now comes with a special filter for Windows
Media player that will allow it to play 24 bit and multi track files on 16 bit
hardware. No hardware upgrade is required unless you want actual 24 bit dynamic
range.
Q: When I quit BWF-Widget
and return. It doesn't seem to have saved my settings. Why? A: You need to exit the program through the
File Menu or the Hot Key Combo "Ctlrl-X". This will save your current
directory and file selection as well as you options selected in the options
menu. You must re-load the Data Grid each time you start the program though. If
you simply close the window using the x button in the upper right of the
program window, any changes you made to the options menu or your current path
will not be saved.
Q: My files were recorded at 25 Frame Time code, but BWF-Widget
shows them to be at 30:00-ND. Why? A: Not all recorders properly store the SMPTE
TC Frame-rate in the metadata of the file. If BWF-Widget finds a meta-data tag
labeled "SPEED=xx.xxx-ND" it will assign that frame rate to the Time
Code. If no such tag is contained in the file, BWF-Widget will assign its
default Frame Rate. You can select the Default Frame Rate in the Options Menu.
Please urge your recorder manufacturer to change their firmware to include the
"Speed="Setting for all Time-Code files. This eliminates any
ambiguity about what rate was used when the file was created and prevents the
TC numbers from coming out completely wrong. If the Frame-Rate Shown in the
Meta Data area of BWF-Widget is RED, then it was taken from the Default TC
setting in the Options menu. If it is Black in color, then it was read from the
meta-data in the sound file. Q: BWF Widget shows all zeros (00:00:00:00) for the time
code. What's up. A: There is probably no proper Time code stored
in the WAV file or it was set to 0. If BWF-Widget finds no broadcast wave
chunk, it will show some basic data about the file and play the file with the
time-code clock set to start at 00:00:00:00. Be for-warned that many Audio
Editing packages can load and Edit the files. But unless they specifically
support the Broadcast Wave Format, when you make any changes or save the file
out you will loose any time-code stamp and the metadata stored in your BWF file
will probably be un-recoverable.
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