topic Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf) in Collaboration Applications

Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

jansysmans — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 03:46:08 GMT

Hello Community,

I've gotten several questions on how you can convert a WebEx recording into a .wmv or .swf format. It's fairly easy once you know. I've documented all the steps in the attached document.

Thanks

Jan Sysmans

TME, Enterprise Marketing

Cisco WebEx

Message was edited on June 5, 2013: Kelli Glass, Cisco Collaboration Community moderator, added community categories and tags for greater ease in filtering posts (no change to content).

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

jnewcum — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:32:58 GMT

Cisco/WebEx really needs to step up and get away from the proprietary format. We have dumped .wrf format and exclusively use Techsmith's Camtasia to record and replay events.

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

jansysmans — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:40:51 GMT

Jeffrey,

Thank you for your comments and feedback. We do not have any plans right now to move away from wrf.

Jan

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

gps03 — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:07:37 GMT

Well that's a very poor business decision and a mark squarely against WebEx when it comes time to renew contracts a consider the options. WebEx is showing age and inflexibility by clinging to the proprietary and the cludgy conversion to standards-based recording formats.

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

jsysmans — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:16:37 GMT

Gregory, Jeffrey,

If not wrf, what other alternatives would you like to see? Camtasia may not be the right recording solution based on our architecture.

If you could write the requirements for a WebEx recording alternative, what would be the top 3 product features you would integrate? What would be the top 3 things you would change in our current solution?

Thank you for your candid comments. That's what this community is for. Candid feedback and looking at ways to incorporate your feedback to improve our products.

Jan Sysmans

Technical Marketing Engineer

Cisco WebEx

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

gps03 — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:13:30 GMT

Hi Jan,

Since you asked, I'd like to see:

WebEx drop the wrf/arf format altogether and give me the option to record directly to avi.
Include the ability to insert markers in NBR at the time of recording.
Beef up the editor with the ability to configure which codec to use, discrete control over input/output rates and the ability to select and adjust CBR/VBR for the recording and select target platforms for output.

The recording tools itself is no so much the problem as is the inability to control the most basic aspects of the recording and the output to a proprietary format. At the very least, I'd like to see better conversion tools built-in to the existing solution. The current editor does a very shoddy job of converting to WMV or SWF, usually dropping frames, getting audio out of synch and taking an extremely long time to do it.

For me it's a no brainer to use a scraper like Camtasia. I get an AVI I can output to any venue I want, at any resolution I want, at any bit rate I want, compressed by whatever codec I choose. Using Camtasia I can have the recording available on my website (silverlight or flash) or on mobile devices within an hour or so of the session end. Using ARF/WRF it takes several days as I have to wait overnight for the conversion, and then watch the entire presentation for dropped frames & out-of-synch audio, then rinse & repeat until I get an acceptable conversion, which could take days. Only then I can start setting up outputs.

-Greg

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

jsysmans — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:48:22 GMT

Greg

this is great, thank you. I will pass on to product management and ask for their feedback and comments.

Jan

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

jansysmans — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:20:26 GMT

Greg,

I discussed your thoughts and requirements to product management. The good news is that they wholeheartedly agree with you. The not so good news is that the changes they proposed to make to our recording format did not make it onto the roadmap for our the WBS28 release.

The planning for WBS29 has not started yet so I don't know what changes to our recording format are being discussed for that release.

thanks

Jan Sysmans

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

confexkevin — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:38:59 GMT

Hi Jan,

We make thousands of WRF recordings each year and really appreciate the compact size of those recordings. So we hope that whatever changes Cisco/Webex makes in the future will not destroy what we have found to be a particularly attractive feature of the Webex local recorder and the WRF format. At the same time, we would like to be able to offer edited recordings in both WRF and FLV format. Adding a new FLV conversion option to the Webex Recording Editor would be a great.

Kevin

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

cheri.kivisto — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:09:48 GMT

Moving to a non- proprietary recording has been being promised for over 3 YEARS now? this was guaranteed to be in T.28, so it's more than disappointing that WebEx sees customers asking for this but chooses to ignore our requests/needs/requirements year after year.

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

drewhorine — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:14:51 GMT

Am I missing something here? The document posted shows how to convert an ARF file to WMV, but I don't see any information on how to convert the WRF file that I already have recorded.

The subject of this topic and the document are both supposed to be about converting the WRF file, but neither actually has that information. I can't even open the WRF file in Network Recording Player. The players that support the WRF don't have any conversion options.

I agree with the other posts here. Why make it so difficult for customers to save a recording of their event in a format they can actually use?

That said, does anybody have information on how to convert the WRF file?

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

gps03 — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:36:24 GMT

Hi Drewhorine,

Converting the WRF is actually pretty simple. The problem is it doesn't work so well. Be prepared for extreme file bloat, dropped frames and out of synch audio. Watch the entire file after you convert. And BTW it will take longer than real time for the conversion, so set this up when you got plenty of time.

1. Download and install the WebEx recording editor from your WebEx site.

2. Open the WebEx recording editor

3. Open your WRF

4. Select File > Export To...

5. Pick a location and give your WMV a name

6. Click Save

Then wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, then wait some more, then wait, and wait—well you get the idea.

When it's all done, watch the video. If the number of dropped frames is acceptable, and the audio hasn't gotten too out of synch your done. Otherwise goto step 1.

Good luck!

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

drewhorine — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:49:12 GMT

Thanks. That was a very simple and easy-to-follow explanation.

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

pratap.kumar — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:53:59 GMT

Hi,

i have WRF files saved on my desktop now i want them to play directly or convert to other format and play.

first i tried to play them using webex player 2.8 but getting an error "update player and try again"

then i searchd for latest version but icouldnt fin any latest version than 2.8

2. I downloaded webex recording editor 2.8 and tried to convert WRF to WMV

then i got an error "windows media player 9 or higher version needed to convert"

but am having windows player 12 installed

when i tried to play file by using webex recording editor 2.8 am geting audio but not video

Some where i've seen that on windows7 webex recording editor 3.0 works

but where can i download 3.0 version editor.

kindly provide me link to download webex recording editor 3.0 else

plz tell me how can i convert to other format so that i can play with any player

and i need it very urgent as i've lot of wrf files to refer.

kindly provide me a solution.

THANKS a lot

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

gps03 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:37:32 GMT

Hi Pratap.kumar,

I seem to recall in the not so distant past that I actually had to downgrade my WMP to get the recording editor to work properly. I abandoned WebEx's proprietary tools some time ago so the details are a little fuzzy.

It may be as simple as downloading the WM Encoder 9 to get all the codecs etc, that the WebEx tools might be looking for.

You can grab WME9 here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=5691ba02-e496-465a-bba9-b2f1182cdf24&displaylang=en

Hope this helps.

-Greg

twitter: gps03

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

pratap.kumar — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:55:13 GMT

Hi Greg,

Thanks for reply..

I tried windows media encoder that u mentioned its not working it is showing a message that WRF files are not supported.

Could you suggest me any other encoder or player

also am attaching errors got when using webex player and editor

please help me out...............................

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

gps03 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:11:13 GMT

Apologies, I was not clear.

I think the problem you have is that the WebEx editor is ancient software, and like an old video game trying to install an outdated version of directx, is seeking the latest version of its support systems (Window Media Player and included codecs) ***at the time of publication*** and when it finds today's latest (WM12) it doesn't recognize it as a valid resource -- it cannot see beyond 9 because that was the end-all-be-all of windows media when the editor was published.

I think you ware going to have to down-grade your windows media to version 9. I seem to recall having to do this a few years back to get a video converted to wmv.

My recommendation of WME9 was to try to get the WebEx recorder to see it had the appropriate resources available. Nothing but the proprietary WebEx editor/player will playback that webex recording. Hence why many of us have been begging and pleading with WebEx for years to dump the propreitary nonsense and give us standards-based tools & formats.

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Windows Media (.wmv) or Flash (.swf)

castro_larry — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 13:45:18 GMT

I'm having the same issue!

The conversion take ages to finish...(I'm using a Intel Nehalem 8x cores, 16GB Window vista64 EXCLUSIVELY FOR THIS CONVERSION) and I really don't get a good conversion... misplaced images, artifacts, and sometimes just a freezing screen until the end...

This is a real waste of time, I need to wait around 7 or 8 hours of conversion to get something that is not that I wanted.

Cisco/Webex need to release a better coverter if we will be going to wait till is released built-in.

I need to make editions to the recording (cut some sections) and I can't do anything until the conversion ends... and not only that I need to review the whole conversion (3 hours) to see if was ok or at least acceptable.

THIS IS A TOTALLY WASTE OF TIME!....

You people need to help to your clients. Having a nice propetary file type without any really good editing tool to work with is just waste of time.

Next time I will use camtasia.

In fact, I will do this... Just play the video from the WEBEX player and then use camtasia to capture the video... then extract the audio and put it together... then sync audio and video... then do the cuttings... and finally create a WMV...

DON'T you think you can save us time?????????????????????

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Flash (.swf) with Camtasia Studio 7

ginafromtampa — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:29:39 GMT

I was not able to capture the audio from my Webex recordings (arf) with Captivate 5, even though I followed the instructions in Captivate's startup message and ran Captivate as the Administrator and set the audio input device as Stereo Mix. I tried this with Jing 2.4 and couldn't get the audio either, even though I set it to Stereo Mix.

I was able to capture the audio and video with Camtasia Studio 7 without a problem. Instructions on posted on my blog: Recording Webex Presentations and Editing Them in Camtasia Studio 7

Re: Converting a WebEx recording (.wrf) to Flash (.swf) with Camtasia Studio 7

nestorsalvatore — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:49:46 GMT

I've had pretty good experiences using TechSmiths Snagit capturing in video mode and simultaneously capturing audio as well. The only issue that I found was large files being generated. As a backup I've also used Audacity (Open Source) and had good luck with this as well. I DISCUSSED this point with WebEx a number of years ago. I was promised by the product manager for the recording and playback tools that they would be moving out of the propriety format and into open standards but I believe that the smallest size of the WebEx proprietary formats are what's keepiing in their formats (disk storage requirements, etc..) As an aside, I did all editing in Sony Vegas which using templates made the whole editing process much quicker. Awesome tool. But I'm disappointed that WebEx never kept their word on leaving proprietary formats.

Salvatore Nestor

InTheCloudTek LLC

salvatore.nestor@inthecloudtek.com

484.222.0303