ChamSys MagicHD - Manual (Page 27)

MagicHD User Manual 19 / 58
Monitoring for new files, and converting them, are background activities and do not impact playback. MagicHD only looks for
changes to files, or the addition of files or folders. Any files already in place when MagicHD starts will be ignored. To trigger
conversion of existing files just edit the file or folder name: adding or removing a leading zero is sufficient. From the MagicQ
PC menu,
Media Player → Convert Media can be used to force MagicHD to re-convert everything in the convert folder. This
can be useful if new media has been prepared in situ before starting MagicHD. The criteria for triggering conversion (rather than
just copying the media) are:
Movie content Action
Non I-frames Converted to .mp4 (H.264 video [3] ) with all I-frames. Note that this
process decompresses the video, usually resulting in a much larger
file than the original.
Audio Converted to 2-channel stereo 16 bit PCM if present.
Video codec Any content encoded with the jpeg2000 or cinepak codecs is
converted to H.264. These codecs have been found to cause problems
with thumbnail extraction.
Pixel Format MagicHD can only decode a fixed number of pixel formats (the
representation of colour data within each frame). Content that uses
unknown formats is converted to H.264 with a known pixel format.
Pictures and text files are copied unchanged, as are any movies or sound files that already meet the criteria above.
If you wish to exercise full control over the quality and format of your content, prepare it offline before placing it in the conversion
area. If the content meets the basic criteria of all I-frames and no audio, it will not be converted, thus preserving the original
quality and format.
This diagram illustrates the relationship between the convert folder and the resulting media:
User files Resulting media
.../MagicQ PC .../MagicQ PC
| +- show
+- convert +- media
+- 10myclips +- 010
| +- 1_sky.avi | +- 001_sky.avi
| +- 2_planets.mp4 | +- 002_planets.mp4
| ‘- 3_concert.mov | ‘- 003_concert.mp4 (1)
+- 011_masks +- 011
| +- 10_mask1.bmp | +- 010_mask1.bmp
| +- 30_mask2.jpg | +- 30_mask2.jpg (2)
| +- 30_mask2a.jpg | +- 030_mask2a.jpg (2)
| ‘- 40_mask3.png | ‘- 040_mask3.png
+- 99text ‘- 099
+- 001_banner.txt +- 001_banner.txt
+- 2_story.txt +- 002_story.txt
‘- 9_orion_lyrics.txt ‘- 009_orion_lyrics.txt
Note:
1. 3_concert.mov was converted to .mp4 because it was compressed video.
2. Two files share the same number. MagicHD will always choose the youngest file (i.e. the most recently converted or
added) so 030_mask2a.jpg will be in the index because it will be converted after 030_mask2.jpg.
None of the following files would be converted, for the reasons given:
.../Magic PC
+- convert_files
| +- 1_one.avi wrong root folder
+- convert
+- 2_two.mp4 not under a numbered folder