General Information
Is there any difference between the App Store and Shedworx versions?
What level of support is offered?
Where is the Smart Converter Pro log file?
What about subtitle support?
What about multiple audio tracks on movies?
Why does Smart Converter and Smart Converter Pro ask to access my Address Book?

Video Conversions
My conversion failed, what can I do?
What happened to VOB support?
My video converted fine but it won't play in iTunes
I'm having trouble with AVCHD conversions

Is there any difference between the App Store and Shedworx versions?

The App Store version of Smart Converter has to fit in with Apple's rules for App Store apps. This means that things like converting copy-protected files are not allowed.

So far, the two versions are identical except for VOB file support. The Shedworx version will convert non copy-protected VOB files, while the App Store version will not.

back to Top

What level of support is offered?

Shedworx offers email support 9am to 5pm weekdays (Perth, Australia timezone, which is GMT+8). We are a regular business and work 9-5, like most people. We respond to almost all support requests within 24hrs on weekdays.

Our systems all run 24x7, but we only provide support while we are at work.

back to Top

Where is the Smart Converter Pro log file?

The Smart Converter Pro log file is kept at /Library/Application Support/Smart Converter Pro/Smart Converter Pro.log

On OSX Lion, the Library folder is hidden by default. To display the Library folder, open a Terminal session and paste in the following text:
chflags nohidden ~/Library

You can easily find the log file by choosing File->Reveal Log File from the application menu.

back to Top

What about subtitle support?

Smart Converter doesn't support subtitles yet. This is because its actually a lot harder to get right in a converter than it sounds and we aren't prepared to put out a 'half baked' solution just to tick a box on our product description.

Subtitle support will be available in late 2013. We're not sure whether this will be in both Pro and Free versions of Smart Converter. If the final implementation requires some preference settings, it will be a Pro feature only.

back to Top

What about multiple audio tracks on movies?

We have not yet implemented audio track support for the same reasons as subtitles.

Audio track selection support will be available early in 2013. We're not sure whether this will be in both Pro and Free versions of Smart Converter. If the final implementation requires some preference settings, it will be a Pro feature only.

back to Top

Why does Smart Converter and Smart Converter Pro ask to access my Address Book?

We have added a signup screen to all of our apps to ask you if you want to sign up to the Shedworx newsletter.

The Shedworx newsletter will tell you about specials that we will be running with big discounts to the prices of our apps through the year.

To make it easier for customers to sign up to the newsletter we ask for access to your Address Book to pull in your email address. That's all we use the Address Book access for. We don't look at any of your other contacts or modify your Address Book in any way.

back to Top

My conversion failed, what can I do?

Conversions failures are generally caused by the same thing - corrupt files. Downloads from torrents and the like contain corruptions now and then, so your best bet is to try another download source.

It is also common for a corrupt file to actually still be playable, since a video player is more forgiving than a converter. Just because a video will play does not mean it will convert.

If you do want us to take a look at a failed conversion, we need the file. Most times we will just tell you that the file is corrupt. In this case it is also very unlikely that any converter will be able to handle the file.

back to Top

What happened to VOB support?

The initial version of Smart Converter Free included VOB support. We thought that this was OK as we were not allowing the conversion of copy-protected VOB files.

When we submitted version 1.1 of Smart Converter to the App Store it got rejected because it allowed VOB file conversion.

We had to remove VOB conversion support from Smart Converter and Smart Converter Pro in order to get them listed on the App Store. We have retained VOB support in the Shedworx versions of Smart Converter and Smart Converter Pro.

back to Top

My video converted fine but it won't play in iTunes

This problem is caused by iTunes not being able to play the audio in a movie. You will see the first frame of the movie in iTunes, but it won't play.

iTunes won't be able to play a video containing an unsupported audio type. The most common cause of this is AC3 (Dolby Digital audio) in a QuickTime movie. AC3 will playback on an AppleTV, but not on a Mac running iTunes.

To fix this, make sure you don't have the 'AC3 Passthrough' option set in Advanced Preferences.

back to Top

I'm having trouble with AVCHD conversions

The default conversion method for AVCHD video is 'Fast' which means that the video is rewrapped from AVCHD to QuickTime without conversion.

Sometimes this doesn't work correctly for a number of reasons, so there is an option under Advanced Preferences to force conversion of AVCHD video. This will ensure that a full conversion happens, which is a much more reliable approach than rewrapping.

Note that the AVCHD conversions carried out by Smart Converter are not suitable for editing.

If all else fails, there is always VoltaicHD, our professional grade AVCHD converter, aimed at video editing requirements.

back to Top

ShedWorx Complete Product Listing

VoltaicHD (Mac only) now includes a Timecode overlay function.

The settings for this function are able to be manipulated by modifying the text files TimeCodeFormat.txt which can be found under Voltaic->Show Package Contents->Resources.

Lines in TimeCodeFormat.txt can be commented out by putting a # as the first character of a line.

You can manipulate the following settings:

• FONTNAME: the name of the Font to use. It must be a font installed on your machine
• FONTSIZE: Size in points of the text
• DATEFMT: Date mask
• TIMEFMT: Time format mask
• HALIGN: Horizontal offset of the Timecode box, in pixels, from the bottom left corner
• VALIGN: Vertical offset of the Timecode box, in pixels, from the bottom left corner. Note than negative values are required
• TIMEFIRST: When set to true Time goes on top line, when false, Date goes on top line
• BOXMARGIN: X and Y width in pixels of the border between the edge of the text and outside of the box. Comment out this setting to have no box around the text.
• TRANSPARENCY_PERC: Transparency of the box. 0 is very transparent, 100 is not transparent.

Here is a collection of real-life stories and feedback about ShedWorx products

"Wow, nicely done! Just burned 6 MTS clips to DVD with RevolverH and it jumps clip to clip without a hiccup...fantastic! I would agree there is no need to join any longer as this was my only reason for doing so...", Andy S, USA

"Holy crap - you're just up the road! We wanted to use some footage in a student production at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre in Fremantle that was useless until I found VoltaicHD. Thanks, Michael"

"Thank you so very much for your quick reply to my query! Your advice was right for me, and it was also considerate of my lack of expertise in these matters. Thank you for your thoughtful courtesy in the lengthy, clear explanation of my options.", Mary USA

Another Indie feature film using VoltaicHD for its production-quality AVCHD conversions. This one is 'The List' from Prime Factor Films

Congrats to the - for me - new website design - fits the impression of easy to use-software and modern product, thumbs up and all the best still from Berlin, Stefan :-).

My Potsdam - the beauty of the city of science and culture in 2 minutes from Stefan Schultze on Vimeo.

"And look at all this! Trimming, different export file formats, ugh baby yeah! Even if it still can't handle massive files, I can grab what I need without worry. Way to go!!! Thanks, Justin, for making this right. In my heart, I always knew you guys rocked the muthaf***in' MTS like no one else.", Kyle, USA

"I am so glad I found your web site and purchased the VoltaicHD converter, I don't know what I'd do without it! :-)", Laura, British Columbia, Canada.

"The conversion is rock solid and I have been producing Blu-Ray quality films on the Apple Macintosh version", Victoria Gibson, Live More Lightly. Read Victoria's blog post here.

"Several of the forums suggest NeoScene to convert the GH1 1080/P24 files into .MOV files. I found the program buggy. It crashed and hung regularly so I opted for the less expensive but more reliable VoltaicHD." Scott Bourne, Photofocus.com, GH1 Review on PhotoFocus.com

"This is a cracking piece of software by the way, I use it constantly and the upgrade will make life even easier. Many thanks, Dave F."

"We had some issues getting AVCHD footage recognized in FCP due to the card not being formatted properly, so we purchased the Voltaic software and it worked great! We used it on the Ian Carey Project - Get Shaky music video last October and it went on to win best dance video at the MTV Video Music Awards Australia this past March (2009).", Eddie, Vid-Atlantic Media Productions

The Ian Carey Project - Get Shaky (WINNER '09 MTV BEST DANCE VIDEO) from Vid-Atlantic Media on Vimeo.

"The $35 program will allow you to extract these files off your camera and SAVE THE DAY!....It works, we tried it and we had our HD clips transferred and back inside the Final Cut project. They win the "I SAVED YOUR ASS" Software Award of the Year.", Aron Ranen, dvworkshops.com

"I saw that there was a new version of Voltaic and I installed and it spit out ProRes. Just wanted to let you know that everything is working fine here with the
new update. Thanks a bunch and keep up the great work." Johnny, USA

"I just wanted to say thanks for creating a easy to use program that solves a complex problem for us new mac converters and those who just want to make good fun family-type videos. Its been a real challenge and now I think you product has fixed it at least for me." Warren, USA

"You guys are fantastic. I've been waiting for this for over 6 months, and you have provided a great product. Thanks for all of your hard work! I also really appreciate knowing that you are supporting a worthy cause." Nigel, USA

"Voltaic is working and it ROCKS! My headache with AVCHD is gone and I will be sure to get the word out that you guys got it right!!", Derek, USA

"brilliant - the best $30 I have spent in a long time. Thanks so much for the Great - Voltaic" Neil, UK

"You kick ass. You saved my life. You are genius at work. Thank you." Sean, USA

"Thank you thank you thank you! I love it!" Pat, USA

"Works great:-) Thanks for allowing me to use the Mac on my Sony SR1-HDR files!!! You guys rock!" Marc, USA

Table of Contents

Introduction
Installation
Activation
Setting Preferences
Creating a Camera Archive
Exporting for TV Playback
Burning a High Definition DVD
Required QuickTime Export Format

Introduction

Welcome to the RevolverHD User Guide. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about RevolverHD.

back to Top

Installation

You install RevolverHD by dragging it from the disk image to your Applications folder. We recommend also keeping it in your Dock.

back to Top

Activation

You activate RevolverHD by purchasing an Activation Key. Once you have completed payment via the Shedworx Store (using Paypal), the Activation Key is emailed to your supplied email address immediately. Your key is also displayed on the screen when you click on the 'Return to Systemic' link displayed on the PayPal confirmation screen.

If you do not receive your key within 5 minutes, it is probably in your SPAM folder.

Once you receive your Activation Key, open RevolverHD and go to the RevolverHD->Activate menu option. Enter your key into the text field and click 'Activate'. RevolverHD then communicates with the ShedWorx activation server to activate itself.

back to Top

Setting Preferences

RevolverHD allows you to set a number of preferences. You should set up your preferences before using RevolverHD for the first time.

Preferences can be reviewed at any time by using the menu options or Apple,

Scratch file location

This allows you to specify where the temporary files are placed during each conversion. If you are converting large files from an external storage location, and want to preserve disk space on the machine running the conversions, you should set this location to be on the external storage device.

Output Location

This allows you to specify where the converted files are placed when creating a Camera Archive or exporting for TV playback.

This area is also used to set up the disk image when burning a disk. It needs to have about 3x the project size available before burning.

Disk type

This option controls the type of DVD that Revolver burns. Options are:

• AVCHD DVD - regular high definition AVCHD DVD which will play on most Blu-ray players
• AVCREC DVD - AVCREC format DVD which is mainly for AVCREC HD recorders
• Data DVD - AVCHD files are just copied straight to a DVD with no AVCHD file structure

TV Type

This option controls the type of output created from the TV Export function. Options are:

• Panasonic TV -
• Playstation3 -
• Regular -

back to Top

Creating a Camera Archive

If you would like to take a group of AVCHD video files and store them for later use with iMovie or Final Cut, you can create a Camera Archive. This archive can then be easily imported into iMovie or Final Cut (using Log and Transfer) at a later date.

To create a Camera Archive, simply add the required AVCHD video files to RevolverHD and click on "Camera Archive". RevolverHD then creates a camera archive in the Output Location, as specified in Preferences.

To load the archive into iMovie go to the File menu ->Import->Camera Archive... and select the Camera Archive folder that you require.

To load the archive into Final Cut Express or Final Cut Pro, open Log and Transfer, click on the Add Volume button on the top left and select the Camera Archive folder that was created using RevolverHD. This will load all the AVCHD movies into the preview list and you can continue as per normal for a transfer session.

If you want to save the archive to DVD for backup and storage, just use the File Utility to burn a DVD using the archive folder.

Exporting for TV Playback

Many new High Definition TVs now include software to playback AVCHD movies without the need for a Blu-ray player or Playstation3. Revolver's TV PLayback function export AVCHD movies in a format that most HD TVs can play.

To use this function, add AVCHD movies to Revolver as per usual, then click TV Playback. Revolver will then create a folder structure under the Output Location specified in your Preferences.

Once the export is complete, take the folders that Revolver created and copy them to the top level of a removable USB drive. You can now plug this drive straight into a compatible HD TV and watch your movies in full high definition without any conversion taking place.

Burning a High Definition DVD

RevolverHD supports the burning of both AVCHD and AVCREC high definition DVDs. AVCHD DVDs will play on most Blu-ray players (including the Playstation3). AVCREC DVDs are only supported on newer Blu-ray players and HD recorders coming out of Japan. The main use of AVCREC DVDs is on newer high definition hard disk recorders that are Blu-ray compliant.

If you have some AVCHD clips straight from your camera that you want to watch on a high definition TV, here's what you do.

1. Open RevolverHD and add the required MTS or m2ts files
2. Set your Preference to Blu-ray DVDs (AVCHD)
3. Burn

This will give you a DVD that will play on most Blu-ray players (we haven't found a player that doesn't work yet).

Required Quicktime Export Format

In order for RevolverHD to deal with QuickTime exports from iMovie and Final Cut, the movie must be exported
with the correct format. This helps preserve the quality of your final export as well as making the process as
quick as possible.

The required settings can be chosen when doing a Quicktime Export, and are as follows;

• H.264 Video
• Linear PCM Audio (16bit, 48kHz, 2 Channels)

Here are the screens you will see when setting these formats.

back to Top