Hey everyone. This is Patrick Adkins in Academic Technology Services here at
ETSU with a quick tip on how to convert WebEx ARF files into MP4s. While newer
WebEx meetings and WebEx events recordings are already in mp4 format,
WebEx training recordings and some of the older WebEx meetings recordings are
in ARF file format. ARF files are proprietary to WebEx and require
specific software from WebEx for playback outside of the cloud. So if you
have downloaded ARF files from WebEx, we're going to look at how you can
convert those ARF files into MP4 files which are a bit more flexible in terms
of playback, embedding, and hosting on services such as YouTube, Vimeo, and
Microsoft stream. In this video we're going to assume that you've already
downloaded the ARF files from WebEx and proceed with how to convert them. If you
need assistance downloading your files please refer back to our video on how to
download WebEx recordings from the cloud. Before we begin, please note that the
WebEx network recording player that we will utilize does not currently support
file conversion on Mac systems. So with that in mind let's take a look at how to
convert a WebEx ARF file into an MP4. If you have not done so previously, you will
need to download the WebEx network recording player. If you're logged into
WebEx in the classic view you can find the player download by going to WebEx
support, support, downloads, and then scrolling down to the bottom you will
find recording and playback. You will have options to download the player for
both Windows and Mac. The player download can also be found by going to WebEx
meetings, support, downloads, and recorder and players, select recording and
playback.
That is of course several clicks in both cases. If you prefer, you can type
the following address directly into your browser
www.WebEx.com/video-recording.html You will find download options for
both PC and Mac, but recall that the WebEx network recording player does not
currently support file conversion on Mac systems. So click to download for Windows.
The network recording player installer will be downloaded into your default
downloads location. Let's take a look at that ours is in the Downloads folder.
Double-click on the installer file. From here you can simply follow the install
Wizards instructions.
You will need to have administrative privileges on your computer to install
the player. Once the install has completed simply select finish. If you
double-click on a downloaded ARF file, it will automatically open in the
network recording player. Once the file is open in the network recording player
you can go to file, convert format, and choose MP4. You may need to get another
conversion tool by entering your credentials. The ARF file recording
recorded multiple panels and video as well as screen share content. You can
select prior to conversion which of those panels you would like to include
in your mp4 file. If you would like to include the webcam footage of your ARF
recording, you can select video in the content options. Choose your video
quality, convert now, and select ok. Depending on the length of your
recording this process could take a little while. If you would like to check
on the progress of your conversion you can hover over the icon in your taskbar
which is located here, and it will give you a percentage of how much has
been converted. You will get a message that the recording was successfully
converted to mp4 format, from here you can open the folder and you
can see now that we have both the original a RF recording and the new mp4
conversion. If you have any questions about WebEx please contact us at ATS.
We're happy to help. Thanks.