Just got my second Kinect yesterday and in starting to use it I made the test calibration recording and now it's taking a LONG time to download the records from the slave (wirelessly -- I could wire it up I suppose to speed up the process if necessary).

There is a "Close" button at the bottom but after waiting 8 minutes I'm afraid to do it. Do I really need to download these records? I don't need to see the ones from the main so I'm not sure why I'd need these.

Certainly, downloading over wire is quicker. So, if you can setup wired connection - go for it.
However, you have an option to skip automatic downloading/merging process, which you may prefer. Collect records from slave PC(s) using an external drive. Use merge tool (available in toolbar on the home screen of iPi Recorder) to merge master+slave records.

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You are stating this is just for the calibration file? No action recording has been attempted yet?

Could you post the specs of your Master machine again? Is it a laptop?

Of course the write speed of the Hard Drive matters when recordings auto-merge, but 8 min. even on an HDD seems slow, but if only a 5500 RPM HDD, I guess it's possible, and being done by WiFi would be slower, what is your network speed showing through your network adapter? 10Mbps? You can also use an online speed checker for this.

Using a wired 1 Gbps slave machine, merging to a 1 Gbps master machine to its SSD, my merge speed was incredibly fast, like within seconds.

I never attempted using the Merge Tool in the Recorder using an external storage drive, so I can't comment on that.

Auto-merging puts the .slave files and the .master files separately on the master drive also, as well as the merged .iPiVideo file, so you can delete the .slave/.master recordings after merge download is complete, you only need to retain the .iPiVideo extension files on the Main processing computers drive, delete the others to save space. (Unless of course you want to save them for some reason).

Also, it's probably worth stating when using this 2 machine technique, if the slave camera drops out and you aren't aware, it will continue recording on just the one camera until you stop the recording, and it will still merge both files, but will be a failed recording, at least up to drop out/freeze point, for the slave second cam. (I am not sure if all recording auto-stops if the master machines cam drops or freezes, but I did experience this with the slave machines cam).

I am guessing so far, your 2 machines run at a consistent 29-30 fps so far throughout any recording?

If the slave machine seems to be running a bit slow on frame rate, or dropping/freezing unexpectedly, you can minimize the slave computers recorder to the task bar while recording, after setting it up first to connect to the master, and may help your frame rate showing on the master.

Once the close button appears, it's done what it is going to auto-accomplish, you won't be able to auto-merge any longer anyway, so close it and if failed you will have to manually merge with the tool after that anyway, or do takes again on another recording to use auto-merge again.

iPi can correct me if this is wrong, but I am pretty sure it isn't.

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Wifi is obviously slower wired but if you recently upgraded to Windows 10 there's something you should check.

After I had upgraded to Windows 10 on my tablet computer, its Wifi speed had degraded drastically--in fact, if I was copying a file to my NAS, it would take so long that it would often error out. It was only after I updated my Wifi adapter's driver for the Win 10 version did my normal transfer speeds return.

Just a thought.

G.

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You do need to have access to any .iPiVideo file in order to open it in iPi Studio, if you change its location from where you set the recorder to store it, you will be prompted to locate the file again before it will open in the Studio, same with the Cal video, but the last saved Scene file usually reappears as the first choice when opening a new video to track.

When saved as a Project file, I believe the video files stay with the project, but it has to be saved as a project file first and video location can't be moved after saved either, or it will revert back to need the video location.

This is the same for the Calibration video if not "saved as a project" when calibration is complete, I personally don't save the calibration project, I just save the .Scene file and search the appropriate one when I need it for separate videos to open again.

It is best to have good folder naming conventions for each performance you record and then each Video/Cal Video/Tracked Project/Actor Settings, all in one named folder to keep sessions more organized and easily searchable.

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