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Watch WebTV and WebRadios on your Windows Sidebar. Switch Fullscreen, schedule your recordings. Use the Drag & Drop to play your media. FreeHD use VLC activeX. You can use your own playlist.

Lastest version 4.5. You must install VLC 0.9.9 to support .flv extension. FreeHD supports YouTube. Thanks to you, FreeHD wouldn't exist without advertising support and you.

Prerequisite Vista:

  • Sidebar 32 bits (most important for Vista 64bits, read FAQs)
  • VLC 0.9.9 with ActiveX VLC 0.9.9 VideoLan.

Prerequisite XP:

Install

  • Download the last gadget FreeHD.gadget (Freeware).
  • Install FreeHD gadget.

Settings

  • Go to Settings
  • Change parameters (example proxy configuration -> :http-proxy=http://user:pwd@myproxy:3128, see FAQs)
  • Save your settings
  • You can have a message for update under FreeHD version

Playlist Selection

Click on and choose your Playlist.

Playlist Type:

  • Playlist URL (define in Settings)
  • WebTV
  • WebRadio
  • Movies (define in Settings)
  • Music (define in Settings)

Recording

  • Click on Recording button
  • Select your Playlist
  • Select your Stream
  • The filename must have no extension, no folder and no spaces
  • Save (a User Account Control is open to add Scheduled Task)

Podcasts Service

Click on button and discover Podcasts Area.

  • Trailers
  • News
  • Games
  • and others

In this interface, you can "watch online" (VLC ActiveX controls download), "watch & download" (FreeHD controls download) or "download". In the 2 latest cases, contents are saved in "Downloads Area".

Logs

You can open Logs Interface, to understand different problems

ISP Playlists

  • TPG: http://www.keyphrene.com/products/widgets/playlists/tpg_au.m3u (Australian: website)

FAQs

  • Switch Fullscreen?
    • You can double-click on your movie or click on right top button to have another display.

  • This does not work?
    • Check your firewall rules, you must have an exception on Sidebar executable and VLC executable
    • Copy third-party DLLs from VLC install dir to a folder in C:\Windows\System32 (avcodec-51.dll, libfontconfig-1.dll, libfreetype-6.dll, libgcrypt.dll, libgpg-error-0.dll, libiconv-2.dll, libxml2-2.dll, libz-1-2.dll). Relaunch your Sidebar.
  • How to use FreeHD_Diagnostic
    • Get FreeHD_Diagnostic FreeHD_Diagnostic
    • Unzip archive on your desktop
    • Launch Diagnostic.wsf
    • Report is generated on your desktop freehd.diagnostic.txt
    • Send this report to bugs@keyphrene.com
  • To startup, I have this message: ActiveX not found, Check your VLC installation
    • ActiveX DLL has not found in the VLC folder (axvlc.dll), Reinstall VLC with "ActiveX Plugin"
  • How to register VLC ActiveX control?
    • Open a DOS command prompt as administrator
    • cd /d "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC" on Vista 32bits or cd /d "C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC" or Vista 64bits
    • regsvr32 axvlc.dll
    • Relaunch your Sidebar
    • Relaunch FreeHD
  • This does not work on Vista 64 bits?
    • VLC ActiveX is not compatible with Sidebar 64 bits, you must launch Sidebar 32 bits. Follow this procedure
    • Remove FreeHD.
    • Stop Windows SideBar
    • Check Windows Tasks, Sidebar.exe doesn't must exist
    • Launch C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Sidebar\sidebar.exe
    • Reinstall FreeHD
  • How configure proxy in the settings
    • First, You must configure Internet Explorer proxy (VLC doesn't support IE proxy authentication)
    • Second, You must configure FreeHD settings to copy this example ( http-proxy=http://user[:password@]proxy.example.com:port/ ), change proxy name, and proxy port, user and password are optionals.
  • How to install FreeHD on Windows XP?
  • How to add a WebRadio or a WebTV in playlist?
    • Try your URL with VLC and send me this URL via this address support

ChangeLog

  • 2009/05/08 FreeHD.gadget 4.5
  • 2009/02/14 FreeHD.gadget 4.3 (93032 downloads)
    • Fixed task scheduler
    • Added continue button
    • Added VLC options during recording
  • 2009/01/31 FreeHD.gadget 4.1 (78247 downloads)
    • Added new Podcasts (more and more)
    • Added new module to download YouTube contents
    • Fixed Vista 64 bits registry for VLC
  • 2008/12/20 FreeHD.gadget 3.9 (42759 downloads, Thanks a lot)
    • Added Podcasts
    • Added message for update and news
    • Added VLC proxy and options in settings
    • Added "Include sub-folders" in settings
    • Added French Access in Podcast Area
    • Added Vista 64 bits detection and display message
    • Fixed ratio bug in settings
    • Fixed opening settings
  • 2008/12/01 FreeHD.gadget 3.7
    • Changed podcasts
    • Added Open stream in the menu (ex: http://, mms://, rtsp:// ...)
    • Added intermediate screen size and aspect ratio in settings (4:3, 16:9 ...) (asked by Styx)
    • Added pre-buffering for HTTP, MMS stream
  • 2008/11/18 FreeHD.gadget 3.5
    • Fixed folder detection and crash during installation (Folders: My Movies and My Musics)
  • 2008/11/16 FreeHD.gadget 3.3
    • Updated procedure to check VLC Installation
  • 2008/11/02 FreeHD.gadget 3.1
    • Added procedure to check VLC Installation
    • Added shuffle button
    • Fixed bugs (Fullscreen, intermediate screen)
  • 2008/10/26 FreeHD.gadget 3.0
    • Added Interface Logs
    • Added Display 256px by 192px
  • 2008/10/18 FreeHD.gadget 2.9
    • Added WebTV and WebRadio playlist
    • Message Alert