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| What are the accepted Media Files for uploading? |
VideoPros can accept the following formats for uploading to the transcoder which then converts your files into the Flash format. The transcoder will accept many popular video formats. These include AVI, ASF, QuickTime, Windows Media and MPEG formats.
For example, .avi, .asf, .mov, .wmv, .mp4, .m4v, .mpeg4, and .3gp are all acceptable file extensions. Specific video codecs we accept include H.264, H.263, MPEG4, VC-1, DV 25/50 and Sorenson Video 3.
Audio files accepted include: AIFF, mp2, mp3, wav and WMA. |
| What is the difference between Progressive Download vs. Streaming? |
There are two main methods of delivering media over the Internet. The first method is "Progressive Download" or HTTP delivery. The other method is commonly called "Streaming."
Progressive download is good for websites with low traffic and shorter videos. VideoPros users in need of advanced features and control over their delivery--not to mention displaying video to large audiences, tracking and reporting viewer statistics, or offering the best viewing experience for a specific connection speed--should consider streaming video.
Progressive download offers limited seek and navigation capabilities. Viewers can't seek forward through the video before it is completely downloaded. Also, because the file is physically downloaded onto the users computer--savvy users will be able to their browser caches and temporary Internet files and access the media content. Thus, if digital rights are a concern, streaming video is a better option.
Streaming involves sending video to a client in packets. These packets are reassembled to play for the end user as they arrive. The video file is never actually downloaded since the packets are discarded immediately after viewing. Because the timing of packet arrival to the viewer is critical, streaming servers user "Realtime Transport Protocol" (RTP) instead of the HTTP normally used.
This tighter connection between the server and client allow for advanced features such as measuring and tracking the quality of the stream and thus switching to a lower (or higher) bit rate stream if necessary and webcasting live or pre-recorded events for many users at the same time.
Streaming should be used to deliver long files (typically 10 minutes or longer), deliver video to many users, contain bandwidth detection or quality of service monitoring, providing interactivity and sending live video.
The advantages of streaming include: fast starting files, advanced video control, more efficient use of network resources, secure media delivery, tracking and reporting capabilities, full seek and navigation and deep interactivity. |
| What is transcoding? |
| Transcoding is the act of converting digital content from one format to another. It involves first decoding/decompressing the original data to a raw intermediate format that mimics standard playback of the original content. This raw video content is then re-encoded into the best format for playing the video, which is currently the Flash (flv) video format. |
| How does the VideoPros server know which bit rate video to deliver to each user? |
| All of our VideoPros players feature bandwidth detection when the player first loads. Once it knows what bit rate is best for the user, it then serves the user the appropriate bandwidth video, provided that you have created several version of the same video with differing bitrates during the encoding process. The quality of the video, of course, can be selected manually via the menu of each player. |
| Why does VideoPros only accept graphics in the JPEG format? |
| This is a limitation of players compiled in Flash 7. Once the penetration rate of the Flash 8 player reaches an acceptable level, support for GIF and PNG images should become available to our VideoPros clients. |
| Why is my video "choppy" and/or tends to rebuffer frequently? |
| Your internet connection is probably not fast enough to keep up with the bit rate of video you are watching. You can select a lower bit rate from the player's menu section, provided you created a lower bit rate version during the initial encoding and uploading process. If you are already on the lowest possible bit rate, please close all other running applications. |
| Why is my video player stuck on "Buffering 0%" during playback? |
| This buffering issue happens when your video has not yet propagated to the Akamai Content Delivery Network. VideoPros is waiting for the Akamai server to process your video file. Please try again in a few minutes. |
| Can I use dial-up Internet access? |
| The quality of the video clip you are watching mainly depends on two factors: (a) the speed of your Internet connection and (b) the bit rate (speed) of the video clip. The faster the bit rate of the video clip, the better the quality. However, the speed of your Internet connection will limit which video clip bit rate that you can watch. For example, if you only have a 56kbs (dial-up) connection to the Internet, the highest video clip bit rate that you will be able to watch will be 56kbs or less (most likely less, as the majority of dial-up connections only get speeds of 28kbs or less due to phone line issues). If you try to watch a video clip with a bit rate of 300kbs over a dial up connection, the video will not play. That is why we offer multiple bit rates for each video clip. Each bit rate is optimized for the different types of Internet connections available (Dial-up/DSL/Cable Modem/T1). As you can see, it is very important that you select the proper video clip bit rate for your Internet connection. For the best viewing experience, we recommend a high speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable Modem. It is important to note that even if you have a high-speed (DSL/ Cable Modem/ T1), Internet traffic congestion affects your connection speed and/or video performance. You will get slower or faster speeds at different times depending on peak or off-peak use hours. You may also get slower speeds during the morning and afternoon, but faster speeds late at night when fewer people are online. Also, streaming quality decreases when multiple people share the same Internet connection (e.g. at work or on a home network). |
| What video formats will yield the best quality? |
In most situations, uploading the original source file is the best practice. However, because of file size, this is not always possible. The details below are the recommended settings to use for maximum quality and reasonable file size:
* MPEG 4 or H.264 video at 2mbps data rate
* mp3 or mp4 audio (16-bit, 48kHz, mono channel)
* Source video frame rate (most often 29.97 or 30fps
* Video resolution should at least match the video window dimensions of the template you've chosen for your project
* 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio depending on your video template
* De-Interlaced video (Progressive Scan) |
| Which Web Browsers give the best compatibility and results? |
VideoPros is compatible with IE7 (Microsoft Internet Explorer), Firefox 2 and 3, Chrome and Safari. IE6 has an issue with the lightboxes (the various popup forms that appear within the site--for example when choosing to contact us or editing your profile).
For those that must use Internet Explorer, we recommend IE7 for the best browsing experience on VideoPros. However, you will not be able to properly manage your video players using any version of IE. Thank you. |
| What is the difference between the "Permalink", the pop up and the embed code provided by VideoPros? |
"Permalink" code is a direct link to the video player in it's own window (not resized).
"Pop Up" code is the Javascript and HTML code that will display a hyperlink on any webpage that contains this code. This links to the video player in it's a new, correctly sized window.
Embed code is the HTML code that places the video player directly into a webpage through the use of an iframe tag. |
| When and how do I upload my video via an FTP client? |
You will need to use and FTP client to upload video files that are over 50 MB in size.
Use your VideoPros username and password to login to ftp.VideoPros.com.
If you do not have an external FTP client, we recommend FileZilla, a free FTP client for the Windows Operating System. For MacOS, we recommend Fetch, which offers a free 15 day trial.
However, always feel free to choose the FTP client of your choice.
If you have issues connecting to the VideoPros Host, please ensure that you are connecting through Port 21 and you are connected in Passive Mode. If you continue to have issues connecting, please contact your network administrator to verify that your network settings are correct.
Once fully uploaded, your file is ready for transcoding and placement into your given project. |
| What are the system requirements for VideoPros? |
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher. If you do not have it, you can download it from the Adobe website.
Windows hardware requirements:
Microsoft Windows 2000 or higher (including the latest updates).
Intel® Pentium® II 450MHz or faster processor (or equivalent)
128MB of RAM
Macintosh hardware requirements:
PowerPC® G3 500MHz or faster processor.
Intel Core™ Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor.
128MB of RAM.
A broadband connection preferably with 700+ Kbps for continuous playback. Chances are that a dialup connection will be choppy and rebuffer quite frequently, or may not work at all due to the higher quality of VideoPros servers. |
| Can I use QuickTime or RealPlayer to watch videos on VidegoPro? |
The VideoPros website does not currently support QuickTime or RealPlayer applications for the playback of video files. You must use Flash Media Player 7 or higher to view these videos. |
| Why am I being asked to download the Flash Player? |
Websites that contain Flash content require the Flash Player. A message asking you to download Flash Player comes either from the website you are viewing or from your internet browser.
Most browsers come with a version of the Flash Player installed, so you may already have an older version of Flash Player on your computer. You may need to update your version of the Flash Player to the latest if the website you are viewing contains features that require the newer version of Flash. For best results, download and install the latest version from Adobe.
If there is a Flash Movie object on the page, Microsoft Internet Explorer users will see a window requesting a download of the Adobe Flash Player. This message is a default feature of the Windows version of Microsoft Internet Explorer called "Install on Demand". If you wish not to see the window in the future, you have two options:
When prompted, choose Yes and install the Flash Player.
Or, disable the Microsoft Install On Demand feature in your browser. |
| When managing my video players, I have video objects in the My Projects tab that are not showing up when I try to add a video to a project, why is that? |
| If the video objects are set as Flash 8 videos, your project must also be set to Flash 8 in order to add these objects to the project. To do this, select the project from your My Projects tab and then select the 'Project Settings' link from the top navigation bar. Change the Flash Video Encoding Version from 7 to 8, Save and Update these settings then try adding a new video again. |
| What if I find a bug in the system? |
| There's a quick link at the upper right side of your VideoPros login page. Right next to the "Manage Vidego Players" link. This link is located just below the gray bar in the upper right. |
| How long will my video take to upload? |
| This depends on both the size of the video and on your connection speed. If you are using the FTP applet for upload, the uploader will update you as to the status of your transfer (remaining file size of total file size). It can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours to upload a video. If you are using a high-speed internet connection, generally it will take anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes per megabyte. However, as mentioned, speeds will vary for every user. Typically, an external FTP client will give you an estimated timeframe for completion as well as a running status of how much has actually been transferred from your system to the VideoPros site. |
| What is a Codec? |
| Codec is short for compressor/decompressor and refers to the type of compression used for the audio and video. Viewers do not need to worry about codecs, only the version of the Flash player installed on their computer. Codec are the concern of those people that are uploading videos for transcoding. Please refer to the accepted media files for a list of supported codecs. |
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