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| 1. What is Video Desk? |
| - Video Desk allows you to manage and share your media content with customers
and friends worldwide. The complete Video Desk suite of services consists of:
Disk space on the Video Desk server to host your video and/or audio files.
A streaming server to share your media over the Internet
The Media Manager, which makes uploading and managing your files easy.
Video Email that lets you show your video to associates, relatives, and
friends.
Web Master Tools that automatically create the necessary code to include your
video and audio in your own web pages, and to create and edit playlists.
Media Reports that keep you up-to-date about file usage and your account
status. |
| 2. What can I do using
my Video Desk account? |
 |
|
| Store your audio / video files
Stream your media files over the Internet
Preview your media files online
Create playlists for your media files
Automatically create HTML and JavaScript to link to your media files, or embed
them in a web page.
View up-to-date Media Reports for your account, showing number of viewings and
other information for each file you store on the server. |
| 3. Why should I use
Video Desk? |
|
|
| - Video Desk manages and delivers streaming Adobe Flash and Windows Media files through a single account, combining easy online content management with high performance delivery. Video Desk's complete automation lets us serve large numbers of
customers at minimal cost, empowering you to share your audio and video content
at very affordable prices. |
| 4. Who uses Video Desk? |
|
|
| - Thousands of organizations and consumers use Video Desk to deliver a variety
of content: from product demonstrations or business and educational seminars to
sporting events and online entertainment. Our customers range from Fortune 100
companies to non-profit organizations and hobbyists.
|
| 5. How do I get started? |
|
|
| - Just sign up for our fully functional FREE
Account. The free account lets you use all aspects of Video
Desk, and become familiar with our service. When you're ready to upgrade,
you'll like our extremely reasonable pricing plans for more powerful service
packages. |
| 6. Do I have to pay any start-up fees to create my account on
Video Desk? |
|
|
| - No. We do NOT charge any setup fees. We
expect to build lasting relationships with our customers. You can also
upgrade your account without paying a service charge. |
| 7. How much does Video Desk cost? |
|
|
| - Video Desk offers its services on a
monthly subscription basis. Please visit our Pricing page to get information about our
Free and Subscription Plans. |
| 8. What payment methods can I use? |
|
|
| Billing is monthly, either to a credit card (MasterCard, Visa, Discover or
American Express) or PayPal account
We use PayPal for all payments |
| 9. Why is my credit card statement showing the payment
as being billed by DeskShare Inc? |
|
|
| - Video Desk is a service of DeskShare,
Inc. |
| 10. When and how will you be charging me? |
|
|
| - If you are paying with a credit card you
will be billed once per month. |
|
| 11. How can I cancel my Video Desk account? |
|
|
| - You can cancel your paid subscription by
following PayPal's instructions. To cancel a free account, use the Cancel
Account link in the online Control Panel. |
| 12. Can I still login to my account if I discontinue
the subscription? |
|
|
| - You may continue to use Video Desk until
your account expiration date or until you reach your data transfer limit. After
your account has expired, you will not be able to use Video Desk. |
| 13. What will happen to all my media files if I
discontinue the subscription? |
|
|
| - You will not be able to access your Video
Desk account
after your subscription
period is over. If you choose not to continue your subscription, all your media
files will be permanently deleted
5 days after your subscription expiration date. |
| 14. What are Streaming Media? |
|
|
| - Streaming media are video and / or audio files that play over the Internet,
without needing to first be downloaded to the user's computer. The advantage of
streaming media over conventional video / audio files is that the user can
start viewing the file almost immediately, without having to wait for it to
download. Streaming also provides a higher level of security for your content,
because it is harder for a user to simply download and keep your file. With the
aid of new compression and encoding tools and Windows Media player, streaming
technology allows virtually anyone to communicate with thousands of web surfers
anywhere around the globe, at any time. |
| 15. What's the difference between "streaming" video
and normal, downloadable video? |
|
|
- Streaming video starts playing almost instantly when the viewer requests it,
without a wait while downloads onto his computer. Also, streaming video
dynamically adjusts to changes in Internet conditions while it is being viewed
to maintain a steady, continuous flow of video / audio.
- Normal (non-streaming) video files need to be downloaded to the viewer's
computer before they will play. For high-speed Internet users (cable modem or
DSL), the video will usually start playing as it downloads, giving viewers the
illusion of streaming. |
| 16. Can a viewer "save" a streaming video file on
their computer? |
|
|
| - No. A streaming video, unlike a progressive download, cannot be easily saved
on the viewer's computer. A viewer can save a link to the video. Embedding the
player can prevent the viewer saving a direct link to the video. In any case,
converting your audio and video into streaming media files provides a higher
level of security for your content. It is possible for sophisticated
users to capture streaming video and audio using special software. |
| 17. Does true streaming video require special
servers? |
|
|
| - Yes. Streaming video requires special server software. The server must
communicate with the viewer's video player to find the best speed at which to
stream the file. A standard web server can only host normal, non-streaming
media files. |
| 18. Does joining Video Desk involve a long-term
contract? |
|
|
| - No. All our accounts are month-to-month. If you upgrade your account before
the monthly cycle ends, we will credit you for the unused portion of your
monthly fee when calculating your first month's payment at the new rate. |
| 19. What file formats can I use with Video Desk? |
|
|
| - Video Desk lets you use Adobe Flash, Windows Media Audio (.wma), Windows Media Video (.wmv), and Advanced Streaming Format (.asf) from a single account. |
| 20. Will I be able to stream my media files through
a firewall? |
|
|
| - Yes. Your media files will play normally through a firewall. No special
configuration is necessary. |
| 21. How would I benefit by placing my media files on
your streaming server, instead of a web server? |
|
|
| - Streaming servers can change data-transfer rates automatically during
playback. If network congestion increases during playback, a streaming server
will adjust to this and automatically "downshift" the data transfer rate to
prevent the media from "re-buffering" (pausing to collect more data before
resuming playback). Should the network environment improve, the streaming
server will shift the data transfer rate upward to improve playback quality.
With Web servers, at best the end user can select a "bit rate" once, which
remains the same during the entire playback. Any deterioration in the network
environment means pauses in the playback! Needless to say, this is an extremely
frustrating experience for the end user. |
| 22. What happens if I go over my data transfer limit
in the Free Account? |
|
|
| - If you exceed your data transfer limit in
the Free Account, the only effect will be that the media files will stop
playing. You can login to your Video Desk account to view the
current disk space and data transfer usage. |
| 23. If I exceed the file storage space allowed for
my service plan, will I be charged based on the disk space used? |
|
|
| - Your monthly rate does not automatically
increase. Your space is limited to the amount you have purchased.
You will not be permitted to exceed your allocated space by the automated
system. |
| 24. What is your rate if I need more than 3
gigabytes of storage? |
|
|
| - We will design a custom package for you. Please call us at 516-620-3152 (US) or 011-516-620-3152 (International). |
| 25. How do I store my media files on Video Desk for
streaming? |
|
|
| - You can go to the Media Manager section of
the web site and upload your video files by clicking on the "Upload Video"
button, or directly upload your media files using an FTP client. We also
encourage you to use our free Video
Caster software, which will upload files to Video Desk automatically. |
| 26. What about back up copies? |
|
|
| - We take the utmost care to maintain
constant uptime and complete protection of all our clients files. However, no
system is 100% secure, and we strongly advise our customers to retain local
copies of their uploaded media files. |
| 27. How can I access my files after they are placed
on your server? |
|
|
| - You will have complete access to your
media files after you have uploaded them to your account on Video Desk. Via a
Web browser, you can:
Preview your media files.
Create HTML and JavaScript code to make the file accessible on your own web
page(s).
Create playlists for your media files.
Apply attractive skins either for in-browser play, or Video Email.
Set a fixed size in pixels at which movie files will play. |
| 28. How will I know if anyone is using my files? |
|
|
| - If your file has been streamed to a user,
it will appear in the media report for that month. The monthly streaming
reports give complete information about the file, including the number of hits
it has received, the average duration for which it is viewed and the total
length of the media clip. You may access your media reports for a particular
month by clicking on the Media Reports tab, and selecting the month. |
| 29. If I can use the video link directly, why do you
provide the html code for each file in my Video Desk account? |
|
|
| - Direct linking to Adobe Flash (FLV) files will not play the files on most computers. On these computers, the video can only be played when it is embedded into a web page. Using the supplied HTML guarantees that the video will play. Pasting a video link directly will play Windows Media files in a new window. That is, when the user clicks on the link, a new window will open and the video will play in that window. The HTML embed code from Video Desk displays the video on the web page itself, without opening a new window. The code is fully customizable to your requirements. If you use this method to embed the video in your own web page, your visitors will not know that the file is stored on a different server. They will have a seamless browsing experience, without thinking that they've had to change web sites in order to view video. |
| 30. What is a Playlist? How can I create one? |
|
|
- A playlist is just a list of media files
to play. By using a playlist, you can let your users play all the files
with a single click. You can set up playlists using the "Webmaster
Tools". A playlist can have a description and selection list. Click here for an example.
To distribute the multiple files as a single list, simply send the playlist link to your viewers. |
| 31. Can I change the display size of my video file when sending Video Email? |
|
|
| - Yes. In the "Video Email" section, you may
select the display size of your media files located inside a single folder.
Simply select the desired display size from the 'Select skin and size' column
for that particular folder and click the DO button. |
| 32. How can I apply a skin to my media files? |
|
|
| - When creating a Video Button, Audio
Button, or Playlist Button, simply choose from the "Select skin for the media
file" drop-down list. When creating Video Email, from the 'Select Skin and Size' area for the folder your file is stored in, select a skin from the drop-down list, then click 'DO'. |
| 33. Does Video Desk provide reports of the files
streamed? |
|
|
| - Yes. Video Desk provides detailed reports
about each file that has been streamed. You may view the media report for a
particular month by clicking on the Media Reports tab and then clicking on the
name of the month for which you want to view the details. |
| 34. What information does a media report contain? |
|
|
| - Video Desk gives you up-to-date
information about the number of hits a file has received, the average length of
time for which it was viewed by each user, the total length of the media clip
and the transfer allocation used when the file was streamed to viewers. |
| 35. How and when I can see the reports for my media
files? |
|
|
| - You may view your media reports at any
time you wish. Media reports are available by month. To view the report
for a particular month, simply click on the Media Reports tab and then select
the month for which you wish to see the report. |
| 36. How do I reach the widest possible audience with
the videos on my web site? |
|
|
| - The best way is to create video files and
associated links separately for 56k viewers and broadband viewers. 56k files
should be smaller and of lower quality than the files created for broadband
users. To reach the widest possible spectrum of broadband users, you can create
separate files and links for users with different access speeds. |
| 37. Some of our viewers cannot play video. They hear
audio, but the video does not play. |
|
|
| - This is a common problem. When you encode
your video, try setting the encoding bit rate at a slower speed. Select an
encoding rate that supports dial-up connection speeds of 56K.
|
| 38. Does Video Desk support Windows Media 9? |
|
|
| - Yes, Video Desk supports Windows Media 9. Windows Media 9 offers better streaming capabilities and higher compressions.
We therefore recommend that you encode your Windows Media files using Windows Media 9 compression.
You can use DeskShare's free Video Caster to encode your media files to the
proper streaming media format(s). A totally free, fully-functional download of
Video Caster is available here: http://www.deskshare.com/vc.aspx.
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