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movy.tv is the world's first multimedia sharing
system that allows individuals,
corporation and content creators /
broadcasters to
“mobilize” video and audio
media content. Users can upload
video/audio to the movy.tv website,
where it can be interactively shared
with PC (Internet browser) or mobile
users on a global basis. movy.tv
also allows broadcasters to stream
Channels of live video/audio (i.e.
TV and radio) to any mobile device
that can run our media client and
access the movy.tv system.
The movy.tv system is built upon
proprietary technology developed by
Movidity Inc., allowing for
interactive and on-demand
video/audio across wireless networks
and a wide range of mobile devices. From a network perspective, using
movy.tv appears somewhat similar to
browsing web pages from you mobile
device. Our system does not use
typical streaming technology,
protocols or transmission models. If
you can download the movy.tv mobile
media client to your handset,
there’s a good chance you’ll be able
to use movy.tv
IMPORTANT: Considerable volumes of data can be transacted between the movy.tv mobile media client and the website through normal operation. Mobile users are
STRONGLY advised to subscribe to “unlimited” data plans or similar “bulk” data transmission arrangements with their respective mobile network provider if using movy.tv, otherwise
SIGNIFICANT charges could result.
Remember, you are solely and completely responsible for any and all charges that may occur from the use of movy.tv over any communication transmission facility.
Users should note that movy.tv is a media-on-demand streaming system, not a download utility; media is delivered over the network on-demand, as requested by the user. It is not stored (at this time) on the mobile device. Because of the dramatic range of mobile device capabilities, some may have ample memory to store media files for playback, while many others do not. We have currently chosen to only support on-demand streaming of media as opposed to download, in order to support the broadest range of mobile devices possible and to minimize issues of content replication.
Video and audio playback quality is directly dependant on the capabilities of the mobile device and related network performance. Video frame rate has been observed to vary anywhere from about 3 frames per second (fps) to over 30 fps. As is the case with cellular telephony, there will be times when mobile network congestion or poor reception will limit the mobile client’s ability to either contact the movy.tv website, start a media stream, or cause it to repeatedly stop and buffer (receive more data) during media playback.
The movy.tv mobile media client is a software application that is downloaded over-the-air and installed on mobile devices. It acts as an extension of the movy.tv website, providing a number of functions similar to those found on the website itself.
In order to use movy.tv, you must install the mobile media client. Other third-party or device-embedded media players are incapable of supporting the features and capability of movy.tv.
The media client has certain requirements of mobile devices and networks, as noted below. In order to use movy.tv at this time, you must be able to connect to the Internet with your mobile device and reach
www.movy.tv
A partial listing of compatible devices can be found at www.movy.tv/handsets.htm.
Java Based Cell Phones
- Java (J2ME), midp2.0, cldc1.0
- mobile browser
- Blackberry 8100 (Pearl)
- Blackberry 8700
- Blackberry 8800
- The Blackberry client will be
available in early April, 2007
* Current Java restrictions on the Blackberry platform,
limit video performance to under 5
frames per second
- Windows CE (Mobile) versions 3.0
and higher
- This version of the client will be
released approximately 60 days after
the launch of movy.tv (beta)
- Palm OS versions 5.0 and higher
- This version of the client will be
released approximately 60 days after the launch of movy.tv (beta).
- The movy.tv mobile media client
is also available for DOJA 3.5+
mobile devices (inquire at
contact@movy.tv)
movy.tv should be accessible through
most GSM/GPRS networks (and by
association, mobile devices that
operate on GSM/GPRS). Such networks
are prevalent throughout the world
(Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa).
movy.tv can also be accessed
through CDMA networks/devices.
However, operators of CDMA type
networks (especially in North
America) may require digital signing
of applications loaded onto their
subscribers mobile devices
(essentially, determining the
applications allowed to run on their
subscribers’ handsets). As a result,
functionality of the movy.tv mobile
media client could be limited (or
not function at all) on various CDMA
networks. One particular limitation
that has been observed is the lack
of audio playback (i.e. video but no
audio or audio stops after several
seconds).
movy.tv runs effectively on lower
performance (2.5G) networks. In
general however, it performs best on
mobile devices with faster
connection capabilities – EDGE, 3G
HSPDA, EVDO, 1x, W-CDMA, etc. Faster
data transmission allows our
technology to take advantage of the
higher dynamic encoding rates of our
real-time adaptive transmission
model.
There may also be cases where
mobile operators stipulate that
their unlimited service plans are
not to be used for “streaming media”
or similar functions, and may in
fact attempt to either block or
degrade data communications over
their networks to / from Internet
based services like movy.tv.
Mobile
users may also find that some
advertised “unlimited” wireless
service plans indeed have
limitations in the amount of data
transmission permitted on a daily or
monthly basis. While we cannot
directly affect the way in which
mobile carriers operate their
infrastructure or provide services
to subscribers, Movidity is looking
to work with mobile carriers to
enhance the user experience and
provide business development
opportunities – this is a work in
progress.
Once you’ve created your content, you’ll need to save it in a format that movy.tv can accept, as follows:
Video
- MPEG4
- MPEG2
- MPEG1
- QuickTime .MOV
- Windows WMV
- AVI
- DIVX
- XVID
- RealMedia/RM
Audio
For better quality, we typically recommend MPEG4 (DIVX, XVID) at 320x240 resolution with MP3 audio. Resolution should be as high as practical, or whatever your system allows.
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Using your mobile device browser, navigate to
www.movy.tv/m (Note, this
is the download link for the movy.tv mobile client; if you are trying to browse
the actual movy.tv web site using a typical mobile browser (i.e. registering on
the web site itself from your mobile), you may run into issues since the site
uses Ajax and other technologies that are often incompatible with mobile
browsers. The mobile client is the only method supported to interact with
movy.tv and needs to be first downloaded and installed on your mobile device).
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The movy.tv mobile client should automatically download over-the-air (typically in less than 30 seconds).
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Once the download is complete, you will have to accept the application to install on your device (this process may vary depending on the device). Once the client is installed, an icon will either be created for the client in your icons menu, or movy.tv will be listed as one of your applications.
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Depending on your mobile device, you should: (1) ensure that the backlight is turned on before you begin using movy.tv; and (2) ensure the connection settings on your device are configured to allow the movy.tv client to access the network (without having to repeatedly accept connections while the client is running). This Setting assignment is usually found in your mobile device’s Applications Manager utility.
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If you haven’t previously registered on the movy.tv website (from your PC), you will be requested to sign up from your mobile device through the movy.tv client. Registering from your mobile device
(using the movy.tv mobile client) provides temporary access (to get things started); you must complete the registration process on the website (using the same Username and Password entered through your mobile client) to complete the membership registration process.
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When your sign up is validated, you can search all public media on movy.tv, as well as media in other people’s Groups you may have joined, along with any Portals to which you’ve subscribed. Joining Groups and subscribing to Portals must currently be done through the website (Portal subscription must also be done through the Portal Owner’s website). Once you have joined or subscribed, the Portals should be listed on the mobile client and the media content of specific Groups will also be accessible.
Note: Portals are currently open to all subscribers during the beta test period of movy.tv
A specific version of movy.tv mobile media client has been adapted for the
Blackberry 8100 (Pearl), 8700 and 8800. Due to the restricted Java
implementation on Blackberry devices, a series of workarounds are needed which
compromise video performance and increase network overhead as compared to the
native movy.tv mobile client for Java cell phones. Movidity is continuing
to review this issue in order to improve media performance on the Blackberry
platform.
Network connectivity for Blackberry devices is also somewhat specific. In
the case of corporate Blackberry users, the devices are typically connected to
the enterprise via the BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server). Individual
Blackberry users who are not part of a corporate enterprise connect to their
carrier network directly without a BES.
In order to use movy.tv without a BES (i.e. as an individual stand-alone user),
a specific configuration for the device is required. Instructions can be
found at the following link:
http://www.blackberryforums.com/blackberry-network/2185-blackberry-internet-msn-chat-web-telnet-tcpip-no-bes.html
In order to upload media, use the mobile client and enjoy other features of movy.tv, you must first join our community. Joining is easy, and requires you to supply some basic information.
Movy.tv is free to use for all general subscribers. In the future, there may be Portals or Channels supplied by specific content providers that will require a subscription payment or further personal information to access, however this will be clearly denoted when you sign up to the specific Portal or Channel. After Joining, you can sign into (log-on) movy.tv with your username and password created during the Join process. After you’ve signed in, you’ll be able to access various features including Groups, MyMovy, Uploading, Portals, etc.
To join, perform the following:
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Using your PC browser, navigate to www.movy.tv
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At the top right of the screen, click on the “Join” link (next to Help & Contact)
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On the Join page, you'll be required to enter a username
& password, along with other identifying information
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A “Human Check” function is required when Joining movy.tv. You will need to enter in the value shown in the Human Check field
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You must agree to the movy.tv Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
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Click Join
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After being accepted to movy.tv, you'll be able to login (with your username and password) and access all available functionality
Once you’ve created and saved your content in a compatible format and have joined movy.tv, you can upload your content for viewing on the movy.tv website and mobile client as follows.
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Using your PC browser
(Internet Explorer or Firefox), navigate to www.movy.tv
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Login to movy.tv - enter your username and password in the fields provided (at the top of the screen) and click “go”
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Various additional navigation tabs will appear; click on the “UPLOAD” tab
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The Upload page will appear with various
information fields
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Enter the Name (Title) of your media
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Select the specific group (to which you media will belong)
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Enter in descriptive tags for your media, with a
comma separating each tag (you must enter in at least one tag)
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Select the language for your media (used to classify and search)
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Click the “BROWSE” button, and select the file from your local PC
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If the media content you’re uploading contains material that is adult in nature, you must click the “+18 Content” selection
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Click the “UPLOAD” button to upload your media -
Your media will begin to upload
(upload time varies depending
on the length of your media).
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A message will be displayed once
uploading is complete.
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Click the "SUBMIT" button to
submit the media - this will
automatically transcode and post
your media into movy.tv.
Your media should be viewable
within a few minutes after the
system has transcoded and posted
the file. (Note, you may
have to refresh your browser to
see the media posted on the
"Media" page of movy.tv)
movy.tv “Channels” are continuous live broadcast channels of television, radio or any other live feed (cameras, etc.). Broadcasters can “mobilize” their live video/audio feeds through their dedicated Portals to all movy.tv users who sign up to their Portals.
Live chanels are currently
accessible through the mobile client
only (and not on the movy.tv
website). To inquire about creating your own live Channels, contact us at contact@movy.tv
movy.tv “Groups” are virtual private
groupings of users created by an
individual to share his/her media
with that Group. People can create
groups for friends, family or
co-workers or anyone else that they
invite to belong to a group.
Currently, a user can create a
maximum of 30 groups, and belong to
maximum of 30 groups at any one
time. Note that at this time, only
the individual who creates a Group
can upload content for Group
sharing.
Groups can be created by any
individual, and membership in a
Group is enabled thru the movy.tv
website. Thereafter, you will have
access to all Group content, both
through the website and movy.tv
mobile client. Groups are created
using the MyMovy facility (see
below).
More to come on this topic
Portals are special Groups created for broadcasters, corporations or other media content providers. In order to access a particular Portal, users will have to identify themselves (i.e. sign-up) to the specific Portal. Thereafter, a user will be able to interact with media and other functionality contained in that Portal. Initially, Portals will be manually created for our media contents partners and other interested groups. A future capability of movy.tv will allow automated creation of Portals. If you are interested in a Portal, please contact us at contact@movy.tv
Note that the beta release of movy.tv does not require users to subscribe to specific Portals; all Portals will be available to all users.
Users who wish to sign up to Portals must first subscribe to the Portal on the Content Provider’s website. Once completed, a user can then sign up to movy.tv, but must also enter the Username & Password (or a provided subscriber code) from the specific Content Provider for verification. Once verified, all content on the Portal will be accessible (archived / live media), messaging and special services. The Portal will also appear in the Portal list on the users’ mobile client.
Some Portals owners, however, may completely automate this process, so that when a users signs up for subscription on their site, the user will automatically be signed up for movy.tv.
Note that the beta release of movy.tv does not require users to subscribe to specific Portals; all Portals will be open, to all users.
MyMovy is a management interface for users of movy.tv (including Portal owners) to manage their individual profile. MyMovy allows the management of content, Groups, messaging, favorites, and other functionality.
movy.tv is a community, and users can refer content to friends, associates or others by exchanging messages
through the mobile client (without requiring SMS messaging). Messaging functionality is found under the MyMovy interface.
movy.tv also communicates with individual users through MyMovy messaging, which appears on the mobile client. During the movy.tv beta stage and thereafter, these messages will normally refer to upgrades of the website and mobile client.
movy.tv provides effective searching, filtering and sorting capabilities, both through the Filter/Search feature on the movy.tv Main web page or via the highlighted Tags associated with each item of media.
You can also add comments to media as you view it on the Now Playing page.
Note that to return to a full
listing of media on the main page,
you must clear your search criteria
and click the search button once
again (i.e. no search criteria
results in a return of all media).
When you upload media to movy.tv, you are required to name, choose (at least) one category and enter at least one tag to describe your media content. Adding this information helps other movy.tv members search for and locate content. The more accurate (descriptive) the tags, the easier it is for users to find your content.
Multiple tags can be used to describe your media; tags must be separated by commas.
If you are uploading media that is adult oriented in nature (i.e. that which would be rated “R” or “NC-17” by the Motion Picture Association of America), it must be checked with the 18+ Content option on the movy.tv upload page.
Note that all tags (and all media for that matter) listed on the on movy.tv website are accessible on the mobile client. You can perform the same searches on the mobile client as you can on the website.
The movy.tv mobile media client provides general “help” instructions on the proper use of the client – including FF/RW/Pause and TimeShifting controls on live streams. It is recommended that you review these instructions prior to use.
The basic media client controls are typically operated from the joystick, direction keys, or standard keys on your mobile device (dependant on the device itself).
These controls typically include:
- Scroll Through Lists – up / down on joystick
- Select an Item – press down (inward) on joystick
- TimeShift (on live media) – left / right on joystick
- Volume (while playing media) – up / down on joystick
- Pause / Play – press down on joystick to pause, press again to continue play
- FastForward / Rewind – while paused, left on joystick to Rewind, right on joystick to FastForward
(Note: FF/RW features are currently disabled in the beta version of the
movy.tv mobile media player)
Note that some mobile devices may not be able to display the full Help text within the confines of their screen or memory capacity. In such cases, refer to the instructions posted on the movy.tv website.
All publicly available media along that of Groups / Portals of which a user is subscribed is searchable from the movy.tv mobile media player.
After selecting movy.tv on your mobile device (or another Portal to which you have subscribed - note, all Portals are available during the beta release to all users), you are provided with a selectable list of the following:
- Groups (to which you’ve subscribed)
- Favorities Group
- Portal Sub-Groups
- All Media (all publicly accessible media)
- Messages (referrals to media by friends / associates)
A Message Form (to send messages and delete messages) is also available when you click to view messages. You can also add the author of a new message to your Friend or Associates list – which will automatically update this information on the movy.tv website.
Above the initial list of media thumbnails presented on your mobile device, you will see three fields in which you can:
- Search on a tag(s)
- Search on User Name / Media Name
- Select Order (of the search results)
- Returned search results can be further refined by searching on additional tags (entered into the Tag field).
If you have highlighted a media thumbnail, you can also search by one of its component Tags in the Menu for that item.
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