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FAMILYCAM CHANNEL FAQs |
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What do you mean by Channel? |
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An Internet video channel is a special kind of web application that enables an audience to choose a video they wish to watch via a specialised menu system. Each requested video is streamed directly from a streaming server to the user's computer via the Internet. The BBC iPlayer is an example of a broadcaster using the Internet to create a mass-audience channel. In most Internet video channels the video is usually displayed at a small size because the quality is too low for full screen viewing.
The FamilyCam video channel is a much more personal thing. With your FamilyCam Channel, you are the content owner and your audience is yourself and your trusted friends and family and no one else. And with a FamilyCam channel the video starts out at a small display size but once it is playing, you can make it fill the screen of the PC, Mac or TV you are using and you can sit back and watch your movies at full screen size and at high quality.
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How do I access my FamilyCam Channel? |
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Your videos can only be accessed through your FamilyCam channel and you can only open your FamilyCam channel by going through our secure member authentication process.
To open your channel, first login to your FamilyCam account on the main FamilyCam web site (www.familycam.com). Once logged in, select the My Channel link from the top navigation menu.
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Why a Channel? Why can't I watch my videos in the FamilyCam web site? |
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We've designed the FamilyCam channel to be as simple as possible so that you can enjoy watching, browsing, tagging and searching your home video without the distractions of complex navigation menus and other components that are necessary in the main FamilyCam web site.
Also, when you invite trusted friends and family groups to access your FamilyCam channel, they login as your guests but they do not have access your FamilyCam account. Instead they are shown your FamilyCam channel and they will have access to the movie categories that you've granted them permission to see.
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Why can't I resize the Channel window? |
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The FamilyCam channel appears in a pop-up window at a fixed dimension that is optimal for viewing on PCs, Macs and HD TVs (with a MediaCentre). It is structured this way to distinguish it from the main FamilyCam web portal and from any other web sites too.
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In what format are movies streamed in the FamilyCam channel? |
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We have two fundamental video formats. The first is H264-encoded MP4 video at 768kbps in standard aspect ratio (4x3) at a dimension of 720x540 pixels. The second is 768kbps H264-encoded MP4 video in wide screen (16x9) at 720x404 pixels.
On a wide screen display at full-screen, all 4x3 movies will be pillar-boxed (black vertical spaces either side of the video) but all 16x9 movies will fill the screen perfectly.
On a standard 4x3 PC screen, when viewing at full screen, all 4x3 video will fill the screen and all 16x9 video will be letter-boxed.
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What kind of Internet access do I need to watch my FamilyCam movies? |
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We stream all FamilyCam video at 768kbps (0.77Mbps). Ideally you should have a broadband Internet connection of at least 2Mbps (or 2 "Megabit" or 2 "Meg") to ensure uninterrupted viewing.
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Can I watch my FamilyCam Channel on a Mac? |
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Yes. The special FamilyCam video player is a Flash player and will work on any Mac with the Safari or Firefox browser.
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Do I need any special software to make FamilyCam work? |
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No. The FamilyCam video player is a special Flash player and it will load automatically on any PC or Mac as long as you have the Macromedia Flash 9 plugin installed. Since almost all Macs and PCs have the Flash 9 browser plugin installed, it is highly unlikely that you will need to install it unless your Mac or PC is brand new.
If you can watch YouTube video or the BBC iPlayer on your PC or Mac, you will certainly be able to watch FamilyCam movies.
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How can I watch FamilyCam video on my TV? |
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First, you need an HD TV. All good "Full HD" TVs come with a VGA video input so one of the simplest methods is just to hook up your laptop to your TV. FamilyCam video streams perfectly over any WiFi network so you should have no trouble getting connected.
Our favourite way to display your FamilyCam channel (or any web site) on an HD TV is to get a Mac Mini and an Apple wireless mouse and keyboard. We love the Mac Mini because it can output the OSX desktop at Full HD 1920x1080 pixels. If your HD TV has a VGA video input then you can use a standard DVI-to-VGA cable. If your TV only has HDMI inputs, then you'll need a DVI-to-HDMI cable, available from the Apple Online Store.
Alternatively, if you prefer PCs to Macs we recommend that you get a simple MediaCentre PC. There are many suppliers of these but our favourite MediaCentres are the Sony VGX-TP2S/B or VGX-TP1E models. These connect to any HD TV via an HDMI cable.
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Can my invited guests watch my FamilyCam channel at the same time as I do? |
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Yes. And they don't have to be in the same room. In fact they can be on the other side of the world and, as long as you've granted them access as a Guest Group, they can watch your videos at the same time as you.
Our streaming servers can cope with multiple simultaneous demands for any of your movies at any time and usually from anywhere in the world. Subject to prevailing data traffic conditions, and provided that your invited guests have suitable local Internet access, they will be able to play FamilyCam movies.
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Open a free
account now |
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| Sign up now to open a free FamilyCam account. |
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Experience
FamilyCam |
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| Discover the features and benefits of using FamilyCam with our video demos. |
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Questions?
Contact us |
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| Email: support@familycam.com |
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