1. General FAQ
2. Contributors FAQ
3. Users FAQ
4. Legal FAQ
5. Technical FAQ (below)
6. Miscellaneous FAQ

5. Technical FAQ

What’s the maximum file size I can upload?

Unlike YouTube (10 minutes and 100MB limits on videos), we don't have any limits. You could, in theory, upload a 5-gigabyte video file. (If you’ve got a dial-up connection, good luck with that!) Limitations on file size are mostly practical ones: the larger the file, the smaller the number of people who will download it.

What are the bandwidth limits on my files?

No limits. If your video becomes popular, uploading it through Ourmedia could save you hundreds of dollars a month in bandwidth costs.

Can I upload video from my phonecam?

Yes. We don’t care what device the media comes from.

What kinds of formats do you support?

Ourmedia supports all formats, including proprietary formats like Apple QuickTime, Macromedia Flash, Windows Media video and audio, Real, DivX, MPEG, WAV, MP3, H.264 MPEG-4 and many others.

Be aware, however, that not all formats will play on all platforms and machines, so keep that in mind before choosing a codec.

Ourmedia encourages members to encode their media using open standards. Suitable open formats include:

  • Theora (Ogg container) Video format: This entirely open codec requires developers to obtain no patent licenses. In addition, there are free implementations of the format for many operating systems. See the Wikipedia entry.

  • MJPEG: Motion JPEG is an open variant of JPEG adapted to video; no patent license is required for use of this format by developers. There are implementations of this format on many operating systems.

  • Vorbis (Ogg Container) audio format: This open format requires no patent license from developers. In addition, free implementations are available for most operating systems. See the Wikipedia entry.

  • FLAC audio format: This open format requires no patent license from developers. Free implementations are available on most operating systems. See the Wikipedia entry.

  • XviD (MPEG-4): While MPEG-4 requires a patent license before developers may use it, XviD is a Free Software implementation of the MPEG-4 format and is available on many operating systems. See the Wikipedia entry.

If you’re about open media, why do you support any proprietary media players (QuickTime, Real, Windows Media)?

Ourmedia can’t change the world overnight. We decided that having a media file play in a closed format is better than not having it on our site at all. If a member uploads a file in a closed format, it may not play on other media players. That’s why we encourage open formats. In the long term, we hope to work with projects building open media players and/or to build cross-platform players that will play any format.

For video and audio, do I have a choice of downloads or streams?

Unlike YouTube, we prefer files that can be downloaded by our users. QuickTime, for instance, supports progressive downloads — a video or MP3 music file begins playing almost immediately, so there is no need for streaming.

What are the best encoding settings?

See our Learning Center for compression suggestions.

Do you permit digital rights management?

None of the quarter-million files on Ourmedia contain DRM.

Can I subscribe to RSS feeds on Ourmedia?

Yes. Drupal has built-in support for RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Almost every group and category on Ourmedia (such as music videos or podcasting) has RSS built in.

Why can't I upload an MSWMM (Windows Movie Maker) file?

An MSWMM is a Windows Movie Maker project file, which contains only references to your media, not the actual video and audio. Thus, if you uploaded one to Ourmedia or sent it to a friend, there wouldn't be anything there to watch. Check out this Windows Movie Maker tutorial to learn how to export a proper movie file.

Didn’t find an answer to your question? Try our Help pages, or contact us.

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