If you're an advanced user and would like to see even better HD playback on your computer, our support team may recommend that you upgrade your video card. Some of the benefits of an upgraded video card on your computer would be smoother playback, true HD viewing, a faster computer, and more.
So if you're considering getting a new video card, this article should help: Best video card for your money: October 2009. Hardware-revolution.com reviewed some of the newest video cards out on the market, as well as what the best deals are for everyone's budgets.
Keep in mind that this article is specifically geared towards video gamers, but a great place to start your search, regardless. Hope this helps!
We often have users asking us how to upload videos they have on a DVD onto Motionbox. And of course, we're talking about family videos, not copyright-protected videos (film, television, etc), which obviously aren't allowed on Motionbox.
With a little bit of effort though, you can have home videos from your DVDs up online and ready to share with your friends and family. Here's what you need to know:
First, you'll need to convert the video on the DVD into an actual video file that you can upload to Motionbox. You can see all the video formats we accept here.
There are some free programs out there that enable you to copy a DVD to your computer (sometimes called "ripping" a DVD). This is legal, free, and easy, despite the hard-sound word "rip" :). If you have a PC, check out this tutorial, which walks you through the process and advises you on what software you'll need.
The tutorial recommends a program called DVDx, but we prefer one called HandBrake, which does the same thing, and works on both PC and Mac. You can specify the size you want the final movie to be. Just make you sure you select the proper "chapter" of the DVD - presumably it will be the longest one, but you can always preview it using the "Picture Settings..." button. You can download HandBrake here.
Also, you might wanna check out this Help article on the best compression settings to use for your videos before uploading to Motionbox.
Once you have the video files on your computer, all you have to do is upload!
For a while now, your videos on Motionbox wouldn't retain new sort order once you left your folder's page, and the only way to permanently re-order videos was to do it manually. Now, we finally have a way to easily (and "permanently") re-order your videos inside of a folder. Give it a try:
1. Go inside the folder containing the videos you want to re-order. 2. Click on the "Reorder By" link above the list of videos. 3. You'll have five different options from the drop-down menu: Newest First, Oldest First, Title A-Z, Title Z-A, or Reorder Manually. Choose your preference.
Now, the order of your videos won't change until you re-order them again.
Folder Sorting
You'll be able to change the order of your folders on your Folders Page too! Many users didn't like seeing their oldest folders at the top of the page, so they'll be able to easily change that.
Just click the "Reorder By" link above your list of folders and you'll see the same five options in the drop down menu. Motionbox will retain the folder order for you even after you leave your folders page or log out.
Your Friends and Family
Now, even your viewers will be able to sort your folders and videos, so watching your videos will be easier for them. They'll see a "Sort By" link instead of the "Reorder By" link that you see though, and their sorting changes will be temporary and only seen by them.
We hope these new sorting methods will not only make storing your personal videos on Motionbox easier, but sharing too! Have any questions or comments? Let us know.
Good news! You'll now see a "Trim" icon on all of your video play pages on Motionbox. Our new Trim feature lets you trim your personal video quickly and easily, without having to go to the Mixer to clip off the boring parts that you don't want in your video.
To trim your video, here's all you have to do:
1. Click on the "Trim" button on your video's play page (It's next to the Delete, Rotate, Email and Favorite icons). You'll be taken to our new Trim Video (Beta) page.
2. Drag the handles to the start and end of your selection. Whatever is within the green bar is what will stay in your video.
3. Click the "Play" button to preview your edits.
4. You'll then have two choices: "Save" and "Save As New Video." If you click "Save," your edits will save over your old video and replace it. Don't do this if you don't want to lose the original! If you click "Save As New Video" though, we'll save this cut for you as a new video in your account, without replacing the old one.
Your edited video will then start optimizing for playback on the web. You don't have to stay on this page at all - feel free to come back to it later once the video has finished processing, and enjoy! You can then start sharing your new, trimmed with all your friends and family to enjoy too.
PS: This is a free new feature we've added to Motionbox, so both Basic and Premium members will get to enjoy it.
PPS: Please note that this feature is still in Beta. If you experience anything that doesn't seem right, feel free to let us know! We'd definitely love to hear your feedback as we work on this new feature.
Just go to Motionbox.com on your iPhone browser. On the top of the page, you'll see an option to use Motionbox on your iPhone: "On a mobile device? Use our mobile-enhanced site." Click on that link and you'll be prompted to log in to your mobile Motionbox page.
It's as simple as that!
Once you click on the thumbnail of a video, the video will start encoding for playback on your phone - but this will just happen once for each video and the process time is pretty quick.
You've been asking for it. And when we said we were working on it, we weren't joking!
You can now rotate your videos after uploading them to Motionbox. We all sometimes shoot video holding the camera the wrong way, and now you have an easy way to fix the orientation of your videos after uploading them! Here's how you can do it:
1. Go to the play page of your video on Motionbox.
2. On the upper-right-hand side of the page, you'll now see 5 different buttons (Delete, Rotate, Mixer, Email, and Favorite). Click on the "Rotate" button.
3. You'll be taken to a new Rotate video page. Use the arrow buttons below the video player to rotate your video.
4. Click on the "Save Changes" button. Your video will then save in its new orientation.
Here's an example of when you might want to use the rotate tool. Check out Julia's walk to the bus stop on her first day of Kindergarden:
Before:
After:
Give it a try! Actually, even if you don't need to rotate your video, check it out anyway - It's actually quite fun to watch your videos playback sideways (just don't save the changes). =P
Recently, videos that were taken with the iPhone oriented upright (instead of sideways) had some issues after uploading/emailing them to Motionbox. The good news is that we've made some changes, and if you had any trouble with the rotation of your iPhone videos on Motionbox recently, you shouldn't have any trouble from here on! The problem is solved and your iPhone videos will encode just fine now.
Please re-upload any videos that you had trouble with, and if you have any questions, just let us know!
Have a ton of videos on your cell phone that you end up deleting when you run out of space? What's the point of shooting videos from your phone when no one gets to watch them anyway?!
Motionbox has a special, hidden feature some of you might not know about: Mobile Uploads.
Your Motionbox account has a unique “video phone” email address that you can personalize to your liking. So next time you shoot a video from your cell phone, don't let it just sit there! Simply send it to your Motionbox video phone email address and it'll be online in your Motionbox account next time you log in. Then, you can share it with friends and family or just keep it in your Motionbox account so you have a place to save it!
Here's how you can find out what your Motionbox video phone e-mail address is:
Once you're signed into Motionbox, click on "Your Motionbox" on the top-right hand side of any page.
Click on "Account Settings" from the drop-down menu.
Then, click on "Communication Preferences."
You'll see your video phone e-mail address right there! You can actually customize part of it to make it easier for you to remember.
Try it out and finally enjoy those cell phone videos!
Motionbox users always ask us how they can customize the embedded player - what they can do and what they can't do. We're constantly trying to offer you different options on Motionbox, and here's a list of Can Do's and Can't Do's for now:
Here are a few ways you can customize your player:
One of the most common causes of frustration when uploading video is just that: uploading video. It can be so slow! And sometimes, it can seem painfully slow. While there are many factors involved with the speed of upload, here's some helpful information about connection speeds and nomenclature, starting with some definitions:
Bits vs Bytes
Bits and bytes are both used to measure amounts of data. However, "bits" and "bytes" are two distinctly different terms. The most important difference is:
1 byte = 8 bits (like how 1 foot is equal to 12 inches). Therefore, 1 byte is 8 times larger than 1 bit.
Nomenclature
To distinguish between bits and bytes, the computer world uses different abbreviations:
Lower case "b" = bits
Upper case "B" = bytes
"Kilobits per second" can also be abbreviated in several different ways: kbps, kbit/sec, or kb/s. So, when you see a speed of 512 kbps (kilobits per second) this is actually equal to 64 kBps (kilobytes per second). Using our math from before, 1 bit is equal to 8 bytes. And 64 x 8 = 512. Make sense?
For the nitty gritty on nomenclature, please check out this Wikipedia article.
A few months ago, we wrote a blog post on how to embed your Motionbox videos on your Facebook profiles. And now, it couldn't possibly be any easier.
Here's all you need to do:
Go to your video's play page on Motionbox.
Below the video player, you'll see "Email or Embed this Video." A little below that, you'll see a "Share on Facebook" link. Just click it.
Another window will pop up and if you aren't signed into Facebook already, you'll be able to sign in and post your video to your profile right then and there.
It's as simple as that. Try it out for yourself and let us know if you have any trouble with this!
(Please note that this will only be available for Open Access and Private videos).
When Motionbox users ask us for the best way to upload their videos, we often point them towards the Motionbox Express Uploader (MXU). This uploader makes it easier than ever to upload large video files.
Installing the MXU is pretty self-explanatory, but here are detailed instructions on how to install and (if needed) uninstall the Motionbox Express Uploader on both PCs and Macs.
Installing Motionbox Express Uploader (MXU) on PCs and Macs.
To install the MXU, first download the installation file from here: http://www.motionbox.com/install/mxu
Click "Install Express Uploader" on right hand side of the window.
If Adobe is not already installed on your computer, you will be prompted to install Adobe AIR first, before the MXU installation can begin. If this is the case, select "Yes" to continue.
After Adobe AIR is installed, the MXU will install.
Follow the directions in the installation window to complete the MXU installation.
There have been a few cases in which Motionbox users were having a specific problem using the MXU on their computers. If our Support team asks you to uninstall the MXU and Adobe Air from your computer (and then re-install), here are detailed instructions on uninstalling, for both PCs and Macs:
Have you ever tried to add a video to the Mixer, only to be told it isn’t ready for mixing yet? We know that can be a bit frustrating, so here’s the scoop on why that happens.
Every time a video is uploaded, several versions of the video need to be converted: the main version that you see (in standard or high definition), the thumbnail that appears in your folders, the poster frame that you see before you press play, and the remixable version. The remixable version is the one we care about when it comes to mixing, because it allows you to select specific frames to keep or cut.
Sometimes, it takes a bit longer for the system to convert your video to the remixable version, because our priority is to get your videos ready for display and playback. So if you are getting that error message, chances are you just need to wait a bit and you'll be all set. If you think it's taking a very long time, or have any other problems, please send us an email to let us know. That's what we're here for!
We want to hear your #1 request for what we can do to improve Motionbox. It can be anything, big or small.
Much of what Motionbox is today is due to the input we've gotten from our users - so you know we take feedback seriously. While I can't promise if or when we'll be able to implement your ideas, we really will take each one into consideration and hopefully give you a Motionbox you love even more.
We often have users asking us how to upload videos they have on a DVD onto Motionbox. And of course, we're talking about family videos, not copyright-protected videos (film, television, etc), which obviously 
Good news! You'll now see a "Trim" icon on all of your video play pages on Motionbox. Our new Trim feature lets you trim your personal video quickly and easily, without having to go to the Mixer to clip off the boring parts that you don't want in your video.
You can now play Motionbox videos on your iPhone!
You've been asking for it. And when we said we were working on it, we weren't joking!
Have a ton of videos on your cell phone that you end up deleting when you run out of space? What's the point of shooting videos from your phone when no one gets to watch them anyway?!
A few months ago, we wrote a 
When Motionbox users ask us for the best way to upload their videos, we often point them towards the 
Have you ever tried to add a video to 
We want to hear your #1 request for what we can do to improve Motionbox. It can be anything, big or small.
