FAQs

 

Plug your camcorder/camera into your PC. Usually, you do this with a USB cable that came with the camcorder.  Your camcorder will appear as an external drive or just like another hard drive on your computer.

 

Next, click on the Upload tab in KinKast and then click on “Choose Files…” Choose your camcorder’s hard drive. Sometimes you need to click through a couple of folders (camcorder name, DCIM) to get to your video files. Your video files will have an extension like MP4, MOV or AVI. Highlight the files and click “Open” (“Select” on Macs).

 

That depends on the size of your video file and the upload speed of your internet connection.  Upload speeds are typically 20% – 30% as fast as your download speed. 384 – 512 kbps is a typical upload speed for DSL internet.  Cable internet upload speeds can be twice that. (Also, remember that you share your connection with whoever else is on your network.)

 

The size of your video file is a function of how long your video is, the pixel resolution (like 720x480, 1280x720, 1920x1080), the frames recorded per second (FPS) and the amount of data your camcorder captures per pixel.  Some typical examples are:

 

10 minutes of 720x480 video (about a 110 MB file) with 512 kbps upload speed can take 29 minutes

 

10 minutes of 1280x720 video (about a 300 MB file) with 1,024 kbps upload speed can take 39 minutes

Pretty much all the popular video formats of the last few years. An easy way to identify the video format is by the extension (or last three letters of the file name). For example, VID002.MP4 is an MP4 file. We support the following video formats: MP4, AVI, MTS, FLV, MOV, OGG. However, we’ll attempt to work with any video. If you’re unsure, email us at theteam@kinkast.com and we’ll test it for you.

 

Yes, KinKast supports AVCHD.

 

What is AVCHD? If you recently bought a $450+ camcorder in the last several months, you're recording videos in AVCHD. AVCHD is a format for the recording and playback of high definition video designed for tapeless camcorders. AVCHD video files typically have an ".MTS" file extension. Industry support for AVCHD is currently spotty, but it is improving. For example, most media players, including QuickTime do not currently play AVCHD. Video editing software like iMovie lets you import AVCHD video, but only directly from the camcorder.

At KinKast we've figured out how to prepare AVCHD video for on-demand streaming and long-term storage. So, connect your AVCHD camcorder to your computer (it will look like an external hard drive to your computer), select the .MTS video files and upload them to KinKast for private sharing and on-demand viewing.

 

You first need to transfer the video from your tape to a file on your computer. Programs like iMovie on the Mac and Movie Maker or Adobe Premiere Elements on Windows PCs are good for doing this. To reduce upload time you’re better off saving your video as an MP4 file. (It’s a compressed format that looks great.)

 

After your videos are uploaded, we prep them for easy navigation and optimal streaming performance. What you see are all the thumbnails and two movie sizes. We call the first one our Book View, which is 216x384 pixels and works best with an internet connection of 500 Kbps. Our Theatre View is larger and more immersive at 432x768 and works best with a faster internet service of 1,500 Kbps.

 

 

You can see all your videos. And we make it easy to privately share the videos you select with the people you select.

 

You can use Windows computers running Windows XP or later and the following browsers: IE7, IE8, Firefox, Chrome

Macs should be running OS X and the following browsers: Safari 4.x, Firefox 3.x

You can also use Linux with the Firefox browser.

If your computer and browser can run Adobe Flash Player 9 or 10, then we should work on it.

 

Not yet, but we’re working on it. Let us know which TV platform you’d prefer. Click here to cast your vote.

 

Yes. Even better, your family and friends can also watch as many times as they want.

 

The most common reason is that your internet connection is struggling. You need a minimum internet connection of 500 Kbps for the Book videos and 1,500 Kbps to watch the Theatre View. Even though you may have bought an internet connection of 500 Kbps, sometimes the internet company cannot deliver this speed. Or, if you’re sharing an internet connection at home, then someone else in the house using the internet, to say download music or play online games, may also affect performance.

 

No, unless of course you share them. All videos start out as private. You decide what you want to share and with whom.

 

After you invite them, your family and friends will receive an email with a link to a private web site. 

 

They see the same screens and tools that you see – but only for the videos you or other KinKast friends share with them.

 

Nope. We don’t think they should have to remember yet another password. So, they won’t need one.

 

Yes. After you’ve shared your video with email addresses, we’ll prompt you to add them to new or existing groups.

 

 

All your videos are stored on state-of-the-art data servers with the world’s safest and largest provider of web infrastructure services, Amazon, Inc.

 

We take a 3-pronged approach to ensure the safety of your videos. First, we employ a “confirm and commit” software architecture for the handling and processing of your videos. In a nutshell, nothing gets deleted until its transformation is confirmed. Second, we’ve developed processes to limit access and handling of your videos. Third, multiple copies of your videos are kept to guard against physical hard disk failures.

 

Yes. You can always download your videos. On the “Manage” tab, select any video or group of videos and click the “Download” button.

 

KinKast transforms all video to the MP4 format at a pixel resolution of 768x432. Most camcorders/cameras record at higher pixel resolutions and bitrates. So, we’re not likely saving your original file. We’ve transformed your file into an industry-standard format optimized for on-demand streaming and affordable long-term preservation.

 

It’ll look great. Technically it’s 768x432 pixels at a 1,200 Kbps bitrate (indicates how much data is stored per second of video). But to relate it to something we all use, it’s like the quality of movie DVDs. So, it will look great on your computer and your 55” flat screen.

 

The last thing we want to do is delete your videos. We’ll attempt to contact you multiple times over 6 weeks before first freezing access to your account and eventually deleting the account.