Originally from ticket #1422.

We receive several common questions from new users and many of you may benefit from the following Q&A with a filmmaker:

1) When is your service coming out of beta?
We're out of beta now and the platform is entirely ready for business. Though we are out of beta, we will always be experimenting with new features to make Dynamo the best online rental platform available, and we welcome any feedback you may have.

2) What bitrate are you streaming your videos?
It varies a bit but the HD versions are typically over 1200k, our standard quality files typically deliver at about 700k and the lower quality streams often used by mobile devices are usually below 300k.

3) What size files can be uploaded to your system. I currently have a
couple of feature films that are just under 5 GIG with a pretty high bitrate.
4-5GB sounds about right for a feature film. We usually recommend encoding at a bitrate of about 1500 for best results, and most of the high quality features we host are delivered at about 3-7GB.

4) Where would my movies be hosted and can I delete them at will?
Your films will be hosted by us but there is no commitment to keep them on our system. You are welcome to try Dynamo for free and then delete them at any time. If you are hosting several large videos and they are never posted anywhere online we may eventually ask you to remove them to avoid becoming a video storage service.

5) It's unclear from your dashboard how I can transfer balance earned
back to my bank account
Accounting is immediate, and you can request a payout at any time. Payments are typically approved within a few hours and are delivered directly to your PayPal or Amazon accounts. We will happily cut a check for payouts over $1,000.

6) It would be nice to have an example of how your analytics work.
We are planning an update of the web site that will include more detailed views. In the meantime I can tell you that we offer an interactive chart with daily, monthly and annual numbers for each program. Also included are referring web sites, top countries that have accessed your programs and a breakout of total player loads versus total sales. Stay tuned for a more complete tour of the system on the web site very soon!

7) How much does Amazon charge per transaction? I know PayPal is about
3%
Actually Amazon and PayPal both charge 5¢ and 5% for small transactions like movie rentals. So if you price your film at $1.00, they take 11¢. BUT you don't need to worry about that because we absorb all of the transaction costs!

I hope this helps you better understand what we have to offer. We'll be happy to answer any further questions you may have, and can help you get started if you need any further assistance.

Best
- Rob