Support & Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to recently created Manifest-Station Knowledgebase.

The Manifest-Station Support

In everything we do, we strive to provide the most seamless, enjoyable experience possible... but of course, we are not infallible - especially when it comes to working with a global network of computers.  No matter what, there are always bugs here or there.

If you happen to run into an issue with any of our products, please know that we'll do our absolute best to support you.  Also, remember that everyone has a different computer make, model, and setup, with different Operating Systems, different browsers, different media players, different security setups, and with variable Internet connection setups.

 

We've tried to cover all the bases right from the beginning - so that issues don't even happen in the first place, and have provided the following FAQ answers to help solve issues quickly, should you need it. 

Please browse through the answers below prior to contacting us.  But if you have any questions, we're always here at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  (although we do sleep sometimes!)

FAQ's - Rental

How do I view a rental on my MAC using your Rental system?

All rentals from The Manifest-Station are viewed through a streaming system that utilizes the Araloc Viewer.  This system is automatically run on your computer using Java and there are no applications or players to download or install - it couldn't be easier!  If you don't have the most recent version of Java on your computer, the Araloc Viewer will sense that and will prompt you through updating prior to viewing your rental.

Easy 1-2-3 (and sometimes 4) Rental Instructions - MAC
  1. Select and pay for your rental.
  2. Click on the link that is emailed to you.
  3. Depending on your system, you may have to double click on the .jnlp file that downloads to your system.
  4. Enter your email address and watch the video
How do I view a rental on my PC using your Rental system?

All rentals from The Manifest-Station are viewed through a streaming system that utilizes the Araloc Viewer.  This system is automatically run on your computer using Java and there are no applications or players to download or install - it couldn't be easier!  If you don't have the most recent version of Java on your computer, the Araloc Viewer will sense that and will prompt you through updating prior to viewing your rental.

Easy 1-2-3 Rental instructions - PC
  1. Select and pay for your rental.
  2. Click on the link that is emailed to you.
  3. Enter your email address and watch the video
I purchased and Rental video on one computer and want to watch it on another - is this possible?

It sure is!

When you purchase a rental from The Manifest-Station, your purchase gets entered into a database and you are (almost) immediately emailed a link to view it.  

You can click on that link from any computer (Mac or PC) and from pretty much anywhere.  As long as you enter the email address into the box after clicking on the link, you'll be able to watch from that computer.

So go ahead - purchase and download the Download to Rent video on your desktop computer, transfer the file to your notebook computer whenever you want, and watch the video on the plane enroute to that big seminar you're attending.

Just remember, after you click the link, you have a maximum of 7 days to view the video.  Once that 7 days expires, the link is no longer active.

What is the difference between Rental and Download to Own?

Note: Download to Own requires downloading the video to your own computer, whereas Rentals are streamed via a server.

Digital Download videos are owned by you.  Once you download the video to your computer, you can watch it as many times as you wish with no limitation / expiration.  In order to view a Digital Download video, you will need a player that supports .mp4, .wmv, or .avi videos - depending on the selection you made during purchase.  Please refer to the "How do I play my Download to Own Video? - Mac or PC" question to see a list of free video players that can play these file formats.

Rental videos are rented by you.  Once you click on your content link from computer, and enter your email address, you have 7 days to watch it.  During that 7 day period you can view the video as many times as you like.

How long will it take to download the video I Rented?

The Manifest-Station has switched our Rental system from a download system to a streaming system.  This means that you no longer download your rental to your computer and watch it through a special player, but rather watch the video online as it 'streams' - much like watching any other online video.

To ensure that the stream completes prior to watching, so that there are no buffering issues, we highly recommend that you test your Data Transfer Speed first.

You can easily check your Internet Data Transfer Speed by CLICKING HERE.  

NOTE:  When you check your Internet Transfer Speed, you'll get a KB/sec transfer rate.  As long as your transfer rate is above 1000 KB/sec, your streaming video rental should play immediately without 'buffering' or stoppages.

If your Data Transfer rate is below 1000 kb/sec, you can still watch the video without issue, but you must:

  1. Begin the stream by clicking the 'Play' button
  2. Allow the 'stream' to load sufficiently by clicking 'Pause' and waiting.  You'll see the stream load in the bar on the bottom of the player.  
  3. Once the stream has loaded sufficiently, you should be able to click 'Play' again and watch without stopping. 

FAQ's - Download to Own

How long will it take to download the video I purchased?

Because we provide the highest possible digital picture quality, many of the video files end up being quite sizeable and can take up to or over an hour to download - depending on your Internet connection.

To ensure that the download completes prior to watching, we highly recommend purchasing or renting videos in advance.

You can easily check your Internet Data Transfer Speed by CLICKING HERE.  

NOTE:  When you check your Internet Transfer Speed, you'll get a KB/sec transfer rate.  As long as your transfer rate is above 1000 KB/sec, your video download should occur somewhat quickly.

How do I purchase a Download to Own Video?

To purchase a 'Download to Own' video from The Manifest-Station:

  1. Log into TheManifest-Station.com, navigate to our store and select a Download to Own video by clicking 'Add to Cart'.
  2. Click 'Show Cart' to head to the checkout.  Enter your credit card or PayPal information and confirm order.
  3. Once the purchase has been processed you can view your order information (receipt) and download your item.  At this point you will be sent a series of emails:
    • The first email is your receipt of purchase.
    • The second is a courtesy email from the credit card company (Paypal Website Payments Pro) confirming that card has been charged (credit card purchases only - this email is not sent if you purchase through PayPal).
    • The third email contains your download link.  If the download doesn't start immediately after clicking on the link, you may have to copy and paste the link into your address bar and hit enter (return).
NOTE:

- Because we provide the highest picture quality possible, a Download to Own video file may be up to 2 gigabytes in size.  Depending on your Internet connection, downloading a file of this size can take up to, or over, an hour.  If you are planning on watching a video in the evening (for example) we recommend that you make your purchase well in advance (earlier in the day) to ensure that the file downloads completely well before your desired viewing time.

- In an effort to reduce filesize and increase download times, the video is compressed into a .zip file.  Opening a zip file is typically a simple process.  On a PC - right click on the .zip file and select extract, decompress, or unzip.  On a Mac, simply double click the file and it will open.  If unzipping doesn't work this way for you, please refer to the question "The file I downloaded is in .zip format. How do I open it??"


 

What is the difference between Download to Own and Rental?

Note: Download to Own requires downloading the video to your own computer, whereas Rentals are streamed via a server.

Digital Download videos are owned by you.  Once you download the video to your computer, you can watch it as many times as you wish with no limitation / expiration.  In order to view a Digital Download video, you will need a player that supports .mp4, .wmv, or .avi videos - depending on the selection you made during purchase.  Please refer to the "How do I play my Download to Own Video? - Mac or PC" question to see a list of free video players that can play these file formats.

Rental videos are rented by you and viewed in your browser via a stream.  Once you click on your content link from a computer, and enter your email address, you have 7 days to watch it.  During that 7 day period you can view the video as many times as you like.

The file I downloaded is in .zip format. How do I open it??

.zip is a file that has been compressed (aka zipped). The file you downloaded will look something like this: findhorn_retreat_part1_mac.zip or findhorn_retreat_part1_pc.zip

The ZIP file format is a data compression and archive format. A ZIP file contains one or more files that have been compressed to reduce file size and helps facilitate file downloads over the Internet.

The Manifest-Station uses this file format in order to facilitate quicker downloads of large, high-quality video files.

To open a .zip file on a Mac - http://macmost.com/using-the-archive-utility.html

To open a .zip on a PC - http://www.ehow.com/how_4963978_open-zip-files-vista.html

Once the files are "unzipped" you should see the media file - either a .mp4, .wmv, .avi or .mp3 or a combination of these.  You can play these files directly just by double clicking on them.  If you have any issues getting them to play after unzipping, please refer to the FAQ - How do I play my Download to Own Video? - Mac or PC

How do I play my Download to Own Video? - Mac or PC

In order to provide you with the highest picture quality possible, we encode our videos using  (.mp4 format MAC), or either (.avi  or .wmv format PC).  This means that you'll need a player that supports one of these formats.

Media players that are native to your system will typically play the following files:

Quicktime (MAC) - plays .mp4 files automatically, and can play .wmv files using the Flip4Mac plugin.
Windows Media Player (PC) - plays .wmv and .avi files automatically, and can play .mp4 files using the DirectShow plugin.

If, for some reason, you don't have either of the above players installed on your computer, there are a number of great quality video players available for free online - each of the ones listed below can be used on both Windows (PC) and OS  X (Mac).

 



Click on one of the icons above to download a player. Once you've downloaded a player and installed it onto your computer, you will be able to view videos purchased from The Manifest-Station.  NOTE - In order to play the video on your newly installed player, you may have to right-click on the video and select 'open with'.
I didn't receive my Download Link!

There are a couple simple ways to access your download after purchase:

  1. Check your spambox / junk folder
  2. Click on 'Purchase History' to access your downloads area.  'Purchase History' links appear on the top-right of every page, the bottom of every page, and in the 'Shopping Central' box when you're in the store area. 
This download is taking FOREVER!!!! What gives?

There are a number of things that can hinder rapid transfer of data. Here are some tips & tricks that might help:

  1. Download only one thing at a time.  Many of these files are quite large, so if you have multiple downloads happening at the same time, it will slow down each of them.
  2. Download at night when many of the Internet users in your area are sleeping soundly.
  3. Check your connection by performing an Internet Data Transfer Speed Test.  This will tell you how quickly data can be transferred through your Internet connect and to your computer.
  4. Close multiple browser windows / tabs while downloading.  If your system is just barely keeping up with the 35 browser tabs you've got open, chances are your download speed will be directly affected.
  5. Close multiple applications.  Hyper-multitasking can certainly help get things done, but it's a sticky-trap when it comes to downloads.

If all this fails and you are still finding that our downloads are taking an excruciatingly long time, please send an email to support@themanifest-station.com and a friendly person will go to great lengths to make sure you get what you paid for!

NOTE:  That friendly person is me... and sometimes I sleep.  If you don't get a response immediately, please trust that you will within 48 hours for sure!

FAQ's - Content Providers

How do I become a Content Provider?

Providing content on The Manifest-Station is a relatively easy process.

  1. Fill out an application form
  2. Get approved.
  3. Login, and begin adding / editing your own content.

Note:  Audio and Videos for our free areas must first be uploaded to our system and approved prior to publishing on The Manifest-Station.

How do I add a product to your store?

Adding a product to the store is relatively simple.

  1. Head over to your profile page.
  2. Click on 'Product Dashboard / Stats' in the Content Providers Menu
  3. Click 'add a new product'
  4. Fill out the appropriate information and click 'continue'
  5. Select the file for sale and upload.
Note:  Video files should be in .mp4 format (H.264) and in the highest quality / screensize possible.  Depending on the size of the video, upload may take quite some time (overnight in some cases). If you have video in a different format or the filesize is too large to upload, please contact us at support@themanifest-station.com.
How do I edit my biography?
  1. Head on over to the Biographies Section.
  2. Click on the link to your specific Biography.
  3. Click on the small 'edit' button within the grey area - top left side of the page.

FAQ's - Advertisers

How do I become an Advertiser

Simply log into the website and click the 'Register' button in your profile area.  Once you've filled in the information and we've had a chance to look at it, we'll send you an email letting you know you've been approved.