FAQ
WELCOME
1. What is CastTV?
2. How is CastTV different than YouTube, Hulu and other videos sites?
3. Why are my videos on CastTV?
4. I don’t want my videos to be found by video search technology. What do I do?
5. I want my videos on CastTV. How do I get them on there?
ACCOUNT
6. How much does CastTV cost?
7. Do I have to have an account to use CastTV?
8. How do I create an account on CastTV?
9. Do I have to install special software to use CastTV?
FINDING VIDEOS
10. I can’t find my favorite video on CastTV.
11. I can’t find my favorite video on CastTV and I know it’s online.
12. What’s the dropdown list that appears below the search box as I type?
WATCHING VIDEOS
13. Why do some videos stream smoothly while others stop and start?
14. Is there a limit to how many episodes / videos I can watch on CastTV?
15. Why isn’t the latest episode of my favorite show available from my favorite website?
16. I’m trying to watch a video “intended for mature audiences” from the source Hulu. When I try to play the video I get an error message that says “To view this video, please first login to your account.” How can I watch this video?
17. I’m watching a CBS TV show using Flash Player 10. When I click Fullscreen on the CBS player I see a message that says “Fullscreen requires Flash Player 9.0.115.0 or higher. Click here to update.” How can I watch this CBS show Fullscreen?
18. What is zShare?
19. I see an ad on zShare. How do I get the video to play?
20. How do I watch a zShare video in full screen view?
21. What is MegaVideo?
22. Why does MegaVideo open a second window with an ad?
23. Why is MegaVideo interrupting my show to tell me I’ve reached maximum viewing time?
24. Why is MegaVideo telling me I’ve reached the maximum viewing time of 72 minutes? I haven’t been watching for that long.
25. I paid for a MegaVideo subscription and want to use their video hosting service to watch videos I find on CastTV. What do I do?
26. Why is the MegaVideo audio not in sync with the video I’m watching?
INTERNATIONAL
27. I live outside of the US and I can’t watch certain videos on CastTV. Why not? What videos can I watch?
28. I want to watch a video from the source YouKu but I see a message that says “This clip has been blocked in your region.” Why? How can I watch this video?
MORE
29. How can I find out more about CastTV?
CastTV is a free Internet website that offers a “one stop watching” experience for online video. We aggregate TV shows, live events, viral videos, and more. Based on sophisticated video search technology, CastTV provides simple and organized access to online videos, no matter where they are hosted. We automatically search video sites from YouTube, to iTunes, and everything in between, to find the videos that matter to you.
2. How is CastTV different than YouTube, Hulu and other videos sites?
CastTV offers a comprehensive view of the videos available online. We find and organize videos from sites all over the web. CastTV does not host videos, so there is nowhere to upload your videos onto our site.
3. Why are my videos on CastTV?
CastTV wants to index every video on the web (from YouTube to iTunes, and everything in between).
So users can find videos that matter to them.
1. CastTV’s video search technology automatically found your videos from the website where you uploaded them. Similar to the way Google finds information on websites, CastTV automatically searches video sites from YouTube, to Hulu, iTunes, and everything in between to find TV shows, viral videos and more.
*We do not host videos - your videos are not uploaded to CastTV.
2. Anytime someone publishes content to the web it is likely to be found by a search engine.
Search for your videos on Google Video Search - you are likely to see them. Here is a list of more video search engines that may index your videos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_search_engine
4. I don’t want my videos to be found by video search technology. What do I do?
Go to the site hosting your videos. Reset your preferences to make your videos:
1. unembeddable OR
2. make them private OR
3. take them down
5. I want my videos on CastTV. What do I do?
CastTV’s video search technology automatically finds new TV episodes and videos as they’re available and takes down videos as they’re expired.
1. http://www.casttv.com - Search for your videos and see if they’re already available.
2. Don’t see them? Given the rapidly growing size of the video web, there may be a delay in this process for some videos. We are happy to help! Email us: help AT casttv.com
There is no charge to use CastTV - we are a free service. We want to offer you choices about which videos to watch, so we find and organize free videos, paid videos (to rent or buy), and subscription-only videos. The only time you would have to pay a third party is if you decide to buy or rent a video (from a video source like Amazon or iTunes), or subscribe to unlimited viewing from a website that hosts video (like MegaVideo).
Looking for free TV? Visit our Online TV Guide and browse the past week in free TV. Your favorite shows from ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and more.
7. Do I have to have an account to use CastTV?
No, creating an account is completely optional. You can use most of CastTV’s features without logging in, including searching for a video or browsing a list of popular TV shows to watch online.
8. How do I create an account on CastTV?
It’s easy! Just sign up here. Creating a CastTV account will allow you to use special features like saving a video in your “Favorites” to re-watch or share with friends.
9. Do I have to install special software to use CastTV?
No, CastTV is a web application and we do not require you install software. However, the website the video is from may require you to install software or in some cases, download the video.
10. I can’t find my favorite video on CastTV.
We find that sometimes users search for TV shows / sports etc but don’t find what they’re looking for. This is because the content owners just haven’t put these videos online (yet!)
11. I can’t find my favorite video on CastTV and I know it’s online.
We want to find all your favorite online videos, wherever they are. Send us an email and let us know how we can improve your experience: help AT casttv.com
12. What’s the dropdown list that appears below the video search box as I type?
This feature suggests TV showpages, movie pages, and other video pages we think you might want to visit, based on your search. Use your arrow and “enter” keys to select any of the pages in this list.
13. Why do some videos stream smoothly while others stop and start?
Here is a list of potential causes / solutions to help you troubleshoot:
1. You may have a slow internet connection. If you’re on wireless, try plugging in for a more consistent connection.
2. Your video download speed may be slow or inconsistent. Sometimes it helps to pause the video and let it load (you’ll see a progress bar somewhere on the player). Wait for the video to load completely or at least halfway.
3. HD - Watching a high definition video that’s pausing to buffer? Try a standard definition version of the video - this will load faster than HD.
4. If you have a lot of windows open on your browser, the loading process will slow down. Close windows you don’t need.
5. Your computer’s video graphics card may not have enough memory to stream videos smoothly. You may want to try watching from another computer.
6. The server the video is hosted on may be experiencing high traffic and slowing the video down. There’s nothing you can do about this other than to choose another video source if there’s one available on CastTV.
CastTV is a video search engine, meaning we don’t host videos or have control over streaming speed. We provide simple and organized access to online videos, no matter where they are hosted.
14. Is there a limit to how many episodes / videos I can watch on CastTV?
CastTV finds videos from all over the web. Many of the websites we find video from have NO viewing limits but a few do, for example MegaVideo. There may also be workarounds for some of the viewing limits.
15. Why isn’t the latest episode of my favorite show available from my favorite website?
Sometimes new episodes of a show are put online with a delay due to licensing restrictions. For example, Hulu puts House online 8 days after a new show airs, and the CW puts Gossip Girl online 3 days after a new show airs. We recommend you search or browse for your favorite show as CastTV may have automatically found the latest episode from an alternative source.
You can watch the video from another source on CastTV, or you can create an account at Hulu to use when they prompt you to login.
This is a problem with CBS’s embeddable video. The solution is to use the CastTV player at the bottom of the video for Fullscreen capability. Click the orange square on the player to go to Fullscreen. You can also click “Watch at Source” to watch the Fullscreen video at CBS.com.
zShare hosts video. It’s one of many websites CastTV’s video search technology finds video from.
19. I see an ad on zShare. How do I get the video to play?
CastTV’s video search technology automatically searches many different websites for TV shows and videos, and those websites have their own unique quirks. On zShare you’ll need to click the “close to play” button towards the bottom of the ad and the video will play.
20. How do I watch a zShare video in full screen view?
1. Click the “close to play” button towards the bottom of the ad and the video will play.
2. Click the black full screen button on the zShare video. (Button just to the left of the mute button)
MegaVideo hosts video. It’s one of many websites CastTV’s video search technology finds video from.
22. Why does MegaVideo open a second window with an ad?
CastTV’s video search technology automatically searches many different websites for TV shows and videos, and those websites have their own unique quirks.
1. If MegaVideo opens a second window for you, close that window and you should see the video playing in your original window.
*If you let that second window stay open, the audio from the ad might continue to run while you are trying to watch your video.
3. If you still see an ad in the original window, click the green play button to play the video.
23. Why is MegaVideo interrupting my show to tell me I’ve reached maximum viewing time?
1. CastTV’s video search technology finds and organizes TV shows and videos (like Google). MegaVideo hosts the video (like YouTube).
2. MegaVideo limits total viewing time at one IP address to 72 minutes, after which the video you’re watching will stop and you’ll see an image stating you’ll need to wait before finishing the video. The wait time between viewing periods is 54 minutes.
*CastTV is not partnered with MegaVideo and does not have any control over MegaVideo’s timer.
3. You could also try a workaround.
4. CastTV offers you choices so you can enjoy video from any source you want - browse our Online TV Shows or our Online TV Guide.
1. Someone else at your IP address (home, office, neighbor logged on to your wireless) is probably watching MegaVideo. Together you all will have a total viewing time of 72 minutes before it asks you to wait.
*CastTV is not partnered with MegaVideo and does not have any control over MegaVideo’s timer.
2. For more info click here. You could also try a workaround.
3. CastTV offers you choices so you can enjoy video from any source you want - browse our Online TV Shows or our Online TV Guide.
MegaVideo hosts video. It’s one of many websites CastTV’s video search technology finds video from. If you signed up for a MegaVideo subscription:
1. MegaVideo emailed you a login / password. Make sure you are logged into http://www.megavideo.com/ (with the MegaVideo login / password) in the same browser you’re using http://www.casttv.com/ in. (You might need to refresh the CastTV page once you’ve logged into MegaVideo)
2. You have a DIFFERENT login / password for CastTV. Creating a CastTV account is completely optional. You do NOT need to be logged into CastTV unless you want to save a video in your favorites.
If you don’t do this, even though you’ve paid a subscription fee to MegaVideo, you still may be hit with the 72 minute limit issue on CastTV.
26. Why is the MegaVideo audio not in sync with the video I’m watching?
This is a MegaVideo issue caused by users uploading AVI files instead of FLV files. They prefer FLV files. If this happens, first trying playing another copy of the video. If that doesn’t work, open the video in 2 windows, sync the sound of one to the visual of the other, and then mute the visual one.
CastTV’s video search technology finds videos from all over the web. Playing or downloading the actual video is not within our control. International streaming is very important to us and we encourage content owners to make their online video accessible to all users across the globe.
We do find videos from international websites including CNN, MTV, MegaVideo, zShare, WiseVid, YouTube and more. Here are some tips to find videos you can watch outside of the US:
1. Browse our list of Online TV Shows or our Online TV Guide and look for an international site’s icon next to the episode name.
2. When you search for a video, you’ll see a list of list of sources in the left sidebar. Click on one of these international sites to filter your results, and then try playing the videos.
3. Add the name of an international website to your search. Here are some example searches: family guy megavideo, house youku, britney spears youtube.
We can’t always tell if a content owner has cleared the rights for a TV show or video in a certain area of the world but this will give you a good place to start watching.
CastTV’s video search technology finds videos from all over the web. Playing or downloading the actual video is not within our control. International streaming is very important to us and we encourage content owners to make their online video accessible to all users across the globe.
Sometimes YouKu videos are playable universally, sometimes they are blocked in certain regions. If a YouKu video does not play for you, try playing a copy of the video from another video source if it’s available.
29. How can I find out more about CastTV?
1. Read the CastTV Blog
2. Twitter - follow our CEO Edwin Ong on Twitter and our Marketing Manager Marie DeOrio for the latest in online video!