HOW THIS WORKS ... Download vs. Streaming: Many websites use video streaming to provide movies and films to the internet viewer. After evaluating current streaming technology we were just not impressed with the quality of the viewing experience. Even under the best of circumstances streaming video movies provided a tiny screen, the playback was jumpy and often stalled, details were fuzzy or blocky, etc. We decided instead to make digital copies of entire movies and allow you to download the movie right to your PC's hard disk. Then you can simply playback the movie from your PC using the much greater data rate of your hard disk to support a larger screen size and higher quality. Now you can watch movies right on your PC (or your TV screen if connected to your PC) without squinting to see a tiny screen, worrying about internet congestion or tying up your internet line. Plus, you have full control over fast forward, rewind and pause and can watch the movie as many times as you want. How this works: Simply click on the title of the movie to download it to your computer. A typical 90 minute movie will take approximately 35 minutes to download on a 1.0Mbps connection. You can walk away from your PC or use it to do other tasks while the download is taking place. ShowCast uses Microsoft's Digital Rights Management System and Windows Media Player technology to compress and encrypt digital video content and provide playback licensing. To view your downloaded movie simply doubleclick on the file name to unzip and then click to play. The first time you view the movie you'll be asked to purchase a license and you will be shown the types of licenses available. Generally you'll be able to select a license for a fixed number of days (e.g. 3 days) or an unlimited license with no expiration date. After you purchase a license you'll be able to view your movie by just clicking on the file name. You can view your movie as many times as you want until the license expires. Note that with certain systems doubleclicking the movie file will not start the movie properly. In this case first open Windows Media Player 7 and then use the File > Open menu to open and play the movie. You will also want to change the selection on the left side menu of the Windows Media Player 7 from 'Media Guide' to 'Now Playing'. For Best Viewing: Using the view menu of Microsoft's Windows Media Player enlarge the picture to a size comfortable for you. Dim the lights in the area of the computer and sit back from the screen at a distance similar to the distance you would be from a TV screen. You can use the pause, fast forward, rewind and indexing controls as desired. Enjoy the show. System and Internet Connection Requirements: Windows 98, 98se, 2000, ME. Windows Media Player 7 or higher. Click here to download. Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape Navigator 4.0 or better. Pentium 266Mhz or better. 32MB RAM, 64MB RAM preferred. 500MB or more free space on your hard disk. Monitor color depth of 256 colors or better. Sound card and external speakers. 384Kbps or faster DSL or Cable Modem connection to the internet. (Typical 90 minutes movie will take approximately 35 minutes to download at 1.0Mbps.) Copyright 2000 Showcast Inc., all rights reserved Email: info@showcast.com