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Topic: Promo Only Videos Now WaterMarked - Page: 1

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Well for those of you that have subscription to Promo Only, Starting November they started throwig WaterMarks on their videos. The watermarks stay up for the entire length of the video now. They stated they did this because people are ripping their video and remixing it and selling as their own content....smashvidz.com Crooklyn Clan, and so on. So if your not ok with this, you may want to cancel your subscription and go with ScreenPlay or someone else that doesnt watermark the entire video. Let Promo Only know that we dont approve of this.
 
Posted Mon 10 Nov 08 @ 5:58 pm
funnyb0nz wrote :
Well for those of you that have subscription to Promo Only, Starting November they started throwig WaterMarks on their videos. The watermarks stay up for the entire length of the video now. They stated they did this because people are ripping their video and remixing it and selling as their own content....smashvidz.com Crooklyn Clan, and so on. So if your not ok with this, you may want to cancel your subscription and go with ScreenPlay or someone else that doesnt watermark the entire video. Let Promo Only know that we dont approve of this.


This topic is already making the rounds in other forums. The watermarking needs to go. Further, PO needs to RE-ISSUE all the discs that have the watermark.

When you subscribed to the product, you subscribed to a product free of this ridiculous looking watermark.

I agree with funnyb0nz (and the dozens of people posting in other forums.) If they won't remove the watermark, it's time to cancel and go with a non-watermarking service!

In case you're wondering what this ridiculousness looks like:



Tell Promo Only we're PISSED about the PO!
 
funnyb0nz wrote :
They stated they did this because people are ripping their video and remixing it and selling as their own content....smashvidz.com Crooklyn Clan, and so on.


SmashVidz & Crooklyn Clan do NOT use Promo Only video content for their remixes.

just wanted to clear that up.
 
So the titles disappear but the watermark stays the length of the video?

Interesting.
 
Place a little P.O. in the top but make it fit in to the video and not stand out too much to distract from the said video...

Any how even if they would do that someone would probably be able to just cover that mark up, etc...

DJ TAO :)
 
looks like we'll be cancelling the subscription and switching to something else
 
 
I don't have a problem with the watermark if it were a bit smaller...just something that Promo Only can tell if it is theirs but doesn't distract from the video itself. This is much less intrusive then the Venue VJ protection that does not allow you to play the videos in other programs or to bring them into editing programs.

Promo Only has more significant issues with programming on their discs I would rather see addressed instead of worrying about a small "brand label", especially if this keeps them from implementing ruthless protection schemes that will render the videos useless for a lot of us....also it let's bar owners know that the extra money they pay me insead of a "lesser" Dj in part is because I am using professional content and not MTV or BET rips.
 
I don't like it. I don't like the programming much either. I get Express Video and every week I have a couple good tracks and the rest are filler. Could be time to move on. Do any other services offer weekly subscriptions?
 
This detracts from the visual effect of the video. I have no problems with the watermark at the start and ending of the video, But all the way through.....No way...... Looks like they have lost my subscription. Will look at maybe a move to MIXMASH.
 
HiTower wrote :
I don't like it. I don't like the programming much either. I get Express Video and every week I have a couple good tracks and the rest are filler. Could be time to move on. Do any other services offer weekly subscriptions?


Unfortuanatley all of the subscription services have crappy programming in their top 40 or hit series (MixMAsh is pretty good but we can't get that here in the states).

The problem is instead of putting ALL the top hits from each genre on the "hit" or "top 40" series they put a few top 40 hits and fill the rest with filler stuff that is not hits even in it's own genre. That way if you truly play a top 40 variety format you MUST spend money to subscribe to "hit", "club", "urban" and "rock" to truly get a good cross section of legit top 40 hits. If you ONLY play urban, club or rock those series are pretty good, but they know the money is in the top 40 stuff so they spread it out to force you to pay for 4 series instead of 1.

The download series are too specialized in only urban stuff and have very little rock, pop or dance to speak of and of coarse Veneu VJ has it's insane protection scam so you can't edit the videos or play them on any other program.

For video you need to bite the bullet and spend the money, that's why there are so few VDJ's because it is too expensive for most and the bars really don't pay extra to have the video (with rare exception...at least here in the US from Texas and west to the pacific coast).
 
mallyb wrote :
This detracts from the visual effect of the video. I have no problems with the watermark at the start and ending of the video, But all the way through.....No way...... Looks like they have lost my subscription. Will look at maybe a move to MIXMASH.


Here in the states they don't allow us to subscribe to MixMash....and I don't know why anyone oversees that can get it would be putting up with Promo Only or Screen Play anyway. MixMAsh is better programming AND better video & sound quality on most of the discs I have seen.
 
For what it is worth i have just checked my promo only track die another day and i have to say that the watermark problem does not exist
in the uk . promo only dont watermark the whole title through the song only at the start and end of song . i have just spoken with promonly uk and it turns out it is a way of spoting illegal inports to uk and europe .So if you have a promonly disc and it is watermarked
through out the song and you are in the uk or europe then you have either been on holiday to usa and brought it back . or bought it from a dubius supplyer . oh by the way has any dj had a member of the public complaine about the watermark i know i havent . cheers
ade
 
well folks even mixmash is watermarked throughout the vid, look to the bottom right hand corner of the video just not as intrusive as promo only...
 
Yup not thrilled about the watermark as well, from what I understand they have no intention of removing the watermark or making changes to the watermark. So looks like I'm going to have to look start looking at Screenplay and RockAmerica.
 
Ok where do i begin on this...

funnyb0nz wrote :
Well for those of you that have subscription to Promo Only, Starting November they started throwing WaterMarks on their videos.


This looks like the case for the American PromoOnly videos..

Promo Only is divided into 3 companies, America, UK (and Europe) and Canada.

For subscribers in the UK using the Chart Video (Which does have diffent programing than the Hot Video series in America) you have to watch very carefully at the begining and the end of the video, you will see a small logo (but not the same as the above) will appear for 5 seconds then dissapear.

I have a few of the MixMash videos (well ok, maybe just the 80s classics v.1 (okay??)) and they have an 'MM' appear somewhere in their video, and ive been told that DMC videos have logos at some point in their videos.

It seams to be the choice of the American PromoOnly to change the way they format their videos, but the UK videos will stay the same as they have been for over a year (with the 5 second small logo)

adeshady wrote :
Bought it from a dubious supplyer


The reason why the video distributors need to do this is simple. COPYWRIGHT. If youre reading this forum then it is highly likely that you are playing your gigs with a computer. We all know computers are sold with a licence to print money because they all have a CD or DVD burner built in..
The more honest of us will buy these videos from the authaurised sellers and will be quite happy to show the fact that they are leagaly purchased. (just like with Albums and CD Singles). your audience will ask you where to get some of the music you play, and you knver know, one day it will be an undercover inspector. (PRS in the uk do indercover investigations on copywright theft, but thats another topic).
(And the more honest of us will not pass these said videos to 'other DJs' who dont pay for any of their music...)
 
Mixmash does and always have had a watermark on their videos, but it is VERY discreet and is not as stated above an MM, it's actuall y a > but made up of dots, it is as I said VERY discreet though and half the time you're hard pushed to spot it. What I will say though is that out of ALL the video dvd companies products I've seen, and I've seen a LOT, MixMash has been by far the best quality, worst quality I've ever seen, and the most expensive in the UK are videopool, in fact the file size of videopools individual chapters is roughly half that of mixmash!

I do not work for MixMash or anything but I do very highly recommend their product and level of service. However they are only officially for sale in the UK and Europe.

http://www.mixmash.com

If you want a recommend, go for thoir monthly 'pop' release as it tends to have a little bit of everything, ie dance, r&b (hate r&b) etc etc, as an example, here's November pop 2008 tracklist :-

NO. ARTIST TITLE LABEL
01 Christina Aguilera Keep Gettin' Better SonyBMG
02 Britney Spears Womanizer Jive
03 Alesha Dixon The Boy Does Nothing Asylum
04 Solange Sandcastle Disco Universal
05 Madcon Liar RCA
06 Pussycat Dolls I Hate This Part Interscope
07 Armand Van Helden feat. Christian Rich Ski Hard Southern Fried
08 Tomer G I Like It Warner
09 Lemar If She Knew SonyBMG
10 Leon Jackson Don't Call This Love Simco
11 John Barrowman What About Us SonyBMG
12 Sef Out Of The Ghetto Music Kidz
13 Duffy Rain On Your Parade Universal
14 Keane The Lovers Are Losing Island
15 Killers Human Mercury
16 Guru Josh Project Infinity Maelstrom
17 eliZe Hot Stuff White Label
18 Alphabeat vs. Ultrabeat What Is Happening? EMI
19 Katy Perry Hot N Cold Virgin
20 Girls Aloud The Promise Polydor
21 Craig David Where's Your Love? Warner
22 Kardinal Offishal feat. Akon Dangerous Polydor
23 Ludacris I Know What Them Girls Like Def Jam
24 Nelly feat. Akon & Ashanti Body On Me Island
25 Kanye West Love Lockdown Def Jam
26 Beyoncé If I Were A Boy SonyBMG
27 New Kids On The Block (NKOTB) and Ne-Yo Single Polydor
28 Geraldine The Winners Song Polydor
29 Jack White & Alicia Keys Another Way To Die J
30 Fall Out Boy I Don't Care Mercury


They also will do deals for packs etc, for any enquiries the telephone number is on their website, ask for 'Mark' and tell him Dion (that's me) recommended them.
 
bonaparte: Not true - we are open to suggestions and other viable ideas. We needed to do something against unauthorized remixes showing where they weren't supposed to be.
 
dj-e-lectric: Isee you have programming issues with companies like ours.
If you do subscribe to one of our series, or more, I'm always open to suggestions.

The only parameters are that the videos have to be current, except for those in our throwbacks sections (and even those are suggestable slots)

Our best of series, is even available for suggestions.

Although we can't please everyone, we try to appease reuqests as they come in.
Someone's filler is another persons gem.
An example would be M.I.A. "Paper Planes" I received 13 emails, and 3 pages on a thread complaining about this song being filler, back when i programmed it in January. Forward to September and October I was getting complaints why we never serviced the clip.

We're not always right, no one is, but we aren't always wrong either.

I look forward to hearing some of your suggestions.

scott.bucher@promoonly.com
 
HiTower, there are no services that offer a weekly format.

As for filler, we are at the mercy of what the record companies release.
Some week are filled with blockbusters like Britney, Christina, Usher, The Killers.
Other weeks we are left with Duffy and Pop Evil. Good just not megastar status.

Movies are the same way one weekend, Iron Man, next week The Dark Knight, 2 weeks later Beverly Hills Chihuahua!!

Not every one is a winner.

If you do have programming ideas, I'm always open to suggestions!

scott.bucher@promoonly.com
 
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