Frequently Asked Questions

Question:  What is VOD?

Answer:  VOD is short for Video on Demand.  Video on Demand refers to a system whereby the customer selects what video clip he wants to watch when he want to watch it.  The customer pays only for those video clips he wants to see.  There is no membership fee involved.

Question:  Do I have to be a member of BlackMen.Net?

Answer:  No.  You do not have to be a member of BlackMen.Net to watch clips in the Video on Demand section.  You do, however, have to establish a Token Wallet account, which you will do automatically with your initial purchase of tokens to use at BlackMen On Demand.

Question:  Is my Username and Password for my BlackMen On Demand Token Wallet the same as my Username and Password for my BlackMen.Net membership?

Answer:  These are two separate items.  Your Username and Password can be the same, but they don't have to be.  You select these independently of each other.  You select your BlackMen.Net membership Username and Password when and if you join BlackMen.Net (which is not required), and you select your BlackMen On Demand Token Wallet Username and Password when you make your first token purchase and thereby establish a Token Wallet account.

Question:  What is a Token Wallet account?

Answer:  A Token Wallet account is an account you set up especially for the BlackMen On Demand service (our Video on Demand service).  You purchase tokens that go into your Token Wallet.  You then use the tokens to look at BlackMen On Demand video clips, whenever you want to.  You select how many tokens you want to buy, and you decide when, and on what, you wish to spend them.  The tokens are purchased through a transaction handled by CCBill, the same processing company that handles BlackMen.Net memberships.

Question:  How do I set up a Token Wallet account, so that I can start viewing BlackMen On Demand clips?

Answer:  A Token Wallet account is set up the first time you buy tokens.  To buy tokens, simply go to the Token Purchase page.  You can access this page from the link in the left menu that says "Purchase VOD Tokens."  When you click on this link, you go to a page where you have a variety of token quantities you can select.  The more tokens you buy, the less each token costs (i.e., you get a discount for larger token quantities).  Once you select your quantity of tokens, you complete the purchase at a CCBill page that is automatically loaded.  On this page, you select a Username and Password for your Token Wallet account.  The entire transaction takes less than a minute to complete.

Question:  What format does BlackMen On Demand use to play the videos?

Answer:  Our VOD service uses Microsoft's Windows Media Player to display the video clips.  You actually download the clip to your hard drive (rather than stream it).  The clips are encoded using Microsoft's Digital Rights Management (DRM) system.  This protects them from piracy.  When you spend tokens to view a clip, you are renting a license to view the clip for a set period of time, usually 30 days.  You can watch the clip as many times as you want during your rental period.  If you want to watch ita gain in the future, beyond your 30 day rental period, you don't have to download the clip again; instead, you just acquire a new license by spending the tokens to do so, authenticate your license, and continue watching.  This is the end to sitting idly at the computer waiting on downloads over and over again for every clip you want to see.  You download it once, then it's on your hard drive for good.

Question:  What computer systems are compatible with BlackMen On Demand clips?

Answer:  The system works with Windows XP and Windows Me.  Compatibility with older versions of Windows is likely to be a problem, so we do not recommend using it with those versions (like Windows 98 or 95).  Also, the clips are not currently compatible with Mac systems (which is a shame, we admit).

Question:  How is the quality of the clip?

Answer:  Great!  This is one of the big advantages of this system.  We can downlaod really large clips to you that are rich with detail and color.  Under the streaming method of delivery, it is simply not possible to cost effectively deliver the highest quality clips, but using this system, it is.  While the actual download of the clip can take a few minutes (depending on the speed of your internet connection), once you have it downloaded and saved to your hard drive, you're finished with waiting on the clip ever again.  You have near-instant access to it, even if you're offline.

Question:  Will this system work with a Dial-Up modem?

Answer:  The file sizes in this system are quite large (often greater than 100MB), so we do not recommend using a dial-up system for VOD.  While you can, you should be prepared to experience extremely long download times.

Question:  Can I share the files with other people?

Answer:  You are free to share the downloaded file with someone else.  However, the clip will not play on someone else's computer unless that individual establishes a token account and obtains a license to view the clip just like you did.  This process is easy to do, and the person with whom you shared the file will be able to do this when he first attempts to play the clip, as the clip is encoded to prompt for a license at that time.

Question:  Will BlackMen.Net Premium members still have access to video clips included in the membership fee?

Answer:  Absolutely!  This does not change the benefits of BlackMen.Net membership.  Premium members will still see all of the new clips produced by BlackMen.Net, as these will continue to debut in the BlackMen.Net Theatre.  The BlackMen On Demand section is intended for those who are not Premium members or for new Premium members to catch up with videos that appeared in the past in the BlackMen.Net Theatre.

Other Questions?  Write to us at:  CustomerService@BlackMen.Net