Troubleshooting

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How do I get my video into Miro?

Miro works best when there you've got an RSS feed. If that sounds confusing, don't worry, many services create an RSS feed automatically (blip.tv, YouTube, Google Video, and many others). Try out this web app to see if you've already got one.

Once you have the URL for your RSS feed, test it out in Miro (ctrl+N in Miro, then paste the URL). If videos appear, download, and play back, you're all set to submit your feed to the Miro Content Guide.

Another way to get your video to jump into Miro is with a one click subscribe button or link. This is very similar to the "Add Podcast to iTunes" buttons you sometimes see. They help your viewers subscribe immediately in Miro, and also show that you support a decentralized media infrastructure.

Why doesn't my RSS feed work in Miro?

Make sure you've got a Media RSS feed - the easiest way to know if you've got one is by loading the RSS feed URL in the Firefox 3 browser. Look for a link to your video file below each post. Many services add this automatically. If your feed is missing the links, you may be able to use a service like FeedBurner to add enclosures (make sure you check the "I am a podcaster" box). If you're still having trouble, you might try some of the options below.

How can I get video RSS feeds in my custom website?

For technical info on feeds, check out the specifications for Media RSS. Many CMS's (Wordpress, Drupal, Plone, etc) have plugins for Media RSS. Show in a Box is a great resource for those using Wordpress. If you need to troubleshoot a feed you're building, we recommend testing with FeedValidator. Finally, alternative to building a feed is a service that will allow you to hand tailor a feed, such as RapidFeeds. Make sure you put your media link in the 'Podcast URL' field, when you're adding an item.

How do I publish in HD?

HD publishing can happen with a normal Media RSS feed, only with links to larger HD files. If you'd like an easy to use service that will publish short HD files, we recommend blip.tv. For longer form HD content, you can either host the files yourself or use Archive.org. The video blog guide at Make Internet TV is a helpful resource for self-publishing HD. Also, consider Bittorrent publishing if bandwidth prices are prohibitive.

How do I take advantage of Bittorrent in Miro?

The first step is creating and seeding a .torrent file that viewers can share. You can do so for free using these instructions. A non-free option is the Amazon S3 hosting service, which handles both the creation and seeding of the .torrent file ( more info on S3+Bittorrent). The final step is to create a Media RSS feed with links to .torrent files in the media enclosures (this is where the .mov or .mp3 link would normally go). If you're not sure how to create an RSS feed, you can use RapidFeeds to make a feed. Just use the .torrent URL for the podcasting URL on your channel's items. Miro makes the once difficult task of watching media with Bittorrent completely transparent and easy for the user.

Will you feature my videos in the Miro Guide?

If your channel is in the Miro Guide, just send us the URL (feedback [at] pculture [dot] org). We get most excited about high-quality independent media that is published on a regular schedule.