Are your DVDs or Blu-Rays region locked?
No, all of our DVDs and Blu-Rays are region free (or region 0 or ABC, the terms mean the same thing). In the case of DVDs, however, if you live in a country that ordinarily uses the PAL or SECAM formats, be aware that our DVDs are NTSC. Most modern televisions are multisystem and will not have any problem playing an NTSC video, but if you have an older television, first verify that it can handle it.
Do I have to register an account to make a purchase?
No, you can check out as a guest. When you check out as a guest, a temporary guest account is created that you can use to watch and download videos. Guests accounts are deleted a few days after creation, but if you choose, you can convert a guest account into a permanent account by clicking the "Account profile" link in the sidebar and then clicking the "Convert into a permanent account" button. Alternatively, you can register an account and then merge your old guest account with it using the "Merge accounts" feature on the bottom of the guest "Account profile" page.
Do your downloads have any DRM?
No, all of our downloadable videos are ordinary MP4s, not encumbered by any form of DRM. They can be played by anything capable of playing an MP4.
How are your videos scored?
Most of our catalogue and all of our new videos have one or more scene-specific scores compiled from period-appropriate photoplay, classical, and popular music, following the tradition of accompanists in the silent era.
Some of our older budget DVDs do not have original scores. Instead, they feature three genre-appropriate generic scores that can be alternated between using the "Audio" button on your DVD player's remote control.
In both cases, the type of score or scores will be indicated in the "Additional content" section on each video's page.
How can I exhibit a video publicly?
For a public exhibition license, please contact us. We generally charge a flat fee of $100.00 (USD) per film, per event, not counting the ordinary cost of the video itself or shipping, if required. Events are not necessarily individual screenings. A film festival, for example, may screen a film multiple times, but this is still considered a single event. If you need a format other than what the video is available in standard (MP4, DVD, or Blu-Ray), please let us know. We may be able to supply it if notified sufficiently in advance.
How can I watch videos?
Aside from videos that are only available on DVD or Blu-Ray, all videos can either be watched online or downloaded. Videos are in the MP4 format. On Windows, MP4 is supported natively by Windows Media Player as of version 12. On Macintosh, MP4 is supported natively by QuickTime as of version 6. For earlier version, you will first need to install the necessary codec packs (H.264 for the video, AC3 for the audio), or you will need to use a media player that does not rely on external codecs, such as VideoLAN's VLC media player.
Most videos can be purchased individually. Many are also available as part of video collections, DVDs, or Blu-Rays. These can be found by scrolling to the bottom of each video's page and expanding the "Also available" section.
If I register, will my email address be shared with anyone else?
The short answer is no, your data is neither given nor sold to any third party. For a longer answer, see our privacy policy.
What does "Now playing" mean?
The "Now playing" video is a video from the catalogue that has been selected to play in full for free. These are announced on the home page and can be watched online by clicking the "Watch online for free" button. "Now playing" videos change every couple weeks.
What is a "Video collection"?
A video collection is a group of videos that can be watched online or downloaded. Ordering a video collection works the same as if your ordered each video separately, but at a discounted price.
What is an "On-demand DVD" or "On-demand Blu-Ray"?
On-demand DVDs and Blu-Rays are DVD-Rs or BD-Rs that are made when you place your order. That is, there is no stock kept. It usually takes no more than 48 hours for an on-demand DVD or Blu-Ray to ship. Products for which there is a stock kept will ship at once. The production and shipping status of your order can be tracked by signing-in to your account and clicking "My videos" in the sidebar.
Support for DVD-Rs is spotty with first-generation DVD players, but there should be no difficultly playing them on any player made in this century. BD-Rs can be played in any Blu-Ray player with the exception of the Microsoft Xbox One.
What is the difference between your online video players?
The standard player uses HTML5 to deliver the video. The video format used is supported by the latest versions of all major browsers, but if you are using an older browser, the standard player may not work.
The alternate player uses Adobe Flash to deliver the video. It requires Adobe Flash Player version 10.0 or newer to be installed. If the standard player does not work for you, or if it works poorly on your computer, the alternate player is available.
What is the image quality of your videos?
The image quality varies on the condition of the film print the video was sourced from. We try to use the best material available to us, but most of our videos are rare and the number of sources are limited. On each video's page, there is an image quality bar that indicates how good or bad the picture looks. The darker area shows the range in quality from scene to scene. The black line shows the overall quality average. Most videos also have video clips that can be watched to gauge the quality of the image.
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If you have a question that is not answered here, please feel free to contact us