Frequently Asked Questions about PlayLater

Take a look here for answers to the most common questions concerning PlayLater.

Overview

What is PlayLater?: PlayLater is software for your PC that lets you record movies and TV shows to your hard drive from popular websites like Hulu, Hulu Plus*, Netflix*, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Comedy Central and much more. Once the recordings are on your computer, you can watch them at any time on your computer, mobile device, or tablet, even when you don't have an internet connection.

*requires an active subscription with the provider
How does it work?: PlayLater works very much like a DVR. Simply find and select the show you want to record and you can choose to either record it immediately or add it to your queue to be recorded later. All videos will be recorded in real time on your computer just as it would on a DVR. PlayLater works in the background on your PC so you can continue to do other things while PlayLater is recording.

In order to record videos to your computer, PlayLater relies on a free version of our other product, PlayOn. You can read more about PlayOn at www.playon.tv. If you don't already have PlayOn installed, it will be installed automatically for you when you install PlayLater. You do NOT need to purchase PlayOn to use PlayLater.
How much does PlayLater cost?: Visit the PlayLater purchase page to learn more.
Do you offer tech support?: We offer free tech support via email. We strive to answer every request within 24 hours. Just email us at support@playlater.tv.
Does your software run on Mac or Linux?: Our software is Windows only at this time. Many customers have reported to having success on the Mac platform using Parallels or Bootcamp.
What are the minimum system requirements?: • Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or later), Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2003/Windows Home Server (Service Pack 1 or later). 64-bit versions of Windows are also supported.
• Windows Internet Explorer 7 or later
• Windows Media Player 9 or later
• Installation includes the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 (Service Pack 1) if needed
• Pentium 4 3.2+ GHz, Pentium M 2.0+ GHz, or any multi-core x86 processor
• 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
• 100 MB of available disk space for installation plus a recommended 4-5 GB of storage space for recorded videos
• Internet broadband connection of at least 1.5 Mbps

Features & Content

What can I record with PlayLater?: Over 40 video channels are available for recording with PlayLater including Hulu, Hulu Plus*, Netflix*, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Comedy Central, Food Network, Amazon VOD, Cartoon Network, PBS Kids, Disney, Nick, Nick Jr. and many more. Click here to see the complete list of channels. Additionally, you can easily expand your recording selections by adding plugin channels from our Plugin Channel Store, giving you an amazing selection of entertainment options.

*requires an active subscription with the provider
I want to record videos from [name of my favorite website] but I don't see it listed as a channel? How can I add it as a 3rd-party plugin channel?: First, check to see if a plugin channel is available for that website by visiting our Plugin Channel Store. If it is available, just click on download to add it to PlayLater. Plugin channels are created by our plugin channel developer community and there is a wide selection available for you to choose from. If you wish to see a channel added, you may email us at support@playlater.tv and tell us about it. By the way, plugin channels are free for you to download.
Can I watch my recordings on the go on my iPhone, iPad, Android phone?: You can now watch your PlayLater recordings on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android device and most other mobile devices.

Apple iOS device users:
To watch PlayLater recordings on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, just download and install the PlayLater app from the iTunes store and follow the instructions below for copying your PlayLater recordings from your PC to your device.
» See instructions for copying your PlayLater recordings to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

Android device users:
To watch PlayLater recordings on your Android device just follow the instructions below for copying your PlayLater recordings from your PC to your device.
» See instructions for copying your PlayLater recordings to your Android device
Does PlayLater work outside the US?: PlayLater works with the sites we support and the sites that our plugin developers have built support for. Some of these work outside of the U.S. and others don't. Your recordings, once on your computer, will play anywhere. They act just like any other local file on your PC.

Is PlayLater legal?: PlayLater is a legal technology that is designed to let individuals watch legal online content at a time of their choosing. Just like the broadcast DVR and the VCR before it, PlayLater is designed for personal use and convenience.
How much storage space do I need to have per recording??: The size of the recording will be displayed under the My Recordings section (discussed later). These recordings will vary in size. A standard sitcom (~22 minutes of video) will require around 500MBs. The size of the video will climb from there with longer "1 hour" shows (really ~45 minutes) requiring 1GB and a typical 90 minute movie or season finale requiring about 2GBs. It will be necessary to choose a place with ample free storage space to save your recordings.

PlayLater makes this very easy. Simply click the Settings menu and choose "Set Storage Folder" to select a folder on a hard disk with space that will meet your needs.
Can I record multiple videos simultaneously?: PlayLater can only record one video at a time. However, you can add videos to your recording queue and PlayLater will automatically record the next video when it finishes recording the first. To add a video to the queue just select the video and click “Add to Recording Queue”.

PlayLater makes it very easy to add multiple videos from a single folder, too. If you want to select multiple videos you can switch back to the folder you were just browsing by clicking the channel’s name next to the My Recordings tab. For example, in the picture above, you can click the HULU tab to return to the opened HULU > User Queue > Sort By Date folder after clicking Record Now.

You can visit your queue at any time and click the Cancel button to stop a recording or click Remove to delete a video.

Don't see your question listed? Email our support team at support@playlater.tv and we'll be glad to help.

How to move videos to your Android devices & other mobile devices

If you have an Android device, you can move your MPEG-4(.mp4) files over to the device for use with any video player app that supports MPEG-4. MPEG-4 is officially supported on Android, so any Android device should be able to play these videos with the native video player app.

To move files to your Android device, follow the steps below. Note that there are numerous apps that will enable you to transfer files in different ways, but these steps are universal.

Connect your device to your PC with a USB cable
Put the device into USB storage mode
Look for the new external disk under My Computer in Windows
Move your PlayLater .mp4 recordings to the Android device¹
Eject the Android device like you would any other USB storage device²
Disconnect the USB cable

You should now be able to launch the video player app of your choice and find the .mp4 files on your device.

To delete the videos, you can follow the same steps (as described above) to connect your device to your PC and delete the files. You should also be able to use a file manager app, if you have one installed on the device.

¹The default location is \Videos\PlayLater (unless you have changed it).
²You may need to exit USB storage mode by tapping the option in the Android notification window shade.

As with all of our products, we offer free technical support. If you need any help please email support@playlater.tv

PlayLater Player Help

Thanks for checking out the PlayLater Player. Below are some simple tips on how to use the player.

How to move videos to your iOS device.

Make sure you have the PlayLater Player installed on your iPhone or iPad. If you don't yet you can get it in the App Store

Once you have the app installed, connect your iOS device to your home's WiFi network and launch the app. Launching the app will automatically pair your device with the PlayLater installation on your PC. This will make it possible for your device to play the videos you have recorded with your PlayLater license. The last thing you need to do is transfer some videos to your device. For this, you will need to connect your device to iTunes.

Launch iTunes
Connect your device with the dock cable or iTunes WiFi Sync¹
Select your device from the Devices section on the left-hand side of iTunes
Open the Apps tab along the top of the screen
Find the File Sharing section at the bottom of the Apps page
Select PlayLater under the Apps section
Use the Add... button to transfer some of your recordings²

¹ WiFi sync will take much longer than a USB connection, especially when transferring large files.
² The default location is \Videos\PlayLater (unless you have changed it).

Once your device has finished syncing, your video(s) will be on your device and available through the PlayLater app. You can use these same steps to copy PlayLater .mp4 files to your iOS device for use with a different video player app that supports MPEG-4.

MPEG-4 (.mp4) Files
You can use the same steps as described above to copy PlayLater .mp4 files from your PC to your iOS device for use with a different video player app that supports MPEG-4.

How to remove videos from your iOS device

Launch PlayLater Player on your iOS device.
Click on My Recordings
Click the wrench icon in the upper right hand corner.
Check the box next to the titles you'd like to remove.
Click the trash can icon on the bottom right.

As with all of our products, we offer free technical support. If you need any help please email support@playlater.tv