SUPPORT

What is Spotterfish?

Invite your team and watch 4k video together in perfect sync. The built-in teleconferencing gets the conversation going and the powerful marker toolkit helps you capture good ideas before they get lost. From film school project to the next blockbuster movie, Spotterfish is the go-to place for creative collaboration and review for any type of video project.

Sign up here.

What web browsers work with Spotterfish?

At this time, Spotterfish requires Google Chrome. You will be asked to permit the mic and camera to use Spotterfish when you log in for the frst time. Once you've done so, you won't be asked again and will enter the screening room immediately.

How do I join a screening room I’ve been invited to?

You will receive an email from app@spotterfish.io inviting you to join a colleague’s project. If you are using Spotterfish for the first time, you will be prompted to create an account with your email address and password. You will then be directed to the Spotterfish screening room and can begin to collaborate with your team members.
If you have previously signed in to other projects, the unique button link will take you directly into the project screening room you’ve been invited to join. Alternately, you can access all projects you’ve been invited to or have created yourself from your Dashboard.

How do I start my own project and invite others?

If you are a first time user, sign up for a free account at https://www.spotterfish.io/signup. Once your account is set up, you will be directed to your Spotterfish Dashboard. This is where you'll upload files, and enter your screening room. To invite people, you must be a moderator of the room. Click the "Moderator" panel, and then the "People" panel. You can now invite people by a) inviting them via email, or b) copying and sharing the room link. In the latter case, moderators will hear a doorbell ring and have the option to admit or reject the user.

What are the Spotterfish pricing plans?

Spotterfish is completely free to use. Sign up for your own screening room here. Enterprise packages include larger and more rooms, addional levels of very high security, and VIP support. Contant us via chat to learn more.

What if I want to register a different email address than the one that my invitation link to join a project was sent to?

For security reasons you can not register a different email address than the one the invitation link was sent to when signing up for a project. If there is an issue, the user can: a.) Ask the project moderator for a new invite link sent to your registered email address, once clicked you will be logged in automatically. b.) Sign out of the created account, click the link again and create a new user using the same email address as the one the link was sent to.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Contact us using the blue Chat button on the bottom right, and sorry to see you go!

What file format is required?

Spotterfish requires h264 encoded file with the ending .mp4. We recommend 1080p, which is the same as Vimeo and other video services has as their highest quality. Spotterfish can play 4k video. 5.1 and 7.1 surround are supported as well. For audio, Spotterfish accepts .WAV and .MP3 files, and can play three back simultaniously.

Why isn't my audio and/or video working?

Make sure that all Google Chrome audio and video settings are correct by cllcking the Bathroom Mirror button and going through the sequence of system checks.

Can Spotterfish playback multiple stems simultaniously?

Yes, Spotterfish can play one video and three audio files at the same time, all in uncompressed audio, if desired. You can also easily switch between stems on the fly.

How do I invite guests to my Screening Room?

Click the Crown, click Invite, and enter their email address.

Where are Spotterfish files stored and are they secure?

All files and data are hosted on Google protected servers and secured by Google Firebase authentication. Files are stored using firebase security which ensures that each file may only be accessed by the owner, or people she has granted access to. Here's our full security information

How are users authenticated when given access? Is the invitation a link? If so what happens when that link is further forwarded on to other recipients? Is it only usable by the original recipient?

An invitation is always tied to a specific email address, and can only be used to register an account with that same email address. If another person obtains the same link after the initial account has been created they would not be able to use it. An invitation is always personal.
The invitation link itself includes an AES256 encrypted string containing the screening room ID and the invited user’s email address.
A user that has previously not registered with Spotterfish will be asked to provide their own password, and this will create a new guest account with the included email & chosen password. (A user can never create an account with a different email address than the exact one included in the encrypted string.)
A user that has previously registered with Spotterfish will be sent to the login page to sign in with their previously chosen password.
If the user has been assigned a seat in the screening room provided in the link they will be allowed to enter. If access has been revoked/they do not have access to the room they will be notified and then logged out of the system. On a more technical level, this is handled by database access rules that only permit a user who is listed as “seated” in the screening room to access the database object.

Can the invitations be revoked?

Yes, a moderator of a screening room has full control of who is allowed in each room at any time, and only users who are currently invited to or has a seat in a screening room are allowed to enter it. If one has sent an invitation to a new user and then revokes their access to the screening room before they click the link, they will be able to register a new guest account but they will not be able to enter the room (they will be notified and logged out after registration). If a user is currently inside a Screening Room and access is revoked, they will be removed from the session immediately.

Do other users have direct access to my uploaded files?

A file is always in full control of the owner and can be only viewed by other users in a screening room where the owner, who is also a moderator of the room, has chosen to load the file for review. No users can download files: once uploaded, they can only be viewed from within the screening room.

Is there a logging of user activity?

Spotterfish uses google analytics with custom events and do logging when a user logs in and logs out of a screening room, we also store info about markers dropped and chat messages sent.

What are the newest features of Spotterfish?

We are continually adding new features and improviing the user experience. Please see our news for our latest version and learn about exciting new features and fixes.

How can I contact you?

Chat with us using the blue button on the bottom right.

What about surround sound support?

5.1 and 7.1 are fully supported at this time. The sound/room setup it is generally such that if you have a 5.1 or 7.1 compatible sound system connected to the computer running Chrome, Spotterfish will detect the audio connection specifics automatically and play back in surround.

Are my files encrypted?

Yes, all transfers and stored files are encrypted:

• All files are AES encrypted at rest
  
• All communications between servers and client->servers use TLS/SSL
  
• Communication between peers is also encrypted (SRTP,DTLS)

What's the video and sound quality of Spotterfish?

Spotterfish plays up to 4k video, and 48kHz 24 bit .wav file. 5.1 and 7.1 surround is supported as well. One video file and up to 3 audio files can be played back simultaniously.

Is 2-factor authorization used for user sign-in?

Yes. Room owners can also request that each and every room requires 2-factor authorization upon entering, even if a user is currently logged in to a room.

What optional security upgrades are available?

• Level 1 (Included): Requires email and password to log in to account.

I've got a 20 seat room and everyone's talking all at once. How do I manage them?

Moderators can use the "mute all" button in the moderator panel. Once pressed, the moderator cannnot "unmute" them. Each user can choose to unmute themselves by a) clicking the "mic" button on the uper right, or b) momentarily holding the "tab" key on their computer keyboard. Releasing the tab key mutes the mic again.

How is Spotterfish different from other collaboration platforms?

Spotterfish is a real-time platform, allowing users to meet face to face and collaborate. Most platforms are not real time, and those that are can be prohibitively expensive and complicated to use.

How many screening rooms can I own?

You can own as many screening rooms as you want, and you can be invited to unlimited screening rooms by others. All screening rooms will appear in your Spotterfish dashboard.

How do I rename a room?

On your dashboard, click the "pencil" icon on a room and make your changes.

How do I add additional files to an exisiting project?

On the dashboard, click the "pencil" icon on the project you want to add files to. This brings up the Edit Project panel, in which you can:

• Name and tag the project. The tags are searchable.
• Adjust timecode start time
• Save and recall unlimied versions your sessions
• Add video and audio files
• Switch files on and off. 1 video and 3 audio files can playback simultantiously

How do I switch individual file playback on and off?

In Edit Project, click the pencil tool on the project you want to modify. There is a video and speaker icon on the right side of the panel. Clicking on these icons toggles playback on a per file basis: Blue means on, black means off. You can play back one video file and 3 audio files simultaniously.

How do I nudge frame by frame?

Option + right/left arrow moves the curser my fame at a time

How to I leave or end a session?

Click the "exit screening room" icon on the upper left, or close you browser window.

How do I show a project in a screening room?

First, you must be a moderator of the room. Assign addional moderators by clicking the "people panel", and then clicking the crown icon of the user. Toggling the crown turns moderator rights on and off. Moderators play back files by clicking on the moderator tab, and then the camera icon. Only moderators can show files they own in a screening room. No other team members can play another user's files.

Everyone is playing the transport, and things are out of control. What do I do?

On the moderator tab, click the gear icon, and you'll see checkboxes which, for non moderators, will turn the transport and marker list icons on and off.

How do I drop markers?

There are 3 ways to drop markers:

• Click the marker icon in the upper right of the screeing room
• Press return. FYI continuall pressing return cycles thru the fields in the marker panel and ends by closing the panel
• Press the down arrow on your computer keyboard

I'm seeing blue dots flashing and buffering messages. What's going on?

These indicators mean that the user has a slow or unrelaiable internet connection. When play is enganged, the user will eventully see the stream and be in sync with all other users. or you can wait until the messages dissapear, and the press play. In the latter case, all users will be in sync from the beginning of playback.

What get saved when I save a version?

• Markers
• Marker list
• Chat dicussions

How do I export markers for use in NLEs and DAWs?

Click the marker list panel on the bottom right. If you are a moderator, you'll see the download icon in the upper right. Click this, choose your format, and download.

Are there addional charges for bandwidth and storage?

There are no addional charges to your monthly subscription cost. Bandwidth and storage are unlimited.

How many projects can I create?

As many as you like! There is no limit to the number of projects per moderator.

Can I stream from my computer to Spotterfish?

No, Spotterfish files must be uploaded to our platform. This enables the high fidelity, ultra low latency experience at scale.

My video playback is stuttering, choppy sluggsih

It's possible that Chrome is "autoplay blocking" the video from playing properly. This can be easily fixed by clicking once on the video itself, and that tells Chrome to play the video. A les common cause is if you have a "autoplay blocking" extssnion in Chrome, which you'll need to disabel in our case.

How can I tell if I have the Spotterfish free version?

If you see the red bar to the right of the timecode counter then you have Spotterfish Free. If you see a black bar, you have Spotterfish Plus.