Larry Rutledge
07-20-2010, 02:35 PM
IMPORTANT! Be sure to read the following carefully as there have been some changes to the viewing system.
We are happy to announce the launch of viewing and rating for West Fest 2010.
There have been some changes to the viewing system that you all have become familiar with. It is not the end of changes to come, but rather a step in a particular direction that will hopefully enhance your experience with these fests.
Until now you have had to download each film to your computer to view them, then return to the site to mark your rating. We have now implemented the first step toward an integrated streaming system.
When you first launch the viewing page you will see a list which you are familiar with from previous fests. Each entry will be listed in the order it was uploaded along with links to the discussion thread and a series of starts for marking your ratings. There is also the list of ZIP files at the bottom for easily pulling all the films direct to your computer for offline viewing.
In the past when you would click on a film's title it would start downloading the film. Now, instead, it will change to an online viewing page with the selected film embedded. Directly below the film are stars for marking your rating immediately upon viewing.
If you return to the film list (there is a link at the bottom of the page to do so) your rating will still be indicated and can be updated as always until the rating has closed.
From the viewing page you can watch the film, or choose to move to another entry. Previous takes you to the previous entry in the list (without returning to the listing page), Next takes you to the next entry. Random will pick an entry at random and present it. There is also a link at the bottom to download the specific entry you are viewing if you choose to do so instead.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Please be aware this is not a fully realized streaming system. It is the first step towards that, but it is not complete yet as there are a lot of components to install, integrate and test.
So when you click play do not expect the film to begin immediately, it may take a minute for it to start as it buffers the stream down to your system.
Rating
There are no changes to the rating system since Betrayal Fest but I feel it's important to remind you how it works.
First we allow everyone to now rate, regardless of post count, regardless of length of time at dvxuser. However, the finalists are only determined based upon the ratings of those who have 50 posts and/or have entered a film in the fest. The other ratings are for audience choice decisions.
When you click the stars, you are not ranking the specific film against the other entries. Instead you are giving that film its own rating from 1 to 10, where 1 means this is the worst this film could ever be, nothing could be done to make it worse and 10 means this is the best film it could possibly be, nothing could make it any better. You are rating the film on its own merit, not against any other film.
Ballot Stuffing
We keep track of each individual rating, which film was rated, who rated it and what rating they gave. And we are able to, and do, look at trends in the rating.
In the past we have seen people try to sway the results by rating the films they were involved in a 10 and everything else a 1. First, this is a waste of time as the system is designed on an average rating and so these attempts to sway have little to no impact on the overal average. You do everyone a better service by giving a fair and honest appraisal of each entry, or if you don't want to do that, then don't rate.
Unfair rating trends like this will be disqualified from the overal count, so don't waste your or our time by performing such tactics.
Can I change my rating?
Until viewing closes, the system allows you to alter your rating. Sometimes you feel a particular way about a film and give a rating that reflects it, but after further reflection or subsequent viewings you realize the rating does not accurately reflect your view of the film. In this case, simply reclick the stars to mark the revised value.
Problems viewing or rating
If you run into any issues with either the viewing or the rating portions of the system, please note the problem in the provided Technical Issues thread. This will be the only place we'll monitor for problems with the system.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=217516
Have fun
http://www.dvxfest.com/westfest (http://www.dvxfest.com/westfest)
We are happy to announce the launch of viewing and rating for West Fest 2010.
There have been some changes to the viewing system that you all have become familiar with. It is not the end of changes to come, but rather a step in a particular direction that will hopefully enhance your experience with these fests.
Until now you have had to download each film to your computer to view them, then return to the site to mark your rating. We have now implemented the first step toward an integrated streaming system.
When you first launch the viewing page you will see a list which you are familiar with from previous fests. Each entry will be listed in the order it was uploaded along with links to the discussion thread and a series of starts for marking your ratings. There is also the list of ZIP files at the bottom for easily pulling all the films direct to your computer for offline viewing.
In the past when you would click on a film's title it would start downloading the film. Now, instead, it will change to an online viewing page with the selected film embedded. Directly below the film are stars for marking your rating immediately upon viewing.
If you return to the film list (there is a link at the bottom of the page to do so) your rating will still be indicated and can be updated as always until the rating has closed.
From the viewing page you can watch the film, or choose to move to another entry. Previous takes you to the previous entry in the list (without returning to the listing page), Next takes you to the next entry. Random will pick an entry at random and present it. There is also a link at the bottom to download the specific entry you are viewing if you choose to do so instead.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Please be aware this is not a fully realized streaming system. It is the first step towards that, but it is not complete yet as there are a lot of components to install, integrate and test.
So when you click play do not expect the film to begin immediately, it may take a minute for it to start as it buffers the stream down to your system.
Rating
There are no changes to the rating system since Betrayal Fest but I feel it's important to remind you how it works.
First we allow everyone to now rate, regardless of post count, regardless of length of time at dvxuser. However, the finalists are only determined based upon the ratings of those who have 50 posts and/or have entered a film in the fest. The other ratings are for audience choice decisions.
When you click the stars, you are not ranking the specific film against the other entries. Instead you are giving that film its own rating from 1 to 10, where 1 means this is the worst this film could ever be, nothing could be done to make it worse and 10 means this is the best film it could possibly be, nothing could make it any better. You are rating the film on its own merit, not against any other film.
Ballot Stuffing
We keep track of each individual rating, which film was rated, who rated it and what rating they gave. And we are able to, and do, look at trends in the rating.
In the past we have seen people try to sway the results by rating the films they were involved in a 10 and everything else a 1. First, this is a waste of time as the system is designed on an average rating and so these attempts to sway have little to no impact on the overal average. You do everyone a better service by giving a fair and honest appraisal of each entry, or if you don't want to do that, then don't rate.
Unfair rating trends like this will be disqualified from the overal count, so don't waste your or our time by performing such tactics.
Can I change my rating?
Until viewing closes, the system allows you to alter your rating. Sometimes you feel a particular way about a film and give a rating that reflects it, but after further reflection or subsequent viewings you realize the rating does not accurately reflect your view of the film. In this case, simply reclick the stars to mark the revised value.
Problems viewing or rating
If you run into any issues with either the viewing or the rating portions of the system, please note the problem in the provided Technical Issues thread. This will be the only place we'll monitor for problems with the system.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=217516
Have fun
http://www.dvxfest.com/westfest (http://www.dvxfest.com/westfest)