Site Requirements

Helix Studios's website and videos can be viewed on any computer with a modern browser. All versions of Windows (except Windows 3.1), Mac OS X, or current version of Linux are supprted.

A broadband Internet connection such as DSL or Cable is recommended for watching streaming videos, but is not required. Dial-up users can download video to their computer before playback to avoid any buffering or choppiness. See below.

To watch videos on our website with your membership, you will need to be using modern web browser with Javascript and cookies enabled. We support Internet Explorer 6.0 or newer, Firefox 2.x or newer, Safari, Chrome and Opera. To get the best experience and safest browsing, we recommend using the latest Firefox, Safari or Chrome browsers.

Below are links to upgrade or download one of these browsers

1. Google Chrome
2. Firefox
3. Safari
4. Internet Explorer

For downloaded videos can be played with Windows Media Player, Quicktime, iTunes, VLC or other video player

How to watch the videos

All videos on Helix Studios are available for streaming and download, and are DRM free. We provide several versions of the same video to suit your bandwidth and playback needs. You can download Quicktime or Windows Media versions, in either Small (320x240 and 320x180), Large (640x480 and 640x360), or HD (940x560 to 1280x720 - when available). Smaller files download faster. We also provide a streaming version that plays the video on the page much like a tube site.

Option 1 - Stream (Flash player)

Most videos are available for streaming with the built in flash player. Login to the members area, and select a video you would like to watch, and click the play icon that appears on the main picture of the video. The video will buffer for a few seconds, and begin playing.

Option 2 - Play with your media player

You can click directly on the video link. Your browser may launch your media player automatically and begin to play the file, or it may download the file to a temporary location, or it may prompt you to save the file or specify how you want to open it. Each browser behaves differently.

Option 3 - Download to your computer

You can download the video to a specific location on your hard drive. Each browser has a similar way of doing this. For example:

1. Internet Explorer: Right-click the link and then select "Save Target As.." from the popup menu that appears.
2. Firefox: (Windows) Right-click the link and then select "Save Link As..." from the popup menu.
3. Safari Control-click or right-click the link and then select "Download Linked File As...".

You will then be prompted for a location in which to save the file.

Downloading the file to your hard drive and then playing it from there is a good idea if the movie starts and stops playing while you are streaming it with the flash player.

To play the videos you will need either Windows Media, Quicktime, iTunes or VLC. Here are links to download them

1. Download Windows Media Player for Windows
2. Download Quicktime or iTunes (for Windows, Mac OS X)

Choppy video that starts and stops

Although Helix Studios's website is hosted on a world wide content delivery network that assures the fastest speeds for downloading and streaming videos to your computer, it is possible that you experience buffering or choppyness when watching videos. In such cases, you should check your wireless signal level, see if other people on your network are downloading large files, or if your computer has slowed down due to a virus or spyware.

In such situations, downloading the videos to your hard drive prior to viewing will avoid the start/stop problems.

An internet connection of at least 1 Mbps is recommended for watching the streaming videos. You can use this link to test your Internet Connection speed.

Speed Test

Can't download videos with Internet Explorer

When you right-click a download link link in Microsoft Internet Explorer, the Save Target As command may be unavailable. This behavior can occur if Content Advisor is enabled.

To work around this behavior disable Content Advisor by following these steps in Internet Explorer:

1. In Internet Explorer 5, Interntet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Explorer 6, on the "Tools"" menu, click "Internet Options".
2. Click the "Content" tab
3. Under "Content Advisor", click "Disable".
4. In the "Password" box, type the supervisor password, and then click OK.
5. When you receive the following prompt, click "OK":
   "Content Advisor has been turned off. Make sure you turn it on again before you allow someone else to use your computer."

Visit Microsoft Support site for more details at http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;176316&x=11&y=9

How do I download a video to my iPod?

To download a video to your iPod using iTunes version 7.0, please follow these steps:

1. From the Scenes page select the video you'd like to download.
2. Right-click (or CTRL-Click on Macs) on the iPod/Quicktime Large or Small link. Select "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File" from the drop down menu.
3. Save the video to a location on your computer.
4. Connect your iPod to your computer and open the Apple iTunes application.
5. In iTunes, select "File" > "Add File to Library." Browse for the video you downloaded, then click "Open."
6. Select the "Movies" tab.
7. Check the "Sync movies" box.
8. Click "Apply."

To download a video to your iPod using iTunes version 6.0 or earlier, please follow these steps:

1. From the Scenes page select the video you'd like to download.
2. Right-click (or CTRL-Click on Macs) on the iPod/Quicktime Large or Small link. Select "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File" from the drop down menu.
3. Save the video to a location on your computer.
4. Connect your iPod to your computer and open the Apple iTunes application.
5. In iTunes, select "File" > "Add File to Library." Browse for the video you downloaded, then click "Open."
6. In iTunes, select "Edit" > "Preferences" > "iPod" > "Videos" > "Automatically update all videos." Click "OK" when you're done.

Once you've followed these steps, iTunes will automatically copy the video to your iPod. To play the video on your iPod, select "Videos" > "Movies."

How do I watch videos on the Roku?

We are currently upgrading our Roku applications. We appreciate your patients while we make these improvements for you.

Until our channels are back online, you can still enjoy Helix Studios on most Roku devices by mirroring to them. The following guides can assist you.

Click here to view the instructions for Android and Windows Devices

Click here to view the instructions using Apple AirPlay and HomeKit