Problem with Smart Download

oreon · Post by **oreon** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:12 pm

Is there any other way to retrieve the extra content for VideoStudio 9?
Smart Download takes hours to download the extra content (and I'm on broadband

).
A direct ftp link to input in my downloadmanager would be nice.

jday · Post by **jday** » Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:49 pm

You might want to e-mail customer service and ask them for the ftp site for the extra content. However, I must warn you, I originally downloaded the extra content through Smart Download and it was fairly quick.

However, I then realized that the Video Studio 9 download link actually led me to download the full version (instead of the upgrade). Since I had paid for the upgrade version, the full version wouldn't run without me entering an authentication code which required a full purchase.

I e-mailed Customer Service and explained my problem and they sent me the correct link (FTP this time) for the upgrade version and extra content. The problem was that I had to first uninstall the full version I had installed and I also uninstalled the extra content (stupid). To make a long story a little shorter, after I installed the upgrade version, Smart Download wouldn't work because it showed that I had already downloaded all the extra content and there was nothing left to download.

So, I went to the FTP site. Now, that was slooooooow! Even with my broadband connection, the download averaged between 2-3 kps as opposed to the 50+ that the Smart Download did. The reason I said to e-mail customer support and didn't give you the FTP address is the fact that the FTP site would also allow you to download the Upgrade version of Version 9 and I'm sure that would be a violation of the software agreement since I cannot verify that you paid for it (sorry). However, customer service did respond to my requests very quickly.

rudnick · Post by **rudnick** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 7:56 am

So how long did it take to get an answer in terms of an ftp link?

I'm experiencing extremely slow transfer rates as well using Smart Download.
It would take days to complete it and I cancelled the download after several attempts at different times of the day.

I explained the situation to tech support and I'm wondering when I'll get an answer eventually.

That Smart Download facility seems to be a real gimmick or a "maybe, maybe-not" feature.

Rud

rudnick · Post by **rudnick** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:16 am

Fair enough replying on my own question..
It took about 6 hrs and I got the ftp links. Thanks!

Well the ftp connection is not the fastest either but it will be sufficient.

Rud

martindekker · Post by **martindekker** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 12:11 pm

Well, I too sent the email to technical support. This is amazing... if I have to wait until the extra content is downloaded, then version 10 will have been released already and I could start over again!

Evansv · Post by **Evansv** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:14 pm

I sent a email to tech support and I got a responce in less then 4 hours. and have already downloaded all extra componets !

Excellent customer service

supernut · Post by **supernut** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 2:25 pm

same here, just no reply from them for over 24 hours now

stelch · Post by **stelch** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:27 pm

I have been waiting for more than 48 hours to get a reply concering downloading the components! The night is young...

oreon · Post by **oreon** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 4:38 pm

Thank you all for the reactions.
My mail is send to tech support ... Hope they answer soon.
I just downloaded the first contentpack part (171MB) in a stunning 11 hours.

Takes me a few year back to the times I was using a modem line.

stelch · Post by **stelch** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:15 pm

I have done a calculation with the transfer rate that I am doing right now and it should take me 48 hours!!! to download all 4 Content parts and Smartsound. Not bad eh?

Stelios

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:23 pm

So, after reading these, why do so many continue to insist on the download instead of ordering the boxed version

martindekker · Post by **martindekker** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:42 pm

Why ordering a download version instead of a boxed version? Because I have a broadband connection to the internet so it would normally take me less than an hour to download everything. This is normally the case and I expect companies who sell 700Mb+ downloadable programs to provide enough bandwith and the right tools (if they insist on forcing me to use their tools, I'm not asking for it... I'm more than happy with a regular FTP download) to have it downloaded this fast. Else they should not offer it.

ste_70 · Post by **ste_70** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:44 pm

I bought the ESD version of VS9 Tuesday evening (Europe time).I was able to download it very quickly (1.2 Mb/s) and that was true also for the extra content files. But the files number 2, 3 and 4 stopped at 15.5 MB as if the download was complete. No chance to install them. I tried again yesterday morning but also from Italy the speed is extremely low. I wrote the UK customer support but no answer yet.

martindekker · Post by **martindekker** » Thu Apr 07, 2005 8:50 pm

Well, my problem was not with the main program. I could speed that download up by using my own download manager. The problem is the extra content files. They can only be downloaded using VS9's build-in download manager... which uhhh... just.... uhhhh.... sucks. I have never seen download speeds this low. Even my first 9600 kbps connection to the internet was noticably faster that this joke.

stelch · Post by **stelch** » Fri Apr 08, 2005 3:57 am

I started downloading the components last night at 19:00 (local Cyprus time) using Smart Download (I don't really undersdant why they call it "smart") and up to now 07:00 the next morning it downloaded 115MB out of 551MB!!!! So if you do your calculations it should finish tomorrow night at 17:00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bravo Ulead.