Frequently Asked Questions

What is mailVU?

We make video easy! mailVU is a full featured video platform which enables businesses and individuals to record and distribute video content. A free version is available via mailVU.com, the mailVU iPhone/iPad/iTouch app, or the mailVU chrome browser plug-in. For businesses we offer an account for all your videos with branding, upload, download, and embed capability, and a customer testimonial widget. Place the  video short URLs in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn...anywhere! For service providers and Universities we offer a complete white label version implemented through our API, or by reselling our business accounts. Contact info at mailVU dot com for further details.

Is there a cost?

mailVU has three service levels: Free, Business, and White Label. For businesses we offer an account plan which is branded with the business logo and colors, and offers features such as uploading and downloading videos, and embedding videos in websites and social networks. Businesses can use mailVU as an outbound video mail service, or as an incoming service to capture customer video testimonials and embed them on the site. White label is available if you want to integrate our video platform into your service, or if you want to resell our business accounts. Contact sales at mailVU dot com to discuss your needs.

Can I place my brand on the Video Emails?

Our Business and White Label Plans allow you to tailor the video email templates with your logo and  colors. Your logo can include your contact information, making the video mails another method of promoting your brand. 

How does the Customer Video Testimonial Widget Work?

Our Business Plan includes an incoming video recorder for your website.  All videos made on this recorder go into your Business Plan account dashboard.  You may preview the video, download it for editing, and/or embed it directly into your website.  We even let you resize it before embedding.  The mailVU video testimonial recorder can also be used for contests; ask your users to submit their video entry and give the winners a gift!  The recorder is great for capturing video comments of any type directly from the user.  Share these customer videos with the team so everyone can hear it right from the customer's lips!

Does mailVU have an API?

mailVU offers an API to service providers and Universities. This allows you to utilize mailVU's recording, storing, and streaming platform and incorporate it right into your service.  The API components are non-branded so you can offer the service as an integrated portion of your product. And we avoid double log-ins or sending users to another website.  Want to work with us? Contact info at mailVU dot com.

Does mailVU have mobile apps?

Try the free mailVU iPhone/iPad/iTouch app available today!  We are working on an Android app and plan to have it out soon.  Our mobile apps are perfect for recording and distributing video on-the-go. It might be a video of real estate that you want to send a client, a video of a venue you are considering for an event, or simply recording and distributing a presentation. It's fast, easy, and  free! Want to white label our app with your brand? Contact info at mailVU dot com. 

What do I need to use it?

• A computer with any modern browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, etc.)
• Adobe Flash (if you don't already have it you can download it here)
• A webcam
• A microphone

Do I need to download software?

No. mailVU video email service works in your browser. There is no software to download and no risk of viruses.

Is there a demo?

For the free service go to http://mailVU.com (or try the mailVU iPhone/iPad/iTouch app). You will be prompted to allow access to your webcam. Click the Record button to begin your video message. When done click Stop. You can click Play to preview the message. At the bottom of the screen you have options to set a deletion time period, either in number of views or in the number of days. You can email the video, and decide if you want to be copied or have read notification. That's all there is to it. The recipient will get an email in their mailbox with a picture of you and the text message you entered. They click on the picture to play the video.

If you want to demo a mailVU business plan contact info at mailVU dot com and request access.

How private are mailVU videos?

mailVU.com videos are not accessible by the search engines. We encrypt the names of the video links and host them in a secured environment. The default deletion date is 30 days, but the sender can set a self-destruct criteria on number of views or number of days. The sender can also delete a video from the server at any time, preventing future viewing. We will not rent or sell your personal videos or other information to any other company or individual without your consent, except as we are required by law, or if disclosure of information is necessary to protect A2Stream, the mailVU.com users, or the general public. Please review our Privacy Policy for more details.

How do I know my video email has been sent?

You will receive a confirmation email whenever you send a video mail.

How do I know if the recipient viewed the video mail?

Click on the Read Notification option when emailing your video. You will be notified every time the video is viewed.

Can I retract a video mail already sent?

Yes you can. In the Sent Confirmation email there is an option to delete your message. The deletion is immediate, however keep in mind the recipient may have viewed the video prior to you deleting it.

How to I select a different webcam or special effect program?

Near the recording window are icons for the camera and microphone.  Click on an icon to obtain a drop down list of options on your computer. 

If I don't specify a deletion date, how long will the video email be available for viewing?

The default expiration time is 30 days. At that point the files will be deleted from our servers. If you want to specify a different date simply change the 30 days to anything between 1 and 365.

Can I view my recording before I send it?

Yes. After recording click on the Play button to watch it. If you are happy with it go ahead and email it. If you want to re-record click the Record button again and it will overwrite the previous video.

How can I send my video mail to more than one person?

When entering multiple email addresses, separate each one with a comma.

Who can see my videos?

Unless you decide to make the video public, the only person who can see your video is the person to whom you sent the video mail. Keep in mind that any email can be forwarded to others. To minimize the potential of your video being shared you can set a self-destruct option of 1 view.

Will video mails consume a lot of space in my inbox?

No. The messages are under 25kb in size, smaller than typical Word documents. We store the large video files on our servers so it does not consume space in your mailbox. This also allows us to implement your deletion time frame selection, and provide read notification.

Can I view mailVU video emails on my iPhone, Droid, or Blackberry?

Yes, you can! It will directly play on latest software version of most phones.  We have noticed that some Blackberries only have enough memory to play short videos (e.g. 30 seconds). If this happens try saving it and then replay it, rather than open and play.

Help! I have no sound when I record.

Make sure your microphone is enabled: Click on Control Panel, Hardware and Sound, Sound, Recording. You should see your microphone icon with a Green check mark on it. If there is no Green check mark, it means it is disabled. To enable the Microphone Right click on Microphone and click on Enable. If you do not see the Microphone in the list, Right click on the White space and select Show disabled devices. Then you would see the Microphone. Right click on it and click on Enable.

Now set the microphone Sensitivity level:

• Select Microphone and click on Properties button.
• Adjust the slider to the right until to 80-100 % of its range.
• If Mute is on, click the mute button to un-mute the device.
• If Microphone Boost is available, boost the volume.
• Click OK to make the changes.

Help! I have no webcam video.

**If you are using a Mac and not obtaining video, please read this blog post for solutions to recent issues between OS-X and Flash.**

If you are using a PC, make sure all other webcam programs are turned off (VID, Skype, etc.). Go to Control Panel, Hardware, Devices and look for your webcam. Go through the tabs to make sure it is Enabled. If you do not see the webcam in the list, right click on the white space and select Show disabled devices. If you still don't see your webcam then you will need to reload the webcam software drivers, either from disc or the manufacturer's website.

How can I get a better thumbnail image?

We take the thumbnail image during the first second of the recording.  You may want to sit still and smile into the webcam until the 9:58 mark so the thumbnail image does not show you talking with an open mouth, or looking away.

My video mails are going into the recipient's Junk folder in Hotmail.

The other person gets a “Server Not Found” message when trying to view my video.

This occurs whenever there is a firewall block on RTMP video applications. Some businesses block this access from work locations. Tell your friend to try opening the video from home and they should be able to play the video with no issues.

I have a great idea for mailVU. Where do I send it?

For all ideas, suggestions and requests send video mail or email to support@mailVU.com.