FAQ : About AthenaWeb Science Films Portal

Below are some of the questions you, the users, have asked.

• 01. Who can use AthenaWeb?

  The general public can view, in streaming mode, the library of non-broadcast quality films indexed under some 20 different scientific categories in AthenaWeb's library. A selection of top hit films is also made available in full-screen viewing. Browse the library or do a quick search with key words.
  
  There are also two categories of registered users:

  1. broadcaster and professional producers
  2. scientists and the education community (teachers, students, professors, academic institutions)

  Click on the respective links to learn a little more about these user groups and the benefits of signing up to AthenaWeb .

• 02. How does AthenaWeb work?

  AthenaWeb is a video portal and audiovisual workstation. Think of it as the YouTube for science audiovisual professionals. It is a typical input-output system. Input comes from contributors and partners who provide AthenaWeb with the news and films, and other content to drive the market place and events. Output is both public and private.
  
  The public can view hundreds of films usually of non-broadcast quality (which means they are created by, for example, institutions, labs and other organisations who do not necessarily wish to make a profit on the film) which are cleared for streaming only.
  
  Broadcast quality films are also hosted on AthenaWeb but are restricted viewing only (and in respect of rights and agreements for the film). In some cases, downloading is possible with permission and respecting the agreed rights.

• 03. What are the different film rights?

  Films are hosted by or made available through AthenaWeb on the condition that the rights are respected. A large percentage – especially films supplied by the European Commission – are copyleft and the rest remain the copyright of the film's owner. Any use of copyright material must first be agreed with the owner.
  
  AthenaWeb merely facilitates the exchange of such material. Any sales or other arrangements made are between the parties involved in the exchange.

• 04. Who started AthenaWeb?

  AthenaWeb was the brainchild of a few dedicated individuals working to stimulate science film production and distribution in Europe, and to boost science communication overall. With backing from the European Commission's Research Directorate-General, they managed to create the first, prize-winning version of AthenaWeb and launch it in 2005.
  
  With a fast-changing internet, it soon became clear that AthenaWeb should be developed into a veritable TV station and online workspace for handling the demands of busy audiovisual professionals and film-hungry audiences. AthenaWeb 2.0 was launched in the summer of 2007.

• 05. What's the difference between full-screen viewing and streaming?

  Streaming means you can play a film with limited resolution within certain parameters on the screen of your computer. All films available to the public on AthenaWeb can be streamed.
  
  Full-screen viewing is a higher-quality download for viewing professionally-made films with much greater resolution. This is a restricted function on AthenaWeb with just a small selection available as a sample.

• 06. Can I submit an event?

  Events can be submitted via the relevant online form, however they will be vetted by the AthenaWeb team according to their relevance to the science film and audiovisual theme. Submit an event now!

• 07. Can I submit my news?

  News and ideas for improving AthenaWeb , in particular, or science communication in Europe, in general, can be submitted to the editor via the contact us page. The decision on whether to publish news submissions is the reserve of the editor-in-chief.
  
  If you are a broadcaster or professional producer, you may also submit offers and requests via the market place (registration required).

• 08. Does AthenaWeb cost anything?

  At this stage, none of the private or public services available through AthenaWeb cost the user anything. This is possible thanks to the support of the European Commission.

• 09. What are the minimum system requirements to use AthenaWeb?

  Minimum hardware requirements :

  Macintosh

  • 400 MHz Power PC G3 or faster Macintosh computer
  • At least 128 MB of RAM
  • 16 MB video RAM
  • Mac OS X v10.3.9, v10.4.9 or later

  Windows

  • Pentium processor-base PC or compatible computer
  • At least 256 MB of RAM
  • 32 MB video RAM
  • Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Vista

  Recommanded hardware configuration :

  Macintosh

  • 1 GHz G4 processor or better
  • 256 MB RAM
  • 16 MB video RAM
  • QuickTime 7.1.3 or later
  • Mac OS X v10.3.9, v10.4.9 or later

  Windows

  • 2.0 GHz Pentium-class processor or better
  • 512 MB of RAM
  • 32 MB video RAM
  • QuickTime 7.1.3
  • Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Vista

  Connection :

  • Broadband Internet connection (DSL/Cable/LAN) – min : 512 kbps download.

  Browsers :

  • Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
  • Mozilla Firefox 1.5 or higher
  • Apple Safari 2.0 or higher

  Software :

  • Quicktime 6.0 or higher (Athenaweb films are encoded in H264)
  • Flash Player 8.0 or higher