Crackle FAQ

Getting Started
General Questions
General Questions
What is Crackle?

Crackle, a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company, is an entertainment network that showcases and distributes pioneering video programming from well-known and undiscovered talent. Crackle offers the best creators an innovative platform to achieve fame.

How can I join Crackle?

To join Crackle, click on the 'Join' link on the top of the page. Enter all required information into the form and click the 'Join' button. You will then receive a confirmation email. You must click on the link in this email in order to confirm your email address and activate your account.

I never received the confirmation email.

When you register, a confirmation email is sent immediately to your email inbox. If it doesn't arrive, it is either a) because your spam filter inadvertently tagged it as spam -- please check your spam folder or b) you misspelled your email address during registration. Please try registering again.

I forgot my password. How can I log in?

Go to Crackle.com and click on 'Login'. Click on 'Forgot your password?' and enter your email address in the provided field. Your password will be emailed to you immediately.

How do I get to my profile page?

You must be a member of Crackle to view your profile page. If you are not a member of Crackle yet, click "Join" in the top navigation and register. Once you are signed in, click on your username on the top right of the page (written in blue letters).

Watching Videos
Watching Videos
How can I find cool videos to watch?

If you want to look around to see what Crackle has to offer, browse by Channel or Show in the area underneath the player. If you are looking for something specific, type a keyword into the search box in the top right corner of the page. Crackle works differently than any other video web site. You can browse all of the content on the site in the bottom half of the page while you continue to watch the video you selected in the top half. Your video watching experience is seamless and uninterrupted.

Where do I find details about the video I'm watching?

Hover your cursor over the player while watching a video.

How can I make a comment?

Hover your cursor over the player and click the comment icon on the right-hand side of the video.

How can I email a video?

Hover your cursor over the player and click on the "Share" icon in the upper right-hand corner. Then click on the "Email" link and choose an option from the pull-down menu. You can import contacts from your email provider or enter addresses manually. Fill in the required information and then click "Send".

Can I create a list of favorite videos?

Yes, hover your cursor over the player and click on the "Favorite" icon on the right-hand side to add the currently playing video to your list of favorites.

Where can I find the videos I added to my Favorites list?

Go to your profile and click on favorites in the playlist tab.

What is a Viewing History and where can I find it?

When you are a member of Crackle we keep a list of the last 300 videos you have previously watched. This list is called "History" and can be found on your profile. Your history will remain private unless you set it to public by clicking the lock icon or clicking edit and checking the "Public" box.

How do I empty my viewing history?

To empty your History, go to your profile and click on the "empty" link in the History section.

When I mouse over the thumbnail of a video, I see several icons. What do they all mean?
  • The clock icon is how you add videos to your "Watch Later" list. If you come across cool videos but you don't want to watch them at the moment, click on this icon.
  • The heart icon is how you add videos to your list of favorites (see above for a fuller explanation of Favorites).
  • The plus icon is how you add videos to a playlist (see below for a fuller explanation of playlists).

Where can I find the videos I added to my 'Watch Later' list?

To view the videos you added to your 'Watch Later' list, go to your profile and click on the 'Watch Later' section of the playlist panel.

How do I add the videos I am watching to a new playlist?

Hover your cursor over the player and click on the “Favorite” icon on the right-hand side of the video. Here you can either create a brand-new list or add to an existing one.

Where can I find my Playlists?

Go to your profile. Your Playlists will be displayed on the left-hand side of the page.

Note: you have to be signed in to Crackle in order to be able to view your videos.

How do I search for a video?

If you are searching for a specific video, type a keyword into the search box in the top right corner of the page and hit enter. You can then sort your search results by channel, time frame or other criteria.

What is Safe Search Filter?

Crackle's Safe Search Filter blocks explicit content and only displays videos that have been promoted by Crackle editors. Turning off the Safe Search Filter allows a search of all content on Crackle.com.

How do I find all the videos by a particular user?

If you are watching a video and want to see other videos by the video's creator, hover your cursor over the player and click on the user's name which is displayed at the top left of the player.

If you want to search for all videos by a particular user, and you know their username, type the username into the search box on the top right and press enter, then click on the People tab to see a list of matching users.

What are Channels?

Videos of different types are kept in separate channels so that you can easily browse videos with a common theme. Crackle channels offer genres (e.g. "Games". "Travel"…) and channels built around cool concepts such as Judgment Day where people judge strangers and find out if they guessed right, and Scrambler which is a video music magazine with an indie rock focus.

Your Videos/Uploading…
Sharing Videos
Sharing Videos
How can I upload a video using the Crackle desktop uploader?

Please review our desktop uploader FAQ.

How can I upload a video using the standard Crackle web uploader?

To share your own videos, click on the 'Content Creators' link in the top menu and hit the ‘Upload your video’ button. Click on the 'Add Files' button and choose the videos you want to upload. After the videos are selected, enter a title, select a channel and add a description and tags.

What are the size limits?

Each individual video that you upload must be under 100MB.

What file formats do you accept?

Crackle accepts most common video file formats, including the following file types:

  • Windows Media (.WMV and .ASF)
  • QuickTime (.MOV)
  • MPEG-1 and MPEG 2 (.MPG)
  • MPEG-4 (.MP4 but not .M4V)
  • Mobile formats 3GPP and 3GPP2 (.3GP)
  • Many types of AVI, including DivX
How can I ensure my videos look really good?

Crackle recommends that you upload videos at a bit rate of 800Kbps or more, this will help achieve the best video quality.

For 4:3 aspect ratio videos we recommend a resolution of 640 x 480 (NTSC) or 768 x 576 (PAL)

For 16:9 aspect ratio videos we recommend a resolution of 854 x 480 (NTSC) or 1024 x 576 (PAL). This aspect ratio works the best on the Crackle player. We encourage you to upload videos at higher resolutions provided that the file size does not exceed 100MB.

While Crackle supports many different upload formats the following formats can help ensure the best results:

File Type: MOV
Video Codec: AVC/h.264
Audio Codec: AAC/48kHz

OR

File Type: WMV
Video Codec: WMV9
Audio Codec: WMA9

Why do I have to choose a channel?

It helps to use a relevant channel so that others can find your video. Selecting the right channel maximizes the number of people who will view your video.

What is a tag?

Tags are keywords used to describe your video and help other users find it on Crackle.

Where can I find the videos I uploaded?

To view the videos you uploaded go to your profile and click on "My Uploaded Videos".

Where is the description I wrote about my uploaded video?

To view the description for your video, hover your cursor over the video while playing.

Publishing Videos
Publishing Videos
How can I post a video to my blog?

To post a specific video to your blog, hover your cursor over the player and click on the “Share” icon in the upper-right hand corner of the video You can either choose one of the one-click publishing options or copy the embed code to your blog.

What is 1-click publishing?

One-click publishing allows you to post a video from Crackle straight to your blog or social network page in one click. Hover your cursor over the player and click on the “Share” icon in the upper-right hand corner of the video. Simply choose one of the one-click publishing options, enter your login credentials to the service you chose, and click the 'Submit' button. We currently offer the one-click publishing option for: Friendster, MySpace, Piczo, Facebook, Digg, Wordpress,Bebo, hi5, Blogger, Vox and del.icio.us.

How do I post one video only instead of a whole bunch?

If you only want to publish one video at a time, you need to create a playlist with just that video in it and post that playlist to your blog.

How can I delete embedded videos from my blog?

To remove a video from your blog, log-in to the service where your blog is hosted and edit the post where the video is embedded. You will see the HTML code which embeds the Crackle video in your blog post. Simply remove the embed code for the video and save your changes. The video will no longer display (until you find another cool video to post!)

Edit Profile
How can I change my profile picture?

To change the image on your profile sign in to Crackle and go to your profile. Click on the 'Edit Profile and Account Settings' link underneath your user information and select 'Click to set image'. Choose your new picture from your computer.

How can I change my username?

To change your username, sign in to Crackle and go to your profile. Click on the 'Edit' link underneath your user information. Change the name in the 'Username' field and click on 'Save'.

How can I change my emails settings?

Log in to Crackle and go to your profile. When you click on 'Edit' you will see a box labeled 'Email Settings'. Check or uncheck the checkboxes and click 'Update Settings'.

How can I change my password?

Log in to Crackle and go to your profile page. When you click on 'Edit' you will see a box to the right of your profile information. Enter your current password, and then your new password. To save your new password, click on 'Save'.

My Videos
Where can I find the videos I uploaded?

Your shared videos are visible on your profile page: Log in to Crackle and go to your profile. You can find your videos in the playlist tab under "My Uploaded Videos".

How can I edit the title and description of videos I have uploaded?

Go to your profile and click on "My Uploaded Videos" in the playlist tab. As you mouse over the thumbnails click "Edit". You can change your information on the right side of the page. Click on "Save" to save your information.

How can I delete my videos?

Go to your profile and click on "My Uploaded Videos" in the playlist tab. As you mouse over the thumbnails click "Edit" and you can delete your video by clicking the delete button and confirming your choice.

Subscriptions
What are subscriptions?

The "subscribe" function lets you choose the channels, playlists or users that you like so you can easily find the latest videos from your favorites sources all in one place. Your selected subscriptions appear on your profile page in the "Subscription" tab.

Subscriptions are dynamic – so if the channel, playlist or user adds new videos these will be reflected in your subscriptions.

What can I subscribe to?

You can subscribe to any list of videos on the site, be they other users" shared videos, users" playlists, Crackle channels or even keywords/search terms.

How can I subscribe to something?

To subscribe to a user or a playlist, simply click on the film strip with a plus icon found on the video thumbnail or user user image. To subscribe to a channel, click the "Subscribe" link in the upper right corner of the channel information panel which is to the right of the video player.

How can I unsubscribe?

To unsubscribe to any of your subscriptions, go to the "Subscriptions" section on your profile and click the "unsubscribe" link within the subscription section you want to remove.

Playlists
What is a playlist?

A playlist is a list of videos you can create to help you organize your videos, or to share your favorite video picks with your friends or other Crackle users. You can create multiple playlists for all your interests.

How can I create a playlist?

To create a playlist hover your cursor over the player and click on the “Favorite” icon. Type in the field "Name your playlist" the title you want to use for your playlist. You can then choose whether the playlist shall be shared privately with friends you send it to or made publicly available on the Crackle network. If you want to keep your playlist private, just uncheck the box next to "Public". Once you're done, click the "Add" button.

Where can I find the playlists I created?

To view your playlists, go to your profile. Your Playlists will be displayed on the left-hand side of the page.

Can I email my playlist?

Of course! Go to your profile and click on the playlist you want to send. Click on the “Publish” link, then click “Email” and choose an option from the pull-down menu. You can import contacts from your email provider or enter addresses manually. Fill in the required the required information and then click “Send”.

How can I publish my playlist?

Go to your profile and click on the playlist you want to post. Then click "Publish" on the right hand side of the page, choose the 1-click option for the blog you want to post to, and enter the required information. Or you can simply copy and paste the embed code.

How can I set a playlist to private?

As you are creating the playlist you can uncheck the "Public" box and only you will be able to see that playlist.

If you want to change the visibility of your playlists from public to private or vice versa go to the playlists section on your profile. Every playlist has a lock icon . If the lock is closed, it means the list is private. If the lock is open , the specific playlist is visible to the public. You can change the visibility by clicking on the lock.

How can I download my playlist to my PSP?

Currently, we are only allowing family friendly content to be downloaded to the PSP platform. Therefore at this time, we have disabled all other playlists except for the ones created by searches on your PSP.

Contests
Where can I find out what contests are currently running?

To view current as well as upcoming contests, click on "Contests" in the main menu.

How can I enter a contest?

You must upload a video to a channel running a contest that is currently accepting entries. If our editors feature your video you will automatically receive an invitation to enter the contest. Once you accept the invitation your video is automatically entered. Additional information about contest eligibility and how to enter is provided in the contest rules.

How can I see which video won a contest?

Every video that has won a contest receives the trophy icon: which is displayed with the video. You can also check out the winners of all contests by clicking on "Contests" in the top menu and going to the "Hall of Fame" tab.

How are contest winners selected?

Winners are selected from eligible entries by an expert judge or panel. More comprehensive details of eligibility requirements and the selection process are covered in the contest rules.

Where can I find the contest rules?

To view the contest rules click on "Contests" in the main menu, then select the contest from the list. A link to the contest rules is provided at the bottom of the page describing contest.

Am I eligible to enter a Crackle contest?

Entrants must be U.S. residents and be the age of majority in their state of residence. More comprehensive eligibility requirements are provided in the contest rules.

Where can I see a list of contests that I've entered?

Visit your profile and click on the "Contests" tab.

Account and Policies
Account Information
Account Information
How do I get to my account?

Click on your username in blue letters on the top of the site.

Note: You have to be signed in to Crackle in order to be able to view you account.

How can I edit my Account Information?

To edit your account information like your username or description, go to your profile and click on “Edit Profile & Account Settings” underneath your current information.

How can I change my password?

Log in to Crackle and go to your profile page. When you click on "Edit" you will see a box to the right of your profile information. Type in your current password as well as you new password and click on "Change Password".

I forgot my login. What can I do?

If you don't remember your login ID, send an email to support@crackle.com.

I forgot my password, how can I retrieve it?

Go to Crackle.com and click on "Login". Click on "Forgot your password?" and enter your email address in the provided field. Your password will be emailed to you immediately.

Where can I manage my email alerts?

To edit your email alerts go to your profile and click on edit underneath your profile information. To the right of your information there is a box with your email settings.

How do I de-activate my account?

To de-activate your account, log in to Crackle and go to your profile. Click on edit underneath your profile information and scroll down to the deactivation section.

How do I re-activate my account?

If you want to use the same email address you have to send an email to support@crackle.com. Otherwise you can just join again through the normal registration process.

I was banned. Why?

When a user repeatedly shares videos that violate our Terms of Service, he is banned from Crackle. If you feel you were banned by mistake please send an email to support@crackle.com.

TOS and Privacy Policy
TOS and Privacy Policy
What are your Terms of service?

View our Terms of Service.

What is your privacy policy?

View our Privacy Policy.

How can I report a video that shows porn or violence…?

Hover your cursor over the player and click “Flag this video as inappropriate”. Then enter your email address and the reason why you are flagging the video and hit the "Submit" button. We will review the video in a timely manner and remove it if necessary.

How can I report a user?

If you want to report a user, go to his profile page by clicking on his username. Now click on "Report User" and enter your email and the reason why you are reporting this user.

Somebody posted my videos, what can I do?

If you own the rights to a video someone else posted, please send an email to piracy@crackle.com and we will look into the matter.

Pure Digital / Flip Camera
Pure Digital / Flip Camera
Can anybody see my video I shared through Flip?

If you emailed a video or a greeting to a friend or family, it is shared privately on Crackle.

Where can I find my videos that I have uploaded to Crackle or shared through my Flip camera?

The easiest way to find the videos you uploaded to Crackle through the Flip software is to log in to Crackle and go to your profile.

How do I delete the videos I uploaded through the Flip camcorder?

To delete your videos from Crackle, log in and go to your profile. Mouse over the thumbnails of the videos you want to delete and click "edit". Now click on the delete button and confirm.

What is my Crackle login?

When you sent/uploaded a video you entered your email address and an email was sent to you with a temporary password. If you can't locate that email, please send an email to support@crackle.com and we will send you your login information.

Advanced
What are the Crackle toys?

Crackle toys are fun add-on applications and experimental video interfaces brought to you by the boys in the white lab coats at Crackle.

  • Desktop Uploader: Install the new Crackle desktop uploader for Windows XP and Vista. The Crackle desktop uploader has no 100MB file size limit so you can send us the highest quality video
  • CSaver: The screensaver works like all other screensaver applications: it launches at an idle time of your choice set in your preferences. Mouse-over a video and it plays on the spot, mouse-away and it stops. It's a great fun way to protect your monitor screen from image-burn and have Crackle videos on tap all the time. The screensaver comes in a small zipped download and installs straight to your system screen saver preferences, it will display as one of your screen saver choices.
  • Firefox Search Plugin: Tired of searching only on Google and eBay with your browser's search box? Now you can search for videos on Crackle from the search box in the upper right corner of your browser. This currently works with Firefox and IE 7. Click the above link to add Crackle as one of your search providers, and then select "Crackle Search" in the search engine list.

Go to http://crackle.com/about/advertise.aspx and fill in the form. We will try to reply in a timely manner.

Where do I go to get help if this FAQ somehow fails to address my problem?

Send an email to Crackle Support and you'll get a timely response (same day in most instances -- that's our goal).

PSP
PSP
How can I download my playlist to my PSP?

Currently, we are only allowing family friendly content to be downloaded to the PSP platform. We have disabled all other playlists except for the ones created by searches on your PSP.

How can I download my uploaded videos to my PSP?

You may upload family friendly content; it will show up in your uploaded list of videos, which you can then download to your PSP. To do this, just open your browser on your PSP, navigate to http://www.crackle.com/psp/ and sign in, then click on "Download your own Crackle Shared Video Clips". After your videos have been processed, they will be in your list of uploaded videos.

Follow these simple steps to download and watch great Crackle content on your PSP. (You must have a Memory Stick Pro Duo in the PSP)

How to Download Videos to PSP (firmware version 3.50).
  1. Navigate through the PSP Menu under "Network -> RSS Channel -> RSS Channel Guide"
  2. After connecting to your network you should be connected to the "RSS Channel Guide".
  3. Navigate down the page to the text entry box below the Crackle.com logo and enter the channel you are searching for.
  4. Click the "Add Channel" button.
  5. Click the "Circle" button to exit the browser.
  6. You should now have an RSS feed with your selected search channel added to your PSP Menu under "Network -> RSS Channel -> 'your channel search'"
  7. Navigate to your channel and click on the 'x' button.
  8. Crackle RSS video feeds will display.
  9. Select the one you want to download and click the 'x' button.
  10. Your PSP should show a screen with your selected video downloading.
How to Download Videos to PSP (all PSP firmware versions).
  1. Navigate through the PSP Menu under "Network -> Internet Browser"
  2. Enter "http://www.Crackle.com/psp" in the URL address.
  3. After connecting to your network you should be connected to the "Crackle Video - SONY PSP".
  4. From here you can select any of the RSS channels listed by highlighting them and pressing the 'x' button to add them to your channel list. If you do not see the channel you are looking for, you may click on the "Search for video" and you will be redirected to the "RSS Channel Guide".
  5. At the "RSS Channel Guide" you may navigate down the page to the text entry box below the Crackle.com logo and enter the channel you are searching for.
  6. Click the "Add Channel" button.
  7. Click the "Circle" button to exit the browser.
  8. You should now have an RSS feed with your selected search channel added to your PSP Menu under "Network -> RSS Channel -> 'your channel search""
  9. Navigate to your channel and click on the 'x' button.
  10. Crackle RSS video feeds will display.
  11. Select the one you want to download and click the 'x' button.
  12. Your PSP should show a screen with your selected video downloading.
How to View Downloaded Videos on PSP
  1. After you've downloaded your videos to your PSP you need to navigate through the PSP Menu under "Video -> Memory Stick -> 'your selected Crackle PSP channel' -> 'your downloaded video'" and press 'x' button to view it.
  2. You may use the 'triangle' button to view controls for the PSP video player.
Top 5 Support Questions
Top 5 Support Questions
What are the accepted file formats and size limits?

Crackle accepts most common video file formats, including the following file types:

  • Windows Media (.WMV and .ASF)
  • QuickTime (.MOV)
  • MPEG-1 and MPEG 2 (.MPG)
  • MPEG-4 (.MP4 but not .M4V)
  • Mobile formats 3GPP and 3GPP2 (.3GP)
  • Many types of AVI, including DivX

For the web uploader, the file size limit is 100 MB. If you use the desktop uploader, the limit is 1 GB

How do I share/upload a video?

To share your own video, click on the 'Content Creators' link in the top menu and hit the ‘Upload your video’ button. Click on the "Add Files" button and choose what videos you want to upload. Once you have selected files to upload, enter a title, choose a channel and add a description and tags.

How do I remove video from my Friendster, MySpace account?

Log into your Friendster homepage and go to "Edit My Profile" and then to "Customize." (for MySpace simply go to Edit My Profile). You'll see the HTML code which embeds the Crackle video on your profile page. Simply delete the code and save, and your profile will be empty until you find another cool video to post.

Note* If you have multiple videos on your profile and you only want to selectively remove one, cut all the code between the <p> and </p> (including the <p> and </p>) tags for the video(s) you wish to remove.

Can I download Videos to my computer?

Currently Crackle does not allow any videos to be downloaded.

My upload failed. Why?

Check the file that you uploaded first. Make sure it's one of our accepted formats, and that it is under 100MB. Send an email to support@crackle.com if none of this works.