Basics
If you need help with something that our FAQ hasn’t addressed, please go to our GetSatisfaction support site. From there you can ask a question, share an idea, report a problem, or start a discussion. Our team is here to help, and we will do our best to answer all your comments as soon as possible.
Well, asides from the new look and feel Overlay.TV has introduced a payment system for affiliate products, the API, and a series of new widgets. Take some time to watch a few videos, or try creating an Overlay with our new player. If you have any issues at all, please post them to our GetSatisfaction support site.
Overlay.TV enriches the video viewing experience by introducing relevant and contextual annotations, images, widgets and links as a layer on top of any digital video and gives viewers the ability to intuitively interact with this layer. Put simply, Overlay.TV lets anyone grab a video, add some stuff to it, and post it anywhere. In addition to this, Overlay.TV as a platform provides an extensible set of solutions that enable content producers, both amateur and professional, to easily add this interactivity to their online video assets as part of their publishing process.
An Overlay is an interactive layer placed on top of a video or still image. Within that layer exists targets that when clicked can link out to places to shop, provide informational and/or educational resources, even allow you to chat. Experience it for yourself. Click the here to see an Overlay in action.
Targets are interactive hotspots or areas within an Overlay. A target can be a product, and clicking on it will allow you to find out more info, or purchase that item. Targets can also be interactive widgets and clipart linked to cool stuff, or just placed there for fun. Click here to see examples of the different types of targets in action in an Overlay. Click on the targets and see where they take you.
The difference is that you can interact with video on Overlay.TV. See something you like in a video? You can buy it right then and there. You can also download the music you’re listening to, or find out information about what you are watching.
Overlay.TV will work fine on any PC or Mac running Windows XP, 2000 and Vista, Linux, and OS X, with Flash Player 9 or greater. Download Flash here.
Yes, Overlay.TV is free for users and viewers.
Account
All you need to sign-up is a valid email address and a password for your account.
You can change your password, but not your username. You can change your password and email in ACCOUNT DETAILS on MY PAGE.
Make Money
Create an Overlay using products from any of our paying merchant affiliates. If someone likes a product in your Overlay, clicks on it and buys it, then you’ll earn a commission from that purchase. [MORE]
At your request, the money is transferred from your Overlay.TV account into a PayPal account. [MORE]
Watch
Yes. Click the HIDE toggle on the top left of the player to watch the Overlay without targets. You can turn it back on at any time.
Well, that depends on the target. If you click on a product target, you will be given more information about the item and an option to purchase it. If you click on a clipart or widget target that has been hyperlinked you will be redirected to a new site. Some targets have interactive elements that work within the video, like the Chat widget which lets you chat with others right in the Overlay, or the Karaoke widget which lets you sing along to your favorite songs within an Overlay.
You can shop by watching an Overlay and clicking on a product target of something you like, which will direct you to a site to purchase that item.
That video may have been removed from the original source. If you see something that doesn’t work let us know: FLAG IT.
By clicking on the FULL SCREEN tab on the top right of the player.
Clicking the CREATE tab allows you to create your own Overlay using that video.
It is called a carousel, and it holds all the products, clipart and widgets that will appear in the Overlay you are watching.
If the item you click on is a product, then an information window will appear with info about that product and an option to buy it. If the item you click on is clipart and/or a widget then a marker (or markers) will appear in the timeline indicating the point in time that it will appear in the Overlay.
Yes. You can bookmark your favorite Overlays, users, and channels by adding them to your Quick List. Anything that can be quick listed will feature a QUICK LIST button, or a plus sign.
To view your bookmarked items login, and then click on ‘Quick List’ located at the top of the page.
Create
Step 1: After you have clicked the CREATE button on the home or on the player itself, you’ll be taken to STEP 1 of the creation process. Here you will need to find a video or still image from any of these video-sharing sites, and copy the URL and paste it into the field indicated.
Feeling lazy? You can search for video from within our site as well.
Step 2: Now add stuff to the video. You can add products, clipart, widgets, drawings and more.
Step 3: Save it. If you have finished editing your Overlay you can choose to publish it.
Find products for your Overlay by clicking on the ADD PRODUCT icon on the top of the player.
Search for the product you are looking for and select the one you like the best. It is automatically added to your Overlay and to your carousel. Alternatively, you can use our Bookmarklet to quickly add products from any site, or you can add products manually on MY PAGE under PRODUCTS by pasting in the product and image URL.
The Bookmarklet is a tool to help you get started with Overlay.TV from any other site. It sits in your browser and is the fastest and easiest way to create Overlays and add products. Learn more about how to use our Bookmarklet here.
There are several options when editing targets in your Overlay:
- To move a target click on it and drag it to your desired location in the Overlay.
- To change a target’s size click on one of the corners and drag it to a new size.
- Extend or shorten the target’s duration in an Overlay by moving the green and red start and end flags in the timeline.
- Click on the ‘gear’ icon of a target to see more options, such as titles, descriptions, and more.
- You can delete a target by clicking on the ‘trash’ icon, and selecting OKAY.
No, we do not store source video on our site.
Yes. Under MY PAGE there is an option to delete your Overlay, but be careful! Once an Overlay is deleted, it will no longer be available anywhere that you may have embedded it or shared it.
PUBLISH your finished Overlay to have it seen by the community. If you aren’t ready to PUBLISH it you can SAVE AS DRAFT. An Overlay that is made PUBLIC can be found by other users when they search keywords related to your Overlay. Make an Overlay PRIVATE and only you can see it on MY PAGE, unless you choose to embed it elsewhere, such as your blog.
Yes. Click on the CREATE tab in the player to make an Overlay using that video. The targets from the previous Overlay will not remain in your new Overlay.
No, our channels are currently not user-generated. If you have an idea for a channel, please contact us.
Click on the ADD TO CHANNEL link below the player.
Embed
Click the SHARE tab on right side of the player and copy the embed code. Paste the code into your blog or website.
You can embed any published Overlay from any content creator on Overlay.TV.
Yes. To remove the CREATE button from an embedded player, copy the embed code and add a variable called “showCreate” with a value of “false” to the list of variables that is passed in.
Before:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/bf8781c0421a012b8f0bf3fe302b82bc_lthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv/&allowfullscreen=true' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='504' height='475' wmode='transparent' allowScriptAccess='always' ></embed>
After:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/4cb97bb0ec56012a14c2ffa3a864a401_sthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv/&allowfullscreen=true
&showCreate=false'
type='application/x-shockwave-flash' width='636' height='475' allowfullscreen='true' wmode='transparent'</embed>
Yes. You can select a small (320×240), medium (480×360), large (640×480), or extra large (800×600) player.
You can also manually change the width and height of the player to your specific dimensions within the embed code:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/4cb97bb0ec56012a14c2ffa3a864a401_sthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv&allowfullscreen=true'wmode='transparent' type='application/x-shockwave-flash'
width='636' height='475'
</embed>
Yes. Similar to removing the edit button, the carousel can be removed by adding a variable to the embed code. The variable to add is called “showCarousel” and passing a value of “false” will remove it from an embedded player.
Before:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/4cb97bb0ec56012a14c2ffa3a864a401_sthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv&allowfullscreen=true' wmode='transparent' type='application/xshockwave-flash' width='636' height='475' allowfullscreen='true' wmode='transparent'></embed>
After:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/4cb97bb0ec56012a14c2ffa3a864a401_sthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv &allowfullscreen=true
&showCarousel=false'
type='application/x-shockwave-flash' wmode='transparent' width='636' height='475' wmode='transparent'></embed>
Yes. You can set the autoplay variable to false, which will require your viewers to press play to start the video, or use autoplay=true to have the Overlay play automatically when the page loads.
Before:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/4cb97bb0ec56012a14c2ffa3a864a401_sthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv&allowfullscreen=true' wmode='transparent' type='application/xshockwave-flash' width='636' height='475' allowfullscreen='true' wmode='transparent'></embed>
After:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/4cb97bb0ec56012a14c2ffa3a864a401_sthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv/ &allowfullscreen=true
&autoplay='true'
type='application/xshockwave-flash' width='636' height='475' allowfullscreen='true' wmode='transparent'></embed>
The usual embed tag for the player makes your page background show through certain transparent parts of the player. If the page’s background color is similar to colors used in the player for titles and controls, this can make the player look bad and be difficult to use. To fix this, you can make the player background opaque.
Before:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/4cb97bb0ec56012a14c2ffa3a864a401_sthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv&allowfullscreen=true' wmode='transparent' type='application/xshockwave-flash' width='636' height='475' allowfullscreen='true' wmode='transparent'></embed>
After:
<embed src='http://static.overlay.tv/images/media/authoringtool.swf' flashvars='overlay_id=3621 &thumbnail=http://static.overlay.tv/images/overlays/4cb97bb0ec56012a14c2ffa3a864a401_sthumb.png &configfile=http://static.overlay.tv/config/embed_config.xml &host=http://www.overlay.tv&allowfullscreen=true'
wmode='opaque' bgcolor='#ffff00'
type='application/xshockwave-flash' width='636' height='475' allowfullscreen='true' wmode='transparent'></embed>
Yes, simply save the video without adding any targets. But why not try adding a target? For example, you could add your own personalized watermark.
Yes, click on the SHARE tab of the Overlay you wish to share, and copy the URL.
Alternatively, you can use the SHARE IT feature. Just click on the SHARE IT button, located below the player, and select from one of the many popular social media services out there, to quickly share Overlays that you like.
We are working on our Facebook integration. For now you can use the shared link feature on Facebook, or use the SHARE IT feature located below the player to quickly share Overlays to Facebook.
Yes, click here to download a WordPress plug-in. We will be adding plug-in for different publishers soon, so if you are not a WordPress user please check back. If you would like to request a plug-in for your blog host or software, email us at tagit@overlay.tv.
Skins
Definitely. The look of the player is extremely flexible. The look of the player is controlled by a skin which is a Flash SWF that defines the location, behavior, and look of all the user interface components. Complete documentation on creating a new skin and example skins will be included in the Player SDK which will be released shortly.
Yes. The Player SDK will include documentation describing how to create a new skin as well as sample skins to get you started. SDK will be released shortly.
Badges
Badges enable easy sharing of Overlays without embedding. Users can add linked icons to any web content that will retrieve Overlays when clicked. You can use our badges on your blog or website.
On any Browse page (like Most Recent in Comedy, or All in My Overlays), look for the 
Get Badge link. You’ll see a badge preview and some HTML containing a
Developers
Developers can make use of the two SDK’s, as well as the Overlay.TV API to customize everything from the look of the player, the type of video interactivity to include in the player, the workflow that users experience, and the location on the web that they experience it. The Platform SDK includes documentation and samples demonstrating how to integrate Overlays into any site. Integrated applications can create and manage users, overlays, products and widgets. The Player SDK includes documentation and samples of player skins and widgets.
Widgets
Yes, there is a list of current widgets located here. Since the platform is open to the public this list will grow.
Yes, we encourage you to try out any of your crazy widget ideas. The Player SDK will let you develop and test your widget in a local development environment and when you’re happy with it, you can send it to developer@overlay.tv, and we’ll include it in our widget gallery for everyone to use.
The Player SDK includes a sample widget that you can use to learn about a widgets life cycle and the capabilities it has.
When you have tested your widget and you’re happy that it functions as planned, you can use the packaging script in the Player SDK to create a widget archive. The archive will contain all the SWF files, a few thumbnail icons and a configuration xml file that will include information about you and your widget. The widget archive can be sent to developer@overlay.tv and we will review it and put it in the catalog.
Widgets are very powerful applications that run inside the Overlay.TV player. Widgets can fetch data from remote services, control the behavior of the player, render text, sound, images and animations. In fact they can do anything a Flash program can do since they are SWF’s. Widgets also have multiple personalities in that they can look and behave differently with a viewer than they do with an Overlay author. This is a very useful feature for configuration since authors can be shown a configuration screen and viewers can be shown the result of a configured widget. For example, if a developer makes an RSS widget, they could show a configuration screen to the author to allow them to enter which feed to use. Normal viewers would simply see the rendered feed on top of a video.
API
The API will let you create and manage users that are Overlay contributors in your application. Your application can create Overlays, products and targets (widget instances) on behalf of your users.
The Overlay.TV API is a RESTful web service which means that virtually any language can be used to access it over HTTP, so all that is mandatory is the API documentation. We do however have some code snippets in different languages that will aid in the authentication process. These utility snippets are included in the Platform SDK.
The Platform SDK includes sample Rails and PHP applications, as well as some .NET/Mono sample code.
A recipe is provided in our API documentation that should be simple to implement in your preferred language.
We will have a developer sandbox available shortly. Check back soon.