Frequently Asked Questions

Long Play is a calm, presentation-first video platform built for thoughtful creators. Long Play itself never sells ads or inserts advertising - there's no algorithm, no public engagement metrics, and no pressure to perform. Creators on the Creator plan can optionally run their own sponsor ads, but Long Play never inserts an ad a creator didn't choose.

Anyone who wants a quieter, more intentional way to share video - without social pressure or platform noise. That includes filmmakers, studios, and agencies, but just as much hobbyists, travel and music creators, or anyone who just wants a calm place to watch.

Long Play focuses on presentation, longevity, and trust rather than reach or virality. The platform does not insert its own ads, does not rank content using algorithms, does not display public view counts or likes, and does not push creators toward trends or growth tactics. The goal is to support creators who value clarity, control, and long-term visibility. Choosing the Right Platform →

Long Play itself doesn't run ads, sell advertising, or track users for marketing - and we don't sell viewer data. Long Play makes money from subscriptions, not advertising, and that's not changing. Creators on the Creator plan can optionally run their own sponsor ads through Ad Manager - but Long Play takes no cut, never sees those deals, and never inserts an ad a creator didn't choose.

Optionally, yes. Creators on the Creator plan can use Ad Manager to run their own sponsor ads - one pre-roll and one post-roll - on videos longer than 3 minutes, up to 60 seconds of advertising per video total. Videos of 3 minutes or less don't carry ads. Rented, purchased, or subscription-gated videos never carry ads either - if you paid to unlock a video, it plays without ads, automatically. Long Play takes no cut, never sees the deal, and never inserts an ad a creator didn't choose. Learn more about Ad Manager →

No. There is no algorithmic ranking, trending system, or engagement optimisation. Discovery is intentionally simple and non-manipulative.

Long Play is not designed to optimise reach, virality, or audience growth. It is designed to support thoughtful presentation, intentional sharing, and long-term access to work - whether that audience is small, private, or carefully chosen.

Sign up for a free account at longplayplatform.com/signup. No credit card required. Upload your first video and you’re live.

Yes. Long Play offers a Free plan that lets you upload and share video without any commitment. Optional paid plans are available for creators who need more storage or features. Long Play does not rely on advertising or data tracking to operate. View plans →

Not yet, but it's on the roadmap - iOS, Android, and Apple TV apps, plus Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and smart TV platforms (Samsung, LG, Google TV) further out. In the meantime, Long Play's mobile site is clean and fully usable on its own - no app needed to get a good experience today.

Yes. On the login or signup page, choose "Continue with Google" to create or access your account using your Google account instead of a password. Your account still works with a regular password too - if Google sign-in is ever unavailable, use Forgot password to set one at any time.

Anything you own the rights to and that isn’t illegal - full stop. Long Play was built with filmmakers in mind, but plenty of creators use it for travel footage, music covers, home videos, documentaries, sports and hobby clips, or anything else worth presenting properly. There’s no genre requirement and no festival pedigree needed. If it’s your work (or you have permission to publish it) and it doesn’t break the law, it belongs here.

Long Play accepts most common video formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI and more. Standard Definition (SD) through to 4K is supported - including legacy broadcast formats like SD PAL and SD NTSC. If your file plays on your computer it will almost certainly upload fine. Files are transcoded to 1080p, 720p, and 480p renditions for adaptive playback - 4K source files also get a 4K stream - while your original file is preserved exactly as delivered.

Free plan uploads support files up to 18 GB per file; Creator plan supports up to 45 GB per file. These are per-upload limits - your total usage is tracked in hours of video, not gigabytes. Free plan: 10 hours total; Creator plan: 50 hours total. View plans →

On the Creator plan, you can select or drag up to 3 files at once - they're uploaded and processed one at a time. On the Free plan, uploads are one file at a time.

Yes, on every plan. A Free account can run 2 channels in total (your main account plus 1 more), and a Creator account up to 4 (your main account plus 3 more). Each channel has its own name, page address, videos, subscribers, RSS feed, collections and ads - handy if you run more than one business or project and want one login and one bill. Your storage and hours are one shared pool across all your channels, not extra per channel. Learn more about running more than one channel →

Yes. On a video's edit page choose Thumbnail & poster to pick any frame (stepping frame by frame) or upload your own image, for the thumbnail, the player poster, or both. Each video keeps up to 12 saved thumbnails and 12 saved posters, plus the originals, which can never be deleted and can be restored at any time. Editing the video (a Video Fix or replacing the file) resets them after a warning. Learn more →

Nothing on a channel's public page links it to your other channels. Each one has its own page, name and links, and a subscriber to one channel gets nothing from your others.

Yes, always. Long Play displays every video at its native aspect ratio - whether that’s 4:3, 16:9, 2.39:1 cinemascope, or anything in between. Black bars are intentional and correct, never a bug. We believe respecting the frame is part of respecting the work. Your film plays the way you made it.

Yes. Long Play has no exclusivity requirement. If you want to host your work here as well as on YouTube, Vimeo, or anywhere else, that’s completely fine. We’d rather your work exist in a better environment alongside other platforms than not be here at all.

Cinema Pass is Long Play’s immersive viewing mode - designed to help videos feel more like a screening and less like a feed. It dims distractions, enlarges the player, and creates a calm theatre-style environment so viewers can focus entirely on the story, the craft, and the moment.

Yes. You can choose from three visibility options - Private (only visible to you), Private share / link only (accessible via direct link, not publicly browsable - useful for festival submissions, client reviews, or press previews), or Public (visible on the platform). Public videos are never algorithmically promoted or ranked.

Yes. Every video on Long Play has an embed code available from the player. You can embed videos on your own site, blog, or portfolio. Creator plan members can also restrict playback to specific domains so your video only plays where you choose.

Yes. Creators retain full ownership of all uploaded content. Long Play does not claim rights over your work. Files are stored only to provide hosting, playback, and creator tools. We preserve your original file at the exact quality you uploaded - including 4K - and you can download it again at any time.

Never. Your videos belong to you. Long Play will never use your uploads to train AI models, feed them into any machine learning pipeline, or licence them to third parties for that purpose. Ever.

Yes, but you have to opt in - nothing is generated automatically without you asking for it. Long Play can generate a caption track from your video's audio, and you can request it right after upload or at any time from your video's Closed Captions page. The generated track starts as a Draft and is never shown to viewers until you have reviewed it, corrected any errors, and clicked Save changes. If you never request it, nothing happens. Learn more about auto-generated captions →

No. Long Play's caption generation runs entirely on Long Play's own servers. We use Whisper, an open-source speech recognition model released by OpenAI - but it runs locally on our own infrastructure. Your video is never sent to OpenAI, Google, or any third-party service. No external platform ever touches your content. If you'd rather not use it, just skip it - uploading your own caption file works exactly as it always has.

Long Play accepts caption files from all major professional workflows: SRT (universal), VTT (web standard), EBU STL (European broadcast), SCC (North American broadcast), TTML/DFXP (UK broadcast and streaming platform delivery - BBC, ITV, Netflix, Amazon), SBV (YouTube exports), and iTT (Apple TV and iTunes delivery). All formats are automatically converted to VTT for playback, and your original file is always preserved and available to download. Learn more about adding captions →

Yes - this is a Creator plan feature. You connect your own Stripe account once, then sell or rent a single video, or sell a whole course as one purchase. Stripe handles the payment directly between you and the buyer; Long Play never touches the money and takes no cut. Learn about selling and renting with Stripe →

Open Sell with Stripe from your dashboard's Creator tools menu and connect your own Stripe account once. Stripe takes each buyer's payment and pays you, so Long Play never handles the money and takes no cut. Stripe charges its own processing fee on each payment, which depends on your country and the currency, and Stripe shows the exact fee on each payment in your Stripe dashboard. A currency conversion fee may apply if your Stripe account pays out in another currency. Read the full guide →

On the video's Monetization page, select the Stop selling or Stop renting button next to the price (it appears once a price is set), or clear the price field and save, or enter 0 - all three turn it off. A For sale / Not for sale label above the field always shows the real current state. Buyers who already paid keep their access.

The buyer dashboard at Video edit → Manage buyers gives you full control. You can look up any email to see their access status and a timestamped history of every access event (useful if you ever need to handle a dispute). You can grant access manually - for press, collaborators, or anyone you want to let in without a purchase - and revoke it at any time. If you're moving from another platform, you can bulk-import a list of existing buyers from a CSV file. Full buyer management guide →

Promo codes let you give viewers free access to a paid video without going through a payment platform - useful for giveaways, press access, or letting specific people in. Create a code in the Promo codes tab of the buyer dashboard, set an optional use limit or expiry date, and share it. Viewers enter their email and the code at the video gate; Long Play grants access immediately. Learn about promo codes →

Visit the video page and enter the email address you used when you bought or rented it. Long Play will verify your access and let you in. Your session is remembered for 30 days on that device so you don't have to re-enter it each visit. For rentals: the countdown starts the moment you first press play, not from when you paid - so you can check your access whenever you like and start watching when you're ready. More detail on access and rentals →

Your plan changes take effect at the end of the current billing period, followed by a 30 day grace period with Creator features still on so you can sort out your channels and video hours (a banner shows what to reduce). Your videos remain yours and are never deleted or hidden when you go over the Free limits - you just can't upload new videos or add channels until you are back within them, and you can always download your original files. View plans →

If you cancel within 48 hours of a new paid sign-up or renewal you are eligible for a full refund. After 48 hours, cancellation stops future renewals and your current plan stays active until the end of the billing period. To request a refund, contact us via Support. We won’t try to talk you out of it - it’s simply a manual process so we can confirm and process it properly. Please allow up to 2 business days.

Long Play maintains a calm, safety-focused approach to moderation. Content may be reviewed if it raises legal, safety, or policy concerns. The platform is not a free-for-all.

No. Support is handled by real people, not bots. Replies may occasionally take time but every message is reviewed carefully and personally.

Yes. Thoughtful feedback and ideas are always welcome. Contact us via Support →