DirectRT / MediaLab Online FAQ

[Trevor Newell]

Once you're satisfied with your experiment and are ready to begin the data collection process, you will be able to launch our 'Online Management' tool from within both DirectRT and MediaLab. From here, the application will allow for your experiment to be uploaded via FTP to either our servers or your own. Once your experiment has been hosted online, you will be able to begin sending out invites through email to the subject's of your choice. If you want a wide range of subject's to access your study, but you do not know each of their emails, you will optionally be able to provide your user's with a web URL that they can use to participate in your study with.

[Trevor Newell]

[edited from support email]

Will my experiments be delivered through a web browser?

[Trevor Newell]

No. In order to run your experiment the user will need to install our online media player to their machine and launch a file that you send to them through email or a specified web URL.

From here, your experiment will run and look exactly the same on the subject's machine as it would if the subject was seated in your lab. Nothing changes. Within our 2010 version of this system, we've chosen against delivering the experiment directly through a web browser, as we want to make sure that the software still has complete control over the subject's machine as they are participating in the data collection process.
With this interface, we plan to eliminate a large margin of possible compatibility and usability errors from taking place.

[Trevor Newell]

[edited from support email]

Ok. So what operating systems are compatible with this system?

[Trevor Newell]

All subjects will be able to join your study from any machine in the world as long as they have both an Internet connection and Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 (running on a PC or Intel based Mac).

[Trevor Newell]

[edited from support email]

Is the online system backwards compatible with my older experiments?

[Trevor Newell]

Yes. Our 2010 versions of both DirectRT and MediaLab have been designed to be completely backwards compatible; therefore, all of your experiments will be compatible with the online system as long as you have a 2010 license for either DirectRT or MediaLab. Experiments that use both MediaLab and DirectRT will require 2010 licenses for both applications before they will have the ability to be hosted online.

We greatly value the ability for an application to always be completely backwards compatible. We strive to always build our newest versions around a solid core/identity that completely integrates itself with our previous versions.