Dragontape is a collaborative online video merging service with which you can drag online videos starting with YouTube onto a “tape” that can be shared with the world. Basically, it is a browser-based visual playlist editor, which enables users to merge video files from different online sources into one. The result is a new gapless video which can be easily shared and embedded as if it was a single file - meanwhile the sources remain in their original location so there are no duplicates only a rearrangement of files. With the quick search function users can find their favourite video within seconds and integrate it into their playlist by simply dragging it on their endless tape.

The idea behind Dragontape was born after a party in Peter’s apartment late 2009 where he asked his friends to bring their YouTube playlists in order to turn a simple get-together with music in the background into a fun and entertaining social event. As he could not find the right tool that makes playlist creation easy and fun he decided to build a prototype that enabled friends to create visually organized video playlists. The evening was a huge success and Tamas realized the great potential of the product. After testing the idea in a closed group turning their friends into enthusiastic playlist creators (and enduring another fun night with good food and music), they decided to set things right and develop an easy to use service and go online within a short period of time.

Dragontape is currently in beta phase, there are some known issues and various problems may occur. If you come across bugs or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: feedback@dragontape.com

Requirements

Dragontape runs under the most popular browsers, please use one of these in order to get the best experience.

Windows
• Firefox 3.6.6. or later
• Chrome
• Internet Explorer 8 or higher (with some limitations!)

MacOS
• Safari
• Firefox
• Chrome

Linux
• Firefox
• Chrome

What is a tape? Tape is the area where you can drop video clips you have searched for. Every clip is played sequentially like in the good-old VHS times. If the playhead meets overlapping clips it always picks the one with the top position.

Does a tape have time limitations? Conceptionally no, but in this early beta phase tapes can be about 3 hours long.

Where can I find my username and password? Upon your first login we keep you signed in so you don't need to login each time. In case you are logging in from a different browser or computer and have to sign in again, you can find your pass in the registration mail we sent you from noreply@dragontape.com.

If Dragontape is based on HTML and YUI, why do I need the Flash Player plugin? We are currently using the Flash Player for video playback only (the editor was built using HTML and Java), but we are already working on our HTML5 video player. HTML 5 is central to us because it promises smoother playback and support on devices like iPads.

Can I download a tape as a single video? No. All video hosting and rights issues stay by the original provider of the clips. Dragontape is a classic meshup service, it's not intended to convert tapes to real downloadable videos.

How can I publish a tape to the Dragontape gallery? At the bottom of the page click on the name of the tape, then set ‘tape is not public’ to ‘tape is public’.

Why do I need to register? You only need to register if you want to save or share a tape. Without registration we can’t recognise you when you want to modify your tape again. Simply type your name and email address into the registration panel and you are done.

Which video will be played if they overlap each other? The one on the top will be played.

I would like to add a video to my tape which is in my browser’s bookmark list. How can I do that? You can simply paste any YouTube ID or direct YouTube URL right in the search field and you’ll get the the video as a result.

I would like to search related videos. Is it possible? One of the next steps we are working on is to implement more comprehensive search methods that includes related results.

I would like to see how many of my friends watched my tape. Where can I find statistics? Basic statistics will be implemented soon.

Is it possible to trim videos? Currently this is not possible but we are working on that feature.

Can I use Dragontape on my iPad? An HTML5 Player for Dragontape is currently under development.

Can I embed a tape into my blog? Not yet, but we think of it as one of the most important extensions and we are working on it.

Team

Tamás Szakál, Founder, CEO
Péter Szakál, Founder, Product Director
Richárd Gazdik, UI Designer
Róbert Szalóky, Frontend Developer (EU Edge)
Zsombor Gegesy, Backend Developer (EU Edge)

Advisors

Viktor Szathmáry, Founder and CEO of Scarab Research and EU Edge
Ádám Somlai-Fischer, Founder and Head of Design of Prezi.com

We are currently seeking experienced web developers who are familiar with contemporary web technologies. Solid Java and HTML5 skills are an advantage.

Also, if you think you can help our team to improve the product in other ways and you like the idea behind Dragontape, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Please send us information about your work to jobs(at)dragontape.com

If you want to send us your feedback, questions or comments, learn more about future plans or if you simply want to get in touch please contact us at: feedback@dragontape.com