What is the RiffTrax Player?
In an effort to free up my time to play Halo 3, I, Disembaudio have invented The RiffTrax Player. It’s a patent-pending technology which auto-magically makes watching a RiffTrax movie as easy as watching a normal DVD on your computer. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Heck, RiffTrax would be great if I didn’t have to exert the minimal effort required to synch up the MP3 with the movie,” then the RiffTrax player is the solution you’ve been waiting for.

What makes the RiffTrax Player unique?
For those of you who can only keep one thing in their head at a time, the RiffTrax player turns watching RiffTrax into a one click process. By combining synching information with the RiffTrax MP3 into a single file, watching a RiffTrax movie becomes as easy as watching a normal DVD. Also, it has a secret ingredient. (Hint: The Secret Ingredient is Love.)

Where do I get the RiffTrax Player?
It’s free, and you get it right here: http://shop.rifftrax.com/rifftrax-player Follow the instructions on that page to download the Player.

What is a .riff file?
It’s a new format only for use with the RiffTrax player. It’s an MP3 and syncing instructions all blended up into some new file-y goodness.

So how do I watch a RiffTrax movie using the player?
You’ll need two things… actually three things… no, four: A P.C., a DVD drive attached to that computer, a DVD of the movie and the .riff file purchased from RiffTrax.com. Turn on the computer, put the DVD in the DVD drive, and open the RiffTrax Player using the bomb icon on your desktop. Click the “Load RiffTrax” button, and select the appropriate .riff file for the movie you’re going to watch. The DVD will begin to play just like normal, but once the movie starts, the riffing will come in auto-magically synched up.

Which movies have .riff files available for download?
Each movie’s product page will have an “Available In” section. Icons indicate whether the RiffTrax is available in NTSC, PAL or RiffTrax Player format. If you’ve already purchased a certain RiffTrax, when a RiffTrax Player file becomes available for it, you will automatically have access to it in your Order History.

If the RiffTrax becomes out of sync with the DVD, is there any way to get it back into sync?
Getting off sync is rare, but fast forwarding or rewinding the movie a few seconds to a section where there is dialog, or skipping back to the last chapter usually will sync the movie and RiffTrax back up. For best syncing performance, we recommend not running any other memory intensive programs on your computer at the same time.

Will my old RiffTrax MP3 files play on the RiffTrax Player?
No they won’t. But if you’ve already purchased a RiffTrax, when a RiffTrax Player (.riff) file becomes available for it, you will have automatic access to it in your Order History. So you never need to repurchase a RiffTrax, but you will need to re-download it in the new .riff file format. Look for announcements regarding .riff file availability in the RiffTrax Forum.

Is the Player available for Mac?
No, there is currently no estimated release date for a Mac version.

How do I get to full screen viewing?
If the glorious sight of a petulant Anakin Skywalker just isn’t taking up enough of your screen, simply double click anywhere on the movie window.

How do I switch from full screen to menu screen?
The same way you got to full screen: Just double click anywhere on the movie

How do I get the floating menu in full screen?
The floating DVD control menu will appear in the bottom left corner when you move the mouse cursor toward the bottom of the screen. It will disappear when you click anywhere on the movie, or when you click the ‘X’ to close it.

How can I adjust volume?
Oh, you paid for the RiffTrax, and now you want to hear it? Well, your majesty, volume can be adjusted from the Menu Screen or the Full Screen control panel. Volume for the DVD and the RiffTrax are set separately, and can be adjusted based on your system and personal preference, at any time during the movie.

Can I jump to other chapters?
Yes. You can select any chapter in the Chapters menu button to the left of the View button.

What is ducking?
Ducking is an optional feature that automatically lowers (ramps) the volume of the DVD whenever riffing is happening. This makes it easier to hear riffs during loud, explosion-y parts of the movies. Ducking can be turned on or off from the icon bar at the top of the menu screen. The Ducking generally has a gradual lowering (down-ramp) of the DVD audio before the Riff and a gradual raising (up-ramp) of the DVD audio after the Riff. While the ramping is maxed out at 2 sec duration, you can adjust the ramp to your own preference by going into the DVD Settings menu button (to the right of the DVD Fullscreen button) and selecting Rendering/Ducking option at the top. The default has the audio ramped up immediately after the Riff.

Is this version of the RiffTrax Player the final finished product?
The RiffTrax player is constantly being refined based on our user’s experience. I, Disembaudio, don’t have to do diddly squat because the RiffTrax Player will auto-magically prompt you if a new version of the player is available, and will auto-magically download and install any future updates. I always recommended that you install the latest version before using the player.

Why can’t I turn off the advertising banners on the menu screen?
The RiffTrax Player is a Free application that is supported by the unobtrusive ads displayed on the Menu Screen, (of the Free application.) They will not display when you watch a movie in the Full Screen mode of the Free application. They help us keep the Free application Free.

Will there be advertising on the Player in the future in addition to the RiffTrax Titles?
If the advertising that does not display in Full Screen mode of the Free RiffTrax Player really bothers you, please contact us and we will develop a Paid version of the Player that does not contain ads.

Can I download the MP3 (embedded in the .riff file) to my IPOD or other MP3 device?
Yes.

Oh, you want to know HOW to do this…Just click the “Export Riff to External Device” button on the Icon Bar. The name of the RiffTrax MP3 file will be displayed and when you click “Export PC MP3 File” you can choose where the file will be created on your computer. You can use this file in any way you would a normal RiffTrax MP3 file.

What if the video or audio is not working properly in the Player?
If you are having a problem, go to the DVD Settings button and click on DVD Decoders. The DVD Decoder page will show you all the codecs (encoders/decoders) for video and audio in your personal machine. Try various codecs for audio and/or video to see if it makes a difference. If you are curious about the various codecs on your machine and want to know far far too much about them go to DVD Settings and click on Codec Properties. Some codecs will allow you to mess with the audio levels and a lot of buttons you won’t understand, I suggest leaving them alone unless you know what you’re doing.

What if I’m still having problems with the Player?
Try playing the DVD and Player in another computer if one is available. If nothing seems to work you can email me at disembaudio@rifftrax.com. While I’m “truly” interested in reading about your personal life, it would help if you include some kind of information about the problem you are dealing with. Include information on the codecs on your machine and what you tried to do to correct the problem. Also mention whether the DVD and Player work OK on another computer. If it does play on another computer, give me information on the codecs in that machine.

Will the RiffTrax Player work with my VHS tapes, torrented DIVX files, Amazon unbox or the DVD of a theatrical release that came out yesterday that I bought from some guy on Canal Street?
No. The Riff Player will only will only work with official DVDs.