About Digital Downloads

Digital Downloads are the quickest and best way to receive your video from an overall quality perspective. DVD is a very old technology that is limited in picture quality, and the best quality pictures are available in digital form - this is particularly important for aviation videos! It's the difference between Standard Definition and High Definition TV channels - and the digital downloads are in 4K resolution, which is well above HD quality.

We recognise that many people haven't moved to digital download technology yet, so we have provided a guide on some of the more frequently asked questions and have provided links to some useful websites that go into more detail on each of the options.

How does it work?

You will receive a screen after purchase that provides a hyperlink with a direct download of the video. You will also receive an email with the download link. There are no limits to how often you can download the video, so you don't have to worry about accidentally deleting the video.

How big is the file?

The file is a maximum of 5GB in size, which includes all of the features of the physical DVD at a better picture quality than a DVD can display. Please make sure you have enough storage space (hard drive etc) on your device so that you can receive the content.

How long will it take to download?

The download time will vary based on your internet connection speed, measured in Mbps. Not to be confused with megabytes or gigabytes (which is used to measure file size), Mbps or “megabits per second” is the metric used to measure the speed of data transfers across the internet. This standard measurement is used by internet service providers across the world. More Mbps allows you to transfer more data at once, which gives you faster downloads and more bandwidth between multiple devices.

A rough estimate of time taken to download is:

  • ADSL2+ (average speed 4.8Mbps) - 2.5 hours
  • NBN Standard (25) plan (average speed 25Mbps) - 40 minutes
  • NBN Standard Plus (50) plan (average speed 40-50Mbps) - 20 minutes
  • NBN Premium (100) plan (60-80Mbps) - 10-15 Minutes
  • 4G Mobile Device (80Mbps - be careful of your data allowance!) - 10 minutes

In short, if your internet speed is fast enough to watch Netflix, Stan, ABC iView or SBS On Demand, it will be fast enough to download any of the HARS videos.

Anyway, however long it takes on your connection, it will certainly get to you much faster than Australia Post can do it!

How do I watch the video?

You can watch the video on your computer through normal video software - QuickTime, Windows Media Player or VLC are all examples of this software.

If you have a smart TV such as an Android, an AppleTV or a Chromecast and a computer on the same network, the simplest way to watch any downloaded video is through the AirPlay or Chromecast feature of your device. A handy guide is provided here. 

You could also use a commercial application such as Plex Server to set up a media server and access it through an AppleTV or Android App. We recommend Plex as a very sensible option to manage a digital media collection, and have linked to a very well written guide here. Please note we are not affiliated with Plex in any way.

Most TVs also have a USB feature, so you can save the file to a USB drive (including a hard drive), plug it into your TV and watch it from there. Here is a guide on how to do it.

Failing that, it's also possible to burn the movie file to a DVD and play it in a regular DVD player - but it's a bit of a hassle, will result in lower picture quality and we strongly recommend one of the options above.

What about DVD Extras?

All of the extra content that would be available on the DVD is also available to digital download purchasers. Once you have bought the product, you will receive a link to the product page for the DVD extras, and a discount code to make the purchase free. This second 'purchase' is due to the file size constraints of our ecommerce platform. You'll see that the price on the product page for the DVD extras is extremely high - this is deliberate so that people don't accidentally purchase the extras. It might take an hour or two for the second email to come through with the discount code - please be patient as this shop is run by volunteers. 

If you have any problems after purchase, please contact us and we'll make it right