| What do I do if my question is not answered on this page? You can submit your question at the Contact Us page. We will answer your question and update this page as well. |
| What type of subscription am I purchasing through this Group Buy? You can purchase either the Basic or Plus version of Discovery Education streaming. The Basic version (referred to on the Discovery website at the "Homeschooler Subscription" gives you access to 40,000 video clips from 4,000 educational videos, and more. Alternatively, you can now purchase what is called the Plus version. Plus has everything in Basic, plus nearly twice the content. Click here for a list of titles available in the Basic version. Click here for a list of titles available in the Plus version. |
| Is it possible to upgrade from the Basic to the Plus version of streaming? Yes. Click the "Plus" tab at the top of this page and scroll down until you see the option to purchase to purchase the upgrade. |
| If I sign up for a trial version to get a quick look at the program, will I mess up anything regarding either of these discounts? No. Lots of people have signed up for the trial version and it hasn't messed anything up. In fact, we encourage you to do so in order to be sure you want to make this purchase, as there is no refund. Keep in mind that the trial version gives you access to Plus, which includes all of Basic. |
| What version of streaming is available with the 30-day free trial? The Plus version only. Keep in mind that Plus has everything in Basic and more, but if you sign up for the 30-day free trial and subsequently purchase Basic, you'll have access to fewer videos than you had access to with the trial version. |
| Where can I get more information about Discovery Education streaming? For DE streaming Plus: For DE streaming (the "Basic" version; also called "DE streaming for Homeschool"): |
| Is there a less expensive way to get Discovery Education ? We are not aware of a more affordable option for an individual subscriber. However, groups can purchase what is called a Network Manager Subscription. With a Network Manager Subscription, the group (typically a school) sets up your own local server to store only those videos that your group requests, rather than all unitedstreaming™ content. Also, with minimal management, installed software schedules downloads of selected streaming content to the local server during off-peak Internet hours. For a complete description of all subscription options, click here. |
| What is the difference between Cosmeo and Discovery Education streaming? Cosmeo and streaming are very similar in that they both offer video segments and images for presentations or reports. Cosmeo is designed as a homework helper for students. streaming is not a homework helper, but rather digital educational programming. streaming is intended for both teachers and students. Teachers can use streaming to plan and supplement their classes. Cosmeo's library only consists of elementary titles, which also includes 30,000 video segments, whereas streaming, both Basic and Plus versions, contain much more content, lesson plans, student activities, quizzes and more. |
| Can I download Discovery Education streaming digital content to my computer? Unfortunately, the answer is "No." You can play the videos on your computer (this is called streaming, but you cannot save them to your computer for later viewing.
Downloading to individual homes is prohibited under Discovery Education's licensing agreements.
However, you can download most of the graphic images and audio clips. |
| Do I need a high-speed internet connection for this product? Yes, Discovery Education recommends a high-speed connection to take full advantage of a subscription. |
| Does Discovery Education streaming content contain Evolution material? Yes. Evolution is described in several videos and supplemental information. |
| How can I be sure I have the Plus version when I purchase it through the Co-op? When you purchase any of the Discovery Education subscriptions through the Co-op, your order goes directly from the Co-op's computers directly into the Discovery Education computers. This connection has been thoroughly tested and thus far been found to be 100% reliable.
All the same, many members contact us thinking they don't have Plus because it doesn't appear to be any different from the Basic subscription. Unfortunately, the DE streaming Plus user interface does NOT indicate to users that they have Plus. We are told they are working on this and will have a solution "soon."
You can verify that you have Plus by pulling up videos that are part of the Plus package, such as PBS videos or PLANET EARTH.
For example, search for the PLANET EARTH series by entering "planet earth" in the search box at the top of the page. Put quotes around the phrase "planet earth" to limit your search. If you don't put quotes around it, you'll get any video that has the words "planet" and/or "earth" in the description.
If that doesn't work, it's not because you don't have Plus. It's because of a cookie problem or the way your browser is configured. DE streaming Plus is very sensitive to cookies. Here's what you should do: - Delete your cookies.
- Delete your browser history.
- Exit and restart your browser.
- Try again.
If you STILL don't get the PLANET EARTH videos AND you use Firefox, one member cleared up the problem by choosing "Clear Private Data" from the Firefox Tools menu.
If that you do that and you STILL don't get PLANET EARTH, it's not because you don't have Plus. It's because your mother-in-law (a school teacher in a neighboring state) came to visit you and signed into her DE streaming account on your computer. Unfortunately, unlike you, her school didn't pony up for Plus, and so the next time you went into your account you couldn't find PLANET EARTH because your computer was still signed into your mother-in-law's account. You are signed in until you sign out.
If you try to access a video and get a message that it is not available, it's STILL not because you don't have Plus. It's because of a technical glitch on the DE computers. Please send us the link to the page with the problem, and we'll share it with DE. Our experience is that they are very good about fixing problems like that when they know about it. |
| Do I need one license per child? No. Your subscription is good for your entire family. You will have more information in how to manage your account once your annual license is activated. |
Will my children be able to access different videos from their own computers at the same time or can they only watch one video all at the same time?
Your subscription is good for your entire family. Your children can use the same account simultaneously from different computers, and view differnet videos simultaneously from their own computers. |
| What are the grade levels for the programs? There is lots of great content and digital resources for grades K-12. |
| ***ATTENTION*** residents of Georgia & Alabama! It has come to our attention that Georgia and Alabama are considered "Free States" for the streaming Homeschool subscription (the "Basic" version). This means that if you are a homeschool parent in any of the these states and you want to purchase streaming, your local PBS station has already paid for the subscription. Contact your local PBS station for details. Alternatively, you may join our Group Buy, but you will be charged our non-refundable $10 transaction fee and pay the same price as other members, regardless of your state. NOTE: We do not know at this time whether these "Free State" subscriptions give you access to the Basic or Plus versiion. |
| Why isn't streaming available to members outside the U.S.? streaming is available to Canadians exclusively though Waynor Media Communications (http://www.marlineducation.com/Waynor/Home.htm). To our knowledge, it is not available elsewhere owing to copyright and licensing issues. |
| Do you know what the video size/quality is on the films? The demo one is extremely pixelated when you make it the size of my 19" monitor. The native resolution for the 256K and 700K videos is 320x240. The maximum resolution in which the videos are viewed really varies by videos. The determining factor is often the quality of the original (pre-digitized video). Even in 256K, videos such as the Discovery Series Human Body look great full-screen. In contrast a video that contains source content (such as a 1940's retrospective) will likely show more pixelation full-screen. |
| Can I access DE streaming if I am overseas? No. Unfortunately, owing to licensing issues, you cannot access DE streaming overseas, even if you are a U.S. citizen. |
