The tutorial below provides a complete overview.
MediaZilla allows content creators to export a presentation for offline viewing. The files can then be placed on a USB thumb drive or similar and provided to the viewer. When you export a presentation for offline viewing, we compile two versions, one for Windows and one for Mac. The presentation looks and functions nearly identical to the web browser version but does not require any internet connection (see limitations at the bottom of this article).
Creating the Offline Presentation
To export a presentation for offline viewing, click the 3 dots in the lower-right corner of the tile in your dashboard, and select "Export for Offline" from the context menu.
This will open a screen that displays the status of the build process and allows you to start the build. You may close the window after initiating the build.
Click "Build Now," and we will begin processing your request. We provide an estimate of when your file will be ready to download.
Only the content creator can download this file. Clients and Private Delivery recipients cannot.
When the build process is complete, you will receive an email notification to download the file. You can also return to the "Export for Offline" screen of the presentation, where you will see a button to download.
Windows Users
Downloading on Windows
If you are on Windows, download the file normally.
Extracting on Windows
Once downloaded, right-click on the zip file and select "Extract All" from the menu. Choose a location and click "Extract." If you are delivering to a client, provide them with all the files extracted from the zip archive.
Running the App on Windows
To launch the presentation, double-click on the executable (it is appended with "-win" and has the Z icon). You may receive a warning that Microsoft Defender prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Click "More info," then "Run anyway."
Mac Users
Downloading on Mac
If you are downloading on a Mac with Mojave or older, you must use a third-party tool, "The Unarchiver," to extract the contents of the zip archive. The default application, Archive Utility, does not support files over 4 GB and will produce partial/corrupt files if any files in the archive are over 4GB. This issue was resolved on newer versions of macOS, starting with Catalina.
Also, the default behavior of Safari is to automatically extract the contents of a zip file using Archive Utility after downloading. If you are downloading via Safari in Mojave or older, please update your browser preferences to prevent this (instructions below).
Safari > Preferences > General
Uncheck "Open Safe Files After Downloading"
Extracting on Mac
If you are on Mojave or older, Right-Click > Open With > The Unarchiver.
If you are using Catalina or newer, you may use Archive Utility to extract the contents.
If you deliver to a client, provide them with all the files extracted from the zip archive.
Running the App on Mac
Perform these steps the first time you launch the presentation (similar to installing other apps on Mac):
Double-click the dmg file to mount it. The mounted disk should then appear on your desktop with the "Z" icon.
Double click the icon on your desktop to launch it. This should open a window with the application icon inside (pictured below).
Following the instructions, drag the application from this window into the same location as the dmg file and videos folder (pictured below).
Double-click the application that you just dragged over to launch it.
Accept the prompt about it being downloaded from the internet. The presentation should then open.
To open the presentation again, simply double-click the application instead of using the dmg file.
Please make sure to always keep the "videos" folder in the exact location as the presentation, or else the videos will not work.
Limitations
Computer Use Only
The offline export will only work on a computer. Smart TVs are not designed to load menus from a USB drive, only video files. For TV or mobile viewing, please use the MediaZilla apps, which provide the best experience.
Single Video Quality
Currently, 4K viewing is not available with the offline export. Only a single resolution, up to full HD quality, will be provided with the offline export.