External access to Audio Clips behind Firewall

[greenidge]

I need to allow the band members to listen to the audio recordings of the services which we just record for posterity, it is not streamed. How can I do this? The files are saved on the hard drive at the church and I am not sure how to allow them remote access to them. It is a Windows PC operating within a MAC environment.

[cmchamp]

I would not open yourself up to that. This is where a $99/yr Mobile Me account works great.
I use one for my teaching ministry Throne Together Ministries.
Using iWeb (iLife '09), I have a user name and password restricted link to our download page where members download the song list for our next program to practice their parts.
C.

[[Admin] osborn4]

If you used PlanningCenterOnline, that would allow you to upload media files that could be accessed by your team.

Oops. "If you have media stored somewhere else online..." you can link to it.

So you still need to host it somewhere.

[[Admin] osborn4]

Another idea. With Dropbox.com, you can have a public folder to which you send out a URL to specific files.

Do you want them to have specific links to specific weeks or just be able to bring up the archive and select a service to download and listen to?

If you used carbonite.com to back up, you could give out the password and they could access the files from the carbonite server.

You could also try gotomypc.com and see it that would work.

[waynehoskins]

You basically have to go one of two routes, both mentioned already.

One is a VPN route (such as GotomyPC or PCAnywhere), where select remote users are able to connect to the church computer as though it were public.

The other is a private FTP/FS route. You transfer the file to an FTP server on the internet, which users can log in to and download the files of interest.

The VPN method would be a simpler workflow, but I think the FTP method is a superior solution -- especially if you have a slow line at the church (where slow is T1 or less) or the number of users is high.

[[Admin] osborn4]

I was thinking that a password secured FTP server was the correct geeky answer. I should have know that Wayne would bring it up.

I didn't think about the fact that GoToMyPC or PCAnywhere would only allow 1 user at a time. Simple to set up, not necessarily the right long term solution.

The FTP server, once set up, would certianly be the superior solution.

[FlamHappy]

Make them mp3s and do a mass emailing?

[prochlea]

You could make them MP3's and share them via Google doc's... that what we do for our recordings of the band.

[waynehoskins]

Originally Posted by FlamHappy

Make them mp3s and do a mass emailing?

Probably they'd be too big for mail. Many mail servers have filesize limits, some as small as 5 MB. Most aren't that small, but for sending files through mail you pretty much have to assume they all have 5M limits.

[FlamHappy]

Yousendit.com?

[rcourtney]

We use an inexpensive device and serve from a thumb drive.

http://www.simpletech.com/products/s.../simplenet.php

We use Filezilla as the client software.

[prochlea]

something else that would work.... pogoplug

you share folders with whoever you want, and you just have to open up a port or two...