Well, not ALL went smoothly. the installation did. the component worked perfectly. but hoo no! the titles were a little buggy because i use Hebrew letters. well, support simply took my pwd and user name, logged in, found the bug and squashed it well... like a bug :).
friendliest support i had ever seen :).
I would probably use it even with the trimmed titles bug but hey, now its even better... :D.
5 stars. and big thanks.

We needed a component that would allow large video uploads which could then be downloaded by registered users... we achieved this with HWDMediaShare, plus got the added benefit of automatic conversion to .flv so visitors can also view online! Very much worth the small licensing fee, and the support was the best we've seen from any other developer out there, and that's no exaggeration. We had some questions along the way and he answered them very quickly, then we ran into what seemed to be a roadblock and he went the extra mile to fix the issue.

I've been cautiously watching the development of hwdvideoshare for months now. Today I went ahead and bought it ($25.28 US...not too bad).

I read the installation guide and forum posts with trepidation: "you'll need to configure servers! and know the ins and outs of Perl!" they all said.

It installed without errors in a minute. I had it stood up and uploaded a video the next minute. I activated the Perl-based uploader a few minutes after that.

It automatically recognized my CB and JComments components.

I'm not on a dedicated server so I lack the fancy tools that REALLY make this a great component. However, my shared server is otherwise configured correctly. I don't get automatic thumbnails or automatic conversions to .flv, but I still think the component is worth it.

much better than seyret... (module, excellent support,)

good work!

I did a review myself concerning both hwdVideoShare and it's competitor - Seyret
I tried the free versions of both components in order to get some more info from real use. hwdVideoShare seems to be noticeable better than Seyret.

things to say about the component:
works out of the box,brilliant support ( fixes included )if you have special wishes, looks great on my website and the price is more than fair.
Enjoy the component. My first choice!

I've used Syret video for awhile and switched to this one. Frist I really like it then it crased my website totally. I worked with my host supports and they said there something have to do with youtube video and I need to remove them or disable them. I never thought that would be this one cause Syret never crashed like that for mr. It took me couple hours to figure out that Hwd caused it. I removed Hwd from my website and put back Syret. Also I noticed that Hwd slow down my site about 40%.

For a change a extensions developer who listens to what the users want and develops accordingly. especially Davros is simply amazing..

the pricing is also top of the line this component can well be priced at over $75 and still would have takers but its just $30 for 5 site license which is unbelievable considering what the component does and also how helpful these guys are

it's true, HMDmediashare components are still under developpement and purchasing them wont avoid you (but if you are Lucky-joomlaLuc) to face little bugs with it. Although, Im rating it 5stars! Why? because the components are at the point other components are at also, if not more developped specialy with the RevenueManager component you get for free (other C didnt develop it).
If you are scared of the "bugs"...the HighWood media share forum will kill them in 24hours for you, with personal service and support. What would you ask for more?
If not convinced about it, the component is not made for you so simply.

Cheers people of Joomla! Cheers people of Earth!

I have been using this component for about two weeks so far and it has been a great addition to my site. Also, it has been rock solid, even for an alpha release, as I have not had any problems with it whatsoever. Well worth the modest price asked for the pro version to get the additional modules and features!

I just want to tell others users, that's a huge component, excellent with the new update (Menon) it works like a charm on my site and very easy to upgrade. It take time to configure, but works perfectly for me.... thx again

I was watching videos at another site and found out they were using this component. So I went and bought it to use on my own site. I've been trying a lot of the free ones but for the price this is worth every penny. Not only is it professional looking but it works well for what I needed. A+ to the devs for functionality, ease of use, ease of install and templating system.

Although this extension looks very good you must be aware of certain limitations. The server requirements include perl 5.8.8 or above. I am hosting with hostgator and they only have 5.8.7. My other gripe is that if you want to ask a question on the forum you have to buy the product. The only way to contact them to ask technical questions is via a support tiket hwere they say do not ask technical questions here.

Nice componentm cool addition to my website where videos are going to be a real important feature since we are going to broadcast online shows.

It's a nice community on the support-forum, and support is good and fast, by the admin and users.

The developer is even trying to implement some suggestions I made for the component, and really does his best to make this as good in the way his users would like to see this!
A big A/10+ for the support and work of the developer!

Looking forward to see my suggestions in it!

I don't like to put to much importance and emphasis on Support because it must be hard to code any component, but when something catastophic happens to you're site and you need help i can assure you at HWD your guaranteed to get it. Firstly if you're looking for a dynamic video gallery to trial then check out this place, they have an excellent free version you can use with not much limits on the free version but for a small amout of cash you can have the full version and excellent support.

PROS

It can do more than some more bloated highly priced components found in the extension list here.

Excellent support

The new verison comes with extra goodys free of charge like image gallerys etc;

Cons

It's still in early development, but could be taken another way showing you what they can do in short term.

We had some difficulty with installation, partly having to do with our own server settings, and partly having to do with the source code's inability to deal with those settings. When we asked for help, we received it, and they were very prompt in delivering it.

We gave them FTP and admin access for diagnostics purposes. They fixed our problem, and more importantly, they rewrote their source code to better handle our type of situation in the future.

Our installation now works as advertised. You can't get any better service than that!

I am very impressed by this Highwood component. It works, offers lots of features and does what it has to do.
I've used the (paid) installation service and am very happy with their service. Fast, tidy, correct and again... it works!

I trailled several video solutions while setting up my site and opted for hwvideoshare not only because it has great options and conigurability, but because of the support. Quries are answered and if the developer can, he'll work on a fix for you. It's not perfect but what is? Plus, their wilingness to adopt and develop intergration with Jomsocial makes this a winner! If you want video on your site, this is the best out there in my opinion.

This is the best solution for video galleries period. Support is top notch, post your problems on the forum and the dev gets back to you with solutions or offers to fix it for you. I've used both this and seyret and there is no comparison. If you are on the fence and undecided which one to choose don't think twice and go with hwd you won't be disappointed.

I used hwd media share back in 1.1.4, and I really did not like it much because it still had bugs. I settled with another video component. Now I tired media share again, and it is GREAT. Well worth the money. I think it's a steal :)