Collaborating on a video and audio files inside Dropbox just got a bit simpler. On Thursday, January 24, Dropbox launched time-based comments, allowing users to add a comment at a specific point in a video or audio file. The tool, Dropbox says, is designed to help simplify collaboration on media files.
Comments can be placed at a specific spot inside the video timeline. For example, users can insert a note to discuss an audio error at one point in the video. Previously, users would have to note the time in a comment to refer to specific parts of the video. Like other Dropbox comments, users can still use the “@“ tag to mention specific group members.
“Time-based commenting helps you keep comments out of messy email threads and get everyone’s feedback in Dropbox alongside the files themselves,” the blog post announcing the update reads. “Now when you share a video or audio file, recipients can place a comment at a specific place on the file’s timeline.”
The update also includes enhanced playback options. For 1080p videos, users can view thumbnails of the timeline to find a specific spot in the video faster. Audio can also be previewed using visual waveforms, while playback speed can also be adjusted.
The new feature works with more than 30 different types of audio and video files, like MPEG-4, QuickTime, MXF, MP3, and WAV files. Unlike collaborating by email, Dropbox says there isn’t a need to resize the video to fit within a specific size limit, with support for several gigabytes.
“Over the past few years, we’ve made our file commenting system more powerful for the millions of people using Dropbox to share every day. Features like preview support for new file formats and commenting on specific portions of files have helped streamline the process of sending and receiving feedback. And our new time-based commenting feature takes it one step further,” the company shared in a blog post.
The updated video and audio options have begun rolling out on both the Dropbox website as well as the company’s iOS app. Dropbox says the feature will also roll out to Android users soon. The feature is available across several types of Dropbox accounts for Dropbox Professional, Business Advanced, Enterprise, and Education users.
Updated on January 24 with correction on types of Dropbox accounts where the feature is available.
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