Need Help With Creating Media Download Site

Amish_Gramish · 12-12-2008, 09:27 PM

I have a friend that would be able to build the website and/or help me out with it (he has his own, www.nintendofreaks.com), and I have pretty much found which webhosting site I will use, but the only thing remaining is the commerce part.
I am going to make a website that legally sells MP3s of music

I just want to know of any good programs that allow shopping for downloadable items.
I see on the OS-Commerce forums that OS-Commerce allows for downloads of items, but does anyone know if it is a good program for downloading files?
Does it allow for very much customization, such as something like HolyCultureDownload.com, or does it basically force you just to use their layout, but with varying colors?
Is there a way to set up OS-Commerce for people to stream a short clip of the video (such as a trailer) or the music without having them download the whole song?
Is the program itself easier to set up on hosting websites than most others, or is it just the same, if not harder?
Is it good at downloading large files (I plan on selling MP3s, FLACs, and MP4s of movies)?
And are there any programs that can do any of the above better than OS-Commerce that are not freakishly expensive?

And also, I have narrowed my hosting service down to three sites.
Which would be the best for what I plan on doing with my website, and have any of you had experience with any of these?
www.ixwebhosting.com
www.hostmonster.com
www.inmotionhosting.com

And finally (sorry for all of the questions), what is generally better, the e-commerce programs that tend to come with webhosting firms, or OS-Commerce?

And I would like to thank everyone (if anyone) who answers these questions!

FredT · 12-13-2008, 01:21 PM

I don't really know much about the e-commerce utilities... if you or your friend know PHP, you could create one yourself customized specifically for your site rather than trying to find one that meets your specific needs. If you want to learn PHP, you can at http://w3schools.com/php/default.asp

As far as hosting, I highly recommend lunarpages. I have been using them since this June and haven't encountered any problems. In fact, I have been extremely pleased. They offer pretty much unlimited everything (disk space, bandwidth, databases) for $4.95 a month. Their customer support is quick, polite, and very helpful. Check them out

12-12-2008, 09:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
Amish_Gramish Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1 OS: Linux and XP SP 2	Need Help With Creating Media Download Site I have a friend that would be able to build the website and/or help me out with it (he has his own, www.nintendofreaks.com), and I have pretty much found which webhosting site I will use, but the only thing remaining is the commerce part. I am going to make a website that legally sells MP3s of music I just want to know of any good programs that allow shopping for downloadable items. I see on the OS-Commerce forums that OS-Commerce allows for downloads of items, but does anyone know if it is a good program for downloading files? Does it allow for very much customization, such as something like HolyCultureDownload.com, or does it basically force you just to use their layout, but with varying colors? Is there a way to set up OS-Commerce for people to stream a short clip of the video (such as a trailer) or the music without having them download the whole song? Is the program itself easier to set up on hosting websites than most others, or is it just the same, if not harder? Is it good at downloading large files (I plan on selling MP3s, FLACs, and MP4s of movies)? And are there any programs that can do any of the above better than OS-Commerce that are not freakishly expensive? And also, I have narrowed my hosting service down to three sites. Which would be the best for what I plan on doing with my website, and have any of you had experience with any of these? www.ixwebhosting.com www.hostmonster.com www.inmotionhosting.com And finally (sorry for all of the questions), what is generally better, the e-commerce programs that tend to come with webhosting firms, or OS-Commerce? And I would like to thank everyone (if anyone) who answers these questions!

12-13-2008, 01:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
FredT Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 388 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.7 and XP SP2	Re: Need Help With Creating Media Download Site I don't really know much about the e-commerce utilities... if you or your friend know PHP, you could create one yourself customized specifically for your site rather than trying to find one that meets your specific needs. If you want to learn PHP, you can at http://w3schools.com/php/default.asp As far as hosting, I highly recommend lunarpages. I have been using them since this June and haven't encountered any problems. In fact, I have been extremely pleased. They offer pretty much unlimited everything (disk space, bandwidth, databases) for $4.95 a month. Their customer support is quick, polite, and very helpful. Check them out