Direct Download (HTTPS)
The no-install way to get files — a standard browser download over HTTPS, used automatically when you don't have Aspera.
The no-install way to get files — a standard browser download over HTTPS, used automatically when you don't have Aspera.
You don’t need any software to download from Pixwel. If you don’t have Aspera Desktop (or the Aspera Connect plugin) — or a mounted drive — Pixwel falls back to a plain HTTPS download through your browser, and the file still comes down.
This is the universal option: it works in any modern browser, on any computer, with nothing to install.
It happens automatically. When you start a download and no Aspera client is running, Pixwel hands the file to your browser over HTTPS instead. You don’t have to choose it — it’s the fallback whenever the faster path isn’t available.
Just download a file as usual — open the asset, pick your language and version, and click the file. It saves to your browser’s Downloads folder like any other web download.
| Direct download (HTTPS) | Aspera Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Install needed | None | Aspera app |
| Best for | Smaller files, quick one-offs, any machine | Large media — trailers, masters |
| Speed on big files | Standard browser speed | High-speed (FASP) |
| Pause / resume | No | Yes |
Direct download is reliable and simple, but it’s a normal browser transfer: a very large master downloads more slowly and can’t be paused or resumed. For big media, Aspera Desktop is faster and resumable.
A direct download is still a download — your permissions and any embargo apply exactly as they do through Aspera, and it’s recorded in your download history.