Webcast FAQ

What are the minimum requirements to view webcasts/videos?

To view our Webcasts, a broadband internet connection is recommended. Visitors who visit the DOS site and are viewing the website thru a dial up connection will still be able to access the site but may not be able to view the webcasts.

I am clicking on the video link but nothing happens.

It may be necessary to disable your pop-up blocker settings in Internet Explorer in order to view the webcasts. View instructions on how to do this here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/web/sp2_popupblocker.mspx

Other third party add-ons such as yahoo toolbar may also block pop-ups.  If you have one of these installed please  see their website  for instructions on disabling this functionality for this site.

I can see the video but do not hear any sound. What should I check?

• Check the volume level on the Media Player in the webcast window:

  Move the volume slider to the left to lower the volume and to the right to increase the volume. Click on the icon of a speaker to mute the sound. Click on this same icon again to return sound to normal.

• Check the computer's volume level:

  Typically this can be found by clicking the "Start" button, following the menus to All Programs | Accessories | Entertainment | Volume Control. Be certain that the left most control and the one labeled "Wave" are set 50% to 100% of the way up and that the "mute" checkboxes are not checked.

• Check your speaker volume level:

  The method for doing this will vary between speakers. Typically the speakers have a power switch and/or volume knob. Make sure the speakers are on and that the volume is not too low. Also make sure that your speakers are plugged in and properly connected to the computer.

• If you launch the videos on Windows while other audio applications -- including but not limited to mp3 players -- are running, you may have trouble hearing sound. If this is the case, close your browser and all audio applications. Restart your browser and re-enter our website.

Can I use the AOL browser or MSN browser to see videos?

The videos currently work on most third party browsers, however, you may encounter some technical difficulties. To be fully compatible, we recommend that you use Internet Explorer.

Can I use QuickTime to view the videos?

The videos do not currently support QuickTime. You will need to use Windows Media Player 6.4 or higher or Real Media Player in order to watch the videos. There is no cost to download and use these viewers.

Download the latest version of Windows Media Player.
Download the latest version of Real Audio Player.

Can I download videos to my computer?

Webcasts are streaming media, and do not support the ability to download.  Other website video may be downloaded by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As".

Why are the videos staggering or freezing?

Whether you have a high-speed (DSL/ Cable Modem/ T1) or a low-speed connection (56k Dial-Up/ISDN), Internet traffic congestion affects your connection speed and/or video performance. You will get slower or faster speeds at different times depending on peak or off-peak use hours. You may get slower speeds during the morning and afternoon, but faster speeds late at night when fewer people are online. Also, streaming quality decreases as more people share the line at one time on a Cable Modem connection.

Why do the videos frequently pause to buffer?

If the videos frequently buffer, then it means that you are not maintaining a fast enough connection to our servers to watch our videos at the speed you selected. Try increasing your buffering rate in the player:

Note: You must open the Windows Media Player separately under Start, Programs, in order to access these options.

• Windows Media Player 6.4
  1. Open the Windows Media Player.
  2. Pull down the View menu and select "Options."
  3. Go to the "Advanced" tab.
  4. Select "Streaming Media (Windows Media)" and click "Change..."
  5. Increase buffering to "10 seconds of data."
  6. Click "OK."
  7. Close and reopen your web browser.
• Windows Media Player 7.x and 9.x
  1. Open the Windows Media Player.
  2. Pull down the Tools menu and select "Options."
  3. Select "Performance."
  4. Under Network Buffering, select "Buffer."
  5. Adjust buffering to "10 seconds of data."
  6. Click "OK."
  7. Close and reopen your web browser.

How do I fix problems with Windows Media Player?

Please see "How do I configure Windows Media Player to improve streaming?" or go to WindowsMedia.com: Help for further troubleshooting.

Even though I have all the system requirements, why can't I see or hear any videos?

There are a few possibilities:

• If you launch the videos on Windows while other audio applications -- including but not limited to mp3 players -- are running, you may have trouble hearing sound. If this is the case, close your browser and all audio applications. Restart your browser and re-enter our website.

How do I return from full screen video back to the embedded video?

Hit the ESC key.

The video quality is poor

The problem may be with the speed of your Internet connection. Users with fast connections such as T1 lines, cable modems, and DSL connections are able to watch our videos at a much higher quality than our 56K and 28K dial-up modem users. Streaming video over the Internet requires a great deal of bandwidth, and unfortunately 56K and slower connections are not fast enough to give you a TV quality picture you are expecting.

Windows Media Player screen is green with pink wavy lines

To fix this Media Player problem, try to disable YUV flipping.

Note: You must open the Windows Media Player separately under Start, Programs, in order to access these options.

1. Open Windows Media Player.
2. Click "Tools" and chose "Options."
3. Choose the "Performance" tab.
4. Click the "Advanced" button.
5. Remove the check from next to "Use YUV flipping."
6. Click "OK" twice.
7. Close the player and try the webcast again.

Whenever I try to view a video, it tries to connect to the server, and then it says "closed"

To find out more information on what the error is, right-click in the viewing window of your Windows Media Player after it says "closed" and select "Error Details" from the menu.  Look in the viewer's help file or support website for more information.

I received a "connection to the server failed," "could not connect to the server," or similar error

Chances are we are experiencing heavy web traffic which is tying up our streaming server. Try to watch the video again later and it should be fine.

I have a T1 or cable connection but whenever I try to watch a video, it's choppy or the frame rate is much slower than the audio rate

If you have tried increasing your buffer size and made sure you have the proper bandwidth selected, then most likely this is caused by a traffic bottleneck at your location, or your system is being over-taxed.  If your system meets minimum technical requirements, you may have to exit any unnecessary applications to free up more memory or processing power.  Check to make sure you have sufficient remaining disk space to cache the video files.

Every time I go to play the video, I get a GPF error

This kind of error usually pops up due to a software conflict orThis kind of error usually pops up due to a software conflict or corrupt video drivers. Try updating the driver and other related software at the manufacturer's website.

I received a "your security settings do not allow the new decompressor to be installed" error message

This is caused by Windows Media Player trying to automatically install a newer version of the codec needed to play the video. Before you click to watch the video, set your browser's security in the Preferences (or Internet Options) to "Low." Then click to watch the video, and you should not get this error.

After you have watched the video, be sure to set your browser security back to "Medium" or "High" – You should not need to install any further updates.

In Windows Media Player, every time I try to play a video it says "the specified stream type is not recognized," the colors appear strange, or I see the video fine but I don't hear anything

You might need the newest Windows codec (the compression algorithm for the media file). When you first attempted to install Windows Media Player, you may not have had the necessary permission to install software or your Internet security may have been set to "Medium" or "High." This will prevent the codecs from being properly installed. Change your Internet security to "Low" during the installation process, or see your network administrator for proper installation. (See the previous answer for further information)

I am having a different problem with Windows Media Player.

Please see "How do I configure Windows Media Player to improve streaming?" or Go to WindowsMedia.com: Help for further troubleshooting.