Virtual Business Owners Community - FAQ Center
  • F.A.Q: Streaming Video and Audio

    This group addresses questions relating to our streaming video and audio files.

    1. What are the minimum system requirements for listening to a Podcast Show?
    2. What is Podcasting?
    3. 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.
    4. I received a "connection to the server failed," "could not connect to the server," or similar error. Why?
    5. The video quality is poor. Why?
    6. How do I return from full screen video back to the embedded video?
    7. Even though I have all the system requirements, why can't I see or hear any videos?
    8. Why can I hear the audio but not see the video?
    9. Why are the videos staggering or freezing?
    10. Which plugins should I have installed on my PC?

    1. What are the minimum system requirements for listening to a Podcast Show? - Top

    The following summarizes the minimum hardware and software requirements to download the audio onto a PC, iPod® or other digital audio device.

    Processor: 266 MHz Intel Pentium II processor or equivalent
    Memory (RAM): 64 MB of RAM
    Modem: 28.8 Kbps modem
    Sound Card: 16-bit sound card and speakers
    Digital Media Player: Windows Media Player® 6.4 or RealPlayer® 10 (Note: Windows Media Player® 8 is not a working player)
    Operating System: Windows® XP, 2000, 98, NT 4.0, or Mac OS - Updated: March 20, 2006

    2. What is Podcasting? - Top

    Podcasting is a digital recording of a radio broadcast made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player or a computer.

    Once a provider serves the data as a Podcast feed, users can listen to it on their PC or Mac by using Podcasting software (see examples below.) Since Podcasts are MP3 audio files, you can transfer feeds to your MP3 player.

    To listen to the podcast feeds on your computer, you need to download Podcasting software. There are many free or commercial podcasting applications available for download. Here are a select few:
    iTunes

  • Juice
    Doppler
    Playpod
    NewsFire
    Smartfeed
    Odeo
    jpodder - Updated: March 20, 2006

    3. 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. - Top

    If you have tried increasing your buffer size and made sure you have the proper bandwidth selected, then most likely this is caused by you having either outdated hardware (a Pentium or lower), an outdated operating system (Win 3.1), an outdated browser (Netscape 3, IE 3), or not enough memory, video RAM, etc.

    The Windows media codecs are optimized for Pentium III and run fine on Pentium II, but on a Pentium or lower, they choke completely. Also you need a decent amount of system resources, RAM, VRAM, etc., to get good results. - Updated: September 29, 2005

    4. I received a "connection to the server failed," "could not connect to the server," or similar error. Why? - Top

    Chances are we are experiencing heavy web traffic which is tying up our streaming server. Try to access the streaming media again later, and it should be fine. - Updated: September 29, 2005

    5. The video quality is poor. Why? - Top

    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. - Updated: September 29, 2005

    6. How do I return from full screen video back to the embedded video? - Top

    Simply hit the ESC key.
    - Updated: September 29, 2005

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

    THERE ARE A FEW POSSIBILITIES:

    1. 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.

    2. Go to Windows Media and Firewalls
    for firewall configuration settings if you are connecting to the streaming videos from work and are behind a firewall.
    - Updated: September 29, 2005

    8. Why can I hear the audio but not see the video? - Top

    When Internet traffic congestion occurs, audio is often transferred before video due to the audio file size being smaller. You may only hear the video clip if the speed at the time of the connection is too slow. - Updated: September 29, 2005

    9. Why are the videos staggering or freezing? - Top

    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 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. - Updated: September 29, 2005

    10. Which plugins should I have installed on my PC? - Top

    The recommended plugins required to navigate our websites are listed on main vsscyberoffice.com website along with a link to the free plugin downloads. - Updated: September 29, 2005

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