Watching the webcast:


This webcast will be broadcast live (and then archived) on the Internet. To view this webcast, either live or when it is archived, you will need to have a good quality Internet connection for your computer and a program called REALPLAYER.

REALPLAYER is a small program that plays web video (sometimes called “streaming video”) and turns your computer into a television.

Because it takes a long time (even with a good connection) to transmit large amounts of data over the Internet, web video uses a system of only transmitting the parts of a video image that change from frame to frame. The system called REAL VIDEO (which uses the RealPlayer program) is one way of doing that and it is the system we chose to use for these webcasts.

REALPLAYER is probably already installed on your computer, but if it is not you can download it for FREE. The free REALPLAYER program is available at http://www.real.com. There are two versions of Realplayer, one is free and the other (which has more features) costs about $20. You only need the FREE version to receive this webcast and for most general use.

Real Networks (the people who make the Realplayer) do not make it easy to find the links to download the free player…so keep looking, the link is usually in the upper right corner of the page. Do not download a FREE TRIAL version as that will eventually stop working if you do not pay.

Web video is popular with teenagers so don’t be shocked if you see advertisements for music videos, movies or Victoria’s Secret pop-up when you load the program the first time. You can get rid of all these ads and pop-ups by “hiding the media browser” and configuring the program preferences. Look for something that appears to be a globe with an arrow along the top of the program window, that’s the media browser (or advertisement window).

If you wish to watch the webcast and have never played a web video before you must TEST your system beforehand. You should test using a live stream if possible because sometimes archived video will play when live video will not. You can do this by going to a site which offers live streaming video. Go to http://www.nasa.gov and look for the NASA TV link. NASA TV streams on the web 24-hrs. a day. On the day of your webcast we will begin streaming at least two hours ahead of program start time so you can test your connection.

Sometimes schools use firewalls to protect computers from malicious programs or unsavory content, and these firewalls can block web video. If you are on a school network and find your Realplayer not working you should call the network administrator or your technology facilitator immediately. Firewalls can be turned on or off at your school server.

The only other thing that may be a bit baffling is that we will be broadcasting several streams of video. All these streams carry the same picture but are designed for different connection speeds…for computers with dial-up and for computers with dsl/cable or networked connections. All you will need to do is figure out what kind of connection you have and click the correct link.

If you are working from a school, ask your Technology Facilitator to help you. If you do not have on-site tech support look for the customer support pages for Realplayer at http://www.real.com.

If you have problems during the webcast try these tips. If the video appears to freeze and nothing happens for 30-seconds or so, try closing the program and click again on the video link. If your video appears to freeze and stutter but continues to play, your internet connection may be too slow. Try clicking the video link for a slower connection speed. If you lose video entirely and can't recover remember that the entire webcast will be archived and be available again within hours.

If you want to learn more about streaming video click here.

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