Windows Media Playback
November 9, 2007
Frequently Asked Questions
- What
is required to playback the horse racing video?
- Why is
my video web page blank, or why did the player page disappear after
opening?
- I
receive a “server busy” error when trying to view the video?
- My
playback keeps freezing up, re-buffers frequently, or is just sound (no
picture)?
- I
see the error “Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there are
no streaming protocols selected”?
What is required to playback the horse racing video?
Media Player Version
Windows Media viewing requires you have
Microsoft Windows Media Player version
7.0 or greater installed on your personal computer.
If it is not already installed on your
computer, Windows Media Player is available for
Performance Settings
Please make sure the performance settings for your Windows
Media player are set to the values below to prevent connection detection problems. To confirm or change these settings go to the Tools>Options>Performance
tab in your Windows Media Player. (See picture below)
·
Choose a Connection Speed of at least 384 Kbps or more. Do NOT
set to automatically detect the connection speed.
·
Set Network Buffering to Buffer 10 seconds of content. Do NOT
set use default buffering
Internet Browser
The only browsers that are currently
fully supported on a Microsoft Windows PC are Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE) versions 5.5 or later, or Firefox versions 1.5 or later.
If you use
Internet Connection
Windows Media Player uses ports 554 and 1755 to connect to the
video servers. Your network must permit traffic on this port in order for
replays to play.
Also, you need an Internet connection
of at least 1.2 Mbps to view the highest speed version of the video; however,
you must have an Internet
connection of 350 Kbps to view the video whatsoever.
Why is my video web page blank,
or why did the player page disappear after opening?
More than likely your computer is
blocking pop-ups from this web site. If
you don’t want to completely turn off your pop-up blocker, then you must add
this domain name to your allow pop-ups
list.
Please note that pop-up blocking is
turned on automatically when you upgrade MS Windows XP with service pack 2.
I receive a “server busy” error when trying to view the
video?
If you are experiencing "server
busy" error messages, the most likely cause is the number of users trying
to access the same video stream at the same time. In most instances, attempting to reopen the video will solve
the problem. If the problem
persists, then contact the web site support to let them know there is a
problem.
My playback keeps freezing up, re-buffers frequently, or is
just sound (no picture)?
If you are experiencing picture freezes
or re-buffering, you probably need to adjust settings related to your Internet
bandwidth.
Bandwidth
First, you should check your Internet
connection speed. You can determine connection speed with an online bandwidth
test. An example of one of these can be
found at PCPitStop. Your
minimum bandwidth speed should be 350 Kbps, but it should be 1.2 Mbps to
receive the video at the highest rate.
It will take several seconds for the Windows Media Player to adjust your
rate from the highest rate to an acceptable rate for your connection if it is
less than 1.2 Mbps.
Performance
If you have plenty of bandwidth, then
check to make sure your Windows Media performance settings are correct here.
Transport
If your performance settings are all
set as described, then make sure you are allowing proper player-to-video-server
communications by disabling the UDP transport method to force TCP playback
communications. Make sure the UDP box is unselected, and the TCP & HTTP boxes are selected, as
in the picture below. Go to the Tools>Options>Network tab in
your Windows Media Player.
Network Interface Card
Finally, you can adjust a network
connection setting to minimize re-buffering of your video playback. This
setting will eliminate a lot of the chatter back to the file source concerning
the receipt of video if the video server is having trouble determining your
bandwidth level, such as through a satellite modem. On the desktop or
from the start menu, right click on Network Connections. Then right click on
I see the message
“Windows Media Player cannot play the file because there are no streaming protocols
selected”?
You must have