To hear and see the streamed audio/video, you need to have the latest version of Microsoft's Windows Media Player or Real One Player installed on your computer and at least a 56K Internet connection. Read the instructions below to obtain a copy of the player.

• Click here to go to the Microsoft Media Player download site.
• Click here to go to the Real Media Player download site.
• Read through the steps provided on Microsoft/Real website and select the correct version of the plug-in for your computer.
• Download/install the player and follow the directions on your screen.
• When the setup is finished, the player will be installed.

If you have Media player installed but cannot view the webcast, you will need to update your installation of media player to the latest version. Download the latest version of Windows Media Player. Please note on the download page that different versions of operating systems (Mac, Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP) require different versions of Windows Media Player. Additionally, some browsers versions can not embed the media player in a web browser; most notably older versions of Netscape and specific issues with Macintosh computers. In these case you may only be able to view the webcast via a pop up player.

Before you download or update Windows Media Player, make sure your system meets the minimum set of requirements listed below.

Minimum:
Microsoft Windows® 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows 2000, or Windows Millennium Edition
Pentium 166 megahertz (MHz) processor
32 MB RAM
56-kilobits per second (Kbps) modem
16-bit sound card
256-color video card

Macintosh OS X with the latest Media Player Plug-in and browser. Macintosh OS 8/9 with caveats. Windows Media Player is not supported well on all versions of Macintosh OS.

Recommended:
Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows Millennium Edition
Pentium or AMD Athlon K6 266 MHz processor or faster
64 MB RAM
High-speed Internet connection
24-bit true color video card

Macintosh OS X with the latest Media Player Plug-in and browser (Internet Explorer or Sarari).

What is a webcast?
A Webcast is an audio or video signal that is continuously transmitted or streamed to your computer from the Internet. When encoding an audio stream for use in a webcast, the audio signal is passed through a processor known as a CODEC (coder/decoder) that performs the conversion to a streaming media format suitable for the Internet. Synchronized URLS can be embedded in the webcast media stream and are usually passed to an HTML frame set or pop up window.

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Trouble Shooting:

• The webcast does not play.
  You may have to upgrade your Media Player Plug-in. Try refreshing your browser.
  
  
• Windows 98 OS (webcast does not play) - Check that the "Work Offline" command on the File menu, is not selected. If selected then deselect this option and refresh the page. The work offline option is wrongfully triggered while the Media Player connects to the webcast causing a lost connection.
  
  
• The webcast stopped.
  The connection to the streaming server may have been interrupted. Try refreshing your browser.
  
  
• The slide show is not advancing or opens in a different window.
  Some browsers do not properly execute slide flips tagged to the media stream. This happens primarily in Netscape and older versions of Internet Explorer for Macintosh. Solution: Use an updated version of Internet Explorer.
  
  
• The webcast is not playing on my Macintosh computer.
  (see "Known Issues" below)
  
  
• I can't hear any audio.
  1. Check that your speakers are turned on.
  2. Check that the control panel volume is turned up and not muted.
  3. You have Windows Media Player 9 Series (beta) installed. If you are not using the latest media player you may not be able to decode the webcast properly. Solution: Update your media player.
     (see "Known Issues" below)
     
     
• My audio keeps starting and stopping.
  This problem is most often due to network congestion.

1. Try exiting the webcast and re-launching
2. Make sure all other programs, especially email programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, etc., are completely closed.
3. Try increasing the buffering time for your media player.

   1. Open the Windows Media Player from your Start menu.
   2. Click View ->Options.
   3. Click on the Advanced tab.
   4. Select Streaming Media (Windows Media) and click Change.
   5. Under Buffering, select Buffer and increase the amount of buffer time.
   

• I have Popup blocking software installed and am having trouble viewing the webcast.
  Popup blocking software can be very helpful, but these programs often block useful JavaScript too. Webcasts are an example of a beneficial implementation of Javascript. The Webcast Viewer launches in a conveniently sized browser window and embeds either the Windows Media or Real Player so that you may view the webcast. Unfortunately, we use javascript the same way that popup ads do. So, when you have popup blocking software installed, you may not be able to access Webcasts.

  Many pop-up programs will let you temporarily disable them by clicking on the appropriate System Tray Icon, (typically located in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen). You can right click on them to disable and re-enable them later. If you are unable to disable popup's, contact your Network Operations or IT group for assistance.

• I am experiencing excessive "buffering" during the webcast.
  Reconnect to the webcast. This will update your association to the webcast stream, which may re-establish your connection or improve your signal quality.
  
  
• When I attempt to view the webcast my browser and or computer locks up.
  Make sure all other programs, especially email programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, etc., are completely closed. Try emptying your web browser's ache. Try upgrading your Internet Browser to a newer version and/or try installing a newer version of your media player.
  
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Known Issues:

Windows Media Player and Mac OS
The current versions of the Media Player and the latest CODECs used to encode Windows Media are not well supported on all versions of the Mac OS operating system. Users of Mac OS 8, OS 9 and older versions of OS X therefore may not be able to access Windows Media encoded webcast's exactly as intended. There is an ongoing dialogue between Microsoft and Apple Computer to resolve these compatibility issue.

Upgrade to the latest versions of the Windows Media Plug-in and Internet Explorer or Safari. OS 8/9 viewer may need to utilize a MS Windows-based PC or upgrade their Mac to listen to the webcast.

Windows Media Player 9 Series (beta)
If you have downloaded Microsoft’s Windows Media Player 9 Series Beta, you may be unable to hear the webcast. If you are experiencing this problem, select the Launch External Player button. This will launch the standard Microsoft Windows Media Player and should allow you to listen to the stream. This issue is a known issue within the Beta version of the player. Please ensure you have upgraded to the most recent version of the Windows Media Player.

If you have done everything above and still can not view the test media, your computer may be behind a firewall that prevents you from viewing streaming media. Please have someone from your IT department fix this by referring to this information: http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/windowsmedia/serve/firewall.asp.

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