Technical FAQ
Q: What do I need to watch video?
Q: I meet the minimum criteria but it still does not work – why?
Q: The passwords given out are very difficult to remember. Why can’t I change my password to something more memorable?
Q: I have a Mac - will ArabZONE work for me?
Q: I can access the clips but the performance is very poor. The commentary breaks up a bit and the clip moves from still frame to still frame every couple of seconds. How can I fix this?
Q: I get a “Windows cannot play this file…” or similar error when clicking on one of the video links. Help!!!
Q: I get an error message along the lines of the file type does not match the extension and Windows Media Player cannot play the file.
Q. I keep getting error messages when trying to view clips using Vista.
Q: What do I need to receive audio?
Q: What do I need to watch video?
A: You really need to be connected to the Internet via a Broadband (ADSL, SDSL or Cable) with a minimum download speed of 0.5Mbps – but the higher the better. You will also require a media player and we recommend Windows Media Player, version 11. You also have a few options when it comes to your internet browser choose one from below:
If you are using Firefox the following plug-in is needed:
If you’d like to find out more about the WMV format and streaming please visit the links below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Media_Video
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.mspx
Players:
Q: I meet the minimum criteria but it still does not work – why?
A: There is no easy answer to this. Computers come in many shapes and sizes, each configured uniquely to their owner’s requirements. Different software packages and hardware packages co-exist on each computer, and so there are several things that can conspire to frustrate the computer user who wishes to view video! Our broadcasts using Windows Media are aimed at the widest possible configurations and regular testing has proved our streaming methods to be robust, but we cannot ever guarantee that you will be able to view every time - nobody can.
Local conditions may also at times cause buffering and interfere with viewing and this can also happen if you try to run several internet applications at the same time. It also highly probable that you will be unable to view our features at work as it is increasingly likely that your employer will have installed software to prevent work based PCs being used for this purpose.
There are a myriad of reasons why you may encounter difficulties – it may be something as simple as changing a setting on your PC – and we can’t possibly cover them all here. However, some of the most common issues are covered here. Please efer to them before emailing us on support@arabzone.co.uk or riki@dundeeunitedfc.co.uk. If you need to contact us, please provide all the information we require on your own system as detailed in the Information/Help introduction.
Q: The passwords given out are very difficult to remember. Why can’t I change my password to something more memorable?
A: A facility to change your password is now available on the site at log in. However, please bear in mind you can always set your pc to “remember passwords” via your browser tools.
Q: I can view the streaming test, but cannot view the video clips once I subscribe. Why is this?
There are a very small number of people for whom the authentication with the server causes a problem. As there was no authentication on the test clip, this problem only became apparent once the site launched, and affects a very small number of subscribers. We have changed the test clip to also require authentication, and apologise if this has caused serious problems.
Q: I have a Mac - will ArabZONE work for me?
ArabZONE has not been built for Macs but we have a fair number of subscribers who have no problems accessing ArabZONE on their Macs using the Safari browser with the Flip4Mac WMV plug-in and the Perian plug-in found below:
If you are still having any technical issues try the following:
Using your browser, open the clip of interest in ArabZone, then copy the URL for the clip (e.g.http://www.arabzone.co.uk/files/091128GOAL.asp) then open QuickTime, click on "File" and select "Open URL ..." then paste the URL for the clip into the URL address box that appears. A few seconds later you get the clip played by QuickTime.
But go back to ArabZone and stop the file loading in your internet browser where you will still get the sound of the clip but no video - otherwise you'll get the commentary playing twice and Joe Rice is loud enough listening to one of him!
If you have any questions on this, please contact us.
Q: I can access the clips but the performance is very poor. The commentary breaks up a bit and the clip moves from still frame to still frame every couple of seconds. How can I fix this?
A: There are three main issues that can cause this. The first is that your bandwidth is insufficient to allow the streams through. The minimum streaming bandwidth that we use is around 500Kbps. Even though your Internet Connection is advertised as being 2Mbps, it is very rare indeed to get this maximum speed due to lots of factors, and this can cause a problem. We will look at this issue again at the end of the season to see if we can provide a lower bandwidth feed, however this will have an adverse affect on the quality so it is something that we will need to thoroughly test.
Another reason for poor broadcast quality is the resources on the computer that is being used to view the clips. It is a good idea to shut down resource-intensive applications when viewing the clips and to turn off real-time antivirus monitoring if you have that feature installed. This is because the antivirus program monitors all of the data that comes in to the computer as part of the stream for viruses, before passing it to the media player for viewing.
Occasionally, heavy network traffic on your own server can cause quality problems. When this happens, the video stream is affected and appears to buffer due to your server taking longer to deal with it. This can be diagnosed by hovering on the icon on the bottom left of your Media Player, but there is nothing that can be done to overcome this.
Q: I get a “Windows cannot play this file…” or similar error when clicking on one of the video links. Help!!!
A: I wish that there was a straightforward and simple explanation to this issue. Sometimes, security updates installed on your pc can affect settings and this in turn affects how your pc accepts video streams or our authentication procedures. These might need to be altered at your end. I have had this issue myself, and sorted it out by re-installing Windows Media Player v11 which has worked ever since (touch wood!!!).
Firstly, try to play other media files – if the problem lies with only one file then it may be an error on our part. Please let us know if this is the case.
If the problem exists with multiple media clips, then try the following link:
http://www.arabzone.co.uk:8080/MatchHighlights/033107AZCEL.wmv
If this link works, then you probably have a firewall issue and should enable MMS traffic through to your PC. Please read the following article on the MMS protocol and common streaming problems:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/knowledgecenter/mediaadvice/0106.mspx
We have heard of a small number of people with problems accessing the clips, when their media player reports an error. Some people have re-installed their player, which has helped, others have upgraded and one or two have downgraded, all of which seem to have fixed the problem.
We recommend using the latest version of Windows Media Player from Microsoft.
One other fix for this problem is to download the web browser Firefox and install. You will then need to download VLC media player and install. Both firefox and VLC can be found in the "what do i need to watch video?" section.
After both of these are installed you need to install the firefox add-on found below:
Once the add-on has been installed you need to configure it. follow the instructions from the site you downloaded the add-on from. You need to set the VLC player to be the default for .wmv files within the add-on. I would suggest setting VLC player for all video types within the MediaPlayerConnectivity add-on.
This add-on allows you to launch any video in VLC Player avoiding the use of windows media player that may have been causing the issue.
Q: I get an error message along the lines of the file type does not match the extension and Windows Media Player cannot play the file.
A: This is usually caused by right clicking on a video stream, and selecting “Save Target As” in an attempt to save the video onto your computer. This is not possible as the movies are streamed. Simply left click on the movie link to view the clip.
Q. I keep getting error messages when trying to view clips using Vista.
There are a few issues still with Vista which can complicate our authentication and streaming process. We've introduced an Option 2 stream for Vista users, but some Vista systems still have ongoing issues with Windows Media Player (WMP) 11 which, of course, doesn't help.
We have found that there is a WMP plug-in for Mozilla Firefox and that this works perfectly for some Vista users.
Users need to download Mozilla Firefox, and the plug-in at - http://port25.technet.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download.aspx
After installing you may need to check for Windows Updates before the plugin will show content properly.
Q: What do I need to receive audio?
A: Speakers! Our audio features are supplied as a mixture of wma and mp3 files, but at a much lower bit rate than the video requires. We currently broadcast at a minimal bit rate, which means our audio should always be readily available to all. You will of course still need to have a suitable installed on your system.
ArabZONE
