TECH NOTES for video streams

    We're using two streaming servers for Estuarylive. One is especially for schools with fast connections and the other is for schools with slower connections.

 Video Test Page is located at

http://www.estuarylive.org/video/index.htm

    Of the two streams we're using the DPI stream should be sharper. It should show as 320x240 pixels. We're multistreaming it for a 28.8 modem and a 150kbs LAN. If you have a high quality connection you should get 150kbs. Look at the lower left corner of theRealplayer and it will tell you in kbs (kilobits per second) your connection speed (the speed at which the Realserver is able to send your video). If you have a high speed network the DPI stream should read 150 to 100 kbs.The LearnNC stream is for slower connections and is set for 28.8 and 56k for DIAL-UP accounts.  If you are on the DPI stream and it is reading 20kbs then either your connection is SLOW or your realplayer is not set to match your school's connections.

    On the realplayer go to "VIEW" across the top...click on it and then click on "connection". You see a box that says Normal bandwidth...set that box to what you think your normal connection should be...set the box below it for 10Mbps LAN (the fastest possible). This will allow the Realserver to TRY to send you the fastest video possible. 
 Remember it is possible to stretch or zoom (under "view") the realplayer to full screen if you have a good computer (big ram) but it will get more digital looking.

The faster your connection the better the picture should be. If you have a fast connection but you're getting a slow kbs rate (remember to check the lower left corner of the Realplayer) then double check that Realplayer is set for your connection speed.
   

Try both streams and see which one looks best for you. You may also want to try some other streaming sites and compare the quality of the image to what we're sending. We'll do our best to send you the best quality video the internet can handle.
    Wish us all luck next week...we're frankly just amazed if it works at all!

PROBLEMS with REALPLAYER
REMEMBER the best help is found in REALPLAYER help at www.real.com

Most problems we see seem to boil down to:
1) video cards
2) lack of system speed or ram for the task
3) lack of correct drivers (ie-new enough versions of OS or browsers)
4) failure to dedicate the laptop video card to the projector (when using a video projector)

RealPlayer requires a minimum of 16-bit color in Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, and 2000.

To check your color settings:

1.Click the Start menu, choose Settings, and then Control Panel.
2.Double-click the Display icon.
3.Click the Settings tab.
4.Make sure that "High Color" or "True Color" is selected in the colors list.
5.Click OK.
6.Restart your computer if prompted.

If your computer is incapable of displaying at least 16-bit color, you may only get a black square in RealPlayer when you play video content

Windows:
                   Minimum Computer:
                   120MHz Intel Pentium processor or equivalent (audio only)
                   16MB of RAM
                   28.8Kpbs modem
                   16-bit sound card and speakers
                   65,000-color video display card (video)
                   Windows* 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2000 ME

                   (final release version only) or
                   Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4
                   IE 4.0.1 or Netscape 4.0 or later

                   Recommended Computer:
                   200MHz Intel Pentium processor or better
                   32MB or more of RAM
                   56.6Kbps or better modem
                   Full Duplex Sound card and speakers
                   65,000-color or better video display card
                   Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2000 ME (final release version only) or
                   Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4
                   IE 4.0.1 or Netscape 4.0 or later
 

RealPlayer requires Microsoft DirectDraw (DirectX) certified drivers.

RealPlayer uses the DirectDraw component of Microsoft DirectX for the following Optimized Video features: Hardware Stretching, Blitting, and Overlay support. The video   hardware in your computer must support these features in order to function correctly  with the RealPlayer "Optimized Video" setting.  Many popular video cards use WinDraw drivers instead of DirectDraw drivers. The WinDraw driver incorrectly reports the capability of the video hardware to RealPlayer, causing RealPlayer to think that the video hardware can do things that it cannot. When  the video is optimized and the video hardware cannot support the optimization, problems will occur. Problems range from poor quality or garbled video to RealPlayer  becoming unresponsive and system freezes. If you experience similar problems, try disabling the Optimized Video setting in RealPlayer.

To disable Optimized Video in RealPlayer:

1.Start RealPlayer. 
2.Click the View menu and choose Preferences.
3.Click the Performance tab.
4.Click to clear the "Use optimized video display" check box in the Video card compatibility section. 
5.Click OK.
6.Restart your computer.