Receiving Live Streaming Video

To receive this webcast, you need the QuickTime plug-in installed in your browser (4.1 or newer), and you need to configure your browser to handle QuickTime movie (.mov) files with the plug-in. Most browsers come configured this way, so the video may work well for you on the first try. You also need a robust connection to the internet, since this webcast consumes about 150 kilobits per second of bandwidth. A 56k modem will not work. DSL, cable modem, T1, Ethernet, and ISDN connections work just fine.

When the page opens, it will connect automatically to the video streaming server. You will see a big blue Q on the page, with a line of blue dots underneath it. The controller bar will appear, and display Connecting, followed by Negotiating, followed by Buffering, followed by a wait of about eight seconds. Then the video of the webcast should begin to appear as if emerging from a dark forest. The sound should play from the computer's speakers.

• If the webcast freezes in mid-stream, click the Refresh or Reload button on your browser. It will reconnect, renegotiate, and resume the webcast.
• If you get no webcast, you can check your capabilities at the QuickTime Installation and Troubleshooting page.
• If you see a big red X where the video should be, that means you do not have the QuickTime plug-in.
• If the video opens in a separate window, that means that your browser's preferences are set to handle Quicktime movie files (.mov) with the QuickTime Player application. Change this to handle them with the plug-in instead.
• If your browser attempts to open the video with RealPlayer or Windows Media Player, that means that your browser's preferences are set to handle Quicktime movie files (.mov) with the RealPlayer or Windows Media Player application. Change the preferences to handle .mov files with the QuickTime plug-in instead.
• If you do not see the video, but see the message requested data in the controller, that could mean one of several things:
  • Your QuickTime Streaming transport settings are wrong. Change these with the QuickTime Settings Control Panel. Choose Streaming Transport from the popup menu, and click the Use UDP, RTSP Port 554 buttons, then click the Auto Configure button at the bottom. If the test proves OK, then close the Control Panel and refresh the page, and the video should appear. If the test allows you only to connect via HTTP, that means your organization has erected a firewall that blosks RTSP packets. See the next item.
  • Your network is blocked. If the result of your Auto Configure test tells you that UDP and RTSP will not work in your network, that means that there is a firewall or router in your LAN that is blocking streaming video. You will have to ask your network administrator to remove the blockage. This is easy to do, and instructions can be found at the QuickTime Firewalls page. If you can't do that, then you may be able to receive the webcast through HTTP. To do this, open the QuickTime Settings Control Panel. Choose Streaming Transport from the popup menu, and click the Use HTTP, Port ID 80 buttons, then close the Control Panel and refresh the page, and the video should appear. But the performance will not be as good with HTTP.

If none of these tips solve your problem, email Prof. Lengel at jlengel@bu.edu, or call him at 508 904 0749. Or post your question on the discussion board.