- I am receiving the error message "Subscription failed:..." with Flash, "Windows Media Player can not find the file" with Windows Media, or QuickTime just keeps "Waiting for media." What is causing this error?
| Answer: |
In most instances, this error is encountered if our live event hasn't started yet (or if the Legislature is in recess/done for the day). Please make sure you try and access the stream after the live event you are trying to view has started. If you know the event has started and you are still having trouble, this message can also be displayed if you have a firewall installed that is not allowing Windows Media Player to connect to the internet. ZoneAlarm, McAfee, and Norton are popular vendors that provide software firewall solutions so if you have one of them installed, try disabling it and retry the stream. |
- I am using Vista with Internet Explorer and when I click the button to start the Windows Media stream it doesn't start but it asks me to save a file. What should I do?
| Answer: |
Save this file to your desktop by clicking the Save button and then the Save button again on the resulting dialog box. Then go to your desktop and you should see the file (it should start with the word "reflector"). Just double-click on this file--Windows Media Player should open up and the stream should begin. If Windows Media Player does not automatically start... you will need to start it manually by clicking on your Start button and accessing All Programs>>Windows Media Player. Once the player is open, you can just drag your saved file into it and the stream should start. If you continue to experience problems, try reinstalling Windows Media Player. |
- I am on a Mac and I can't get your Windows Media stream to play. Is there anything I can do?
| Answer: |
We would recommend trying our new Flash stream--it is the most compatible format in the industry right now.
Otherwise, there is a free program called Flip4Mac which allows your QuickTime player to take over troublesome Windows Media links and play them with success.
Please follow these instructions in order to install:
- Visit this LINK and click the Download button.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to save the file to your hard disk.
- If you are using Safari, the file is downloaded to the desktop unless you specified a different folder in the Preferences dialog box of Safari. (To check your preferences, on the Safari menu, click Preferences, and then click General.) If you are using Internet Explorer, the Download Manager saves the file to the desktop unless you specified a different folder in the Preferences dialog box of Internet Explorer. (To check your preferences, on the Explorer menu, click Preferences, and then click Download Options in the left pane).
- In most Web browsers, the file you downloaded expands automatically. If it does not, double-click the file you downloaded in step 3 to mount the disk image and extract the compressed .mpkg file.
- Click the .mpkg file to run the installer.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to finish installation.
- Restart all QuickTime-based applications.
You should find that our stream plays fine now... give it a few seconds to start up. |
- The Windows Media picture is so small that I can hardly see what is going on. Can I make it larger?
| Answer: |
Resizing the player should increase the size of the video. If not, please right click on the very top bar of the player (where it says Windows Media Player) and make sure you put a check mark by these options: View>>Video Size>>Fit Video to Player on Resize and View>>Video Size>>Fit Video to Player on Start. Please note, as you increase the video size... the picture quality will degrade... meaning contrast and sharpness will be decreased and you will notice more artifacts in the motions. In addition, slower computers may have trouble with the video frame rate as the size is increased. Our flash video player includes an icon for viewing the video in fullscreen mode. |
- The video or sound is very choppy or sometimes doesn't play at all. What could be the problem?
| Answer: |
Sometimes various network congestion can cause some streaming hiccups but for the most part, the stream should work smoothly. These symptoms will occur if you are using a dial up (AOL, PeoplePC, etc...) or a very slow DSL/Satellite connection. Our Live Web streaming service has been optimized for broadband delivery so please check with your local Internet Service Providers for upgrade options in your area. If you have a good connection but a slower computer, try resizing the video to a smaller size--this should help playback performance. |
- I give up... Windows Media Player and/or QuickTime keeps crashing or just won't play the stream. Are there any other video players out there that you would recommend me trying?
| Answer: |
We would recommend trying our new Flash stream--it is the most compatible format in the industry right now.
Otherwise, VLC Media Player is a free alternative video player that many have had success with. You can download it from here: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/.
Once you have that installed, follow these steps in order to view the stream:
- From the Live Webcast page, right-click on the button to begin the stream and choose one of the following options:
- If you are using Internet Explorer then choose "Copy Shortcut"
- If you are using Firefox, then choose "Copy Link Location"
- If you are using Safari, then Ctrl-click on the button and choose "Copy Link"
- Open the VLC Media Player and go to File>>Open Network Stream (Ctrl+N).
- Choose the HTTP/HTTPS/FTP/MMS box and paste the URL (Ctrl+V) you got from Step 1into the corresponding box.
- Then click the "OK" button and the stream should begin in a few seconds.
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