Technical Help for VIEWERS

JB Cases

www.jbcases.com
Silver Member
Hi, if anyone has advice for viewers please post it. I realize that there is a lot going on between the camera and the viewer's computer but almost every time I try to view one of these streams it's another couple hours trying to tweak things on my end. So ANY help would be appreciated if anyone knows tips, tricks, who to bribe, etc....
 
Usually I think there can be problems on the users end,perhaps and older computer,computer is not updated,does not have the latest flash player or Windows Media Player,sometimes Apple computers are funny and temperamental so to speak.I usually will have one person in the crowd with problems but then there are 100's with none,its difficult to help people when your streaming as you can be busy at times. :cool:
 
Lenny,

This would be a great place to list the recommened levels needed for current viewing.

OS, Flash, WMP or what ever.

Or, if you have a website with this info for the viewers to click and update.

Reccommened applications, browsers and version levels for viewing. This would also include operating systems and RAM.



Fast Lenny said:
Usually I think there can be problems on the users end,perhaps and older computer,computer is not updated,does not have the latest flash player or Windows Media Player,sometimes Apple computers are funny and temperamental so to speak.I usually will have one person in the crowd with problems but then there are 100's with none,its difficult to help people when your streaming as you can be busy at times. :cool:
 
Since most if not all streamers use Ustream here is a link to just about anything you need to know about how to use their system:

http://www.ustream.tv/helpcenter/helpcenter

Biggest stumbling blocks for viewers seem to be:

Not enough bandwidth- Check your speed at www.speedtest.net . Most streams go out at around 300 kbps . You will need a stable download speed of a little more than that.

Unstable network connection- If you are on a shaky wireless connection or a busy shared network that can affect your ability to view a smooth stream.

Security settings- There are a blue million different possibilities here. Vista seems to be the worst offender. We tell people to disable anti-virus and firewalls. Most people dont have to to view the streams but for a few it is a real problem and without being able to see the actual settings it is difficult to fix through support. Ustream uses the ubiquitous Flash so it really should not be an issue for the great majority of people with computers that are reasonably current.

Some recommendations to help view streams:

Update Flash player- You can get the newest Flash player for your particular browser here : http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

Try Firefox: The firefox browser, aside from giving IE the 4 out and the breaks, seems to work well for viewing. You can get it free here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Make sure that no programs are running in the background using bandwidth. Programs such as poker software or peer2peer programs like Limewire or bit torrent can affect the ability to view a stream smoothly.

Apple users who want to view Windows Media streams (TAR and Accu-Stats PPV's ) need Flip4Mac. It is available free here: http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv_download.htm . You do not need to buy anything to use the program for viewing streams. They try to sell added features but they are not required to just view a stream.

As far as hardware needed to view:

Any computer that runs XP or Vista with Firefox and Flash Player 10 that has a good internet connection should be able to view a stream. The biggest problem with the streaming media is that no two computers are exactly same. Everybody has different things running on their computer and different security programs or settings. The easiest way to cut out trouble is to keep things as simple as possible.

If I think of anymore tips or ideas I will post them up.
 
Last edited:
Since most if not all streamers use Ustream here is a link to just about anything you need to know about how to use their system:

http://www.ustream.tv/helpcenter/helpcenter

Biggest stumbling blocks for viewers seem to be:

Not enough bandwidth- Check your speed at www.speedtest.net . Most streams go out at around 300 kbps . You will need a stable download speed of a little more than that.

Unstable network connection- If you are on a shaky wireless connection or a busy shared network that can affect your ability to view a smooth stream.

Security settings- There are a blue million different possibilities here. Vista seems to be the worst offender. We tell people to disable anti-virus and firewalls. Most people dont have to to view the streams but for a few it is a real problem and without being able to see the actual settings it is difficult to fix through support. Ustream uses the ubiquitous Flash so it really should not be an issue for the great majority of people with computers that are reasonably current.

Some recommendations to help view streams:

Update Flash player- You can get the newest Flash player for your particular browser here : http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

Try Firefox: The firefox browser, aside from giving IE the 4 out and the breaks, seems to work well for viewing. You can get it free here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Make sure that no programs are running in the background using bandwidth. Programs such as poker software or peer2peer programs like Limewire or bit torrent can affect the ability to view a stream smoothly.

Apple users who want to view Windows Media streams (TAR and Accu-Stats PPV's ) need Flip4Mac. It is available free here: http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv_download.htm . You do not need to buy anything to use the program for viewing streams. They try to sell added features but they are not required to just view a stream.

As far as hardware needed to view:

Any computer that runs XP or Vista with Firefox and Flash Player 10 that has a good internet connection should be able to view a stream. The biggest problem with the streaming media is that no two computers are exactly same. Everybody has different things running on their computer and different security programs or settings. The easiest way to cut out trouble is to keep things as simple as possible.

If I think of anymore tips or ideas I will post them up.



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Helpful post

Since most if not all streamers use Ustream here is a link to just about anything you need to know about how to use their system:

http://www.ustream.tv/helpcenter/helpcenter

Biggest stumbling blocks for viewers seem to be:

Not enough bandwidth- Check your speed at www.speedtest.net . Most streams go out at around 300 kbps . You will need a stable download speed of a little more than that.

Unstable network connection- If you are on a shaky wireless connection or a busy shared network that can affect your ability to view a smooth stream.

Security settings- There are a blue million different possibilities here. Vista seems to be the worst offender. We tell people to disable anti-virus and firewalls. Most people dont have to to view the streams but for a few it is a real problem and without being able to see the actual settings it is difficult to fix through support. Ustream uses the ubiquitous Flash so it really should not be an issue for the great majority of people with computers that are reasonably current.

Some recommendations to help view streams:

Update Flash player- You can get the newest Flash player for your particular browser here : http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

Try Firefox: The firefox browser, aside from giving IE the 4 out and the breaks, seems to work well for viewing. You can get it free here: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Make sure that no programs are running in the background using bandwidth. Programs such as poker software or peer2peer programs like Limewire or bit torrent can affect the ability to view a stream smoothly.

Apple users who want to view Windows Media streams (TAR and Accu-Stats PPV's ) need Flip4Mac. It is available free here: http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv_download.htm . You do not need to buy anything to use the program for viewing streams. They try to sell added features but they are not required to just view a stream.

As far as hardware needed to view:

Any computer that runs XP or Vista with Firefox and Flash Player 10 that has a good internet connection should be able to view a stream. The biggest problem with the streaming media is that no two computers are exactly same. Everybody has different things running on their computer and different security programs or settings. The easiest way to cut out trouble is to keep things as simple as possible.

If I think of anymore tips or ideas I will post them up.

Great post !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
 
Make sure that no programs are running in the background using bandwidth. Programs such as poker software or peer2peer programs like Limewire or bit torrent can affect the ability to view a stream smoothly.

Justin,

Thanks for the REALLY great post!!

One night I kept getting knocked off and all my setting were exactly the same. Come to find out my son was downloading movies in the other room with Torrent! LOL.

Thanks again!

Ray
 
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