Instructions and Help
- Getting Started
- Troubleshooting
- Questions
- Contact Us for individualized help
- How do I get started? The following process is suggested, in this order:
- Check Your System Requirements
- Make sure your computer is up to speed.
As long as your computer is reasonably modern, it will probably come through fine. One of the most limiting factors is bandwidth: if you are connecting from home off of a 28.8 kb modem, you will wish to upgrade to a 56k modem, DSL, or a cable modem. The speed of your computer is a factor as well. - Make sure your browser is reasonably recent.
If you have Internet Explorer 5.0 or newer, that is acceptable. If you have Firefox 1.0 or newer, you should be fine. If not either download a new version of Internet Explorer or download a new version of Netscape.
- Install QuickTime
The current, free version of QuickTime is version 7.1. Please visit our page on downloading and installing QuickTime for more information.
- Test QuickTime
Visit our test page to make sure your software is working properly.
- How can I test to see if I can view streaming video?
To do this, we have provided a test page. When you visit the test page, you will be able to tell if you can see QuickTime movies.
- What is streaming?
Streaming is a technology that allows a large amount of data to be used even as later portions are being transferred to you. Instead of download a video and wait for the download to finish before you can view it or listen to it, you'll be able to view even as it downloads. MP3s are generally not streamed. You must download an entire MP3 before you can listen to it. When you stream with QuickTime, you won't have to wait.
- What does "buffering" mean?
Before you can play a stream, your computer must first buffer the stream. Since traffic on the Internet varies, even from one Washington University machine to another, to prevent "stuttering" or "skipping," your streaming software stores part of the stream ahead of time. Whenever traffic backs up, your software releases some of the stored stream to you and waits to catch-up with the rest of the stream.
- What is a "pop-up"? What is an "embedded player"?
A pop-up is a clickable link that appears just like a link to a Web page. When you click on it, a QuickTime window will open up, if one is not already open. With an embedded player, instead of a link, a small QuickTime window is part of the Web page itself.
If you are having problems and need assistance, please contact us:
Phone: 1-800-567-7609
Email: noc@wustl.edu