Test media player

Use the following steps to determine if your computer is compatable with the Video Arts service and to troubleshoot any problems that you might be experiencing. Start by clicking the top question and follow instructions.

Does my computer meet minimum hardware and software requirements?

• Windows XP with Service Pack 2, or Vista
• Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher; or Firefox 2 or higher
• Media Player version 10 or higher
• 1.2 GHz processor
• 512 MB RAM
• sound and video capability
• an active broadband connection to the Internet

If you have not already done so, click on "Can my computer successfully stream and play video?".

Can my computer successfully stream and play video?

Click on the medium resolution button; a short video will play. medium resolution (320 x 240) Does it?

If not, go directly to the "streaming media troubleshooting" below. If yes, go directly to the "can my computer accept DRM protected video".

Can my computer accept DRM protected video?

Click on the Digital Rights Management button; a short video will play. Digital Rights Management Does it?

If not, go directly to the "DRM troubleshooting" below.

If yes, you have successfully verified that you can accept video from the Video Arts service.

Should I use the high resolution or the medium resolution when watching my video?

The use of either medium or high resolution depends greatly on your Internet connection, the unused capacity of your internal network, and the speed of your computer.

Click on the high resolution button; a short video will play. high resolution (720 x 480) Does it play smoothly without excessive buffering once the video starts? If so, you should use the high resolution; otherwise, you will be most happy with the medium resolution.

And, even if you can successfully play the high resolution now, later you might have difficulties if your internal network gets too busy. In this case, revert back to medium resolution.

Streaming media troubleshooting

Step one: Are you working on a local network? If not, go to step two. In this step, you need to determine if the issue is with your PC or common to all PCs on your network. Go to one or two other PCs in your group. Try to play the medium resolution video on the Test Media Player page. Do other PCs work?

If other computers are working fine, you should try to download a new version of Media Player.

Step two: It could be that your network is blocking certain "protocols"; let us change your Media Player settings to a basic protocol. Click on Start, then All Programs, and then Windows Media Player. Do you see the menu at the top with File, View, Play, Tools? If not, right click on the Windows Media Player icon at the very top, left of the window. Click on Tools and then Options. Click on the Network tab. Uncheck the check boxes that says "RTSP". Verify that the check box that says "HTTP" is checked. Click on OK. Now, try to do the medium resolution test again. Does it now work?

Step three: Right click on the black video screen. If “Error Details” is enabled, you have an error. If the error is the file is not found, you are not connecting to the Internet properly. This could be a problem with a proxy server if you have one, or this could be another problem with your Internet connectivity. See your local support people for assistance.

DRM troubleshooting

DRM is a Digital Rights Management scheme developed by Microsoft to protect video and audio from unauthorized and illegal usage.

Click here to go to the DRM Troubleshooting page.

Does my local company network inhibit my playing of streaming media?

Possible issue one: Your local network could inhibit the UDP protocol or the RTSP ports? Let’s change your Media Player settings to a basic protocol. Click on Start, then All Programs, and then Windows Media Player. Do you see the menu at the top with File, View, Play, Tools? If not, right click on the Windows Media Player icon at the very top, left of the window. Click on Tools and then Options. Click on the Network tab. Uncheck the check boxes that says "RTSP". Verify that the check box that says "HTTP" is checked. Click on OK. Now, try to do the Medium Resolution test again.

Possible issue two: Your IT people could configure the firewall to trap and discard video. If this is the case, there is nothing that you can do other than to contact the IT folks to find out if this is being done. They may be able to open up the firewall to the Video Arts service without compromising any security that they might have in mind. Ask them.

Additional resources: Your IT folks may wish to consult our Firewall Assistance page. Click here to go to this page.

I need to download a new or updated version of Media Player

If you have any difficulty, the easy first step is to click on the Windows Media Player logo to download and install the correct version of Media Player for your computer. You will be directed to the Microsoft web site and guided through the installation.



If the video still does not play, be sure to follow the troubleshooting step above for assistance.