Audio Playback Help

Audio Playback Help If you are having problems hearing the audio clips, then you have come to the right place. Note: I do not claim to be an expert in this field nor do I accept responsibility for any damage you might due to your system attempting to get it to play these audio files. This information is mainly for Windows users but general descriptions also applies to Macintosh. Overview: There are many ways to offer audio via a web page, each offering various advantages and disadvantages. Most "Browsers" (ie. Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator/Communicator) offer built in players for some audio formats but not necessarily all. Depending on the version of the browser used determines what audio files that can be played. If your browser does not support a particular audio format, there are many "add-ons" that can be downloaded for free that will allow your system to hear the recording. A number of these products are listed at the bottom of this page. Examples of audio types: (not all) "Flash" (.flv) - Adobe Flash format (i.e. Youtube) currently for all TBS audio/video recordings. "Audio" (.au) - Most late model browser support .au files. Older browsers sometimes require additional "add-ons". "Wave" (.wav) - This is a common windows format that most browsers can playback. These files are too large for anything greater than a few seconds of playback. "Midi" (.mid) - Typically requires an "add-on" (ie. Cresendo) in order to hear. The very latest browsers support midi. Cannot be used for live recording, only electronic sounds. "MPEG" (.mp3) - High "CD" quality audio format and very small files. Requires a player such as Windows Media or various shareware applications. "MP3" Most popular compressed audio format (i.e. Napster) for transferring audio. Audio quality is much better than most other compressed formats although files may be quite large. Some sites offer "streaming MP3" but this site does not. Typically, it's best to download the file first before attempting to play (i.e. "right click" on the icon and select "save target as...". "Real Audio" (.ra, .rm) - Real Audio is a real time audio transmission/player system. A digital audio stream is transmitted from the server over the Internet to the destination and played immediately, rather than being stored to disk first and then played. There are multiple versions of RealAudio, Version 3.0, 4.0, and the newest G2. Typically requires an "add-on" (ie. RealPlayer) in order to hear. The latest browsers support the older versions RealAudio but not the new G2. There are more types (ie Microsoft) but this page will not get into that at this time. "Windows Media" (.asf) - Microsoft's "Advanced Streaming Format" is yet another streaming format promoted by Microsoft primarily competing with Real Audio. "QuickTime" (.mov) - Apple Computer's compressed audio format. Quicktime can be either streaming and/or downloaded as a standalone file. Our "Recordings" are now presented in Adobe "Flash" format (i.e. same format as YouTube videos). A free "Flash" plug-in is available for most common operation systems including Windows, Macintosh and more by visiting the Adobe website at: http://www.adobe.com or by clicking on the Common Problems: Q. I click on the icon but a window asks me what to open it with. A. The problem is your system needs an association setup so that it knows what application to start when it receives that particular type of file. There are at least two options: one is to add the association pointing to the the appropriate player. The other (recommended) is to simply download the latest player (ie. RealAudio 8) and it will update your system as with all the latest associations types. Q. When I click on an icon, I get a message that the program cannot connect with the server. A. Something is preventing the player from connecting such as a "Firewall" or Proxy Server. Also, some ISPs (i.e. Free Juno) block streaming audio sites. Contact your Internet Service Provider for assistance. Q. It looks like it is playing but I don't hear anything. A. Check your audio properties and make sure the playback channel is not muted. Q. When I playback "QuickTime" files, the audio is distorted. A. Change to Audio-Out from "Directsound" to "Waveout" Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel, then double-click the QuickTime icon to open the QuickTime Settings window. From the drop down menu, select Sound Out. In the field, Choose a device for playback, change the default setting from DirectSound to WaveOut. Restart your Browser
Free Players / Add-ons
	Adobe Flash Player - Player for .FLV audio/video clips.
	Microsoft Media Player - Player for .ASP, MP3, WAV, AVI, and more.
	Realplayer - Player for all RealAudio formats including G2, MP3, and more.
	QuickTime - Player for Apple Quicktime audio/video formats. Also plays AVI, WAV, MP3 and more.