About the DML

Searching

Browsing

Submitting Media

QuickTime Help

QuickTime Help

Listed below are some of the most common problems associated with viewing QuickTime streaming media. While this document may be helpful in many cases, it will not solve all issues related to video on the web. If you cannot find an answer to your QuickTime questions here, please check with the Apple website or contact the BCTC helpdesk.

Additionally, if you've found a problem and solved it on your own, you may want to share it with us so we can post it to this page and help other students. Through user feedback and participation we can create a product that reaches as many students as possible.

Common Scenarios

Scenario: You're looking at the page and all you see is something that looks like a broken icon. The page is loading fine but the video isn't appearing.

Suggestion: The broken icon indicates that you do not have the QuickTime plug-in installed on your computer. The plug-in can be downloaded from the Apple website. Remember that once you download the file from the Apple site, you will then have to click on the install file and actually perform the installation. It should only take a few minutes to do this. If you have done this and are still seeing the broken icon, you might want to close your browser or even reboot your computer.

Check for QuickTime Plug-In

Scenario: The page has loaded but all that appears in the video area is either a white space or a black space with audio playing.

Suggestion: This indicates that you do not have the most updated QuickTime plug-in installed on your computer. The plug-in can be downloaded from the Apple website. Remember that once you download the file from the Apple site, you will then have to click on the install file and actually perform the installation. It should only take a few minutes to do this. If you have done this and are still seeing the broken icon, you might want to close your browser or even reboot your computer.

Check for QuickTime Plug-In

Scenario: It looks like the video is about to load but it seems to be stuck in "negotiating" mode. You've refreshed the page, checked your internet connection and tried other videos in this course. Every one seems to keep negotiating and never actually plays the video.

Suggestion: The good news is, you have QuickTime installed. The issue is with configuration. A first step is to check to make sure your computer is configured to receive streaming video. Apple has a webpage to verify streaming settings.

Another cause of this issue may be related to firewall settings by your server administrator. Some offices have settings that do not permit streaming video on their network. To troubleshoot a possible firewall problem go to Apple's firewall page.

Scenario: You're watching the video but it keeps starting and stopping, interrupting to rebuffer the stream. It's becoming difficult to watch because it won't play consistently for a substantial period of time.

Suggestion: You might want to try accessing the videos at a different time or finding a faster internet connection. Also, closing other open applications on your computer will help your computer to process the video stream.

Possible causes (extracted from http://www.public.iastate.edu/~sws/realplayerfaq.htm):

(1) Traffic jams. Streaming requires an Internet connection that's free of bottlenecks or "traffic jams." But the Internet isn't a direct pipeline from the source to you. Streamed content passes through many other computers on its way to your computer via your ISP. If any one of them is carrying too much other traffic, the streamed content may be interrupted and pause. Streamed content is "buffered" to help avoid this, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Usually the delay only lasts a few seconds, and the audio picks up where it stopped. Video is more sensitive to such interruptions.

(2) A slow computer. Even with a fast computer, if you have too many applications open, it could slow down your media streaming. If you notice things are sluggish, close all unnecessary applications and windows running on your computer. Just keep your Web browser and your media player open. (If you're just listening or watching, you can even close your browser.) In any case, speedy computers (400 Mhz or higher) are best.

(3) Noisy phone lines. If you have a phone line that isn't free of noise (humming, crackling), that's not good for streaming (or Web browsing). Disconnect any phones that cause a buzz or hum. Have your phone company check your line to get rid of humming or other line noise. Of course, a cable modem or DSL connection is best for streaming media.