Frequently Asked Questions
Total Webcasting Inc.
(845)883-0909
info@totalwebcasting.com

What are the technical requirements for viewing a webcast?
How do I select a webcast?
If a webcast has more than one format, which one should I use?
How do I download a media player?
What is the row of tabs used for?
Can I view just a portion of a webcast?
Can I interrupt a video and play a different event?
What is a live event?
Why does the screen tell me that my player is working correctly?
Why can't I hear the audio component of the webcast?
Can I watch a webcast even though I have a dial-up connection?
How do I activate closed-captions?
What does the Slides tab work?

What are the technical requirements for viewing a webcast?
This webcast portal is designed to run on these web browsers:
• Internet Explorer (version 6 and up)
• Chrome (version 17)
• Firefox (version 3.5 and up)

Additionally, you must have a media player installed on your computer. All of the media available at this webcast portal can be viewed with the Adobe Flash Player. It's very likely that you have the Adobe Flash plug-in already installed on your computer.

The sponsor of this portal may have decided to make videos compatible with Apple devices (iPads and iPhones) and with users of the Windows Media player. If available, these alternate formats will appear as options in the navigation menu. Please note that many of the features described in this FAQ are not available to Windows Media users. See this question for information on downloading and installing media players to your computer.
Back to FAQ

How do I select a webcast?
The webcast page consists of a text panel on the left and a video player panel on the right. After the page loads, you will see a menu of available webcasts. Find the webcast you want to view and click on the link to a format supported on your computer. The video will load in the player panel and the event's program will display in a new tab in the text panel.

Every webcast is identified by a title. Some have additional descriptive information that you can display by clicking the "Show Details" link next to the title.

Some webcast portals with long lists of on-demand events support text searches of the webcast title and description. If you see a Search field and button on the right side of the bar above the video player, you can use the Search function to drill down to a webcast of interest. Just enter a word or phrase and click the Search button. You can use the "Next" and "Previous" links to the left of the Search field to search forward or back. Clicking Reset closes the current search.
Back to FAQ

If a webcast has more than one format, which one should I use?
It depends on what players are installed on your computer. Most computers (Windows and iMacs) are shipped with the Adobe Flash Player. Windows PC generally include the Windows Media player. It's very easy to download the Adobe Flash player on Window computers, but somewhat more difficult to install the Windows Media player on an iMac running OS X. If a webcast is available in more than one format and you choose a format that cannot be played on your computer, you will see a message with a link to a Web site from which you can install the missing player. Media choices labeld "Apple Devices" can only be played on iPads and iPhones.
Back to FAQ

How do I download a media player?
To install either of the two primary players for this site's webcasts, please click on a link below and follow the instructions:
• Adobe Flash Player
• Windows Media Player

Because of limited support for the Windows Media format, Adobe Flash is the best choice of player for this web site.
Back to FAQ

What is the row of tabs used for?
This web page is divided into two panes. The video player resides in the right pane. The left side of the the screen contains a series of panels that are selected by clicking the one of the tabs. When you first arrived at this site, two tabs were available: the navigation menu and the help screen (if you are reading this, you found the help screen). When you select a video, additional tabs appear with other content, including a program tab with detailed information about the webcast. Optional tabs that may be available include a feedback form for commenting on the program, a verification tab for course-related questions, a documents tab for program-related attachments, and a slideshow tab.
Back to FAQ

Can I view just a portion of a webcast?
Most on-demand (archived) webcasts contain "jump points": entries in the event's program or agenda tab that reposition the video playback to a particular point in the event. Look for bolded entries in the Program tab of the text panel and click the link to jump to that portion of the program. You can jump forward or backward. If the webcast does not have a click-enabled program, you can speed forward or backwards using the slide control at the base of the player.
Back to FAQ

Can I interrupt a video and play a different event?
To switch to a different webcast, simply click on the Menu tab to redisplay the list of available events and then make a new selection.
Back to FAQ

What is a live event?
Live webcasts are "streamed" to you in real-time as they occur. Most events are first streamed live and then stored as "on demand" archives for those who could not "attend" the live webcast or who wish to replay the program. Live events are posted under the "Upcoming Events" heading several days prior to the scheduled time.
Back to FAQ

Why does the screen tell me that my player is working correctly?
Once we schedule a live event and add it to the webcast menu, we program a test video which, if you can see and hear it, tells you that your player is installed, working correctly, and ready for the upcoming webcast. About 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the event, the test video is removed and replaced by the actual live stream. Anyone who had already selected the live webcast will be automatically switched from the test video to the live stream in the next 2-3 minutes. If it is very close to the start time and the test screen remains on your computer, return to the Menu tab and reselect the live event.

If a live event is delayed because of technical problems, you will be notified by a special message in the media player. Once the problem is resolved, you will be automatically connected to the live webcast. Rarely, a significant problem will lead to the cancellation of the live web stream. In this case, a message will be posted and displayed in the web page's viewer panel. The cancellation of a live event does not preclude the release of the webcast as an archive. The archived version of a webcast is generally available about 12 hours after recording.
Back to FAQ

Why can't I hear the audio component of the webcast?
People often mute sounds on their computer, which will also prevent you from hearing the audio track of a webcast. To check the status of the mute button on a Windows computer, click the "Volume" icon on the system tray (usually at the lower right-hand corner of your desktop). The Volume icon looks like a loundspeaker. Make sure that the mute option is not selected and that the volume is set to an appropriate level. On iMac computers, the Volume control is found on the upper right-hand corner of the screen (it too looks like a loudspaker, only from the side). The iMac volume control doesn't have a mute option, so just set the volume level as needed.
Back to FAQ

Can I watch a webcast even though I have a dial-up connection?
Low-speed playback is supported for archived webcasts only and only using the Windows Media player. Not all webcasts are available in low-speed format. When you select a low-speed archive, the Windows Media player launches in its own window; the video does not appear in the player panel of the website. You will need to manually exit from the low-speed player window at the end of the webcast.
Back to FAQ

How do I activate closed-captions?
Not all of the webcasts on this site are captioned. If the event was captioned and you are viewing the webcast using the Adobe Flash player, you will see a button labelled "CC is off" superimposed on the player when you float the cursor over the player using the mouse. Click on that button to toggle the display of captions.

If you are watching a webcat with the Windows Media player, you can view closed captions by pressing the Control, Shift, and "C" keys (at the same time) or by clicking "Play" on the menu bar and then "Lyrics, Captions, and Subtitles".
Back to FAQ

How does the Slides tab work?
Some webcasts include a synchronized slideshow as part of the event. If slides were prepared for this video, choose the tab named "Slides" to bring up the slide player. In "Auto" mode (the default when you choose this tab), the slides will be synchronized with the presentation on the video.

If you want to go back a study a slide that has already passed, you can put viewing in your control by clicking the "Change Mode" link on the toolbar above the slide image. The slide mode changes to "Manual" and you can use the other icons on the tool bar to move around the slide show. The "<<" and ">>" buttons take you to the first and last slide, respectively. You can move to the next or previous slides by clicking the ">" and "<" buttons. Finally, you can activate the drop-down box to choose a slide by sequence number (in the presentation). Synchronized slide viewing ("Auto") is restored by clicking on "Change Mode"
Back to FAQ

^®2009 Total Webcasting, Inc.