What is Streaming Media?

Streaming Video refers to a way of broadcasting video content over a computer network. Open Campus streams video and audio over the internet allowing students to view individual video and audio streams on-demand. That is, students who are enrolled in a class that uses streaming media may view videos or listen to audio anytime and anywhere they choose, as long as they are using a computer that meets the streaming video requirements listed below.

What do I need to view the streaming media?

1. You must be enrolled in a class that uses streaming media. Your instructor will provide a username and password that will allow you to access the video content.
2. You must have a computer with internet access. Although a broadband (DSL or Cable) internet connection is recommended, Open campus video streams will work over a 56K dialup modem connection.
3. You must have the latest Quicktime Player (version 7 or higher) installed on your computer. Open Campus Streaming media is encoded and hosted using QuickTime streaming media technology. Therefore, you should download the free QuickTime Media Player to use Open Campus streaming media.

Windows 7, Internet Explorer (64-bit) Issue:

If you're using Windows 7 along with the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer 8, Apple's QuickTime web browser plugin may not function, preventing you from viewing video content within your web browser. Until this issue is resolved, There are several work-arounds that you can use to view QuickTime video content.

• Use the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer:
  1. Click Start button on the Windows taskbar to open the Start menu.
  2. Select "All Programs" from the Start menu. A list will appear displaying both "Internet Explorer (64-bit)" & "Internet Explorer".
  3. Click on "Internet Explorer". Be certain not to click on "Internet Explorer (64-bit)".
  4. You should now be using the 32 bit version of Internet Explorer 8. Navigate back to your video & try viewing it again.
• Install an alternate web browser: Different web browsers have been certified to work with Open Campus online classes and Open Campus videos. While not "certified" by Blackboard, either Firefox or Safari are "compatible" with Blackboard and known to work with QuickTime on the 64-bit Windows 7 operating system.
  
• Use the video download link to open the video directly in QuickTime Player: Many web pages that display Open Campus videos have a download option (usually right under the video). After clicking on one of the download links, The quicktime player application should start up and your video should begin playing.

QuickTime X for OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Issue:

If you're using a Macintosh that is running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), the default QuickTime player installed on your computer is QuickTime X. QuickTime X may not be able to access our password protected streaming media. The work-around for this is to use QuickTime Player 7 to view the videos.

• Make sure that QuickTime Player 7 is installed on your system:
  1. Using the Finder, navigate to the Applications folder.
  2. Open the Utilities folder (located inside the Applications folder).
     • If you can't find Quicktime Player 7 in this folder, proceed to the "Installing QuickTime Player 7 on OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)".
     • If QuickTime Player 7 is installed in your Utilities folder, proceed to Viewing Password Protected Streaming Media in OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
• Installing QuickTime 7 Player on OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard): To install QuickTime Player 7 on OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), you'll need the Installation DVD that came with your computer (or the OS X 10.6 Installation DVD - if you upgraded your computer). Do Not download the latest version of QuickTime Player 7 from Apple's website; it will not install on your computer.
  
  
  1. Insert your Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Install DVD.
  2. Open the Optional Installs folder and double-click "Optional Installs.mpkg".
  3. Select the QuickTime 7 option and click Continue.
  4. QuickTime Player 7 will be installed in your Utilities folder.
• Viewing Password Protected Streaming Media in OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard): After installing QuickTime Player 7 on OS X Snow Leopard, your computer may still attempt to play Open Campus Streaming Media using QuickTime X. If this happens, you can do the following:
  1. After clicking on a video link, go to your downloads folder and look for a file ending in ".qtl" this is a QuickTime Link file.
  2. Right-click on the qtl file and select "Open With" > Other...
  3. From the menu that appears, Select "QuickTime Player 7" in the Applications > Utilities folder.
  4. Click the "Open" button. This will open the file with QuickTime Player 7. You will be prompted for the username and password for the video that you are attempting to view.
  5. If you right click on the qtl file, you can optionally select "Get Info" > "Open with:". Then, making sure that Quicktime Player 7 is set as the default appliction to open the qtl file, Click the "Change All..." button. This will ensure that all future qtl files will open with QuickTime Player 7.

I have QuickTime 7, but I can't play the video...

Make sure that you're using QuickTime 7 or higher to view the videos. Other media players such as Real Player may not be able to play QuickTime movies.

• To make sure that you're viewing the videos using QuickTime:
  1. In your web browser, download the video or link file to your computer
     • If you are using Internet Explorer, right click on the link to the video & select "Save Target As..." Be sure to note the file name and where you saved the file.
     • If you are using Firefox, right click on the link to the video & select "Save Link As..." Be sure to note the file name and where you saved the file.
     • If you are using Safari, right click on the link to the video & select "Download Linked File As..." Be sure to note the file name and where you saved the file.
  2. Open the Quicktime Player Application.
  3. In QuickTime Player "File" menu, select "Open File..."
  4. Navigate to the file you save in step 1 and open it.

• HINT: If the movie file icon doesn't look like the QuickTime application icon (a blue "Q"), the movie probably won't open automatically with QuickTime. You can fix this in the QuickTime Player Application preferences:
  
  
  
  1. Open the Quicktime Player application.
  2. Open the Quicktime Preferences panel.
     • If you are using Windows, select "Edit" > "Quicktime Preferences..." and click on the "File Types" tab.
     • On the Macintosh select "Quicktime Player" > "Quicktime Preferences..." and click on the "Advanced" tab, then select the "MIME Settings..." button.
  3. Select "Use Defalts".
  4. Select "Apply" (Windows only), select "OK".

Why do the videos look so small?

Open Campus streaming video content is highly compressed to allow for more reliable streaming over the internet. Our "high-bandwidth" compatible streams are encoded at 320 x 240 pixels and our "low-bandwidth" compatible streams are encoded at 160 x 120 pixels.

You can make the videos appear larger simply by resizing your media player window.

The video or audio frequently skips or stalls, what do I do?

If you connect with a dialup modem, Open Campus streaming videos will require all of your available bandwidth. For best results while playing streaming videos, shut down your web browser and any other programs that access the internet. Shutting down your web browser, email, chat client, stock ticker, etc. is recommended for all users who are experiencing playback issues.

Open campus provides several different bandwidth options for video and audio content in order to provide you with the best possible quality for your internet connection. Unfortunately, we are unable to account for network congestion. Network congestion is usually what causes skipping or stalling. In order to prevent skipping or stalling the first thing that you should do is select a lower speed for playback. For instance, if a 384K video stream is skipping or stalling, try viewing the 112K video stream instead. You may also try the following change to your QuickTime Player settings:

• Turn off the "Enable Instant-On" setting.
  1. Open the Quicktime Player application.
  2. Open the Quicktime Preferences panel.
     • If you are using Windows, select "Edit" > "Quicktime Preferences..." and click on the "Streaming" tab.
     • On the Macintosh select "Quicktime Player" > "Quicktime Preferences..." and click on the "Streaming" tab.
  3. Uncheck the "Enable Instant-On" check box.
  4. Restart Quicktime and re-open the video.

I keep getting asked for a password. What do I do?

Open Campus streaming media is password protected. Your instructor will provide a username and password that will allow you to access the video content. The username and password are both case sensative. Make sure that you use UPPERCASE and lowercase text correctly.

If you are a Windows user and cannot get past the password prompt, your Windows firewall settings may be the cause. To fix this, follow these directions to restore the default Windows firewall settings:

1. Open the Windows Security Center. You can find it by clicking on the Start Menu, then selecting "All Programs" > Accessories > "System Tools" > "Security Center".
2. Once the Security Center is open, click on "Windows Firewall". This will open the Windows Firewall Control Panel.
3. When the Windows Firewall Control Panel opens, select the "Advanced" tab at the top.
4. Click on the "Restore Defaults" button at the bottom.
5. A dialog box will be presented asking you to confirm your choice. Select "Yes".
6. Click "OK" to close the Windows Firewall Control Panel.

At this point you can close the Windows Security Center. You should also close any open instances of the Quicktime Player Application, then try the streaming media link again. After you enter the correct username and password, you should be able to view the streaming media.

If you need more help...

If you haven't been able to solve your problem with the information on this page, please contact the Open Campus Help Desk using the contact information on our main help page.