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Video Help Page
Having problems viewing the HDTV feeds on our site? Don't worry, we're here to help.
Technology Evangelist uses the latest video compression technology to offer you full screen, HDTV quality video online. Unfortunately this technology is a bit new, and as such it can be confusing. In this document we'll cover some of the most common problems, their solutions, and hopefully make this whole HDTV thing a bit easier too.
How is the video encoded? What players do I need?
I keep getting a broken QuickTime icon, what am I doing wrong?
I am running Linux, can I watch your videos?
What is the difference between 480p, 720p and 1080p?
What are the system requirements to play your videos?
My video and audio are stuttering, what can I do?
Whenever I download a video, it opens in Real Player and all I get is audio, help!
Will you support Windows Media?
How is the video encoded? What players do I need?
All videos are encoded using a technology called MPEG 4 h.264. This technology requires special players in order to receive the content. The two most common players are QuickTime 7 and VLC, although others are available. At this time Windows Media Player does not support h.264.
I keep getting a broken QuickTime icon, what am I doing wrong?
Your version of QuickTime player needs to be updated. Only version 7 and above support the newer h.264 CODEC used on this site. Apple includes a built in updater inside of QuickTime 6; however, this will only update you to the latest version of QuickTime 6, and will not bring you up to version 7. Make sure to download the latest version from http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download
I am running Linux, can I watch your videos?
Of course! VLC is a cross platform player that can play back all h.264 content on TechnologyEvangelist.com
What is the difference between 480p, 720p and 1080p?
There are essentially three different formats of HDTV today: 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The number refers to the lines of resolution while the letter refers to progressive or interlaced. Most all computers today run progressive monitors, so all content on Technology Evangelist is progressive. As the resolution increases, the larger the picture and better the quality of the image becomes. Unfortunately the higher the resolution, the more CPU speed you need to decode the video. Since HDTV takes a fairly new computer to decode, we have made 480p or an enhanced definition file available for older systems. In general, if your computer is over a year old, you may not be able to play the HDTV files, so try the EDTV 480p file instead.
What are the system requirements to play your videos?
- 1080p Requirements: 3.0 Ghz Intel Pentium D (dual-core) or faster processor, At least 1GB of RAM, 64MB or greater video card
- 720p Requirements: 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 or faster processor, At least 512MB of RAM, 64MB or greater video card
- 480p Requirements: 2.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or faster processor, At least 512MB of RAM, 64MB or greater video card
My video and audio are stuttering, what can I do?
In many cases if the video and or audio stutters, you’re trying to play back a video that is too much for your computer to handle. If this is the case, try a lower quality video. If you have selected the 1080p video, try playing back the 720p version and so on. If you’re already playing the 480p video and it’s still stuttering, try downloading the video to your hard drive before playing.
Whenever I download a video, it opens in Real Player and all I get is audio, help!
Real Player supports MPEG 4, but it does not support the advanced h.264 CODEC that we use for video. You will need to open the files in QuickTime to get them to play. If your files always open in RealPlayer and you would like them to auto-open in QuickTime, do the following:
1 – Download the video to your hard drive (right-click and save-as)
2 – Right-click on the video and select properties
3 – Click the ‘change’ button and select QuickTime
4 – Select ‘OK’ then ‘Apply’
Will you support Windows Media?
We are eagerly awaiting h.264 support in Windows Media Player, and as soon as either Microsoft releases support or a reliable plugin becomes available, we will post that info here.
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