Frequently Asked Questions
1) What are the minimum system requirements for watching the live and archived video?
System Information
To view and hear live webcasts or archived video, your computer must have a sound card, a minimum 56 Kbs Internet connection, and Windows Media Player 9.0 (available free of charge at Microsoft). If you have a Macintosh, be sure that you are running Mac OS X or later, have a G3 or better with 256MB RAM, virtual memory turned on, and at least 10MB of free disk space.
Player Information
In order to view the video streams you must have Windows Media Player Version 9.0 (Netscape users should download the plug-in version found under 'Windows Media Tools and Services'). In most cases, if you do not have the software already installed, you will be automatically directed to the download page.
Browser Information
Please be sure that you are using Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 4.7 (or later).
Connection Information
As with all Internet-based video, the more bandwidth available to you the better. The video on our site is configured to stream at various speeds from 20kbps (audio-only) up to 350kbps. Our servers will automatically detect your connection speed and send the highest quality stream possible. If you are trying to view the webcast with a dial-up connection, you will find the best performance is achieved by manually selecting an audio-only version of the webcast.
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2) I have all the recommended software installed, but I'm still not able to view the webcasts. Any suggestions?
Double-check your connection speed
To ensure maximum quality for a wide-range of connection speeds, we frequently include separate audio-only versions of our webcast. If you have a slow connection speed (less than 100kbps like a dial-up connection) you will receive better quality if you select the audio-only version.
Are you firewalled?
Occasionally a firewall will reduce the speed with which you can receive webcast information on an otherwise high-speed connection. We have gone to great lengths to make our data as "firewall friendly" as possible but bottlenecks can still occur at a firewall (especially when connecting from a corporate LAN). Most users experiencing this problem can still enjoy the audio-only version of the webcast.
Is your volume turned on?
This happens more than you think. Double-check to make sure that the volume is turned on loud enough and, if you have them, external speakers are turned on. This is especially important when using a low-speed connection where there might not be enough bandwidth to display video.
Is your plug-in installed properly?
Sometimes Netscape browsers will not pick up the Windows Media Player plug-in properly, to fix this problem re-install Microsoft Windows Media Player and try again.
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3) I have all the recommended software installed but I am still unable to view the video, what can I do?
First, double check that you have version 9 or newer of Windows Media Player. You can download the latest version from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/download/ 
. Older versions of Windows Media Player do not support the latest file formats and may not work properly. If you are using Netscape, you may need to re-install Windows Media Player for it to function properly.
Second, check that your Media Player is configured to use the TCP, UDP, and HTTP protocols. To check this open Windows Media Player, then click on Tools, then Options. Go to the Network tab and make sure that all of the protocols are allowed:
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4) How do I "Fast-Forward" and "Rewind"?
You can use the "Jump To" links in the drop down window under the video to skip from agenda item to agenda item. You can drag the tab on the scrollbar, directly under the video to move backward or forward in the video. It is tough to get to an exact time this way on long videos. To get to a precise point you can use the fast-forward or rewind buttons, the double arrow buttons on either side of the timeline directly below the video. Simply click once on the fast-forward or rewind button to begin, and click once again on the same button to return to the "Play" mode.
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5) I am trying to watch a stream, but I keep getting a message that the system can’t find a server, and that it may be behind a firewall. What does this mean?
The streaming network keeps video files on a network of several servers. When a change is made to a video file then the new copy of that video file must be copied to all of the servers in the streaming network. Occasionally this takes a few minutes, and during this time you may receive this message. Some files on the video network are only available from certain locations, like your Public Library or City Hall. If you receive this message for more than a few hours, please contact the webmaster and tell them about it. Be sure to write down which file you are trying to view, and the exact wording of the error message.
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6) I can hear the audio but I can't see anything. What's wrong?
The problem is one of three things: (1) You don't have a fast enough connection to receive the video portion of the webcast, (2) you have selected an audio-only webcast, or (3) you do not have the proper codecs installed. To insure that your Windows Media Player has the proper codecs bring up the Player in it's own window and click on Tools/Options on the menu at the top of the window. Within the options window be sure that "Enable automatic codec download" is checked, and click on "OK".
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7) How can I determine my connection speed?
The easiest way to check your effective connection speed is to select a webcast (live or archived) and place your mouse cursor over the small picture, usually of a sun or storm cloud, on the bottom-left hand corner of the viewing screen as the webcast buffers or plays. A small pop-up window will appear displaying the speed at which you are receiving the webcast.
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8) Is there any way I can make the viewing area larger?
You can make the video viewing area for live web streaming by right-clicking on the video box and selecting the full-screen option or touch ‹alt›-‹enter›. To return to the normal viewing size right-click and deselect full-screen or simply touch the ‹esc› key. You cannot alter the size of the screen while watching web archiving.
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9) The webcast stopped while I was viewing it. Was it something I did and how can I fix it?
Occasionally enough packets will get lost in cyberspace on the way to your computer to cause a noticeable interruption. In most cases the system will recover automatically and resume the webcast after a few seconds without any special action on your part. However, if you get no response after the first minute, refreshing the page is the best way to resume the webcast.
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10) The web cast buffers a lot even though I have a high speed connection. Any suggestions?
The number one cause of buffering is poor network connectivity. This may not be a problem with your network but may be caused by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) getting overloaded. This is especially likely during peak usage hour.
If you experience excessive buffering after 15 seconds to 1 minute, no matter what you try, you may be experiencing a firewall problem. The problem has to do with the way some firewalls handle streaming traffic. To fix the problem, you must update your firewall’s firmware. For instructions on how to update your firewall’s firmware, contact your firewall vendor. They will be able to provide you with firmware updates and easy to follow instructions on how to install them.
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11) My video player just says "Ready" and does not play any video or audio, what should I do?
The video player will say "Ready" when you have reached the end of the video clip, or when there has been a serious error with the video file. First, check that you have version 9 or newer of the Windows Media Player installed. If you have installed Windows Media Player version 9 and still get this message, please right-click on the black area of the video player, and click on “Error Details” on the pop-up menu. Write down the exact wording of the error message, along with the name of the video that you were trying to watch, and report the problem to the webmaster.
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12) My video player just shows a blue screen, what is going on?
The streaming system shows a blue screen when it is not receiving a signal from the cable network or video feed. If you are watching an on-demand clip, try selecting one of the Jump-To points from the jump-to drop-down menu. If you are watching a live stream, please make sure that there is a broadcast in progress. If a broadcast is in progress and you are still getting a blue screen, we may be having technical difficulties. Rest assured, if that is the case, we are working as hard as we can to fix the problem. Try again in a few minutes and it will probably work.
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13) How do I jump ahead to a specific agenda item of the meeting that I am watching?
Once you click on the "View" link of the specific archived meeting that would like to watch, a new window opens and the meeting starts from the beginning. You can either click the pull down menu under the screen and "Jump to.." any of the listed items. Or, once the minutes of the meeting have been published they will appear in the window on the right and you may click on that item and the video will "jump to" that segment of the video.
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14) I am having a problem with the Search feature finding the Council Agenda Items I want. Is there anything I can do?
The City Council Meetings search is not integrated with the main City search engine. The Meetings search is rudimentary in nature and does not support many of the features of modern search engines, like Boolean logic (and, or, not), nor the use or quotes to denote phrases. The City is aware of these shortcomings and has confirmed that the vendor has plans to increase the search functionality with system upgrades in the future.
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15) When I click on the "Previous" and "Next" buttons, the screen turns black and freezes up. What is wrong?
The "Previous" and "Next" buttons are part of the Windows Media Player and are not meant to be used with our web archiving. We are working on hiding these buttons on our player. If your system freezes up, unfortunately you'll need to shut the player window and reopen it.
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16) Is there a way I can receive email support for City Meetings Online?
Yes. Click on the Email Webmaster link at the bottom of this page, or any other City web site page, complete and submit the form. Though the response may take several business days, every effort will be made to get you a clear and correct answer.
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17) The Windows Media Player slider control, which should allow me to skip forward in the video, does not work. What's wrong?
This is an issue that has been reported by Mac OS X users. It appears to be an issue caused by the buffering algorithm, but this has not yet been substantiated. This is an emerging issue that will be explored, but has no fix at this time.
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18) What is the retention policy for City Meetings Online meeting videos?
All meeting videos will be retained and be available for public viewing on the City's Internet web site for a period of not less than two (2) years. The posting of City Council meetings commenced in July of 2006. You should expect these videos to be available through July of 2008. This retention policy only applies to recorded and archived meetings. It does not apply to public service announcements, general information or videos of any other type.
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A special thanks to the City of Calabasas, California (http://www.cityofcalabasas.com/ 
) for the use of their Frequently Asked Questions page as a seed for this page.