• Technical System Requirements more info
• Firewalls and Web Proxy Issues more info
• Audio keeps starting and stopping (buffering)
• General Guidelines

Technical System Requirements  

Computer system requirements to participate in the Webcast

• Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
• 233 MHz processor or equivalent
• 64 MB of RAM
• Internet connection (minimum 28K)
• 16-bit sound card and speakers (or headphones)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later
• Microsoft Windows Media Player v6.4 or later (click icon):

If you have questions about Windows Media Player or need to download a newer version, check Microsoft's Windows Media Player download page. A version of Windows Media Player is already installed on most PC-based computers.

Firewalls and Web Proxy Issues  

For some users, especially those who are connecting to City of Markham Online from inside a firewall (such as inside a corporate or educational institution), you may find you are unable to use the media services. Some organizations will not allow you to use streaming services. Others may require you to change the settings in your player. Contact your computer system administrator or IT (Information Technology) department to see if streaming is allowed, or what changes you need to make to the settings in your player.

Audio keeps starting and stopping (buffering)  

This problem is most likely due to network congestion coupled with the buffering time setting on your media player. To help with this occurrence please do the following:

1. Refresh the webcast page, or close out and return to the webcast.
2. Increase the buffering time on your media player:
   
   Windows Media Player:
   1. Place cursor over the player and right-click.Select "Options"Locate the "Network buffering" section on the "Performance" tab.
   2. Select "Buffer" and increase the amount of buffer time to 30 seconds.

General Guidelines  

The City of Markham makes no representations about any of the programs mentioned herein and takes no responsibility for any consequences of your downloading and installing them on your computer. As always, be sure to read the "Read Me" file and the terms and conditions that come with any software when you download it.

For most users, these players will work right away once you've downloaded them. Your web browser will know which one to use when you click on a link to a media file and will launch it automatically.

Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) do not allow media streaming or require you to alter the settings in your player or browser. If you're connecting through an ISP and having difficulty, contact your ISP's technical help department.