BBC SPORT | Video and Audio | Help Guide (original) (raw)

This page gives you a full guide on how to use our video and audio service, which brings you an increasing range of sports coverage.

• Latest news and reaction
• Live coverage from sporting events.
• Highlights and reports that explain the background to a story or event

How do I navigate around the service?

There are various options:

• Click on any Video or Audio button. These are often in the centre of our main indexes or on the top right-hand side of other pages such as sports news stories.
• Try the Video and Audio link found on the left of this page, the Sport Homepage or our main sports index. These each give you a list of the best current material.
• Use the search box on the top right of the page and then try the "All Sport Audio and Video Results" link on the right of your search results to see more material.
• Navigate around BBC Sport Player using links to the right of the video player, the dropdown menu for "choose a sport" or via the Sport Player Homepage link on the top left of the player

What is BBC Sport Player?

The BBC Sport Player is where all our video and audio plays, along with selected supporting text information and links to related video and audio.

How do I get the service?

The player is available to BBC Sport users who have a narrowband (dial-up modem) or broadband connection.

You will need either Real Player or Windows Media Player software

For more information on BBC broadband services go to our dedicated pages: bbc.co.uk/broadband/.

How do I watch video or listen to audio?

Once you have clicked on an audio or video button, or text/a picture next to it, then you can start, pause or stop the video by using the control buttons immediately below the video screen.

You can also change the size of the video by using the buttons underneath the video control buttons.

• 100% Video + Text gives you the video window and associated text.
• 100% Video Only gives you the video window without the text.
• 200% Video Only gives you double-size video without the text.
• Full Screen Video Only makes the video full screen (Real only). Follow the on screen instructions to return to normal viewing size.
  To watch the video in full screen using Windows Media Player, right click on the video window, go to "zoom" and select "full screen". Press "Escape" to return to normal viewing size.
  Troubleshooting
  Is there a minimum specification to access the service?
  The minimum browser requirements needed to access this BBC service are:
• Netscape 5 and above, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and above, or Opera 7 and above. (Other browsers may work with the BBC Sport Player, however the BBC is unable to guarantee their compatibility)
• Javascript must be enabled
• If cookies are enabled your viewing settings will be remembered for future visits. If cookies are not enabled or are reset by whoever manages your computer when you log on and off, the BBC Media Selector will prompt you to confirm your settings at each visit
• Popup blocking mechanisms should be set to allow popups to be launched from bbc.co.uk pages. You will also need to have one of the following media players installed on your system:
• Real Player version 9 or above, available free via BBC Webwise Real Player download guide
• Microsoft Windows Media Player version 9 or above, available free from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.aspx.
  For information on system requirements for these players please check the websites listed above.
  Some advanced Sport Player functionality will not be available when using Windows Media Player with non-Microsoft web browsers. This does not affect Real Player, and basic viewing of clips is available on any browser/player combination listed above.
  Nothing happens when I click on a link from the website
  You should confirm that you have Javascript enabled on your browser (see the browser help file to find out how to do this). You should also check that any popup blocking mechanisms you have installed on your computer, including Microsoft Service Pack 2, are not set to deny popups launched from bbc.co.uk pages.
  Also, make sure that the BBC Sport Player window is not already open, as you can only have one Player window open at any time.
  When I click on the link, the BBC Sport Player opens but no video or audio plays
  You should confirm that you have Real Player or Windows Media Player installed and that you have chosen to access Sport Player with it (you can confirm/modify your preference via the "change how I view or hear this" link at the bottom left of the Sport Player window).
  Most of our material is available to UK users in either Real or Windows format and in narrowband or higher quality broadband versions. However there are sometimes reasons why we cannot always make everything available in all formats:
• The BBC is only able to make video available in narrowband to users ourside the UK
• Some radio content is only available in Real Player format
• Some of our live sport and highlights packages are not available outside the UK due to rights reasons
  Any restricted video or audio will be labelled in the Sport Player with any restrictions that apply so check the text to the right of the video window.
  Media player plug-ins are sometimes not available if you have installed or upgraded your browser since installing your chosen media player. In this instance reinstalling the latest version of your preferred media player and restarting your computer may help.
  Alternatively, you may wish to seek technical support from your media player software vendor (websites are listed above).
  My video and audio does not play smoothly
  There are many reasons why this might occur.
  Your bandwidth may be being used by another application (or another computer, if your connection is via a home/office network). Your viewing experience will be affected if our servers are unable to deliver data to your computer quickly enough because of network congestion on your connection.
  Downloading large files or using peer-to-peer applications while watching video, for example, may prevent you from being able to receive enough data to maintain a constant video stream.
  If you do not believe your connection is being used by other applications or other people, check your media player has the correct bandwidth settings. See the following help pages for more advice.
  Let us know what you think If you would like to comment or have suggestions about this BBC service then you can contact us via the link below.