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You are here: Home > Help > Help with using Biz/ed's streaming video |
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Help with using Biz/ed's streaming videoVideo streaming FAQ
What is video streaming?Streaming is a means of transferring data (usually video or audio) from a server to client software (on a user's computer) in a continuous fashion. The client software can start playing the media immediately so there is no need to wait for the whole file to be downloaded before playback can commence. If data is transferred more quickly than it is being played then the data is stored in a buffer so that it is available when needed and no pauses in playback should occur. During playback a user can jump to any point in the media (by using the controls on the media player) and the streaming server will then send data from that point. The advantages are such that should an educator know that the piece of footage they are interested in occurs 10 minutes into a 20 minute video they can jump straight to that point without waiting for the previous 10 minutes to download. What format do Biz/ed stream movies in?Biz/ed streams movies in QuickTime (.mov) format. QuickTime is a popular video format developed by Apple. Free QuickTime players are available for most operating systems and some computers may even come with the player pre-installed. What software do I need?In order to play QuickTime video you will need the free QuickTime Player. If this is not present on your computer already then you should download it from Apple. If you are experiencing any difficulties in playing the streamed videos then you should ensure that you have an up-to-date version of the QuickTime Player and, if not, download it from Apple.
What other video formats do Biz/ed provide?Biz/ed only stream video in QuickTime format and we have no plans to stream video in any other format. However, we provide our multimedia resources in a variety of different formats to suit different learning styles, teaching practices or computing environments. These formats include:
Common errors: '453: not enough bandwidth'At the time of writing the Biz/ed streaming video server is restricted to serving 100 concurrent connections (that is, 100 people watching videos at the same time). If you receive a 453: not enough bandwidth error (see screenshot below) whilst trying to connect to the video then there are already 100 users connected to the server. In this instance you should wait and try to connect to the video again later or, alternatively, download the video instead. 
Common errors: '404: Not found' or '-5408 Timed Out error'If you recieve either of these errors (see screenshots below) it is an indication that your connection to our streaming server is being blocked by a firewall. A firewall is a device that limits access between computers on the same or different networks. NB. the '-5408 Timed Out error' can also be an indication that the maximum number of concurrent connections has been reached, see above. 
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Our streaming video setup requires you to connect to the streaming server in a way that is different to the normal way you request Web pages. These differences in connection types can sometimes be blocked by firewalls. In this case the firewall will exist either on your local computer (or router) or on the network/Internet Service Provider that the computer is connected to. Firewall on your computerIf you are a Windows XP user you may see the following message when trying to access the movies. in which case you should select the 'Unblock' option. You can also follow these more detailed instructions if you want to limit access more strictly. 
If you are using another type of firewall you may also be prompted to allow Quicktime or iTunes to access the Internet. You should agree to this but may want to reinstate the block once you have finished viewing the Biz/ed videos. For further information on this you should refer to the documentation concerning your firewall. Rather than remove all access restrictions for QuickTime or iTunes completely you can just open the required ports. This requires more in-depth knowledge of your computer and/or firewall so unless you are sure you know what you are doing you should not attempt to do this or, alternatively, get a system administrator to help you. Details of the ports that need to be unblocked are found in the section below 'Externally managed firewalls'. Externally managed firewallsIn many schools and colleges the computers will not have local firewalls but will be protected by a firewall running on the central network instead. If you find yourself unable to view the streamed video and behind a central firewall you will need to contact the people responsible for administering your firewall and ask them to allow access. The following ports will need to be unblocked and you should provide the system administrators with this information or the URL of this page:
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