Audio, but no video with embedded player

[David Aloztrec]

Hey there,

i've got a player (6.4) embedded into a web page, but some
people tell me that they only get audio when they play a
video stream. I know this could just be a bandwidth thing,
but are there any other reasons? The same users tell me
that when they play the same video file in the stand-alone
media player then the video works ok. Is there a
difference in the stand-alone player and the embedded one?
I think their stand alone players are version 7 players,
but my control is 6.4.

thanks!
/d.

[Jeff Woiton]

What you're describing is known as "thinning," and it's a built-in feature of Windows Media. Here's how it
works, and I'm going to expand this process as much as possible to dramatize the mechanics behind this
feature although it might happen much quicker depending on your situation.

User connects to, say, a multiple-bitrate stream (thinning is not limited to MBR streams, but I'm
using MBR to help dramatize the point). Let's say it was encoded at 300Kbps, 100Kbps, and
56Kbps.
They happily begin receiving the 300 Kbps stream.
A spike in network utilization occurs, and the MBR stream shifts down to the 100Kbps stream.
The clip is uninterrupted, and at worst the user may notice a slightly degraded image but no
stoppage in the stream.
If network conditions worsen, the MBR stream shifts down to the 56Kbps stream. Again, no
interruption in service although the picture seems slightly worse (understandable).
If network conditions becomes even worse, and the video portion starts to look like a slide show -
one frame every few seconds or so. The audio stream continues uninterrupted. What is
happening is that the video stream has been reduced to showing only index frames, hence the
"slide show" appearance.
As network conditions become even worse, the picture portion freezes and only the audio portion
progresses.
When network conditions will not support even the audio track, the buffer reaches its length limit
and the stream ultimately fails.
Note that if at any time the network conditions improve, the stream should "upshift" in the reverse
order of what has been described here.

Hope this helps to clarify what's happening!

--------------------
From: "David Aloztrec" <9...@cryogen.com>
Sender: "David Aloztrec" <9...@cryogen.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 19:02:05 -0800

Hey there,

thanks!
/d.

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[pete]

So Jeff, what would you tell a viewer to do if they are
watching a live event over DSL and nothing else is running
on their machine? I realize that they are at the mercy of
the currently available bandwidth, but what would you
recommend to the viewer? Check with the DSL Provider?

Kit, which is not Í{ wØ g vb oN 3ÐÒ: °ìY supported) is

[Jeff Woiton]

Pretty much, yes. I'm just explaining how the technology works, and that it's usually due to networking
issues - in fact, that's pretty much a given with streaming media vs. content played locally. Checking
with the DSL provider will probably earn you a hearty shrug of the shoulders, but please bear in mind
that the steps below are pretty exhaustive and granular. They might not see all of the steps described
below, perhaps none at all.

If, as you describe it, a user is on a dedicated DSL connection with no other apps running, then they
should not see any thinning caused by network starvation. If, on the other hand, they are sharing the
network with others in the house, then all bets are off and they could experience one or more of the
steps I've listed below.

--------------------
From: "pete" <pbes...@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: Audio, but no video with embedded player
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 11:36:38 -0800

Online resources for support:

Assisted Support

technologies (not including the Windows Media Resource Kit, which is not supported) is available

through Microsoft Product Support Services. To get your latest support options, go to Microsoft
Product Support Services.

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For more information about mailing lists and newsgroups, visit