Question:
Content Won't Play.

Answer:
The server may be down, the content may have been moved, or the URL to the content is wrong. In these situations you can do nothing. If the content is embedded in the HTML page, try clicking on the player's video screen. In some cases, network congestion could cause the player to time out; keep trying, or try again later when the network is less congested.

Question:
I can play content from some sites but not others.

Answer:
Most likely you are behind a firewall that has not had the appropriate ports opened for use with Netshow Services. However, if a server has HTTP streaming enabled, the Windows Media Player can take advantage of its protocol rollover capabilities and receive the file via HTTP rather than the normal (and optimal) streaming protocols. This is why you can receive content from some sites but not others. For best quality and consistent results, encourage your administrator to open the appropriate ports on the firewall to allow streaming.

Question:
Content plays, but there are a lot of pauses and the player says "buffering."

Answer:
The player is most likely experiencing network congestion, meaning there is not enough available bandwidth to stream the selected file. When using a TCP connection, the data in the player's buffer will be used to supplement the stream until the buffer is depleted. Once the buffered data is gone, the player will pause, replenish the buffer, and resume playing, using this new buffer to supplement the playback stream bandwidth. This cycle will continue until network conditions improve. Try again when the network is less congested, or select content that is authored for lower bandwidths.

Another option is to use UDP as your protocol by ensuring that it is the only protocol option selected in the advanced properties. This will reduce the amount of buffering but will have the adverse effect of dropping data in cases of high congestion or insufficient bandwidth. If you are located behind a firewall, you may not be able to use UDP as your protocol.

Question:
Content plays, but the quality is poor.

Answer:
Content served by Windows Media Technologies is created for specific bandwidth ranges. If the content is created for a 28.8 Kbps or 56 Kbps connection but Internet traffic is heavy, the NetShow Services server will start to drop the frame rate (frames per second) to compensate for increase of network congestion, causing the video to be jerky and uneven. Try again when the connection is better, or be sure to select content that's targeted for the bandwidth you have available.

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