More on QuickTime

( Introduction | Installing QuickTime | Configuring QuickTime | Confirming QuickTime is installed | How to use QuickTime | Problems )

Introduction

Audio is one of the more difficult technologies on the Internet. If you have slow or unstable connection, the audio can stop frequently during a lecture, or not start at all. There also are competing audio technologies such as QuickTime from Apple and Microsoft's Windows Media Player, and they can often interfere with each other. We discussed the pros and cons on the main audio help page.

Installing QuickTime

QuickTime is a free technology from Apple that runs on both Macintosh and Windows computers. You first must downloaded the QuickTime Installer and follow its directions. It is best to download the installer, quit all running programs on your computer, and then run the installer. Don't run the installer with you browser running as well.

When you are done, QuickTime should be installed on your computer and there should also be two QuickTime files in the "Plug-ins" directory/folder in you browser directory/folder. They are called "QuickTime Plugin" and "QuickTimePlugin.class."

When done, it is always a good idea to reboot your computer.

Configuring QuickTime

If you didn't do this during the installation, be sure to tell QuickTime the speed of your internet connection. You do this through the QuickTime control Panel (On Windows: Start > Control Panel > QuickTime. On the Macintosh: Apple menu > Control Panels > QuickTime Settings.) Select it and choose "Connection Speed" in the popup menu.

Every audio file in Biblical Training actually comes in two speeds.

• The higher quality version works best on ISDN lines (including cable modems and DSL) and faster. If you click the button "112K Dual ISDN" or any of the buttons in the right column, you will hear the higher quality version.
• If you select "14.4 Modem" or or any of the buttons in the left column, you will hear the lower quality version. If you have one of these slower modems, or if your connection to the internet is unstable, or if you are outside the United States, or if the audio stops and starts a lot, then select one of these two buttons even if you have a faster internet connection.

Actually, the higher quality version should work fine with a "56K Modem," unless you are outside the United States or there are problems with your internet connection.

Confirming QuickTime is installed

If you have installed QuickTime properly, you should be able to see the blue words below, "Please double click on me to confirm that QuickTime is installed." If you cannot see those blue words, then QuickTime is not installed properly.

To make sure your audio is working, double click on the blue words to see if you can hear the audio. If you can, then your audio appears to be properly installed.

How to Use QuickTime

Once QuickTime is installed and configured, the rest is easy. This is the audio controller that appears with each lecture/sermon. There are 6 buttons and the buffer area in the middle (the gray and white stripe).

1. Volume. Click this button for a volume slider to appear.
2. Start/Pause. When the second button has a triangle, clicking it starts the sound. When there are two parallel lines, clicking it pauses the sound.
3. Slider. Click and hold the mouse button down on the slider button so you can move to different parts of the lecture. You can only move the slider within the gray area.
4. Buffer area. The combination of both the gray and white area shows the total length of the audio file. The gray area shows how much of the sound file has already been downloaded (or "buffered") into your computer. QuickTime starts playing automatically when enough of the file has been buffered. If you find that the slider "catches up" with the right side of the buffer area so that the sound stops, you can always click the Start/Pause button and wait while a larger amount of the file is buffered. If this keeps happening, tell QuickTime that you have a 14.4 modem, even if you don't. The audio will not be quite as clear, but it shouldn't stop and start as much.
5. Return. Moves you to the beginning of the sound file.
6. End. Moves you to the end of the sound file.
7. QuickTime Settings. Allows you to set your QuickTime settings, including your connection speed.

I am still having problems

1. The QuickTime bar does not appear. QuickTime is not installed in your computer, the two QuickTime files are not in your browser's plug-in folder, or you do not have enough RAM memory to play the sound file. If none of these apply, turning off other programs or rebooting your computer can sometimes help.
2. In Windows, instead of the QuickTime bar, I get a controller bar that looks like Windows Media Player. Nothing works. In some versions of Windows, if you install the Windows Media Player after you have installed QuickTime, the Media Player tries to take over QuickTime and play its files, even though it can't. The easiest solution is to reinstall QuickTime. If you know how to set "File Associations," be sure that the ".mov" suffix uses QuickTime and not the Media Player.
3. There is no sound. Many things can cause this, and often they are very simple. Do you have a sound card? (All Macintoshes have cards.) Is the sound turned off in your computer? Are your speakers connected? Are your speakers turned on? Can you see any gray in the middle area of the QuickTime bar (i.e., is any sound getting to your computer)? Has the Start/Pause button been activated so that you see the two parallel lines and not the triangle