Problems with other movie formats: movie types .mpg, .wmv, .mp4, RealPlayer-formats (.ra, .ram)
Whenever I load a movie of type .wmv, I only see cryptic signs in the browser window. What is wrong?
wmv-movies should be downloaded to your hard disk and then automatically be played by WindowsMediaPlayer. However, this only works if the so called MIME-settings of your browser are correct (MIME: multipurpose internet multimedia extensions). Normally, your browser should be configured correctly during installation of WinMEdiaPlayer. However, if you install another browser later, these settings might not be automatically copied to the new browser.
Internet Explorer for Windows has the correct settings implemented. IE for Mac: go to Explorer / Options / Receive Files / Helper Applications and control whether the entry to the right is correctly set. If not, add it. Of importance are the areas marked in red (Note that at the time of this writing I do not have an english version for IE/Mac available, so the above items in bold text might be termed slightly different, they are just translated from the German version).
Under Netscape Navigator (e.g. 7 for Windows and Mac go to Preferences (or Settings) / Edit / Navigator / Helper Applications and edit or add the entry just as explained above. Do not forget to choose the player (WindowsMediaPlayer)In Netscape Navigator (z.B. 7) für Windows und Mac gehen Sie zu Einstellungen / Bearbeiten / Navigator / Hilfsprogramme. Here you find a Screenshot for NN 7 for Windows.
So what is important is the association of a file type extension (.wmv) with the correct MIME-type (here video/x-ms-wmv) and the correct helper applicatin or plugin which should be used for displaying such files.
Tip: If you had problems with displaying Quicktime contents, just check their settings as well (under description you may just write 'quicktime content')
associated with the Quicktime plugin:
video/quicktime with extension .mov
image/x-quicktime with extensions .qti or .qtif
image/x-macpaint with extension .pntg
associated with theQuicktime Player application:
application/x-quicktimeplayer with extension .qtl
Some .mpg (or .mpeg)-movies can be played with WindowsMediaPlayer or RealPlayer, others not. Why?
mpg-movies can, theoretically, be displayed by different players. However, this only works if their contents fulfil the respective standards which is not true for all mpg-Movies. All mpg-movies of palaeo.de/tv can be viewed with Quicktime Player. Mac-versions of WinMediaPlayer and RealPlayer cannot display mpg-movies.
I can view some .mp4-movies only with Quicktime, some others can also be displayed in other players. Why?
Similar to above, .mp4-movies should fulfil a so-called ISMA-standard, which though is not followed completely. ISMA-standard .mp4 movies can be played by Quicktime Player or QT-plugin, version 6 and above, as well as with the Windows versions of RealPlayer and WindowsMediaPlayer. The latter two need the extra plugin of Envivio to display .mp4. ISMA-standard .mp4 are only very small-scale movies with a defined datarate. .mp4-movies with higher datarates and movie sizes can presently be only played by Quicktime Player 6 (if I am not mistaken).
mp4 allows high quality movies with high compression. mp4 can be also streamed in realtime. This format might become the future standard format for internet movies. mp4 is very closely connected to Quicktime technologies.
Some RealPlayer-movies start by themselves, some don't. Why?
Again, this is a problem of MIME-settings. Depending on whether a streaming or download RealPlayer movie should be called there are different file extensions and MIME settings (which is somehow different to Quicktime movies). Similar to above you must add or edit several MIME-types in your browser settings. If you do not want to do so, you may open the downloaded file directly in REal Player.
Real Player Streaming movies are called by a small downloaded file with a .ram extension. If you add the MIME-types, you should associate the MIME-Type 'audio/x-pn-realaudio' with the extensions .ra, .rm, .ram and .rm and the helper application Real Player. In addition, or alternatively you should associate the MIME-type 'audio/x-pn/realaudio-plugin' with extension .rpm and the RealPlayer-Plugin. You can do this just as it was described above for .wmv-File types. (see above)
Other plugin-based formats (.swf):
My browser requests me to load the Flash-Plugin. Why?
We use several flash movies with extension .swf. Whenever such a page is called, your browser needs the Flash plugin. If it does not find it it will suggest to download the plugin. You should do so.
Other viewing and layout problems:
Many links don't work with my browser. What is wrong?
palaeo.de/tv frequently uses JavaScript. Among many other things, many links are also called by using JavaScript. This does not work if you have JavaScript deactivated. Let's test for this:
In case you are asked above to activate JavaScript you should do so (depending on your browser: go to Preferences or Options / Security or. JavaScript, respectively)
I am asked to activate Java or to install a Java Virtual Machine. What is happening?
As default, Java is activated for all Macintosh browsers (but could be deactivated by hand in the preferences of the browser. If so please reactivate).
On Windows machines, a so-called Java Virtual Machine is also generally installed. In Internet Explorer 6 this is however deactivated by default. Java contents on webpages (Java applets) do not require a plugin,but the Java Virtual Machine must be activated. Call Internet Options (through IE Menu / Tools / Options or through System Preferences), choose Advanced and activate under Microsoft VM the Java console and Java logging (both might be deactivated by default). See red mark in Figure to the right.
In case you want to deactivate Java for security reasons you will not be able to see some contents of palaeo.de/tv. However, we do use Java applets only very sparingly anyway.
The www.palaeo.de/tv-pages have a completely annoying layout. Some images and text are positioned on top of each other or overlap partially, and so forth. Are you really so bad in writing web pages or what might be wrong?
Actually, I am trying hard to get an optimized layout. To reach this goal, I use modern technologies such as CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), DOM and dhtml. Netscape Navigator / Communicator version 4.x has problems viewing such contents correctly (although I am trying to include workarounds, so that NN 4.x users can still have a reasonable, not optimum, layout). palaeo.de/tv is optimized for IE from version 5 onwards. Netscape from version 6 onwards is also ok (with some minor layout problems). Earlier browsers (such als IE 4.x) cannot display palaeo.de/tv correctly, but also some modern 'alternative' browsers might have problems with some dhtml-contents. There is simply not enought time to optimize palaeo.de/tv for all possible browsers.
However, if you use IE 5 or higher, or Netscape 4.x or higher, but still have a very poor layout with many display mistakes, I assume that JavaScript is deactivated in your browser. JavaScript MUST be activated in order to correctly display and navigate through palaeo.de/tv (see above).
I still have a problem which is not covered in the above questions and answers.
Send me a short description of your problems by email. You might also add a screen shot. I am grateful for notifying me of errors and will try my very best... Senden Sie mir eine Beschreibung Ihres Problems, ggf. mit Screenshot per Email. Ich bin dankbar für Fehlermeldungen und werde mein Bestes versuchen: rleinfelder@web.de
