Most of the movies require that your computer has Quicktime or Windows Media Player software installed. Most computers already have these programs on their hard drive. Learn more about movie players.
Movies should start playing within a minute or two once you select a link to the page that supports your modem speed.
These are streaming videos. That means, when you select a play speed the movie starts downloading into a buffer. When some of the video has built up a "cache" it will start to play.
If the movie does not start after five minutes, or you see a broken "Q" image in the middle of the screen, you might not have Quicktime movie player in your computer. Report movies with broken "Q".
Most movies are viewed using Quicktime (r) movie player, popular Macintosh (r) /Apple (r) computer movie program. It also is installed on most PCs with Windows (r) operating system.
Screen sizes are smaller to conserve memory and play speeds. The broadband (DSL/Cable) option has the largest screen.
Internet connections can also be a factor. These film files are very large files that have to be broken into "packets" or pieces and sent to a buffer on your computer to provide streaming video. If a packet doesn't make it, or arrives too slow, it may break up or stop the movie. Traffic on our site and the web overall is a factor. If you download the movie file to your computer, it will be complete and will play without pausing or stopping
Modem Speeds
Because of the variety of computers, Internet connections and software around the world, you might need to try different options to view the movies. Below are some suggestions to try.
When you click on a modem play speed page, just wait for the movie to begin.
It depends on your computer's speed (GHz and RAM) and modem download speed (64k for modem or 256k for cable/DSL) how long it takes the movie to start. Older and slower computers will take longer.
People using a phone modem can still watch these movies. Just select the 64kb Modem Speed option and take a short break from your computer. You will hear the sound or music of the movie playing when the video starts.
Movies are available in 64k phone modem speed or 256k DSL/cable modem speed. A higher quality mpg option is also available. These options may take a minute or two to start playing. Please be patient. It is worth the wait. Go pop some popcorn.
1. 64kb Modem Dial up connections use a phone modem (64kb). The movie will take longer to start . Go take a break while the buffer loads up. If you select this speed with a broadband connection, it will start faster, but the screen will be smaller.
2. 256kb Cable TV and DSL broadband connections (256Kb) can view a larger picture screen and faster downloading times. The movies should start within a minute, depending on the file size.
3. The mpg option is a larger, higher quality, file. This option is best for downloading a higher quality movie, but will slow down the start time.
Quicktime movie player needs to be installed in your computer to watch most movies. Most computers already have this software in their computer. If it is installed, the movie will start to play shortly after you visit the web page. More information on Quicktime download and installation.
Movie Playing Problems
If you experience jerking in the picture and sound, or a very slow start it means the connection serving the movie and the Internet traffic is backing up. Follow the Stop/Start method below. More movie problems and issues.
If the sound become out of synch with the picture, use the Stop/Start method:
Stop the movie from playing by clicking on your space bar or with your mouse cursor on the movie screen.
Start the movie by clicking your space bar again or mouse button twice. This can help a movie catch up with its buffer.