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Sun Enterprise 250 Server Owner's Guide

Improving Online Video Performance

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Playing video online requires considerable computer resources compared to other computer applications. This section alerts you to measures you can take to improve performance and conserve system resources.

The video files are stored in your site's AnswerBook2 directory. Each video file can be as large as 10 to 30 Mbytes, or even larger. The size of the video file is displayed next to the video icon. When you click on the video icon, AnswerBook2 launches the video player for which your browser is configured. Once started, your video player downloads the selected file to your local system, where it is temporarily stored in your system swap space. When you quit the video player, the swap space is released.

Improving File Loading Time

Downloading video files can take anywhere from seconds to minutes, depending on the size of the file and the amount of network traffic. Because load time is so dependent on your network environment, it is impossible to be more specific. The status bar at the bottom of your browser window will generally provide real-time reports on what percentage of the file has been downloaded.

To improve access times to the videos, you can store the AnswerBook2 collection on your local disk. Keep in mind that the size of the AnswerBook2 collection can be as large as 660 Mbytes. If storing the AnswerBook2 locally is not an option, load times will be improved by having the AnswerBook2 stored on the same subnetwork as your own system. If you find the load times of videos are unacceptable, speak to your administrator about storing the AnswerBook2 collection on your subnetwork.

Avoiding Using Proxy Servers to Access the AnswerBook2 Server

Some web browsers are configured to use proxies. These proxies may slow down or prevent viewing of the AnswerBook2 documents by the web browser. Normally, however, proxies are used primarily to access external sites. In the unlikely event that your browser does access the AnswerBook2 server through a proxy, perform the procedure that follows which describes how you can configure your web browser not to use proxies.

Note -

The procedures shown here are examples that apply to specific browsers. If you are using a different browser, the procedure you use will differ slightly.

To Configure HotJava Browser 1.1 Not to Use Proxies

  1. Log in to the client as a user. Type: 

    hostname console login: 
username
password: password

  2. Start the HotJava browser.

  3. From the Edit menu, choose Preferences ==> Proxies...

    The Proxies window opens.

  4. In the large Don't Proxy field, type the full hostname of the AnswerBook2 server.

  5. Click on the Apply button and then click the Back button.

To Configure Netscape Navigator 4.x Not to Use Proxies

  1. Log in to the client as a user. Type: 

    hostname console login: 
username
password: password

  2. Start the Navigator browser.

  3. For Navigator 4.x, perform the following steps:

    1. Choose Preferences from the Edit menu.

      The Netscape: Preferences window is displayed.

    2. Click on the triangle next to Advanced, and then click on Proxies.

      The Proxies window is displayed.

  4. If Manual proxy configuration has been selected, click on the View button. Otherwise, skip to Step 6.

    The Netscape: View Manual Proxy Configuration window opens.

  5. In the No Proxy for field, type the full hostname of the AnswerBook2 server and click OK.

  6. If Automatic proxy configuration has been selected (and you find that it takes a long time for the video file to start up), you should consult your system administrator for advice about switching to a Manual configuration.

  7. Click OK to complete the task.

To Configure Microsoft Internet Explorer Not to Use Proxies

  1. Log in to the client as a user.

  2. Start the Internet Explorer browser.

  3. From the main menu, choose View ==> Options.

    The Options window is displayed.

  4. Click on the Connection tab.

    The Proxy Server window is displayed.

  5. If Connect Through Proxy Server is checked, click on the Settings button. Otherwise, skip to Step 7.

    The Proxy Settings window is displayed.

  6. In the field of the Exception window, type the full hostname of the AnswerBook2 server and click OK.

  7. Click OK to complete the task.

Quitting the Video Player

Although AnswerBook2 and your browser software will launch the video player for you, it will not quit the player for you. The software has no way to determine when you have finished watching the video, or whether you intend to use it for watching other videos that are not part of AnswerBook2. Quitting the player is up to you. If you are using the ShowMe TV player on a Sun workstation, you should configure it to quit after playing the video file. Otherwise, it will play the file continuously until you stop it. For instructions, see "Configuring Browsers to Use ShowMe TV".

Here are some reasons to make sure you quit the video player when you have finished viewing a video:

Adjusting the Brightness of ShowMe TV Files

The settings on your monitor partly determine how bright or dark the video appears on your screen. The AnswerBook2 videos are digitized to look their best on an "average" monitor setting. If your monitor or video card do not fit this average profile, the video may seem too light or dark. When using the ShowMe TV player, you can adjust the brightness of the video file you are playing by selecting the Properties option under the TV pull-down menu. The Properties control sheet has a Brightness slider bar that will make the video lighter or darker.

There is no Brightness control available for ActiveMovie.