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You can find the latest version of Windows Media Player at Microsoft's Web site. You'll be shown a list of several versions of Windows Media Player — and be asked to select one. Simply click on the version that matches your computer system, and the download begins automatically. The viewer is free. **NOTE for Windows-7 users: The plugin listed for WindowsVista will work on a Windows 7 machine.

We're sorry, but we cannot offer technical support for Windows Media Player or Flash. Please seek help, as needed, from Microsoft's or Adobe's site.

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Every time you receive the stream, there is a brief delay after you connect, during which your system "buffers" the digital stream from our server before it begins playing.

If the delay is longer than a few seconds, verify the following system requirements are met:

1. The latest version of Windows Media Player or Flash is installed on your computer.
2. You have a broadband connection to the Internet.
3. JavaScript is enabled on your browser.

If you have Windows Media Player or Flash and a broadband connection, there's a network problem somewhere between the your computer and our servers. This is referred to as "network congestion," and often occurs in the early evening and at other peak hours. You may experience a faster connection at an off-peak time.

I am hearing sound but not seeing the picture (or seeing just the animated Windows Media icon). What's wrong?

Usually this happens because you do not have a fast enough connection to the Internet. If you connect to the Internet through a dial-up modem, you will not be able to view the video; a broadband connection is required (see the #7).

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Since most of the videos are in Flash, you'll have to download the Rover app that allows you to play Flash on your device.

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The VoD window comes up in a pop up window. Make certain that you have Javascript enabled, and do not have any pop up blockers enabled in your browser that would keep a window on our site from displaying.

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Closed captions are available on many of the VODs on this site. If the video you are viewing has closed captions available, you will see an option for turning them on/off at the bottom (Windows Media Player) or top when mousing over the video screen in (Flash) of your media player window. When turning captions on/off, the video rebuffers, and starts from the beginning of the program in Windows Media Player.

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A broadband connection means that you have a minimum speed of 256 Kbps from DSL, cable modem, or LAN connection to a T1 line (or greater). You can get these connections by contacting your ISP ("Internet Service Provider"), your local telephone company, or your local cable provider.

Be sure to specify that you want a "broadband" connection, rather than a "dial-up" connection. "Dial-up" connections are slower, and do not allow video to be streamed to your computer.

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This may be caused by loss of your Internet connection, or by having incorrect domain name system (DNS) settings. To see what steps you can take to remedy this problem, please view instructions for Mac, Firefox, or Internet Explorer users.

If this does not solve the problem, check if you or your provider are running a firewall that blocks the rtmp service (port 1935), on which our Flash streaming takes place.

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Frequently when a video stops in the middle, it is merely waiting for more information to come over the broadband connection; once it does, the video will start again on its own.

If the stream does not restart in a reasonable amount of time, try stopping and restarting the video. This causes the stream to “rebuffer” and may reset the connection.

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1. Find out if you can access the program in an alternate way:
2. Tapes/DVDs may be available for loan from a local library.

Call us at 1-800-LEARNER to determine if any of these options is available to you. If not, then tapes/DVDs are available for purchase online.

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Yes, if you're using Windows Media Player, simply right-click with your mouse on the video screen, and once the video starts playing, select "zoom" to enlarge the picture to full screen mode. While viewing a Flash video, click on the small square in the lower right-hand corner of the video screen. If you're using Internet Explorer and can't zoom to full screen, install the latest version of Adobe Flash (ver 11.1.102.55 or higher): http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ and then close and restart Internet Explorer.

Yes. You can shuttle the position marker in Windows Media and Flash to the approximate position that you want to view, and press the play button. The position and nature of this position marker may vary depending on your version of Windows Media Player or Flash. Please contact Microsoft or Adobe with any further questions.

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You may have problems viewing media when your Windows Media Player streaming speed doesn't match the speed of your connection to the Internet. You can remedy that by following the directions at Microsoft's site here.

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With video on demand (VoD), you can watch any of our videos at any time. You can also skip around within a video when watching a VoD. To access video on demand, search or browse for a series that is of interest to you, and look for the VoD icon——next to the individual program titles. Click on the VoD icon to view the video.

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Some of our programs have rights restrictions and will never be available in a VoD format; others, our brand new programming, may not yet be available. If you are looking for a new program, please check back periodically.

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No, VoDs may not be recorded, downloaded, or stored (i.e., you may not keep VoDs in a format that allows you to play them back again and again).

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Yes, you may play VoDs within the classroom via a regular computer screen or projection screen.

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There is no charge to view videos on Learner.org.

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