Seattle Channel Video Help
At this time we only offer streaming video in Real Video format. You may need to upgrade your current version of Real Player to view our live stream and archived videos. Click here to download the latest version of Real Player for free from Real Networks. After you have installed Real Player you may need to re-start your web browser.

City of Seattle Employees: please contact your department's help desk to have Real Player installed.

Supported and Tested Browsers for SeattleChannel.org Video
Internet Explorer 5 and higher, Safari 1.0 and higher, Firefox 1.5 and higher, Netscape 4.5 and higher.

Video Streaming Issues
RealPlayer Configuration
Sometimes the preferences within Real Player have to be adjusted to fit your particular machine's playback and video card capabilities as well as recognize what type of connection you have: DSL, Cable, Dial-up, etc. These adjustments can be made under "Preferences" in Real Player.
PC Users
Change Connection Bandwidth Settings: Open Real Player, click Tools, Preferences and then Connection and make sure that Normal bandwidth and Maximum bandwidth are set to the appropriate values based on your connection. You can choice to use the "Test Connection" tab to have Real Player test and set your connection for you.
Change Hardware Settings: Open Real Player, click Tools, Preferences and then Hardware. Make sure the Playback and Video card settings are at "Best Quality and Performance". You may want to lower these settings if your playback seems sluggish or your video is jerky or jumpy.

Mac Users
Change Bandwidth Settings: Open Real Player, click Real Player, Preferences and then Connection and make sure that Normal bandwidth and Maximum bandwidth are set to the appropriate values based on your connection.
Change Hardware Settings: Open Real Player, click Real Player, Preferences and then Playback. Make sure the Playback setting is set at high quality and the video overlay optimization is checked. If you continue to have playback issues you may want to lower the setting and/or un check the video card box.
Firewalls
At Home: Firewalls at home must be configured to allow Real Player to have two-way access to the Internet before audio and video can be played. Consult the manufacturer of your firewall software if you are unsure how to grant this access.
At Work or School: Many businesses and schools are behind firewalls. Some of these firewalls are configured to prevent users from watching streaming media. If you're behind a firewall, check with your system administrator to find out your business or school's policies.

Internal Errors
We try hard to avoid mistakes but sometimes they still happen. Please write to the web manager, Laurie Kraft at laurie.kraft@seattle.gov if you find missing video, links that don't work or if you're unable to play video after using this help document.

For more information about Real Player and support please visit: http://service.real.com/realplayer/

Still having problems? Email laurie.kraft@seattle.gov

Interested in owning a copy of this video? Visit our Order a Video page.