Introduction

Use Xnews because it is simple yet powerful.

The audio part of this section is specifically for internet telephone, voice chat and internet radio. However, if you are successfully using these services likely, your computer will also be successfully playing MP3s or other sounds and vice versa.

You should never experience challenges viewing images unless you do not have a program to view images or graphics. However, these days nearly every major word processing package and browser can double as an image viewer.

Video is a whole other story. I have covered video in the "View, Play, Use Material" newsgroup binaries section. You will also find information about viewing images there too. (return to top)

Minimum hardware requirements

If you want to use your computer for voice, radio or video you'll need to make sure that your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements. If you have less than the minimum, you won't be able to do much and if you can you will not enjoy the experience. Sound will be choppy, video like a jerky slideshow .. on second thought, don't even bother!

If you have the minimum hardware then make sure that your computer's multimedia features are setup properly and everything is plugged in properly. (return to top)

Setting up sound card and plugging in

Your sound card is the centre of the multimedia experience. You will connect speakers, microphones, line-in (from a cassette deck, external music CD player, etc), line-out (to your stereo) to the sound card which has plugs on the back of your computer.

Example of the plugs at the back of a sound card

The speaker jack on your sound card may be designated by color, by a speaker icon, or the words "Speaker" or "Audio Out". If your sound card is labeled, plug your speakers or earphones into the appropriate jack. If your sound card is not labeled, consult the sound card manual or contact the sound card's manufacturer.

Note: Do not connect the earphone or speaker plug to the "Line In" jack found on most sound cards. The "Line In" jack will not produce adequate sound.

Note: Do not connect the microphone plug to your modem's "Mic In" jack, rather than your sound card's "Mic In" jack. (return to top)

Making sure your multimedia stuff is working

You can make sure your Windows system is sending and receiving sound properly by using the Windows Sound Recorder:

• On the Windows Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment (or Multimedia in Windows 95), then click Sound Recorder.
• Click the Record button (circle or microphone) and speak into the microphone for 5 to 10 seconds.
• Click the Stop button (black rectangle).
• To play back, click Play (triangle).

You should hear whatever you just recorded. If you hear nothing, try the following procedures:

1. If your speakers have a volume knob or slider, make sure it is turned up. Make sure your Windows master volume is turned up and not muted by doing the following: On the Windows Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment (or Multimedia in Windows 95), then click Volume Control to get the Volume Control window as shown below. Note: This window may be titled Volume Control, Play Control or Master Out. In the Volume Control window, make sure the Mute check box for the Master volume is clear, and that the slider is at least halfway up.

2. Make sure your microphone and speakers or headset are correctly connected to your sound card. (return to top)

Microphone or headset??

If sound picked up by your microphone is played through your speakers, you may experience feedback and other sound problems. For internet telephone and voice chat a microphone and headset works best. Wearing a headset will avoid feedback and can help keep your conversation private, reduce echo, and prevent disturbing others working near you.

Microphones are omni-directional (also called non-directional) or directional. Directional microphones (which include most microphones and headsets) can be further broken into either bi-directional or uni-directional. Uni-directional microphones focus on the speaker (or other main sound input) and ignore superfluous sounds, such as the humming of a loud computer fan. These microphones prefer sound coming from one direction (hence the name), and are excellent for speaking with your friends.

Some speakers and monitors come with small microphones as a part of the unit. These, along with many laptop speakers, make excellent uni-directional microphones. (return to top)

Full duplex or half duplex

To take advantage of the full voice features for most internet telephone and voice chat services you require a full-duplex sound card . It is possible to use them when using a half-duplex sound card but your experience will be like using a walkie-talkie, not a regular telephone..

Full duplex Refers to the transmission of data in two directions simultaneously. For example, a telephone is a full-duplex device because both parties can talk at once. In contrast, a walkie-talkie is a half-duplex device because only one party can transmit at a time. (return to top)

Common multimedia error messages

Error Messages "Sound card in use by other application" This error might occur if you're running other voice chat programs, audio CD players, or MP3 players simultaneously with another multimedia program. To correct this error message, we recommend that you close any programs that might be using sound card resources. Follow these STEPs: Restart your computer. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to display the Windows Task Manager. Select the programs you want to close, then click End Task.

Note: Most computers can run with only Explorer and Systray running in the background. After closing all programs that might be using sound card resources, click the Cancel button to return to Windows. If the problem persists, please contact the computer manufacturer for assistance in determining what programs are using your sound card.

Error Messages "Mfc42.dll Error" This error message usually occurs when some updated windows files are not present on the computer. These files were included in Windows 95 version B or higher. These updated files can be added to older versions of Windows by installing Microsoft's Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher. Also, see the section about Codecs in STEP 5.

Error Messages "Line Mixer Error" This error message usually indicates that you are using a sound mixer other than the one included with Windows. It occurs most frequently on computers that have the Yamaha Mixer installed in place of the default Windows mixer. It may also occur if your sound card software has installed a new mixer to control the volume setting in Windows. We recommend that you: Go to Add/Remove Programs in your Control Panel and uninstall any mixer that is not the default Windows mixer, or Reinstall your sound card drivers. If the problem persists, consult your sound card or computer manufacturer for assistance.

Error Messages "Missing DLL's" This error message usually occurs when some updated windows files are not present on the computer. These files were included in Windows 95 version B or higher. These updated files can be added to older versions of Windows by installing Microsoft's Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher. (return to top)

• Windows 95*/98/NT4/2000/Me
• PentiumT 100MHz or equivalent processor
• 32 MB RAM
• Full-duplex sound card preferred (half-duplex required)
• Internet connection: 56.6k Modem although most things work with 28.8k Modem. Cable or DSL will make the experience much more enjoyable!
• Microphone and speakers. A headset is preferred.

• Windows 95*/98/NT4/2000/Me
• PentiumT 100MHz or equivalent processor
• 32 MB RAM
• Half-duplex sound card required
• Internet connection: 56.6k Modem although some things work with 28.8k Modem. Modem. Cable or DSL will make the experience much more enjoyable!
• Speakers

• Windows 95*/98/NT4/2000/Me
• Pentium II T 233MHz or equivalent processor
• 32 MB RAM (64 MB or more is better)
• Full-duplex sound card preferred (half-duplex required)
• Speakers.

To find out the manufacturer and model of your sound card, follow these STEPs: On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, then click Control Panel. Double-click System, then click the Device Manager tab, and select the View devices by type option. Double-click Sound, video, game controllers. Your sound card will appear in the list of controllers. Note: In some cases, the manufacturer's name does not appear with the sound card's model name but just use the internet to help you do a bit of detective work and you'll soon know the manufacturer's name too!

Internally, your computer connects to the sound card to play music CD's.

Although you may know they can play directly from the CD player if you just plug in a headset, but this has nothing to do with the sound card!

Your computer uses the sound card to play MIDI and WAV (or other audio formats) files. When you use your computer for internet telephone, digital recording or internet radio you are using WAV files.

If the sound quality on your computer is poor (choppiness, breakup, and so forth) it might be caused by poor Internet performance and not by your system. Sometimes you can ditch an unsatisfactory connection by disconnecting and reconnecting.

Internet performance is measured in "ping," "hops, and "packet loss." "Ping" refers to number of milliseconds it takes for your signal to reach a designated address and be routed back to you. The lower your "ping," the better. "Hops" are the points at which your signal data is rerouted on its way to the voice chat or internet telephone servers. The fewer the hops, the better. "Packet loss" refers to the percentage of your signal data that does not reach its destination. Ping over 350ms, packet loss over 3%, or an excessive number of hops in each trip may adversely affect your.