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RealMedia

How to Test a RealMedia Clip

Summary

After you upload a RealMedia clip to your streaming media directory (public_media) on Dante or Homer, you can use RealPlayer to make sure it streams okay. If it doesn't, RealPlayer's status bar may reveal the reason why.

Instructions

The instructions that follow refer to your RealMedia clip as yourclip.rm. Substitute the filename of your clip as needed.

  1. Start RealPlayer.

  2. On the File menu, select Open Location.

  3. Type the URL of yourclip.rm on RealServer:

    rtsp://media.type.washington.edu/userid/yourclip.rm

    Substitute type and userid appropriately, refering to the RealMedia URL Reference for help.

  4. Click OK.

Now RealPlayer will connect to RealServer and request a stream of your clip.

Troubleshooting

When you open a URL in RealPlayer, the status bar displays messages about the status of the resulting stream. These messages can be used to troubleshoot some problems.

Message Description
Connecting... RealPlayer is trying to make a connection to the server you specified.
Buffering... RealPlayer has established a connection to the server and is filling its buffer before attempting to play your stream.
Unable to locate server. The server does not have a DNS entry... RealPlayer is unable to connect to the server. Double-check the URL for mistakes in the server name.
Server alert. (Unable to play request. Internal stream error.) RealPlayer can connect to the server, but the server cannot read the requested file due to file permissions. Fix the permissions and try again.
Requested file not found. The link you followed may be outdated or inaccurate. RealPlayer can connect to the server, but the server cannot find the requested file or cannot access it due to directory permissions. Double-check the URL for mistakes in the path and file name. If you find none, you may have to fix the permissions of your streaming media directory or the subdirectory containing the file you want to stream.
A General Error has occurred. RealPlayer can connect to the server, but the requested file cannot be streamed by RealServer. The file may have been corrupted by improper file transfer or it may not contain RealSystem content.