What playback quality should I be expecting? What's wrong when the playback is poor? Why is my audio playback poor?
The expected playback quality varies depending on bandwidth and the encoding
algorithm you are playing. If the quality is garbled, choppy, or skips, use the
following to isolate and correct the problem.
If the quality was poor when the firstrun_plus.smi file played at the end of the RealPlayer installation, you have a sound card
conflict. Try changing the settings on the Performance tab in the Preferences window.
If the quality was good when the firstrun_plus.smi file played at the
end of the RealPlayer installation, but is bad at a particular site, use the
Statistics window in RealPlayer to check for lost
packets. If the packet loss is high, it may be due to a busy network. If this
is the case you should also see a net traffic
warning on your Status Bar. RealPlayer users can use
buffered play or connect to the site at a later time.
If the playback quality is poor on every site, do the following:
Check the actual modem connection speed. This may be shown in the lighted
display for external modems, or through an information window if you have an
internal modem (check the user manual for your modem). Sometimes service providers
use a lower rate connection speed such as 14.4 Kbps, so even though you are
dialing in on a 28.8 Kbps modem, you are only receiving data at 14.4 Kbps.
If you are using an external modem and the Statistics window
shows minimal packet loss (10% or less), there may be a problem with the speed
at which packets are transferred between the modem and serial card. Try
setting the port speed higher (at least twice the modem speed).
