What software do I need to play back audio and video?

If multimedia content is featured on this product, the most common formats will be:

• MPEG-1 for video
• MP3 for audio

Your built-in multimedia software should be able to handle these formats. If you have either Windows Media™ Player for Windows or QuickTime for Macintosh and Windows installed, you do not need any additional software.

While we make every attempt at providing multimedia in these cross-platform formats, we cannot guarantee that the files will play in every configuration. In addition, some files may be supplied by the original author in a format that cannot easily be converted. These files will be provided "as-is" on this product.

QuickTime is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows Media is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Can I play a Windows Media file on my Mac?

Microsoft offers a free QuickTime plug-in called Flip4Mac that can play many Windows Media formats. You can get the plug-in from Microsoft's Windows Media® Components for QuickTime page.

Why is my video playback poor or "choppy"?

Quality video playback is very dependent on several factors:

• The speed of your computer's processor
  Video requires fast computers (PCs with processors over 2 GHz or Macintosh computers over 1 GHz).
• The speed of the delivery system
  For best video playback, a fast (8x speed CD-ROM/DVD-ROM player or faster) is recommended. If you are viewing video from over the Internet, the faster your connection, the better your speed will be.
• The speed of the media
  If this product is on media other than CD or DVD (such as a USB drive), the speed of the media itself is a major factor.
• The size and amount of compression
  This is usually determined by the video's author.

Do I need to pay for the full version of QuickTime?

You do not need to upgrade to QuickTime Pro in order to use multimedia on this product.

If you use QuickTime to play back multimedia content, you may be prompted occasionally to upgrade to the Pro version (though never more than once per day). The Pro version gives you more options for editing and saving QuickTime multimedia in different formats. As QuickTime is provided free of charge by Apple Computer, the upgrade message cannot be disabled or removed.

I can play a sound or video, but I don't hear anything.

Your computer needs the appropriate hardware in order to play audio. All Macintosh computers ship with basic audio hardware, but not all Windows computers do. If you know you have a sound card or other audio hardware, check if your volume settings are off or set too low. Mac users should make sure the Mute box is unchecked in the Sound preference panel (Mac OS X).