web media, tech tips (pretty basic+):
is your 'browser' too old? how can you get a new
one?
never 'downloaded' any software?
what's a 'plug-in', how & where do you get one?
how do you play cyclops press audio & video?
saving an mp3 audio file to disc
you can't quite get enough audio volume?
is your 'browser' too old for media? how do you get a new one?
if you can see this page, then you're viewing the internet with a piece of software called a browser. however, it's worth having a fairly new version, no more than a year old, to play the latest media. on this site, we work hard to design media that will play well in many types of computers and computer set-ups, but there are limits to what we can do. you should consider downloading and installing a late model browser (we recommend firefox) if yours is too old for what you want it to do. (it's FREE.)
never 'downloaded' any software?
1] go to the site in question, such as the one linked to above, click on the word 'download', tell it where on your hard drive you'd like to download to (maybe 'right click' your mouse and create a new folder called 'downloaded software') and make sure you know where the folder is for later.
2] if you have a slower dial-up connection, many of these will cut you off mid-download because your internet service will perceive a longer download as inactivity, so, here's a trick: leave your email software going as well, and in the edit>preferences, or tools>options, choose 'automatic mail checking', for say, every ten minutes.
3] when you're done downloading, shut down every program, find the folder where you put the downloaded file, and double click on it. follow the instructions.
player 'plug-ins':
a plug-in is just a piece of software that you need in addition to your internet browser to do extra things, such as play audio and video. we've limited this site to media that use the two most common plug-ins, quicktime player and real player. with real player you may have to scroll down their page, or look around the site a bit, to find the FREE 'basic player', which is all you need; with quicktime, if this link becomes outdated, try typing "quicktime player" in a search engine).
how do you play cyclops press audio & video?
our mp3 audio clips will play well with either quicktime player or a later model real media player.
our quicktime video clips require quicktime player.
saving an mp3 audio file:
with mp3 audio files, if you have an audio player plug-in, you can just click on the link and it will download and then play. however, if you 'right click' and then choose 'Save Link As...' you can to save it to your hard drive. then follow the same procedure for downloading software as above.
can't quite get enough audio volume?
these days, there are lots of decent, cheap, amplified computer speakers on the market. but you might also consider hooking up your computer's audio output to your stereo system. look at the back of your computer to see what kind of wire connects to the audio output jack. it's usually an 'rca' connector (the same kind that connects most stereo amps to tape decks, vcrs to tvs, etc.), or a 'mini' jack (the kind walkman/ipod headphones, etc. use). or it might be another specialized kind. in any case, one end of the wire you need should be the 'rca' kind in order to plug it into your stereo amplifier, and the other end plugs into your computer. radio shack should be able to help you find the length and combination you need.