Crucible Webinar Optimal Experience

Crucible^® Webinar Optimal Experience

Technical difficulties during the live event typically
relate to "bandwidth" issues of your internet connection.
Optimize your webinar experience!

 

A number of webinar participants have been experiencing technical difficulties during the live event. These issues typically appear as frozen video display (or no image) or intermittent loss of audio ("dropout"). Both issues typically involve "bandwidth issues" in the participant's internet connection, involving limited amount of information that can be accommodated through the connection. Available bandwidth can be affected by your internet service plan (many plans are priced according to the amount of bandwidth available), and the means by which your computer connects to the Internet (hard-wired connections usually have greater bandwidth than wireless [wifi] connections). Bandwidth can also be affected by the number of computers sharing the same connection, as the available bandwidth will be divided amongst them.

The live stream of our webinars contain both audio and video elements. Each on-screen presenter adds their audio and video content to the live stream, increasing the amount of information in the stream. As the amount of information increases, so does the amount of bandwidth required to transmit and receive the complete live stream. Insufficient bandwidth in your internet connection can prevent full reception of an otherwise complete live stream containing multiple video and audio feeds. This is why certain participants can experience less than optimal reception while others experience no difficulties at all.

Our webinars are hosted on the Adobe Connect live meeting platform. The Connect platform monitors the available bandwidth on each participant's internet connection. Should there be insufficient bandwidth, it will attempt to preserve the most important aspect of the webinar experience, namely the audio feed. In such cases, Adobe will reduce the video feed to a still image in order to preserve the largest possible amount of bandwidth for the audio stream. Should Connect then detect an increase in bandwidth, it will resume sending the full live video stream.

Similar factors apply to each presenter’s ability to send video and audio from their webcam. Insufficient bandwidth on the upload can create a bottleneck where the moment-by-moment images and audio cannot be accommodated, resulting in a jumpy or still image of the video, or intermittent loss of the audio.

If your microphone is enabled but you are not speaking, mute your microphone by clicking on the green microphone icon on the top of your screen. This will eliminate any bandwidth being used to transmit low-volume sounds.

Participants can monitor whether the Connect platform senses sufficient bandwidth in their internet connection. In the upper right corner of the Connect meeting room display are a series of bars indicating this. Optimal connections will display 5 green bars of increasing height. As the available bandwidth decreases, so does the number of bars, and the color shifts through orange to red. Participants experiencing low-quality reception can have bars ranging from "2 green" to "3 orange" to "1 red", depending on the bandwidth deficit.

We recommend that participants use a hard-wired connection to their computers. This typically entails the use of Ethernet (cat-5) cable from a router or modem. Wireless connections, such as Wi-fi or mobile hotspots, often provide reduced bandwidth. It may also be worthwhile to contact your Internet Service Provider and inquire as to the available bandwidth being delivered. Below are some rule-of-thumb parameters (in Kilobytes per second) that can be helpful.

• Using a hard-wired connection provides the most bandwidth
• Using a mobile phone as a wireless hotspot is not recommended.
• If using a home network, other users on the network may be using considerable bandwidth for movies or music. It is recommended to limit other users.
• Check other tabs on your browser that might be using bandwidth for downloads or streaming.
• If prompted by Adobe Connect, download the latest Flash player. The Safari browser is extremely sensitive to this issue. If necessary, there are ways to bypass this requirement. The following link may help.
  • Apple u0026amp; Safari: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202681
• If possible, be prepared to switch to an alternate browser, such as Chrome or Firefox. These are both available as a free download for all operating systems.
  • Google Chrome: https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/desktop/index.html
  • Firefox: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new
• If you are experiencing audio reception issues, do the following:
  • In the upper left menu, click Meeting->Audio Setup Wizard, then Next
  • Test the Sound Output as directed. If no sound output, check your speaker connection.
• If you are still experiencing difficulties, Adobe Connect provides immediate in-meeting support. Call their toll-free line at 1 800 422-3623 Option: 1

• The use of headphones with a microphone eliminates possible echo and sound delay.
• If you use Skype, please review the following instructions at http://crucible.wpmudev.host/crucible-therapy-webinar-series#discussion-group
• Contact Steve Schnarch at [email protected] to test your system prior to the event.
• Presenters who are experiencing transmission issues can check the following:
  • Right click on the main display area, then select "Settings".
    • Click the second icon from the left (monitor with eye), make sure "Allow" and "Remember" are checked.
    • Click the fourth icon from the left (microphone), select the proper microphone from the list. You should see a green volume indicator that responds to your voice. If necessary, adjust the Record Volume.
    • Click the fourth icon from the left (webcam), select the proper camera. Click "Close"
  • Check the video quality settings under Meeting->Preferences->Video. Setting the video quality to Standard or Medium will require less bandwidth.