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Home > Documentation > cTV

Documentation - cTV

cTV FAQ

Compatibility notice

NSIT Support has discovered an incompatibility between cTV and Safari (version 4.0.3) in Apple OS X 10.6 and 10.6.1, however the latest Apple Software Updates for 10.6.2 and Safari 4.0.4 resolve these issues with cTV. NSIT recommends applying the latest Apple Software Updates via the "Software Update..." function located under the Apple menu in Mac OS X to resolve problems encountered with cTV and Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6.x).

This error does not appear in earlier versions of Apple OS X or on Windows computers.

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1. A set-top box in my area isn't working properly. Who do I contact?
2. How were the channels chosen? I don't like the selection and want to suggest a new channel.
3. Where is cTV available?
4. Can I record cTV? Is there a DVR functionality available?
5. When I click the "Tune In" button, my machine complains about not having the right plug-in, or about the page using Java.
6. I'm getting a "Windows Security Alert"/"Windows Firewall" dialog box on Vista. What do I do?
7. I'm getting a "Reception: (no broadcast available)" error and no video shows up. What do I do?
8. I keep clicking on the channels, but the channel never changes...
9. Why can't I access cTV over wireless?
10. Why can't I access cTV from off campus, via the modem pool, or VPN?
11. Is cTV HD (high definition)? Will it be HD?
12. I'm experiencing stuttering/choppy video and/or audio. What do I do?

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1. A set-top [STB] box in my area isn't working properly. Who do I contact?

   STBs have been deployed in several public areas around campus. STBs are essentially small, limited computers configured to serve cTV signals. Much like other computers, when malfunctioning, something as simple as rebooting may resolve the matter. If power-cycling doesn't resolve the concern, there are several options for assistance.
   
   For the fastest resolution of problems with existing STBs, please contact the local support in charge of your area. In many cases local staff may have additional equipment available to quickly swap for a malfunctioning device. For example, if a set-top box in a Pierce Tower lounge is not working, you would contact your RCA or the front desk. If you are unable to contact local support or your local support refers you to NSIT, please contact 4-TECH(4-8324) for escalation.

2. How were the channels chosen? I don't like the selection and want to suggest a new channel.

   The channels were chosen through a combination of feedback from the cTV pilot program and departmental sponsorships. Outside of free local channels, each channel requires a sponsor that will pay for the channel to be added to cTV. Current sponsors are Housing and Dining Services, NSIT, and the Graduate School of Business. If you wish to have another channel added, a sponsor would be necessary to fund the addition. New sponsors are welcome.

3. Where is cTV available?

   cTV is available almost everywhere on campus! The primary requirement for cTV is that your local wired ethernet network have a feature called Multicast enabled. For a list of buildings that cannot support Multicast, visit our exceptions list.

4. Can I record cTV? Is there a DVR functionality available?

   No.

5. When I click the "Tune In" button, my machine complains about not having the right plug-in, or about the page using Java.

   cTV needs to install an application called InStream to stream and display video to your machine. InStream, in turn, relies on a software package called Java; if Java is not installed on your machine, you'll get an error message.

   In theory, your web browser should walk you through downloading and installing Java. In practice, you'll probably have to do it manually. To do so, go to the web page at

   http://java.com/en/download/

   Click the "Download Java" button, then find the version of Java appropriate for your operating system (Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Mac OS X). Download and run the installer. If you are installing on Windows Vista, be sure to right-click on the installer and select "Run as Administrator".

6. I'm getting a "Windows Security Alert"/"Windows Firewall" dialog box on Vista. What do I do?

   cTV uses an application called InStream to stream and display video to your machine. You must explicitly give it permission to access the network for this purpose -- that's what the "Windows Firewall has blocked some features of this program" dialog is about. Click the "Unblock" button to grant permission and move on. If you are using more than one web browser to access cTV, you may need to unblock InStream separately for each browser.

7. I'm getting a "Reception: (no broadcast available)" error and no video shows up. What do I do?

   Assuming that your network connection is OK (which it probably is, or you wouldn't have gotten this far), you probably accidentally blocked the InStream application in the firewall, which effectively neutralizes this particular streaming video application. To unblock it:

   1. Go to the Windows menu → Control Panel → Security Center → Windows Firewall.
   2. Click "Change Settings", then "Continue".
   3. Click on the "Exceptions" tab.
   4. Check the box next to "instream.exe", then hit "OK".

   Exit out of the Security Center and you should be good to go. If you access cTV from more than one web browser, you may need to enable ipstream.exe more than once to get it to work with all browsers.

8. I keep clicking on the channels, but the channel never changes...

   You need to double-click on your selection to change channels; clicking once will only change the program schedule listing.

9. Why can't I access cTV over wireless?

   There are two reasons. First off, in order to provide reasonable video quality, we need to allocate a portion of the network bandwidth explicitly for cTV. If we tried doing that on the wireless network, we wouldn't have enough bandwidth left for any other traffic.

   Second, in order to use the network as efficiently as possible, cTV requires a feature called "Multicast". This lets us broadcast each channel over the network only once, with each client machine tapping into the broadcast if it wants to view that channel. At present time, portions of our wireless network architecture do not support multicast, making it technically impossible to broadcast cTV over our wireless network.

10. Why can't I access cTV from off campus, via the modem pool, or VPN?

    cTV is available only over local, direct wired ethernet connections on campus where Multicast is enabled. It cannot be accessed via other methods of connection.

11. Is cTV HD (high definition)? Will it be HD?

    At this time, cTV is not HD. We do not have plans to enable HD content for cTV.

12. I'm experiencing stuttering/choppy video and/or audio. What do I do?

    If cTV is not performing optimally and the audio/video is periodically freezing or stuttering, then in most cases this points to some component of your computer not operating optimally. You may simply need to update the drivers associated with the key sub-systems involved in making cTV work correctly - Networking, Graphics and Sound. With an Apple computer, updating your drivers simply means checking "Software Updates..." via the Apple menu to obtain the latest updates to Mac OS X. For Windows, some driver updated are available via the "Windows Update" functionality, but in most cases you will need to visit the web-site of the vendor for you particular computer (i.e. Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) and check for the latest driver updates, download them and then install. In most cases, this will fix these stuttering/choppy video and/or audio issues; if not, then it is possible that your computer has other issues which might require additional troubleshooting.