Help: East Sussex County Council Webcasts

Help / FAQ

Player Overview

The Public-i Connect Player

The Public-i Connect Player enables viewers to navigate through live and archived webcasts using index points and access supporting information in the form of web links, documents and presentations whilst watching the webcast.

Viewers may also leave feedback using the feedback form or fill out polls and surveys where available via the Player and access information about individual participants in the webcast. The Player displays in either the graphic rich compact version or a fully accessible text only version.

Finding webcasts

The Connect homepage shows an overview of any live, future and the last few recent webcasts.

Clicking on webcast library will show the entire library of webcasts as well as a Tag Cloud showing the content of those meetings.

To find webcasts by topic, click on a Tag Cloud keyword to filter the webcasts appropriately.

Webcasts can be found by title by using the search facility in the menu bar through which webcasts may be found by entering the title, date or keyword (use lowercase only).

Watching webcasts

To watch a webcast click on the title of the webcast in webcast overview or library; this will launch the Public-i Player in a separate browser window. The webcast will start automatically - this may take a few seconds.

Live & archived webcasts

Live webcasts display only the information being sent out during the webcast, and it is not possible to skip backwards to an earlier part of a meeting when it is being streamed live.

Archived webcasts enable the viewer to navigate to any point of the webcast using index points or the scroll bar displayed below the video window. Information regarding the individuals who participated during the meeting (speaker profiles) are only displayed for archived webcasts.

Navigating through a webcast

There are two main ways in which a viewer can skip to a different part of a webcast. The scroll bar displayed beneath the video can be used to fast forward or rewind to a particular time in the webcast.

More usefully most webcasts are captured with agenda point and / or speaker name index points which enable the viewer to jump directly to a point or person in a webcast of particular interest to them.

Feedback From

Any feedback given in the Feedback Form is sent directly to the organisation providing the webcast from where it will be forwarded to the appropriate person to deal with the enquiry. Public-i monitor feedback for technical issues.

Sharing webcasts by email & social networks

Next to each agenda item and at the bottom of the webcast player there is a share button which will allow anyone viewing the webcast to share the meeting by email, on social networks and also embed a small version of the player directly on another website or blog (the Embed player does not work on Wordpress.com).

If you click on the share button next to the agenda point, the link will automatically start at the agenda item itself. The share features can be configured to share from any point in the meeting by entering a direct starting point in the Options button of the share feature.

Geotagging webcast agenda items

If there are any agenda items which have particular geographical location associated with it, then a small globe icon will appear next to the item which when clicked will appear on a map displayed in the Public-i Player to the right of the video window.

Polls & Surveys

If a Poll or Survey is attached to a webcast it will show up as an additional icon next to the feedback icon displayed in the Public-i Player to the right of the video window

The information provided is currently anonymous and will be collated by the authority providing the webcast.

Interactive Player & Coverit Live

Some authorities have the ability to offer a live and moderated live comment box (through CoveritLive) and a Twitter stream below the webcast.

If a webcast has this ability, you will see a Twitter symbol on the webcast listings on the home page.

If a webcast has this facility, then any viewer can send comments to the authority while the webcast is live and they will decide which ones are published. Authorities can also answer back in private if the comment is a private request for information.

The Twitter box will show a stream of the tweets for the particular hashtag the authority has chosen to use during that webcast.

RSS Feeds

To keep updated of upcoming webcasts or even subscribe to webcasts about certain topics, viewers can subscribe to the Connect RSS feed. Click on the RSS Icon on the webcast overview and listings allows to be taken to a page where RSS feed links can be generated, copied and pasted into any RSS reader.

Tag Cloud

The tag cloud shows the tags assigned to any webcast, with the most popular tags appearing proportionally larger. Clicking on any of tag will filter the webcast listing according to these tags. To remove the filter, click the ‘Remove Filter’ link at top of the page.

Technical specifications

Computer specifications

Most recent computers will be able to display webcasts with no need to download additional software. If you are experiencing problems the following are the minimum specifications; Windows 98, Linux and Mac OS 8.1 or higher, Explorer 6 or above or recent versions of Firefox, Opera, Avant, Safari or equivalent, Windows Media 9 or Flash Player 10 or higher (depending on the format of the webcast content). Cookies, Java and Javascript must be enabled on the browser.

Flash or Windows Media Player

Flash and Windows Media Player are free media software which play audio and video. Public-i webcasts use in most instances one or other of the two players, but are sometimes transmitted in both formats. Silverlight is needed to view the Embed player if it is shown outside of the Public-I Connect site.

Troubleshooting FAQ

Why can't I hear the webcast?

The most common reason for a lack of audio on a webcast is that the person speaking has not turned on their microphone. Otherwise it is important to make sure that the computer that you are using has a means of conveying sound from the sound card through either speakers or headphones. The volume of the webcast can be turned up via the volume control built into the player which is displayed beneath the video, and the user experiencing problems should make sure that this is turned up and not muted. Finally the settings on the computer should be checked to ensure that the volume is turned up on both the computer and speakers. Due to the audio systems used by many of our clients the audio may be a little quieter than the viewer expects.

Why can't I see the webcast?

The webcast video should play automatically in the Player. If the appropriate media player has not been installed on the viewing PC the Public-i Player will detect this and provide a link to a webpage from which the player may be downloaded. If the media player is out of date it may need to download new software to play the webcast; for most users this software will be downloaded automatically. Other possible causes for viewing problems are either that the user is attempting to view the webcast from within a corporate network which blocks streaming video - please see the help section on viewing from within a corporate network, that the webcast which is being accessed is not yet available, or possibly that there is a problem with the webcast stream.

Why is the webcast picture blurred or frozen?

This is normally caused by a slow internet connection. Although Public-i webcasts have been encoded to enable them to be viewed by users of any speed of internet connection some buffering is to be expected when watching video using a dial-up connection. To minimise the problem close any other application which may be using the internet connection.

Why does my player keep buffering?

This is normally caused by a slow internet connection. Although Public-i webcasts have been encoded to enable them to be viewed by users of any speed of internet connection some buffering is to be expected when watching video using a dial-up connection. Those using ADSL connections may also experience some buffering as all ADSL lines are shared by other users so connection speeds drop at busy times. To minimise the problem close any other application which may be using the internet connection.

Why can we not get a bigger picture?

The size of the video window in the Public-i Player has been selected to provide the optimum balance between ease of use and picture quality. A larger picture may be obtained by launching the webcast video full screen, either by double clicking in the video window or selecting the enlarge icon.

Why are the speaker names out of synch with the video?

Speaker names are sent separately to the video for live webcasts. These may become out of synch by the end of long webcasts, particularly if the player has rebuffered. This problem does not affect the archived webcast.

Why will the webcasts not play on my work computer?

If you are viewing from within a corporate network it is possible that your computer has not been set up to permit the viewing of webcasts. Please contact your network administrator if you experience any difficulties.

Where can I get the software and what does it cost?

Both media players are free to download. Many computers will already have the players installed, but if they need to be downloaded they can be obtained from the Adobe Flash Player download page or Windows Media Player download page

How long does it take to download the software needed to view a webcast?

The time taken to download the media players is entirely dependent on internet connection speeds. Broadband users should be able to download the player in a couple of minutes, dial-up users will experience a much longer delay.

How do I install the software needed to view the webcast?

Once you have downloaded the player follow the instructions in the installer to install the new software. Care should be taken to ensure that new player does not make itself the default media player for all types of media on your machine.

What is your cookie policy?

Public-i websites do not use cookies by default. A number of settings options are available to tailor your viewing preferences and information regarding these settings will be stored in a cookie on your computer. A 'cookie' is a small text file stored on your computer that holds information about a specific website. This allows us to ensure that your preferences are automatically restored the next time you view the site. No personal information is stored and the cookie can easily be removed by clicking on the 'Clear Settings' button on the settings page should you wish to do so.

I'm using a Mac and can't see / hear anything. What's wrong?

To view windows media content on OSX you need to download and install Windows Silverlight. Flash webcast will work as long as Flash player >= 10 is installed.