Streaming Support


What are the different connection rates, and how fast does my internet connection have to be to view them without buffering the Vividas video?

Bandwidths for different connection types

In general there are (up to) 5 different bandwidth rates provided by Vividas.

NOTE: each site may not have all rates published.

  • Dialup  ~ approx 50kbps (kilo bits per second) and is suitable for 56k modem dialing into the internet via a PSTN (Public switched telephone network).
  • ISDN ~ approx 100kbps and is suitable for a 128k ISDN connection to the Internet.
  • Low ~ approx 220kbps and is suitable for a 256k (download) DSL connection to the Internet.
  • Medium ~ approx 440kbps and is suitable for a 512k (download) DSL connection to the Internet.
  • High ~ approx 740kbps and is suitable for 1500k+ (download) DSL or DOCSIS cable modem connection to the Internet.

So now, knowing what I require to play Vividas video, how do I go about determining if my system fulfils the requirements?

PC Compatible

Click  "Start"  then "Run"  the type "dxdiag" and hit enter.  Often, you'll be prompted with a Microsoft WHQL prompt.  Select an option, depending on you preference, and you'll be prompted with a screen  that reports the Windows version, Service Pack Level, Processor speed and system RAM.

Clicking on the "Display" Tab reports information on the video card installed on your system.  In there (top left corner) the amount of RAM on the video card will be displayed.

If your system is displaying jerky or 'stuttery' video and it comfortably fulfils the minimum hardware requirements, we recommend rebooting the machine if it has been operating for an extended period of time, or if many applications have been used since it was last rebooted.

Apple Macintosh

Click on the apple symbol on the top left hand corner of the screen, and select "About the Mac".

This will provide information about the amount of system RAM, the CPU type and speed of CPU.

To obtain information about the graphics memory available on the computer, Click on the "More information" button on the dialog, and select the "PCI/AGP cards" in the left hand list box. The amount of VRAM (Video RAM) is reported in the Bottom right hand window pane.

Linux (still in testing)

Start up a terminal prompt , and type in "dmesg" and hit enter. Depending on the flavour of linux this should report all the required pieces of information.

How do I know what software version I am using?

PC Compatible

Operating System:
Click "Start" -> "Settings" -> "Control Panel" then double click the "System".
This will report the operating system and service pack level.

Apple Macintosh
Operating System:
Click on the apple symbol on the top left hand corner of the screen, and select "About the Mac". This will report the operating system version.

Linux (still in testing)
Operating System:
Start up a terminal session and type "dmesg | head". The first couple of lines will report the linux kernal version number and operating system details.

Browsers:
Internet explorer: Start Internet Explorer, and click on "Help" in the Menu, followed by "About"
Firefox: Start Firefox and click "Help" then "About Mozilla Firefox"
Opera: Start Opera and click "Help" then "About Opera"

How do I update my software?

Follow the following links to update software on your PC.

Browser Updates:

  • Internet Explorer:
    Navigate to the following URL in your favourite browser
    www.windowsupdate.com and follow the instructions provided.

  • Mozilla Browser:
    Navigate to the following URL in your favourite browser
    www.mozilla.org and follow the instructions provided.

  • Firefox Browser:
    Navigate to the following URL in your favourite browser
    www.mozilla.org and follow the instructions provided.

  • Opera Browser:
    Navigate to the following URL in your favourite browser
    www.opera.com and follow the instructions provided.

  • Safari Browser:
    Click on the apple symbol on the top left hand corner of the screen, and select "About the Mac". Click on the "Software updates" button.

Java updates:

To update on your machine, navigate to www.java.com in your favourite browser and follow the instructions.