Many of you have used RealPlayer in the past, although probably not in quite the manner you will use it for this course. Whether or not you are familiar the software, you will probably want to review this set of tips on what to expect.
Launching RealPlayer
All course presentations using RealPlayer are launched from and end with an associated course Web page. You begin a presentation by clicking on either the "Dial-up" or "Cable modem or faster" link in the upper right hand corner its page. RealPlayer pops up while it makes the connection and accesses the presentation files. However, once the audio begins, RealPlayer may drop down to the control bar on your screen. If it does, it will stay there while the presentation continues uninterrupted. In many cases you will want to pause or replay all or a portion of the presentation. To do that you must bring the software controls back to the screen. Clicking on the RealPlayer icon on the toolbar will do that. Once you have clicked it open, RealPlayer will stay open until you close or minimize it. By selecting "View" and then "On Top While Playing" you can configure RealPlayer so it does not drop down to the control bar each time a presentation begins.
Resizing RealPlayer
Because the course presentations also include text viewed through your Web browser, you may find the full-sized RealPlayer "box" distracting. If you want to leave RealPlayer open but still have plenty of screen real estate for the text, I suggest you put the software into its "compact" mode. Select "view" and "compact" from the RealPlayer menu. This will give you access to the pause, stop, fast forward, and rewind buttons, and let you see the counter in the lower right hand corner.
Logging, Pausing and Rewinding
The counter shows you two numbers -- on the right, it shows the total length of the presentation, while on the left, it ticks off the time as the presentation runs. For example, 03.50.0/07.30.0 represents three minutes and fifty seconds into a seven and a half minute presentation. (You will know the approximate length of a presentation before you begin from the duration figure, rounded off to the nearest minute, at the top of its page.) There are occasions when you will find it useful to check the RealPlayer counter during a presentation. If, for example, there is a portion you conclude you may want to replay at the conclusion, noting the counter time will help you go back with precision. With it you should be able to rewind or fast forward to that spot, rather than simply bouncing around and trying to remember what it was you wanted to find. And of course, if you need to stop the presentation for some reason, knowing the time will make it easier to resume the presentation later exactly where you left off.
You might want to try fast forwarding, rewinding, and pausing some of the early presentations just to get a feel for how the software works.
Net Congestion
The only other thing to keep in mind about the Real Player software is that it is vulnerable to heavy web traffic -- i.e. it is possible for a presentation to be interrupted if the signal is not getting through clearly. If you observe the counter running for more than 20 seconds or so, while you are not hearing anything, that is a good indication something is interrupting the signal flow. Try rewinding the presentation, and if it still doesn't play, try again later. Another indication of signal strength is available when the software is open to its full size. In that configuration there is a little, normally green dot next to the counter, which indicates "net health." If this dot turns yellow or red, it means the signal is being slowed or interrupted. Finally, on the lower left-hand side of the RealPlayer control, there is a number indicating how many bits of information are getting through at a given time. The lower the number, the weaker the signal. In general, net congestion shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but particularly with "dial up" connections it may affect the time of day you decide to access the audio material.
At the Conclusion
When a presentation is over, the counter will stop and you should find yourself back at the top of the presentation page.
After you have reviewed the text on the page or accessible through its links, done any problems, gone back over any portions of the presentation that puzzle you, and reflected all of this in your notes, you can return to the appropriate point in the Topic sequence by clicking on the Topic link in the upper left hand corner of the presentation page.