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• If you can not find the answer to your question below,
  please contact our Customer Support toll-free number: 877-557-3774
• We'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, and suggestions, you can send feeback via email at customerservice@website.mlsnet.com

Media Player FAQ

1. What is MLSLIVE.tv?
2. Which Media Player do I need to play media on MLSnet.com?
3. How do I download and install the Windows Media Player?
4. How do I access my player options when the player is embedded in the browser?
5. What are the optimal configurations for my media player?
6. Can I watch my game feed in my computer's media player, or do I have to use the player provided by MLSnet.com?
7. When I click on the event link, nothing happens. No browser window at all pops up. What is happening?
8. When I click on the event link, the MLSnet.com Media Player window comes up, but the whole screen is white (except for the score ticker at the bottom of the window). What is happening?
9. When I click on the event link, all I see is a plug-in prompt or a message saying "You are watching MLSnet.com..." What is happening?
10. How can I improve the quality of my video feed?

1. Which Media Player do I need to play media on MLSnet.com?

To listen to live and archive MLSnet.com event feeds, you need the Windows Media Player Series 9, or later.

2. How do I download and install the Windows Media Player?

1. Go to www.microsoft.com.
2. On the left of the screen, click on Downloads.
3. On the left of the screen, click on Windows Media.
4. From the list of downloads, select the Windows Media Player Series 9 applicable to your operating system.
5. On the right, click on the Download button.
6. After the download, open the installer (MPSetup.exe) and complete the installation.

3. How do I access my player options when the player is embedded in the browser?

When the Windows Media Player is embedded in the browser window, simply right-click anywhere on the video screen (or on the media player functions, Play, Stop, Fast-forward, Volume, etc.) and select Options from the dropdown menu.

You can also launch your media player from the Start menu and make changes directly in the stand alone player.

4. What are the optimal configurations for my media player?

For the Windows Media Player Series 9, use the following configurations:

1. Pull down the Tools menu of your Windows Media Player Series 9 (or right-click on the embedded video screen) and select Options.
2. In the Player tab, be sure the "Download Codecs Automatically" box is checked.
3. Also, be sure the "Connect to the Internet (overrides other commands)" box is checked.
4. In the Performance tab, in the Connection Speed category, select Choose Connection Speed.
5. In the Connection Speed drop down menu, choose the speed proper to your Internet service. Note: For MLSnet.com, the speed must be higher than 350K. If you do not know your connection speed, contact your Internet Service Provider.
6. Select the Network tab.
7. Uncheck the top two Streaming Protocol circles: Multicast and UDP. Leave TCP and HTTP checked. (You can also try and uncheck TCP.)
8. Below in the Streaming Protocols section, click on the HTTP protocol.
9. Click Configure.
10. Change the Proxy Setting to Do Not Use a Proxy Server.
11. Click OK to the Configure Protocol window.
12. Click Apply.
13. Click OK to the Options window.

5. Can I watch my game feed in my computer's media player, or do I have to use the player provided by MLSnet.com?

You can watch the game in your computer's stand alone media player if you prefer.

Using Windows Media format, use the following process:

1. Right-click on the media player functions in the MLSnet.com Media Player and select Properties.
2. In the File tab, to the right of Location, you will find the URL. Copy the entire URL.
3. Then, launch your Windows Media Player from your Start menu.
4. In the Windows Media Player, pull down the File menu and select Open URL.
5. Paste the URL into the URL value box and click OK.

This needs to performed quickly or else the authentication will time out. Playing the game in the stand alone player is useful for resizing the picture to the size of your choice. To resize the picture, simply click and drag the corner of the media player.

6. When I click on the event link, nothing happens. No browser window at all pops up. What is happening?

Event links (350K, icons etc.) on MLSnet.com cause another browser window to pop up - either the Player Preference prompt or the MLSnet.com Media Player window. If you have a popup blocker installed on your browser, then this may stop the window from coming up properly. In this case, in order to access MLSnet.com game links, you will have to disable your popup blocker.

On some popular popup blockers, such as Google's, you can hold down the Control key on your keyboard as you click on the game link; this will let an individual popup through.

Please see Disclaimer in FAQ #4 above, regarding changing your computer's configuration.

7. When I click on the game link, the MLSnet.com Media Player window comes up, but the whole screen is white (except for the score ticker at the bottom of the window). What is happening?

It is likely that either your Player Preference is not set properly or you are behind a firewall which is stopping the content. Please set up your browser to allow cookies and configure your media player as detailed in FAQ #4.

Note: MLSnet.com Support does NOT support particular firewall software (McAfee, ZoneAlarm, Norton Firewall. etc.). To receive MLSnet.com content, we recommend setting MLSnet.com as a trusted site on your firewall software. Please consult the Help section of your firewall software for further support.

Please see Disclaimer in FAQ #4 above, regarding changing your computer's configuration.

8. When I click on the game link, all I see is a plug-in prompt or a message saying "You are watching MLSnet.com..." What is happening?

If you see only a white screen, a plug-in prompt, or "You are watching MLSnet.com..." it is likely that you do not have a media player installed, or that your Player Preference is not set according to the player you have installed.

First, be sure either the Windows Media Player Series 9 or the RealOne Player version 2 or 10 is installed on your computer. Check the version by launching it from the Start menu (or in Mac, from the Application folder).

Next, reset your Player Preference.

1. Click on any game link on MLSnet.com to launch the MLSnet.com Media Player window.
2. Then click on the Preferences link to launch the Player Preference window.
3. Select your preferred player (the one you just launched).
4. Click Save Setting.
5. Then close the MLSnet.com Media Player window and click on the original game link again.

If you are sure you have the correct player and your preference is set correctly, please check the optimal media player configurations in FAQ #6.

9. How can I improve the quality of my video feed?

When playing an MLS live or archive event, if the media player continues to buffer or reconnect or shows only a frame-by-frame "choppy" feed, then there may a problem with the bandwidth. Our broadcasts are streamed at 350Kbps and your bandwidth must be consistently pulling 350Kbps to receive a high-quality video feed.

First, test your bandwidth. For an accurate reading, use a reliable bandwidth-testing website (such as http://tech.msn.com/downloads/speedtest.armx). Bandwidths continually fluctuate, so perform three or more tests. Again, the recommended bandwidth for video is 350K and above. A user connecting below 350K may get the video, but will likely experience choppy feeds. If you are not consistently testing above 350K, you may want to contact your Internet Service Provider.

Note: MLSnet.com does not support any specific bandwidth-testing website. Please see Disclaimer in FAQ #4 above, regarding changing your computer's configuration.

Second, be sure your Windows Media Player bandwidth is set properly.

1. Right click on the video screen and select Options.
2. Click on the Performance tab.
3. Set the Connection Speed to the appropriate value as per your diagnostic test.

Third, clean out your browser cache by deleting Temporary Internet files and Clearing History.

Lastly, if the above troubleshooting steps do not improve the quality of the feed, heavy Internet traffic may be the problem. In this case, please call Customer Support at 877-557-3774. Please be prepared to provide the following information:

1. Your full name
2. Your phone number
3. Your MLSnet.com registered email address
4. Your ISP
5. Your connection type
6. Your IP address*
7. The results of your bandwidth tests
8. Your Location (home, office, wireless, etc.)
9. Time of Access
10. Particular Game

* Don't know your IP address?
On windows 98, ME, 2000, XP: Click Start, then Run and type ipconfig.
On Mac OS X: Click Apple menu>System Preferences>Network>TCP/IP.