TROUBLESHOOTING MOMENT : Glitches in Streaming Music and Video

As a rule, Media Player is smart enough to adjust itself to circumstances. If data delivery slows, Media Player looks to the server for a data format that will keep the show from being interrupted, even if the quality is lower.

The last few years have seen an exponential increase in the quality of audio and video playback. Unfortunately, that's accompanied by just as big increase the quantity of streaming audio and video being used on the Internet. As a result, you can run into some really annoying glitches, skips, and assorted crud when trying to view and/or listen to streaming content. A common problem is a high volume of traffic on your local network or on the Internet as a whole.

If network slowdowns are common, sometimes increasing the buffer size can keep things flowing. To change the buffer size, choose Tools→Options→Performance. The larger the buffer, the longer it will take for your file to begin playing—but a larger buffer can help if the music or video often stops or stutters.

If a proxy server provides your network's Internet access (ask your network administrator), changing the proxy settings can be helpful in resolving issues when Windows Media Player stops responding (hangs), too; choose Tools→Options and then click the Network tab to access them. If you didn't set up your own proxy settings, ask your network administrator for help in changing these settings.