QuickTime - Opening and Playing Files in a Web Browser

Chapter 1

Using QuickTime Player

13

With QuickTime Pro, you also have the option of saving the movie to your hard disk (if
the author of the movie allows it). To save a movie from the web, click the downward-
pointing arrow on the right and choose “Save as QuickTime Movie” or “Save as Source”
from the QuickTime Pro menu. If the movie is a Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)
movie, it is saved as a small “reference movie” that points to the actual movie on the
Internet.

The QuickTime website has a number of QuickTime movies (including the latest movie
trailers) that you can view in your web browser. Go to www.apple.com/quicktime/.

Adjusting Playback Preferences for Internet Movies

When you watch movies on the Internet, they start playing automatically. You can,
however, download entire movies to your hard disk before they start playing so that
you can watch the movies at your convenience.

To download movies before they start playing (in Mac OS X):

1

Choose QuickTime Player > QuickTime Preferences and click Browser.

2

Deselect “Play movies automatically.”

To download movies before they start playing (in Windows):

1

Choose Edit > Preferences > QuickTime Preferences.

2

Choose Browser.

3

Deselect “Play movies automatically.”

So that you don’t have to download movies and images each time you view them on a
website, QuickTime can save these files in a storage area called a cache. If you view a
movie or image more than once, having the item cached improves performance. To
have QuickTime cache movies and images you view on the Internet, select “Save
movies in disk cache.” You might not want to select this option if you don't have
sufficient free space on your hard disk to allocate a cache, or if, for security reasons, you
don't want movie data stored in a cache file.

You can specify how big to make the cache by changing the Movie Cache Size setting.
How big you make the cache depends on how much free space your hard disk has. A
larger cache can hold more files (or larger files), but it takes up more space on your
hard disk.

After the QuickTime cache fills all the space reserved for it, older items are
automatically deleted from the cache when new items are added. To clear the cache,
click Empty Download Cache (in Windows, choose Download Cache in QuickTime
Settings and then click Empty Cache Now). You might want to clear the cache for
security or privacy reasons, or to recover free space on your hard disk.

14

Chapter 1

Using QuickTime Player

QuickTime automatically detects your Internet connection speed so that you get the
highest-quality QuickTime content that your Internet connection can support. If movies
you’re watching on the Internet don’t play properly, however, it may help to change the
connection speed setting.

To change the connection speed setting in Mac OS X, open QuickTime Preferences and
click Streaming. In Windows, open QuickTime Preferences and choose Connection
Speed.

QuickTime tries to play versions of the movie authored to match the connection speed
you choose. If you choose a speed slower than your actual connection speed, the
resulting movie may be smaller in size and lower in quality than your connection can
actually support.

If you choose a speed faster than your actual connection, QuickTime playback may
stutter or appear jerky because it is sending more data than your connection can
support.

If you’re unsure of your connection speed, check with your Internet service provider
(ISP).

If you change your connection speed setting and later want to make QuickTime
automatically detect your speed again, choose Automatic from the Streaming Speed
pop-up menu (in Mac OS X).

To set the Internet connection speed in Windows, choose Edit > Preferences >
QuickTime Preferences, and then follow the directions above.

Instant-On

QuickTime includes Instant-On, a technology that dramatically reduces buffer (wait)
time when you view streamed video. Instant-On provides an instantaneous viewing
experience; you can navigate quickly through video as if it were on your hard disk.

To experience Instant-On, you must have a broadband connection. The responsiveness
of Instant-On is affected by available bandwidth and the size, or data rate, of the
content. It can also be affected by the codec used to compress the streaming video.

Instant-On is on by default. If you experience problems with streamed video, you can
change the wait time (drag the Play slider) or turn off Instant-On (open QuickTime
Preferences and click Streaming).

Viewing Streamed Files Behind a Firewall

QuickTime streaming chooses the best protocol (a method of communicating via the
Internet) for your needs. Typically, QuickTime streaming uses Real-Time Streaming
Protocol (RTSP) to ensure the best performance. If your network connection is
protected by a firewall, you may want to use the HTTP protocol instead.