Freewire TV.
What do you want to know?
Here are the answers to some of the questions we hear most often.
- What is Freewire TV and how does it work?
- Help! I'm not getting any channels displayed. What's going on?
- All I get is a message saying: "There appears to be a technical problem with this channel". What's wrong?
- I want to change my account details. What do I do?
- Can I watch Freewire Television on an Apple Mac?
- Q. I cannot watch TV. I get a message that 'the application could not launch full-screen mode'?
- Q. I'm watching Freewire TV and the picture is really bad, there is also an orange icon in the top right-hand corner with a 'signal strength' symbol in it, what's happening?
- Q. I'm watching Freewire TV and the picture is not the best, there is also an orange icon in the top right-hand corner with a 'computer' symbol in it, what's happening?
- Q. Freewire TV for Windows crashes when my graphics options use hardware acceleration, what do I do?
Q. What is Freewire Television and how does it work?
A. It’s TV that comes through your University data network or home broadband connection rather than a conventional aerial, satellite dish or cable. So rather than watching on a normal TV, you can take your pick from over 11 digital TV channels on your PC or laptop. Clever, eh?
Q. Help! I'm not getting any channels displayed. What's going on?
A. If you can sign in and all other features work, but you can’t see any channels it’s possible that you’re not on a network where the service is available right now. Freewire TV only works on multicast-enabled networks. Basically, that means your internet service provider has to jiggle around with their network so it can carry Freewire programming. If you’ve already checked you’re in a Freewire enabled area, have a word with your internet service provider or network operator.
Q. All I get is a message saying: "There appears to be a technical problem with this channel". What's wrong?
A. It sounds like the firewall on your PC might be stopping Freewire getting through. Closing down Freewire TV and resetting your firewall to its default settings should solve the problem. Click below for some guidelines to help you:
Q. I want to change my account details. What do I do?
A. Simple. Just visit My Account and enter your Username and Password (or Freewire ID and PIN) to log in. You can view and edit your account details in the My Profile section.
Q. Can I watch Freewire Television on an Apple Mac?
A. At the moment, you can only watch Freewire TV on a PC that runs Windows XP or later but we’re developing a version for Mac users that we’ll be launching very soon.
Q. I cannot watch TV. I get a message that 'the application could not launch full-screen mode'?
A. This is most likely due to your version of Microsoft Windows (or other OS) operating in a colour quality setting of 16-bit or less. To remedy this simply change to either 24-bit or 32-bit; this can be done through your display settings.
Q. I'm watching Freewire TV and the picture is really bad, there is also an orange icon in the top right-hand corner with a 'signal strength' symbol in it, what's happening?
A. The signal strength icon means you are not receiving 100% of the video stream (or signal). Try stopping any background downloads, ensure you are directly connected to the network with an Ethernet patch cable and restart Freewire TV. If all else fails contact the Helpdesk for advice.
Q. I'm watching Freewire TV and the picture is not the best, there is also an orange icon in the top right-hand corner with a 'computer' symbol in it, what's happening?
A. This orange indicator means that your computer's resources are being overloaded! As a result your picture quality is being affected. Please ensure your computer meets the minimum requirements and try closing any background programs. If this does not improve things, try enabling hardware acceleration. To do this go to the Freewire TV 'View' menu, click on 'Options...' and select 'hardware acceleration'.
If this does not work for you try 'Software' and depending on your preference select between Best Quality and Best Performance. Still no joy? Contact the Helpdesk.
Tip: Schedule your virus scanner and downloads to do their business while you snooze.
Q. Freewire TV for Windows crashes when my graphics options use hardware acceleration, what do I do?
A. Freewire TV for Windows uses a clever bit of Microsoft software called DirectX which enables the application to harness the power of your video card. If you have selected 'hardware acceleration' your operating system must have a minimum of DirectX version 7 installed.
If you find that hardware acceleration causes problems, please ensure you are using the latest version of DirectX, and your video card driver is up to date. To check which versions you are running you can use the 'DirectX Diagnostic Tool', click on the 'Start Menu', then 'Run...' type dxdiag and click OK. When the tool is displayed you will see two tabs that will show the version information; the 'system' tab and the 'display' tab. If necessary, the latest version of DirectX can be downloaded from the Microsoft® Website and for your video driver we recommend you consult your computer manufacturer.
Tip: If you're running Microsoft Windows XP you can test DirectX using the 'DirectX Diagnostic Tool'. Click on the 'Test Direct3D' button on the 'display' tab.