Solving Video Problems
If you are experiencing difficulty viewing our LIVE streaming video or archived video content (pulsing, flickering or intermittent video or audio), we suggest you do the following:

Be sure you have the most recent version of the Real Player

Also, because C-SPAN is updating its video encoding software, you may not be able to view streaming video unless you upgrade your Real Player. To find which version you have installed, open the RealPlayer and click on Help » About RealPlayer

Select your player version:
RealPlayer 10.5 | RealPlayer 10 | RealOne Player | RealPlayer 8 or earlier
RealPlayer 10.5 (Gold)
PC Users:
  1. Click on the Start menu button on the Windows' Taskbar.
  2. Go to Programs, then Real, followed by RealPlayer.
  3. Once the player launches, click on Tools.
  4. Select Preferences.
  5. Move to the Connection category and select Network Transports.
  6. Manually configure connections settings should be unchecked.
  7. If the box is checked, then uncheck it and click on the OK button and try playing video.
If the problem persists:
  1. Follow Steps 1-5 from the list above, then select the Manually configure connections settings check box and click on the RTSP Settings button.
  2. Choose the Reset To Recommended button and click OK, then OK in the main Network Transports menu screen.
  3. Play our video to see if the issue was resolved.
Note: If the steps above have not taken care of the video issue, refer to your Network/System Administrator, describe the issue and explain the troubleshooting steps you followed through this page. If you are using a home computer without a network set-up, please see the Real Networks Customer Support page, for further help.

RealPlayer 10
PC Users:

  1. Click on the Start menu button on the Windows' Taskbar.
  2. Go to Programs, then Real, followed by RealPlayer.
  3. Once the player launches, click on Tools.
  4. Select Preferences.
  5. Select the Content category.
  6. Under Media Types, click the Advanced button on the right.
  7. Scroll down on the list of media types, to the listing: Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).
  8. Click on the check box to enable the RTSP media type for your video player.
MAC Users:
  1. Open Internet Explorer's web browser.
  2. Go to the web browser's Properties menu.
  3. Select the Protocol Helper option.
  4. Scroll down the list until finding the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).
  5. Change the application type to RealOne Player or RealPlayer, depending on which application you have downloaded.
  6. Close and exit the browser and then reopen and try a video link.
Note: If the steps above have not taken care of the video issue, refer to your Network/System Administrator, describe the issue and explain the troubleshooting steps you followed through this page. If you are using a home computer without a network set-up, please see the Real Networks Customer Support page, for further help.

RealOne Player (Build 6.0.11)
PC Users:

  1. Click on the Start menu button on the Windows' Taskbar.
  2. Go to Programs, then Real, followed by RealOne Player.
  3. Once the player launches, click on Tools.
  4. Click on Preferences.
  5. Click on the Hardware category.
  6. Under Video Card Compatibility, move the slide bar from its right position to the middle.
MAC Users:
  1. Click on the Apple Menu button and select RealOne Player from the list of applications.
  2. Follow steps 3 to 6 above.
Note: If the steps above have not taken care of the video issue, refer to your Network/System Administrator, describe the issue and explain the troubleshooting steps you followed through this page. If you are using a home computer without a network set-up, please see the Real Networks Customer Support page, for further help.

RealOne Player (Build 6.0.10)
PC Users:

  1. Click on the Start menu button on the Windows' Taskbar.
  2. Go to Programs, then Real, followed by RealOne Player.
  3. Once the player launches, click on Tools.
  4. Click on Preferences.
  5. Click on the Hardware category.
  6. Uncheck the "Use optimized video display" box in the Video Card Compatibility section.
MAC Users:
  1. Click on the Apple Menu button and select RealOne Player from the list of applications.
  2. Follow steps 3 to 6 above.
Note: If the steps above have not taken care of the video issue, refer to your Network/System Administrator, describe the issue and explain the troubleshooting steps you followed through this page. If you are using a home computer without a network set-up, please see the Real Networks Customer Support page, for further help.

RealPlayer 8 or earlier
PC Users:

  1. Click on the Start menu button on the Windows' Taskbar.
  2. Go to Programs, then Real, followed by RealPlayer.
  3. Once the player launches, click on View.
  4. Click on Preferences.
  5. Click on the Performance tab.
  6. Uncheck the "Use optimized video display" box in the Video Card Compatibility section.
MAC Users:
  1. Click on the Apple Menu button and select RealPlayer from the list of applications.
  2. Follow steps 3 to 6 above.
Note: If the steps above have not taken care of the video issue, refer to your Network/System Administrator, describe the issue and explain the troubleshooting steps you followed through this page. If you are using a home computer without a network set-up, please see the Real Networks Customer Support page, for further help.