An Introduction to Webcasts

A webcast, in effect, turns your computer into a kind of television or radio receiver, except that the programmes are transmitted via the telephone wires!

It is quite likely that you already have the software necessary to view the webcasts already installed on your computer.

If you do already have the players, but are unsure how to use them you can view some instructions on how to use RealOnePlayer (AKA Real Player) (click here), or Windows Media Player (click here).

"How do I know if these are already installed on my computer?"

Windows Media Player is (almost certainly) already installed on your computer, if you are using a typical Windows PC. RealOne Player may or may not be. Simply click on the webcasts on the relevant websites - if you get an error message telling you that you do not have the software necessary to view the webcast then it is likely that you don't have the relevant player installed as yet.

The process of downloading and installing the players is actually very easy - the process is, to a very large extent, automated and when you are presented with choices there will nearly always be a default option which, in most cases, will be the correct option to select.

Once you have downloaded and installed the relevant player you do not need to do it again. So, although the process may take a little time, once you have done it the player is on your computer, and you can view the webcasts with little fuss whenever you like.

If you have not downloaded and installed software before then the following instructions may help you. They may seem rather forbidding at first sight, but they are really there more as a reference should you run into problems. They show the various stages of the process, which is largely automated, so do not be put off by all the diagrams! We suggest that you print these pages out and refer to them as needed (Click File | Print) from the menu at the top of your browser window.

To download the free RealOne Player click here.

To view the instructions for downloading and installing RealOne Player, click here.

To download the free Windows Media Player click here.

To view the instructions for downloading and installing Windows Media Player, click here.

Please note that these players are constantly being updated and improved. However, as they are upgraded they tend to become more and more resource-hungry, which is OK if you have a powerful computer. If you have an older computer it is probably worth sticking to the older version you may already have, rather than replacing it with ("upgrading to") the new version.

On some of our websites there will be various options presented as to how you wish to receive the webcasts. If you would like some advice on how to interpret these options, click here. If you have not yet installed the players or worked out how to use them, then it is best to leave this page to later!