problems with VG voice commentary

[HedyG]

when i log in to the web program on firefox and go to listen to voice commentary the sound is chopped into little bits and i cannot understand anything.

 

on IE i do not have this problem.

 

i have checked this on 2 different laptops and in 2 different countries with the same result

 

also since a while now when commenting the other commentators as well as i get lags during speech, i.e. we are cut off , the red conversation line disappears as well, and then after a few seconds the sentence continues as if nothing had happened.

this is very annoying when commenting since we cannot tell when the other commentator is talking or not and are interrupting each other.

 

i have been waiting to see other users write about this and am really surprised that they have not.

 

is there a solution to this problem?

 

and i would really prefer to use firefox for commenting.

 

yes i have been in touch with Diana_Eva and Georgi, i have cleared out my cache, updated flash, uninstalled and reinstalled firefox....

[Finch]

i have been waiting to see other users write about this and am really surprised that they have not.

 

It's not as simple as the choice of browser.

We can only get voice commentary to work with Firefox or Safari, it doesn't work at all with IE.

So whatever your problem is, it's not that it 'doesn't work' with Firefox.

We've got no idea why we can't use IE, but to be honest we don't really care which browser we use, they are all much of a muchness.

[ahollan1]

I have the same problem described by Hedy with Chrome and Firefox

 

Unfortunately I just finished problem-free session using IE

 

I say that because I really dislike IE in all other respects

 

 

sidebar -- shouldn't this thread be in Vugraph Issues Forum

[or Suggestions for the Software] ?

 

Al

[ahydra]

I have this problem as well! Glad I'm not alone. I'm using IE8.

 

Received this e-mail from bridgebase support this morning, hopefully I'll be able to test the solutions at the Spingold VG tomorrow.

 

 

 

Most sound issues are caused by Flash Player and I suggest you check on these steps:

 

1. Flash stores its files in a temporary files folder. A corrupt download can cause

the sound problems.

Delete the following folders on XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\%UserName%\Application Data\Adobe\Flash Player

C:\Documents and Settings\%UserName%\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player

 

2. Empty your temporary internet files.

Internet Explorer: Tools -> Internet Options

Firefox: Tools -> Clear Private Data

 

3.Empty your temporary files folder.

Use this command to empty your temporary files folder:

Start -> Run -> RMDIR /S /Q "%TEMP%"

 

4. Install the latest version of the Flash plugin. If you have problems upgrading

the plugin, then uninstall your existing version first with this tool. Close your

browser(s) before you run the uninstall tool.

 

5. Go to the Flash Player Settings Manager website.

Check the box called "Allow third-party Flash content to store data on your

computer."

 

6. Go to the Flash Player Settings Manager website.

Click on the button to remove the data that the Flash plugins has stored for

websites that you have visited.

 

7. Check if your sound device settings are correct:

Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Sound and Audio Devices -> Audio

 

8. If you have QuickTime installed, then go to the QuickTime control panel. On the

Audio tab, set "Default Music Synthesizer" to "General MIDI".

On the Advanced tab, disable "Enable playback of Adobe Flash tracks".

On the browser tab, click on "MIME Settings". Under "Miscellaneous", make

sure "Flash media" is unchecked.

 

If you are also having sound problems with other applications, then re-installing

your audio drivers might solve the problem.

 

 

 

ahydra

[barmar]

Did you really mean to hide the email with a "spoiler" tag? :huh:

[ahydra]

Did you really mean to hide the email with a "spoiler" tag? :huh:

 

Yes (to keep the thread neat).

 

ahydra

[ahydra]

Just tried the stuff in the e-mail, no luck, and no luck switching to Firefox either.

 

Before I sent the original e-mail off to BBO support I gathered a wireshark trace and noticed I was getting an error "InsufficientBW" in some of the packets. Not sure if that means the server or client bandwidth is insufficient (probably the latter), but it'd certainly be interesting to see if other people get this as well. I sent the wireshark trace to BBO support; perhaps the tech support guys should try to repro this problem and obtain a wireshark trace similar to mine - from experience, it's only a few short steps to fixing the bug from there.

 

Edit: some more possibly useful facts:

- the voice commentary is working fine on my Linux PC (running Firefox) and my phone

- the Linux PC was connecting to the same server as the Windows one, so it's (probably) not the BBO server that's the problem

- reinstalling Flash player on the Windows PC didn't fix anything.

 

ahydra

[ahollan1]

Just to clarify - in the hope that maybe we'll get a response from a BBO programmer:

 

1) the problem i have is LISTENING to voice commentary. i only do written commentary so don't know about issues with transmitting, only receiving

 

2) the same issues occur whether i log into bbo via browser or access voice without login via www.bridgebase.com/client/vugraph.php

 

3) the most common and most annoying issue is failure to hear large percentage of discussion

 

4) lesser issue, which also happens using the dreaded IE, is broken repeats of what commentator has said

 

PLEASE clarify if issues are:

 

a) on the bbo side of things

b) related specifically to browser being used

c) other factors such as ram, voice card, etc

 

 

Al

[uday]

The way voice works is this:

 

 

We set up a voice server somewhere in the cloud.

 

Speakers use their connection to send their voice to this server

 

Listeners use their connection to get the speakers voice from this server.

 

What is likely happening is that bandwidth between the listener and the voice server is not up to snuff. This could have many causes.

 

I don't really see it as being a limitation of the voice server ( it is capped at some sustainable number of connections ). For large broadcasts we use large servers. For smaller ones, smaller servers.

 

I suppose the best way to verify this would be to run a speed test from any individual listener to the voice server to check thruput and error rates.

 

From our POV, these are industrial servers that we fire up for each vug. session, and later discard. Not much of this is within our control, tho we probably could set up a generic voice server and have you run speed tests there.

 

I don't understand what the browser has to do with it. In my experience, Chrome is a little buggy when it comes to running Flash programs like BBO (compared to Safari and IE). I know little of how Firefox behaves.

 

I don't know enough to know what happens when the connection isn't up to snuff. I have seen choppy broadcasts before, and that's my guess as to what happens.

 

Qs to ask are:

 

Does this happen all the time, or some of the time (say, at prime time in your area, when bandwidth might be more constrained for you)? Are there any patterns ?

 

Does this happen on multiple PCs? (just in case this is PC specific)?

 

Could this be a problem with your local connection (example: are you wired into your home network, or using a possibly suboptimal wireless connection?)

 

U

[HedyG]

hi Uday,

 

thanks for your reply.

 

i am a technical zero so all i can say is:

this happens on FF(my default browser), not on IE . it happens on 2 different laptops and in Geneva as well as in Vienna.

it is annoying and i have done my best following Georgi's instructions but the problem persists. ( i really dislike IE).

yesterday during the VG from the Spingold it appears specs complained to Roland about the "stuttering" so it seems wider spread than it appeared.

 

it is good to know at last that i am not alone ;)

[ahollan1]

I've gone through the permutations of the 3 browsers on a laptop and desktop running through a router [laptop via wireless, desktop via ethernet]. I haven't, but will see if things change when i bypass router with direct connection to the cable modem.

 

The first time i used IE successfully, it was not local prime time, but moments earlier i had nothing but trouble with the Chrome instance.

 

Yesterday during the final round of the Spingold it was local prime time for me on a Sunday -- and transmission was very broken up while using IE8.

 

At least Uday's comments seem to rule out end-users hardware.

I've heard that Flash Player is in end-of-life mode. Perhaps then next generation software will alleviate our woes.

 

Thanks for the follow-up.

 

If I see any variation based on testing other permutations, I'll post the scenarios and results

 

Al

[ahydra]

Thanks for the info Uday. I'll have to do some more testing re time of day, but for me it seems to be a simple case of voice working properly on one of my computers (Linux, Firefox) but not on the other (Windows, IE8 or Firefox). Wired/wireless doesn't appear to matter either because both computers are wired, but voice commentary is also OK on my phone (wireless).

 

The fun thing about my setup is that one computer works and the other one doesn't. Both are on the same router and same internet connection, so this might suggest it can't be a bandwidth issue? However, my instinct is the same as Uday's - that it is a bandwidth issue.

 

I did ask Walddk2 to ask the people reporting stuttering to post in this thread but clearly none of them have. Pity, because we need more data.

 

ahydra

[HedyG]

there are no voice VG broadcasts for the time being so we will have to wait and see if we get any posts next time.

btw no good using voice to ask people to report since those who have problems will not be listening to voice, being unable to follow anyhow.

[Ethel]

I guess I did not make myself clear. I tried to listen to the vugraph announcers and a teacher on the Web version. The sound does not work well. I get things like....ma..car...cou...tr... Sounds like a cell phone going in an out of range. I was advised to get the lastest Flash- which I have and as I am a complete computer idiot - there was some advice about another browser. If I change something like that I will be in real trouble. The sound used to work - so something has changed on the program. I enjoyed listening to LC, but now can no longer hear it. The sounds the cards make etc, etc is not a big concern. I like the Windows program computer relating what someone is typing on the screen. It is helpful as I can work at something else and still be part of the program.

[barmar]

How fast is your Internet connection? Is it good quality in general?

[HedyG]

How fast is your Internet connection? Is it good quality in general?

 

 

for what its worth my connection is excellent . as for Ethel and i assume all others voice used to be just fine. something must have changed and it is neither my connection nor my laptop

[Ethel]

My internet is high speed and sends 100.0 Mbps - whatever that means. Perhaps that will answer your question. As Hedy says - the voice used to work.

[barmar]

Take a look at this thread: http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/54555-i-keep-freezing/

 

The user was having a general problem using BBO, and it turned out to be a bad router. Something like this could affect voice commentary as well. If you don't want to buy a new router on speculation, maybe you could borrow one from a friend or relative.

[ahydra]

I have a spare router - will test tomorrow, but despite knowing that my current router is not particularly reliable, I have my doubts that swapping it out will solve the problem.

 

ahydra

[Kitta]

I had this problem earlier when I used Windows XP & IE. Now I have no problems after I changed from XP to Windows 7. Today I use the OPERA, but have no problems with IE. It was hopeless stacatto comments.

[Ethel]

Tried again today August 12, 2012 to listen to Hedy but the sound was the same - Staccato bits.

[bwillir3]

I'm an Opera user and np with voice, apart from minor issue that sometimes starts to 'boom' so cannot hear the words, but eventually comes back, but I don't need to hear everything... :)

[aguahombre]

I have always had no problem with Voice commentary during previous events. But, for the Mind Games it was always broken up stuttery, no matter whom I was trying to listen to.