I would just comment that, for me (slow PC and dial-up modem), downloading the video can sometimes get the timing back (but not always - I've heard of a few moans about this problem). If you don't know how, just Google "download youtube" and you will need a free player as well if you have an older system (links on the download pages). I have to admit that, for me, it's still a little out of synch though, for some (about the same a digital TV does sometimes).. Colin Hill ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 11:22 PM Subject: Re: [HG] Off-Topic - YouTube (was HG and Sackpipa on you-tube)
> > Matt said: > > Is it me, or my computer? Is there something I can do at this end to > > rectify the problem? If anyone has any ideas please reply off list, if you > > like... > > > > Thanks! > > > > I'll allow this on the list for a little while, since I'm answering it. ;-) > > It could be your computer, or it could be your internet connection, or it > could be both. Unless the video producer was just wildly incompetent, the > sound was in synch in the video file that was posted. > > The problem comes from the coding and decoding (or compression and > decompression) that have to be done to shove all that information through such > a small pipe. YouTube uses "streaming", meaning that you start watching the > video before your computer has received the whole thing. Your computer is > receiving a stream of data of audio and video mixed together. It has to > separate it out into two distinct streams of audio and video, and then it has > to run each one through a decompression/decoding program (called a codec) that > reconstructs the sound from the audio track and the picture from the video > track. > > If your computer is a little on the slow side, the video codec may lag behind > because it's got more to think about. > > If your internet connection is also a little on the slow side, the video will > suffer first, because it's at the bottom of the chain: of course the combined > signal has to be divided, and once it's divided, the audio codec takes a lot > less time to do its job than the video codec does, because it has a lot less > to think about. > > One solution to some streaming videos is just to watch them twice in a row. > The second time around often the computer recognizes that you've already > watched it and that it's already stored it, so it just plays it back instead > of downloading it again. > > Boy, ask a Audio for Digital Media instructor a question, get a lecture. I'll > shut up now. > > Alden > > > >
