Note: If you prefer to launch a "stand alone" Windows Media Player instead of the embedded Magic At Work Channel player, please click here.
- What do I need to listen to the Channel?
- Do I need a High Speed Connection to listen to the Channel?
- Will the Channel work on my Mac?
- I Can't Get the Channel at Work - what's up?
- I Click The "Launch" Button and nothing happens.
- I hear an opening message, then it takes a long time for the music to start.
- I get a message that says "Buffering" or "Trying to Reconnect"
- What does it mean when the music stops and the player says "closed"?
- There's no volume control on the player - how do I adjust the volume?
- I still have questions or problems hearing the Channel on my computer- where can I get more help?
- A PC or Mac computer. A newer, faster computer is better than an old, slow one for on-line listening.
- An Internet connection. A dial up connection should work fine to hear the channel, but best results are generally achieved if you have a high speed connection (DSL, Cable, etc.).
- Speakers or headphones hooked up to your computer's sound card.
- Windows Media Player for Mac or PC installed on your computer. If you do not have the Windows Media player, you can download it for free by clicking this button:
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We recommend Internet Explorer for Windows or Mac for best results.
No, the Channel is designed for anyone with a dial-up (28.8 modem) or faster connection. However, if you are on a dial-up and doing other Internet surfing, email, etc. that may cause the stream to buffer (pause temporarily) since only so much stuff can fit through that phone line at a time. Even listeners with high speed connections may experience brief periods of buffering at times of heavy overall Internet usage.
Yes, if you have Windows Media Player 7.1 for system 9.x or Windows Media Player for OSX (see Windows Media download info above). However, we have found that the audio may take significantly longer to "load" or "buffer" on a Mac than on a Windows PC - please be patient while the stream loads.
The channel should work fine using both Internet Explorer for Mac and Safari. It has not been tested on other browsers.
The Windows Media Player for Mac does not support the display of title and artist on the player and you may notice the player images don't line up properly in Internet Explorer.
To launch the channel using a stand-alone Windows Media Player for Mac instead of the embedded Magic At Work Player. To try this, click here
The most common reason people can't hear streaming audio at work is because your company's network may have blocked the port on your computer that Windows Media Player uses for security reasons. If you are able to get OTHER Windows Media streams but not this channel then this probably isn't your issue. But if you can't get Windows Media streams, check with your IT department or company geek to see if they will allow access.
The player uses the same technology (Javascript) as some pop-up ads to size the player properly for your screen. If you use a "pop-up blocker" software (to avoid those nasty pop up ads), it may be preventing the player from launching. You should disable any pop-up blocking software before launching the player.
Be sure your browser has Java enabled (for Internet Explorer: Tools | Internet Options | Advanced)
You may also try using a stand-alone Windows Media Player instead of the embedded Magic At Work Player. To try this, click here
The delay between the opening message and when the music starts is caused by "buffering" - your computer downloading a portion of the stream in advance so you hear a seamless stream after that. Depending on your connection speed and general "internet conditions" the buffering time can be less than a second, to as much as 30 seconds. You may find it takes longer to buffer during times of heavy Internet usage (such as 10 am when everyone and their brother is using the Internet at work!) Your player will say "buffering" in the black box near the bottom - just be patient.
This is usually caused by Internet congestion or poor connection quality to the Internet. Be patient, the music should start again in a few moments. If it doesn't, try reconnecting again in a few minutes.
This means you have lost connection to the stream and must restart the music by pressing the "play" button again or re-launching the channel from it's website. A lost connection can be due to a number of factors - most likely related to heavy Internet traffic where the player loses contact with the server for too long a period of time and eventually disconnects (kind of like a bad cell phone connection - it can only hang on so long before it just drops... redial.)
Hint: If you restart the player and it happens again, it could mean an Internet "traffic jam" is temporarily making it hard for the player to connect. Don't be frustrated, try again a little later. On rare occasions, it could mean the server is temporarily off-line.
Many computers have a volume control button built right into the keyboard or on the front of the speakers. You can also adjust the volume coming out of your computer by clicking on the little "speaker" icon - usually in the lower right of your screen. If you're not getting any sound at all, make sure your computer's volume control doesn't have the "mute" button checked. Also make sure your speakers are plugged into the speaker jack of your computer and that the speakers' power is turned on.
If you're still having problems or have questions about listening to the channel, please feel free to drop a note to support@customchannels.net . Please tell us your computer operating system, your Internet Browser Version and as much specific information about the problem you're experiencing as possible so that we can try to help.