Glossary of Terms
Navigating Tips
Media Players and Media Files

Browse: to view different web pages on the Internet. Also to surf.

Browser: a computer application which is designed to interpret HTML code in order to let the user view a web page.

Cache: as a noun; the space on your hard drive which temporarily stores files from the Internet. As a verb; when the browser saves files from the Internet to the hard drive and then displays them on the screen.

Connection: the way in which you access the Internet. Most people use a modem, which typically transfers data at 28.8Kbps (kilobits per second) or 56Kbps.

Download: to obtain a file from another computer on the Internet and save it on to yours. Often abbreviated as d/l.

E-mail: electronic mail. Messages sent via the Internet or some other computer network. E-mail addresses are typically in the form of name@place.com.

Homepage: typically the front page of a web page (e.g., www.ortv.org/texthome.html). Can also mean someone's personal web page.

HTML: Hypertext Markup Language. The language or code that a web page is written in. This language is interpreted by the browser, which displays the result on the screen.

HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol. "http://" is part of a URL. It is the way that data is commonly transferred over the Internet.

Hyper-Link: a piece of text or graphic, which when left clicked on with a mouse, directs the user to a new web page. A hyper-link often changes on mouse-over. Typically the cursor will change from a pointer to a hand when placed over a hyper-link. Also called a link.

Icon: a small picture which often acts like a button. When clicked on with the mouse a result is produced.

Internet: a term used to refer to the network of computers that are connected all over the world using the TCP/IP protocol.

Link: short for hyper-link.

Media File: a file which is either audio, video or both. Media files come in many formats. The most popular audio formats are; MP3 (*.mp3), Audio File (*.wav), AU (*.au), Real Audio™ (*.ra), and Windows Media™ (*.asf, *.asx, *.lsf, *.lsx). The most popular video formats are; MPEG (*.mpg, *.mp2), Video File (*.avi), QuickTime™ (*.qt, *.mov), Real Video™ (*.rv), and Windows Media™ (*.asf, *.asx, *.lsf, *.lsx). Some media files are streamed, while others are cached.

Mouse-over: either to place the mouse cursor over something on the screen, or the event which happens when this is done (e.g., a picture changing color).

Navigate: to view different web pages on the Internet. Also to move around within a particular page by using the scroll bar at the right or bottom of the screen.

Navigation Bar: this can refer to the strip of icons that are on the top of the web browser. This can also mean a set of hyper-links on a web page which are used to move around the different sections of the web page. These hyper-links can be in the form of text or graphics.

Packet: pieces of a file which are sent to a computer during a download or while accessing a streaming media file.

Refresh: to renew the content which your web browser displays. To do this a user merely needs to press the refresh button within the browser's navigation bar. This causes the browser to retrieve the most recent information from the server.

Search Engine a tool, in the form of a web page, that is used to find something on the Internet.

Server: pertaining to the Internet; a computer which holds the data you are trying to access (i.e., a web page, or a file).

Site: short for website.

Stream: as a noun; a steady flow of packets coming into your computer while performing actions like viewing a streaming media file. As a verb; to send out a steady flow of packets from one computer to another. A computer does not save the entire stream on the hard drive, and then display it. Instead a user views a streamed file as it is fed into the computer. This decreases the time it takes to see the file.

Surf: to view different web pages on the Internet. Also to browse or navigate.

Traffic: the amount of people trying to access content from a particular place. Traffic can often get heavy during peak hours. Internet rush hour can sometimes hinder downloading and slow the loading of a web page.

URL: Universal Resource Locator. Essentially this is the address (e.g., www.ortv.org/help.html) of a web page.

Web page: a term which can refer to either a single page, with a definite URL (e.g., www.ortv-hartford.org/help.html), or a group of pages with a single theme (e.g., www.ortv.org).

Website: a term which usually refers to a group of pages with a single theme (e.g., www.ortv.org), but can mean a single page, with a definite URL (e.g., www.ortv-hartford.org/help.html). Also a web page.

WWW: World Wide Web. The Internet.

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• Click the "back" icon in the navigation bar if you want to return to the web page you were previously at. This can be done many times in a row.
• Click the "forward" icon in the navigation bar if you want to reverse the affect of clicking the "back" icon.
• Save the URL of web pages you visit frequently by adding them to your "favorite places" or "bookmarks." This can be done in the navigation bars of most browsers.
• Refresh the web page often to make sure you are getting the most up-to-date content.
• Make sure you have the latest version of the web browser that you are using. You can usually download them for free at the publisher's homepage.
• Don't hesitate to use the help section of your web browser. It often makes surfing a lot easier.
• If you are having trouble navigating our web page, e-mail us at ortv. We will help you if we can. In the meantime, check out some of these helpful sites in the links section of our web page.

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Media Players and Media Files

Step 1: Download the media player of your choice. The three types of streaming media files that we use are; Real Audio™, Real Video™, and Windows Media^™. To download one of these players please visit their web page by clicking on one of the links below; and choose the media player which is free. It is easier to start with the free version because they are often less complicated. Our media files will play fine with any of the newer versions.

Real Player^™
Windows Media

When you arrive at the screen which asks what you want to do with the file you are downloading, choose "save it to disk." Pick an appropriate place on your hard drive to put this file (e.g., C:\MediaPlayer\). When the file is finished downloading, go to the directory you placed it in, and run the file. This will install the media player on your computer. Be sure to read all the instructions carefully. Also, read the downloading instructions on their web page in case there are any special instructions.

Step 2: Play a file on our site. Go to either the Television Mass, Our Television Programs, or Our Radio Programs section of this web page. Click on a file you would like to view. Be sure to choose the format which corresponds to the media player you are using. Sit back and wait for the file to begin playing. If you experience any difficulty, please try again. If you are still having problems try the help section of your media player. Traffic might be heavy, and if you have a slow connection this can be a problem, so try waiting until a later hour and see if that helps.

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