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Thread: IMPORTANT: Tips for watching online streams

  1. #1
    Member Since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Topeka< KS
    Posts
    11,796

    Default IMPORTANT: Tips for watching online streams

    I've posted several links to sites that are streaming this week's game in the game day thread. The following tips will improve your viewing experience.

    I have never gotten a virus from any of these sites, but make sure you are running an anti-virus program anyway. It's better to be safe than sorry. If you don't have one of the popular paid AV programs (Norton, McAfee, Avast, etc.), Use Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, auto updates virus definitions weekly and I have been very happy with it. You can download it HERE.

    You will find that when you close some of the many ads that cover the video stream 1 or more downloads will be initiated. These are potentially dangerous programs that may monitor your internet activity, install unwanted toolbars and/or generate pop-up ads. DON'T PANIC. Just hit "cancel" when it asks you if you want to download the file and you will be fine. (You may have to do this several times, but once you have, they won't come back unless you refresh the page.) As long as you don't download any of these files, they can't hurt you. If you do accidentally download one don't open or run it. Just delete the file.

    Most of these streams have several "pop-over" ads. Click on the [x]s or wait for the countdown timers to reach zero to remove them. When you do this, often a new window will open. Close these windows as soon as they start to open. They won't harm your computer, but many of them have steaming video content that will make it hard to listen to the game or cause the game stream to buffer or get choppy.

    If the stream is stretched or compressed horizontally or vertically, in many cases, you can change the aspect ratio to fit your screen (4:3-SD or 16:9-HD format). Right click on the video window and select "stretching is...uniform, fill, exact fit or none" Click on that until the image looks "normal."

    If the stream you are watching goes dead you can sometimes restart it by hitting the play button at the bottom, but usually you will have to refresh the page. If that doesn't work, or if the stream is choppy or low quality, just try another stream.

    And finally, if you plan on watching sporting events or live streaming tv on line a lot, I highly recommend the Maxthon Cloud Browser. It is super fast, has a clean, simple user interface and tons of "bells and whistles," but three of them are particularly useful. First, it automatically blocks most pop-up windows before they open and the few that do open are forced into a new tab, rather than a new window hiding behind the one you are currently on. This makes it fast and easy to close them right away. Second, it has a cool "split-screen" mode so you can watch the game on the left while you surf FaceBook or Chiefs Crowd (or anything else) on the right. The third feature is my favorite. If you hover your mouse cursor over the video window, a "pop-out" button will appear. Click on it and the video stream opens in a new window that you can move, resize, maximize and even put "always on top!"
    ***Official Chiefs Crowd Game Thread Starter***

    This space is reserved for something that has nothing whatsoever to do with MatthewsChiefs. (Whoever THAT is!)

  2. #2
    Member Since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Topeka< KS
    Posts
    11,796

    Default

    You can read an unbiased review of the browser from PC Magazine HERE and download it HERE.


    If you have any questions post them here and I will answer themas soon as I can.
    ***Official Chiefs Crowd Game Thread Starter***

    This space is reserved for something that has nothing whatsoever to do with MatthewsChiefs. (Whoever THAT is!)

  3. #3
    Member Since
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    8,027

    Default

    Good info.

    But, as an A+ certified computer technician, I can tell you for a fact that the best way to prevent viruses isn't an Anti-Virus program. That's right, you read that correctly.

    The best way is to create a 2nd User Account though the Control Panel and set it as a Standard Account ( Windows 7 and 8 ) or Limited Account ( Windows XP and 2000 ) and use the 2nd User Account for your casual web surfing ( disregard the Guest Account ).

    If you are surfing the web with your Administrator Account, you are exposing your computer because of the security hole automatically being there from having Administrator privileges ( such as modifying and deleting files, making system-wide changes, installing and uninstalling programs, etc., in other words performing Administrator tasks, but surfing the web is NOT and administrator task ). Bottom line is, that viruses spread across the web take advantage of these Administrator privileges to infect someone's machine and there is no anti-virus program that can stop that or close that security hole.

    However, if you are logged off your Administrator Account and logged into your 2nd Account ( Standard or Limited ), then there are no Administrator privileges for viruses to take advantage of. Switching between your two Accounts is easy. In Windows 8 click your account name and click 'Sign Out' and in Windows XP and 7, click Log Off ( not Switch User, as this leaves the Account active ).

    When you create your 2nd Account, give it a name that identifies it as your dedicated web surfing Account such as "TopekaRoy Web" ( without the quotes and in my case, my 2nd Account's name is Brian Web) and don't bother with setting a password for it as it isn't needed.

    You can learn more about the User Accounts feature in Windows from the Help & Support section in Windows. It's a very simplistic, yet very powerful feature to help keep your computer virus-free. ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE FIREWALL RUNNING ( I use the Windows Firewall as it has a better user interface & it's easier to configure than any 3rd party Firewall that you can purchase and it doesn't suck up resources because it is native to the Windows operating system ).

    Of course, if you are running Linux or an Apple Mac, then you aren't as prone to viruses because their file structure is different from Windows.

  4. #4
    Member Since
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    19,196

    Default

    I would suggest Ad blocker for your browser as well gets rid of a lot of the adds
    TopekaRoy is my hero!

  5. #5
    Member Since
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    1,000

    Default

    I have an iPhone I'd like to watch chief games but I don't know if streaming will mess up my phone or if it will even be capable since iPhones don't support flash. Any suggestions?

  6. #6
    Member Since
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Topeka< KS
    Posts
    11,796

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Justin5772002 View Post
    I have an iPhone I'd like to watch chief games but I don't know if streaming will mess up my phone or if it will even be capable since iPhones don't support flash. Any suggestions?
    Yes. Get an Android Phone!

    Just kidding. You might want to try the Puffin web browser. It is a browser that processes web pages in the "cloud" and sends images of the webpage to your phone. So for streaming video you are actually receiving still images rapid-fire one after the other on your phone (along with the audio).

    I have an android 2.3 phone with no flash support and I can use the Puffin browser to watch online video streaming. Sometimes the sound is out of sync slightly with the video (maybe 1/2 of a second) but that shouldn't matter watching football since you don't see anyones lips moving!

    The browser is free but flash support only works for 14 days. After that you will have to buy the paid version for $9.99US to continue using the flash feature. It is well worth the price. This is the ONLY android app I have ever paid for!

    Download Free Puffin Browser for iPhone here.
    ***Official Chiefs Crowd Game Thread Starter***

    This space is reserved for something that has nothing whatsoever to do with MatthewsChiefs. (Whoever THAT is!)

  7. #7
    Member Since
    Sep 2005
    Location
    SE Kansas
    Posts
    31,642

    Default

    Good information Roy, thanks! I have stickied the thread for the duration of the season.

  8. #8
    Member Since
    Nov 2012
    Posts
    1,000

    Default

    And once I've got that web browser I should be fine watching any of those online streams or is there a chance I'll catch a virus on my iPhone?

  9. #9
    Member Since
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    8,027

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Justin5772002 View Post
    And once I've got that web browser I should be fine watching any of those online streams or is there a chance I'll catch a virus on my iPhone?
    Not if your iPhone is an Apple or Android based OS. Their file structure is different from Windows & not as prone to viruses like Windows.

  10. #10
    Member Since
    Sep 2005
    Location
    SE Kansas
    Posts
    31,642

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by brdempsey69 View Post
    Good info.

    But, as an A+ certified computer technician, I can tell you for a fact that the best way to prevent viruses isn't an Anti-Virus program. That's right, you read that correctly.

    The best way is to create a 2nd User Account though the Control Panel and set it as a Standard Account ( Windows 7 and 8 ) or Limited Account ( Windows XP and 2000 ) and use the 2nd User Account for your casual web surfing ( disregard the Guest Account ).

    If you are surfing the web with your Administrator Account, you are exposing your computer because of the security hole automatically being there from having Administrator privileges ( such as modifying and deleting files, making system-wide changes, installing and uninstalling programs, etc., in other words performing Administrator tasks, but surfing the web is NOT and administrator task ). Bottom line is, that viruses spread across the web take advantage of these Administrator privileges to infect someone's machine and there is no anti-virus program that can stop that or close that security hole.

    However, if you are logged off your Administrator Account and logged into your 2nd Account ( Standard or Limited ), then there are no Administrator privileges for viruses to take advantage of. Switching between your two Accounts is easy. In Windows 8 click your account name and click 'Sign Out' and in Windows XP and 7, click Log Off ( not Switch User, as this leaves the Account active ).

    When you create your 2nd Account, give it a name that identifies it as your dedicated web surfing Account such as "TopekaRoy Web" ( without the quotes and in my case, my 2nd Account's name is Brian Web) and don't bother with setting a password for it as it isn't needed.

    You can learn more about the User Accounts feature in Windows from the Help & Support section in Windows. It's a very simplistic, yet very powerful feature to help keep your computer virus-free. ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN ACTIVE FIREWALL RUNNING ( I use the Windows Firewall as it has a better user interface & it's easier to configure than any 3rd party Firewall that you can purchase and it doesn't suck up resources because it is native to the Windows operating system ).

    Of course, if you are running Linux or an Apple Mac, then you aren't as prone to viruses because their file structure is different from Windows.
    THIS and...

    Quote Originally Posted by brdempsey69 View Post
    Not if your iPhone is an Apple or Android based OS. Their file structure is different from Windows & not as prone to viruses like Windows.
    THIS!

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