If you are having technical problems accessing some part of the Race Director, please refer to the list of commonly asked questions below.
Thanks,
Q. I subscribed to Race Director, but I didn't receive an email with my password, what now?
A. If you are running a spam filter, please check the spam folder for an email containing your password. Another possibility is that the email may have blocked by your email host or service provider. A solution would be to create a hotmail account and subscribe using that email address.
Q. Can I change my Race Director password?
A. Yes. To change your password, first login to Race Director using your email address and your current password. After you have successfully logged in, click on the "CHANGE PASSWORD" link near the top-right corner of the Race Director pop-up page. Enter your new password, confirm it, and then click the "submit" button to complete your password change. Don't forget your new password!
Q. What can I do if I forget my password?
A. Currently there is no way of retrieving your password; however, we are working on an email password reminder feature, which will be available on the Race Director login page before the next race.
Q. I have my login and password but I am having trouble logging in to Race Director?
A. Please ensure that cookies are enabled in your browser. Your browser must accept cookies in order to successfully login to Race Director. To check your browser cookie settings, view the "Privacy" options located in the Tools > Internet Options (Internet Explorer) or Edit > Preferences menu (Netscape).
Q. I emailed tech support/webmaster and I didn't get a reply, what now?
A. We apologize for any delay in replying to your request. We are currently working on resolving the most common technical issues. Therefore, although you may not have received a personalized email reply, your problem may already have been fixed as part of our common upgrades. Also, in the future we will be providing Race Director subscribers additional support options such as online technical support via a live chat interface.
Q. The video feed is delayed a minute or so behind the broadcast, why is that?
A. Video from each camera must be compressed and encoded, then sent across the Internet to video streaming servers, which resend it to your computer for decoding. This process takes time and as a result the video can be somewhat delayed.
Q. I am experiencing buffering when I watch Race Director Streams.
A. Your settings may need to be adjusted in Windows Media player to specify the correct speed for your connection.
- STEP 1 - Confirm your connection speed by hitting the following url:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Bandwidth_meter/7004-7254_7-0.html
- STEP 2 - Once you have your download connection speed, open up your Windows Media player and choose:
TOOLS> OPTIONS> PERFORMANCE> CHECK "CHOOSE CONNECTION SPEED"
and select the connection speed that is lower than the connection speed that you tested in STEP 1.
e.g. if your conenction speed was 400 kilobits then you would choose the next selection down in the list which would be 384 kilobits.
- STEP 3 - Re request a Race Director stream to test the result.
Q. I have a Macintosh computer, and I can't play the video clips in Race Director.
A. Race Director uses protected video clips to restrict non-subscriber access. Although it is usually possible to play protected video files by using Windows Media Player 9 Series for Mac OS X, Microsoft has acknowledged that there are known issues with playback on some Macintosh computers. For more information, view the Windows Media Player 9 Mac Readme available on the Microsoft website.
Q. I run Linux on my computer and cannot use Race Director. Why?
A. Race Director requires the Windows Media Player 9 browser plug-in. WMP 9 provides the highest quality streaming video and the Digital Rights Management (DRM) required for Race Director protected subscriber content. Currently there is no Linux support for Windows Media Player 9.
Q. Are you going to run any other media formats other than Windows Media Player?
A. Only Windows Media Player 9 currently provides the streaming media quality and Digital Rights Management (DRM) necessary for Race Director protected subscriber content. Currently there are no plans to support additional media formats.
Q. Why are the camera positions labeled Camera 1-6?
A. Our web director chooses from over 20 video feeds to pick the "best shots" for camera 1-6 buttons.
Q. Why don't all the video channels have sound? Why does the sound cut out on some video?
A. In the TV truck at the track, we have 20 camera feeds that we can switch in and out of the six video channels that Race Director sends out. Some of the TV cameras at the track have microphones and broadcast the ambient sounds; unfortunately some do not. Therefore, if you are viewing a TV camera that doesn't have a microphone connected, the audio will be muted.
Q. Where is Speed on Demand?
A. The new Race Director Multimedia Archives page includes all on-demand multimedia clips from the 2001-2004 seasons including those previously accessed via the "Speed on Demand" interface. To find a specific on-demand race archive: (1) go to the Multimedia Archives section of the Race Director popup; (2) click on the "Sort by Event" link at the top-right corner of the Multimedia Index page; (3) choose the year and event of your choice from the left side menu; (4) browse the clip index listings, and click on the specific race TV broadcast you want to watch (i.e. Long Beach SPEED TV Broadcast).
Q. How much bandwidth do I need?
A. Race director is optimized for broadband applications with a highest quality stream of 375kb/s. However, the technology automatically downshifts to give you the best feed for your connection type. If you have broadband and are still having issues, examine your firewall software (such as Zone Alarm) or other parts of your network for bottlenecks. For Race Director video, a minimum 100 kbps bandwidth is recommended for a good experience if there are no service provider bottlenecks.
Q. Why isn't live timing free anymore?
A. Although in the past this service was provided free to you, the series took a financial loss for providing these types of services online without charge. It was decided that instead of removing live timing and features, we would give the fans the choice to subscribe if they want the live online coverage. The subscription fees also allow for the expansion of additional online coverage such as live video and audio coverage during every Champ Car practice, qualifying, and race sessions. We hope that you agree that Race Director provides good value for your hard earned money.
Q. Can I view the video larger or full screen?
A. Yes. When the video is playing, right-click on the video screen to view the options menu. Select "Zoom" and choose "Full Screen". To exit from the full screen mode, press the "Esc" key on your keyboard to return to normal mode.
