How to watch Ananova's PDA bulletins


About Ananova

How to...

What type of news can I get from Ananova Video reports

In the bulletins you will be given choices about which stories you want to hear. You can choose between Summary, News, Light, Quirky and Sporty.

Just click on the screen to select the news you want. Ananova will talk you through the options.

How do I view the video reports?

You will find an icon and link from the Ananova home page this will take you straight to the video bulletins.

You can also view bulletins for news and sport from the text pages. By following the link at the top of your news/sport page text story you will be able to view the corresponding video bulletin. Text page links to 'quirky' or 'light' stories are not available at this time.

In the video reports page you will be offered two options depending on the type of connection you have.

Pseudo Stream (for low rates & HSCSD)
Choose this option if you use the Orange fixed rate connection [High Speed Circuit Switched Data] this is a connection rate of approximately 22k, for a low connection rate of around 36k, or if you are unsure which connection rate you have. This option downloads the video report for viewing either immediately or later that day. The video reports stored on your PDA are available are available for one day or until you download a more recent bulletin.

Streaming Play (for GPRS & Wireless LAN)
Choose this option for GPRS variable rate for GPRS connections. This rate is usually between 9k and 40k or Wireless LAN connections.

What do I need to play video reports on my PDA?

To watch Ananova bulletins you should have Packet Video Player installed on your device. If you do not already have this player installed you can still view the bulletins if you download a player from the Packet Video site.

You can download either the ActiveX version of the packet video player or you may prefer the Packet video standalone player.

Once you have downloaded one of these applications to your desktop you have everything you require for installation. After installation you can connect your PDA to http://pda.ananova.com

When you click on the video bulletin link on the Ananova home page, or the news/sport text pages, for the first time you will be presented with a one-time test page that will determine whether your PDA is compatible. If you have a compatible player installed you will be taken directly to the bulletins. Some PDA's are not compatible, you will get an error message. In this instance you will not be able to view the video bulletins from this particular device. To check if you device is compatible click here.

For the most integrated experience you should download the ActiveX version of Packet Video player. This is the smaller of the two versions, and fastest install. This player can be downloaded from: http://www.pv.com/ananova/index.asp

You will also require some form of mobile connection (HSCSD, GPRS phone card or wireless LAN). To check if you device is compatible with Packet Video click here.

The Ananova bulletins will also operate using the Packet Video standalone player. You may prefer this, as this will enable you to see content from sources where no page is offered to start the playback. This player can be downloaded from http://www.pv.com/update/

This page is not password protected. Follow the link on this page, and complete the information about yourself to get the player.

Packet Video player, version 3.0 needs to be installed to your device in order to view the Ananova Video bulletins on the following PDA type devices.

Casio Cassiopei series PocketPC
Compaq iPAQ series PocketPC
HP540 and 560 series PocketPC
Mitsubishi Trium Mondo PocketPC
NEC P300 PocketPC
Sagem WA3050 PocketPC
Siemens SX45 PocketPC

Why can't I see the bulletins?

Your PDA must have the Windows CE Operating System and must support JavaScript. If it does not you will be unable to receive the video bulletin.

You must also have the Packet Video ActiveX player or Packet Video standalone player version 3 or above installed on your compatible PDA.

Also ensure you have selected the correct option for the connection rate you have on your PDA.

My PDA displayed a network congestion error, what can I do?

Pseudo Stream: If you know you can receive data at 22kbps, or faster, but you still experience network congestion please check your PDA is set correctly and ensure the HSCSD phone card is set as a modem to receive data at 28.8kbps.

Streaming Play: A connection using GPRS will step up its connected rate to give you the best quality picture and sound. Other factors, like other connected devices in the same cell and general static interference may not permit a broadband connection. However, our data will compensate where possible for small fluctuations

If you can only receive data over GSM or another slow data rate, you will always experience network congestion if you stream the bulletins. To overcome this problem, use the Pseudo streaming mode, however the initial buffering will be longer than if connected using a higher data rate.

The sound quality is poor

Sound quality can differ depending on your location. To help there is a volume control in the form of 5 vertical buttons. Click on the higher buttons to increase the volume and lower buttons to decrease the volume. You can also mute the volume by clicking on the image of a speaker with a cross through it.

The sound quality may improve by listening to the bulletin through an earpiece especially in a noisy environment.