Flash Player

• The Flash player is the catalyst used to display Flash videos. It is a plug-in that integrates seamlessly with your web browser to allow you to stream videos and other media content on the Internet. While the Flash player is necessary for Flash video streaming, it can also prevent videos from displaying if the version you are running is outdated. Many websites are relying on high-resolution Flash videos to stream content and if the player you are currently running does not meet the requirements necessary to run higher resolution video (e.g., HD), you are likely to run into playback problems.
  
  

Web Browser

• An outdated web browser can prevent Flash videos from displaying on the Internet. Many of the flash videos currently on the Internet are high quality and rely on high bandwidth for streaming. If your web browser is not up-to date, it lacks the necessary components needed to run the flash player to display flash videos. Some web browsers (e.g., Internet Explorer) are also generally slower than others and take longer to display and stream not only flash videos but other online media content.
  
  

Security Tools

• Security tools such as pop-up blockers can also prevent Flash videos from playing on the Internet. While pop-up blockers are great for blocking unnecessary pop-up advertisements that disrupt web browsing, they can also prevent videos from opening up on certain websites if the settings are set too high. Internet security tools such as filters can also prevent Flash videos from displaying whether the video contains questionable material or not. Some of the Internet filtering tools have generalized settings and will block anything to do with video regardless of the genre
  
  

Server Problems

• Unfortunately, server problems on a website that you are trying to watch a Flash video from is not your fault. Flash videos on a website may fail to display either because there are currently too many users on the website (e.g., Youtube), or some repairs are being performed and as a result the videos cannot display. If the Flash videos do manage to play when the server is slow or down, the Flash videos run into slow buffering speeds, which makes the video choppy.
  
  

Solutions

• Install the latest Flash player. A new Flash player is released frequently because media changes rapidly on the Internet, therefore, keeping your plug-in updated will minimize problems. Update your web browser whenever possible and clear browser cache and history to remove clutter that slow down browser speed. Consider installing free video accelerator programs such as SpeedBit Video Accelerator (see Resources), which improve buffering speed and reduce glitches when watching flash videos. As for a slow website server, unfortunately you just have to wait until it resumes normal working conditions.