Audio / Video

How can I listen to audio / watch video ?

You need to have installed “Real Player” and “Flash” Plug-ins. For HTML5 video or MP3 audio, no plugin is required!

A Plug-in – What do I need this for ?

To view swissinfo’s mutlimedia content you need to install additional software that works with your browser. These so-called plug-ins are free of charge and can be easily downloaded and installed. Recently, we have introduced HTML5 video support. HTML5 video on swissinfo.ch is only available for Chrome and Safari browsers at the moment. IE9 will also be supported when it becomes available. The reason why we do not support HTML5 video in FireFox and Opera browsers, is because these two browsers do not support H.264/MPEG-4 AVC video format that we use on our site.

Audio and video Playback

swissinfo.ch delivers audio and video content in multiple formats. The follwoing video formats are supported: “Real”, “Flash”, and “H.264/MPEG-4 AVC”. For audio, swissinfo.ch currently supports “Real” and “MP3”, formats. To play “Real” or “Flash” formats, it is necessary to have “Real” and “Flash” Players installed as a plug-in. On Real Network’s and Adobe web sites you will find the plugin/software version which best suits your operating system, be it Windows, Mac or Linux. For audio, “MP3” is usually supported by most standard players already installed on different operating systems, including Quicktime and Windows Media Player. HTML5 video does not require any additional plugin or software as it is part of the browser built-in functions. This is of course only valid for modern browsers that support HTML5 video.

I have installed the “Real” plug-in and I still can’t see or hear any “Real” audio or video!

If you are surfing the internet behind a firewall – which is common in offices – you should be aware that real player’s protocol is usually blocked. Contact your system administration for further assistance, or reconfigure your firewall at home so that it allows RealPlayer to have full internet access.