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Office for Victims of Crime

Library & Multimedia

User Tips

To get the most out of what OVC offers such as OVC’s Video Clips Online, Web banners, and Screensavers, you may need to download an application to play sounds, display images, or view movies and multimedia on your computer. To help in this process, OVC offers—

Although the most recent Web browser versions may already come equipped to handle audio/video files, you may still find this page useful if you—

  • Wish to change or increase your format audio/viewing options.
  • Would like to update an application version.
  • Are running an earlier Web browser version that requires that you download plug ins.

List of Applications

Adobe Acrobat
The Adobe Acrobat Reader is necessary for viewing PDF files (also referred to as portable document formats). Most Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) documents are posted on the OVC Website in at least two formats: PDF and HTML. PDFs are the closest versions to the printed/published materials with respect to formatting (layout and images). Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Get Acrobat Reader

Players From Macromedia: Flash & Shockwave
OVC offers other multimedia products, which may require additional plug-ins. For instance, the OVC Web Forum screensaver which was created using Macromedia Flash, requires another Macromedia plug in: Shockwave. You must have Flash Player version 7 and Shockwave version 10 or above to view this screensaver. Both these Macromedia plug-ins can be downloaded for free from Macromedia.

Install Macromedia Flash plugin logo                    Install Macromedia Shockwave plugin logo

Depending on your security settings, you may see a Security Warning dialog box and possibly a reference to ActiveX control. Follow the install instructions.

QuickTime
QuickTime files are downloaded to the computer’s hard drive so they may take longer to launch. QuickTime files may be viewed on Windows or Macintosh systems, and require the QuickTime player, which may be downloaded for free. Download QuickTime.

Download QuickTime logo

Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player usually comes with the Windows operating system and other Microsoft products. However, you may wish to download the most recent version from the Windows Media Download Center.

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Basics on Viewing: File Size, Resolution, and Download Times

This section covers some basics about audio and video files, speed, and resolution—all of which affect your viewing experience. Important factors:

  • Type of file being accessed.
  • Your computer's processor speed.
  • Amount of available RAM (random access memory).
  • Speed of your Internet connection.

The larger the file and higher the resolution, the longer it will take your computer download a clip-because high resolution requires your system to process a great deal more information. Therefore, it’s recommended that users who have systems with limited memory or older processing chips select low-resolution video clips or files for the fastest download times.

The speed of your Internet connection also affects the download time because your system can process the information only as fast as it’s transmitted through your connection. The following resolution choices are recommended according to your connection:

  • High resolution: Recommended for broadband users
  • Medium resolution: Recommended for IDSN and 56k modems
  • Low resolution: Recommended for 28.8k dial-up users

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Links to Support Services

For additional support, visit the following sites:

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If you experience technical difficulties downloading and installing OVC screensavers, contact AskOVC.