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Frequently Asked Questions?

1. Do I need any particular plug-ins to use ABC Now?
2. Can I use ABC Now with a dial-up internet connection?
3. I am connected to the Internet but ABC Now is not working properly. What can I do?
4. How often is ABC Now content updated?
5. Is this all the same content that I'll find at abc.net.au
6. Will I need to update the ABC Now software often?
7. How can I add content to the Favourites section of ABC Now?
8. How can I find my local weather forecast?
9. Where can I download podcasts?
10. Where can I download vodcasts?
11. How can I change where podcasts and vodcasts download to?
12. Can I download more than one podcast/vodcast at a time?
13. I downloaded a video from the TV section but it won’t play back in Windows Media Player.  How can I view this video?
14. Why can't I listen to the cricket using ABC Now?
15. Why does the Mac version of ABC Now not allow me to listen to live radio?
16. Can I still listen to radio podcasts in the Mac version of ABC Now?
17. Why is ABC Now unavailable for Linux users?
18. Sometimes when I listen live to ABC Local Radio I get the dig Radio stream – why does this happen?
19. How does ABC Now compare with the BBC’s iPlayer?

Do I need any particular plug-ins to use ABC Now?

Yes. You will require either Windows Media Player or Real Player to listen to audio.

Download the free Windows Media Player here.

Download the free Real Player here.

Can I use ABC Now with a dial-up internet connection?

Yes you can. However we strongly recommend that you access ABC Now using a broadband internet connection because it has been created to perform optimally with broadband. On a dial-up connection you will need to wait longer for audio and video content to load and play.

I am connected to the Internet but ABC Now is not working properly. What can I do?

If you have firewall software installed on your machine (e.g. Norton's Firewall and McAfee's Firewall) please ensure that ABC Now has been added to the list of trusted programs within that software. Otherwise your firewall software may prevent ABC Now from connecting to the Internet.

How often is ABC Now content updated?

ABC Now presents you with a selection of the latest content from Radio, TV, News, Sport and Weather featured on abc.net.au. Just as you'd expect from Radio, TV & News, the updating of content occurs at different intervals. For example News is updated every few minutes, a podcast of your favourite program from Radio National is updated after the program goes to air and a vodcast of your favourite ABC TV program will be added after the episode has been on TV.

Is this all the same content that I'll find at abc.net.au

No. ABC Now is designed to bring you lots of ABC News, TV and Radio content as easily and quickly as possible. abc.net.au is a much bigger site, with lots more ABC information and entertainment for you to browse and interact with.

Will I need to update the ABC Now software often?

No ? any minor updates to the software will occur automatically once you've downloaded ABC Now for the first time. However as we add new features to ABC Now over time we will offer new versions for you to download.

How can I add content to the Favourites section of ABC Now?

While you're looking through the content menus in the "Find" section of ABC Now you'll notice that each content item has a heart and a "+" sign next to it. By clicking on this icon you can add content items to your Favourites list.
Then if you click on "Favourites" in the top navigation of ABC Now you will be able to see the content that you've bookmarked. To delete content click on the trash icon next to a content item.

How can I find my local weather forecast?

Go to "Find" and then click on "Weather". There you will see a list of forecast temperatures for all the Australian capital cities.

Where can I download podcasts?

First you need to select a particular podcast episode from a radio program. Go to the "Find" section, and click on "Radio". Then choose an ABC radio network (e.g. NewsRadio), and click on a particular program (e.g. AM). Click on an item within that program list ? a podcast will load in an audio player. To download this podcast click on the "download podcast" link underneath the audio player and save the podcast file down to your computer.

Where can I download vodcasts?

Go to "Find", click on "TV" and then "Downloads". Select a TV program. Click on the "download vodcast" link and save the vodcast file down to your computer.

How can I change where podcasts and vodcasts download to?

In ABC Now click on the Preferences button at the top right. Next click the System Settings tab. Click on the "Change default POD/VOD Download Folder" button and browse to a new location on your computer.

Can I download more than one podcast/vodcast at a time?

No. ABC Now is limited to only downloading one item at at time.

I downloaded a video from the TV section but it won’t play back in Windows Media Player.  How can I view this video?

The downloads offered via ABC Now are in .mp4 format and Windows Media Player does not natively play .mp4 files. You can play back .mp4 media files in Windows Media Player if you install DirectShow-compatible MPEG-4 decoder packs, or use another media player such as iTunes or Divx to play .mp4 files.

Why can't I listen to the cricket using ABC Now?

Unfortunately at this time there are technical and rights issues with including the ABC's live stream of the cricket in ABC Now.

Why does the Mac version of ABC Now not allow me to listen to live radio?

Unfortunately we are unable to offer access to the live radio streams in ABC Now in our Mac version due to technical issues with the way Safari renders our live streams.  Even if your default browser on a Mac is set to Firefox this issue will still occur because the Mac OS uses Safari by default to render the streams.  We are looking into this issue and hope to come up with a solution shortly.

Can I still listen to radio podcasts in the Mac version of ABC Now?

Yes you can definitely still listen to all of our radio podcasts as they do not require Real Player or Windows Media Player (they are streamed via Flash which is embedded into ABC Now).

Why is ABC Now unavailable for Linux users?

Due to the technical requirements of ABC Now we have been unable to find a robust and secure tool for making the Flash based code into a stable Linux version at this time.  We are keeping an eye on developments in this area and hope to bring a Linux version to you as soon as practicable. ABC Now however does not have any  content that is not available on the ABC website via your favourite browser.

Sometimes when I listen live to ABC Local Radio I get the dig Radio stream – why does this happen?

This happens when an ABC Local Radio local station is playing content for which we do not have rights which is primarily sport (including Cricket and all football codes except the A-League).

How does ABC Now compare with the BBC’s iPlayer?

ABC Now is designed to aggregate a selection of our most current radio, TV, news, sport and weather content from around the ABC website via a small desktop widget.  It’s not intended to be an archive player allowing access to a wide range of past content but rather offer you quick and easy access to recent content (e.g. podcasts, video downloads, news and sport headlines, live radio streams, weather forecasts).

The BBC’s iPlayer is an application which purely focuses on allowing the UK audience to catch up on videos of TV segments they’ve missed from the last 7 days via a PC.  Video segments can be watched via the BBC’s online player or downloaded to a user’s PC and stored for 30 days.

Credits

ABC Now was developed by the Strategic Development Team from ABC Innovation:

Concept: Wolf Cocklin

Director of ABC Innovation: Ian Carroll
Head of Strategic Development: Abigail Thomas
Creative Director: Sam Doust
Producer: Amy Nelson
Technical Lead: Wolf Cocklin

Design : Dale Smart and Andre Ruello
IA: Briony Williamson, Angus Fraser

XML: Wolf Cocklin, Dom D?Souza, John Horner

Website: Tristan Gross, Amy Nelson

Video tours: Christina Coulston, Chris Winter, Sam Doust

Marketing and publicity: Carolyn Macdonald, Nicola Fern, Aimee Lipscombe