Segment Timer and Browsers



"The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing." ― Joshua Harris

Every once in a while after reviewing a student’s video, the student will say, “I don’t understand why you told me those segments are late. My volume is all the way up, but when I pause right on the beginning line, I don’t hear anything!” This indicates a difference in segment timing between the two users. It is important to realize this difference in order for the student to effectively learn proper timing.
What causes timing dissimilarities? At NSSA, we searched for a cause by testing between browsers and across computers. It was determined that the browser in use may be a top candidate for the difference. In our research, we only tested segmenting using HTML5, not Flash, because Flash does not perform well for us in the segment timer. We recommend using HTML5 unless you do not have the capability.
Currently, the browsers Viki recommends are Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer 9.0+. If you are using another browser, you may receive this alert:
VikiAlert3_zps190edd71.png

(Note: One user also had this alert appear while using Internet Explorer 9.0)
Still, the segment timer in each browser does not perform the same. Here is a summary of what our experiences were with each browser. Windows Vista, Windows 7, and two versions of Mac OS X were used:
  • Chrome - Smoothest segmenting experience without lagging or stuttering. Occasional freezing. Comparable timing across computers.
  • Firefox - Longer load times accompanied by some lagging or stuttering.
  • Safari - Audio lag after un-pausing. Timing differed across computers.
  • Internet Explorer 9.0 - (Tested in Windows Vista) Performed the worst of the tested browsers with frequent freezing and lagging.
  • Opera - Performed somewhere between Chrome and Firefox, with smooth segmenting and less lag compared to Firefox. However, longer load times were experienced. Performance declined after segmenting several parts.
Following is a playlist of videos which demonstrate some of these experiences:
We also checked how well each browser supports HTML5 at html5test.com. This overview shows how well HTML5 is supported on browsers and their current and older versions based on several features. The highest score a browser can receive is 555:
Based on this overview and the experiences we collectively had, we suggest trying Chrome to segment in order to have the best experience and the most similar timing across computers.

 Of course, there may be other computer-related reasons two users may see a segment starting at different times, but considering the browser is a good place to start. Anyone having issues segmenting should also look into the best browser for their computer.

Let us know in the comments what your experiences are regarding the segment timer and browsers!
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