Big Brother 3 Webcam Information                                                                                                 Home

Channel 4 have decided to charge for the webcams this year and you need RealOne Player in-order to view them (a 40 minute download on 56k modem). The cost is £9.99 per month and you can get your LivePass by clicking here. You must have a credit card to sign-up; ask a friend or relative to help you out if you don't have one.

Please understand that the charging-for and the supply of the live cam service is nothing to do with Big Brother Online whatsoever; we are an independent site. We cannot accept e-mails about the general cost, or about any problems you may be having accessing the cameras. Have a moan at Channel 4 if your'e angry that you have to pay this year!

If you are having problems getting things going however, you might like to click here, here and here to see if these RealPlayer pages can help.

Lastly, if you do view the cams, remember to type our URL of www.bigbrotheronline.co.uk in the Location (Address) bar of the web browser attached to RealOne Player. Once you've signed-up, you can access the cameras from the links on our Home page. The Live 'High' feeds are aimed at users with Broadband connections such as ADSL. The benefits are a higher-quality picture and better sound simultaneously. 56k modem users should select the 'Low' feeds.

RealPlayer FAQ's

How can I watch the Big Brother video clips and the live streaming cameras on the Big Brother Online site?
In order to view the video clips and live web cameras, you will need specific software on your computer; that being RealPlayer for the clips and RealOne Player for the live camera streaming (the latter will also allow you to view the clips).

So exactly what is RealPlayer and why do I need it?
RealPlayer is a 'plug-in.' This is a piece of software that adds a specific feature or service to a larger piece of software, for instance your web browser i.e. Internet Explorer. Plug-ins, which are mostly free, allow most of the popular web browsers to enhance their basic functions and therefore make it faster and more fun to surf the web.

The RealPlayer plug-in that you need, allows you to watch the video clips and web cameras on this site complete with audio, so you can enjoy the events in the Big Brother house or view general 'related' material.

How much does it cost?
Please click the LivePass link above for all the details.

What is the picture quality like and will it play back smoothly?
The data sent to your computer to make-up the picture is compressed, so the quality is therefore nowhere-near as good as normal videotape/TV. However, as newer and faster internet technologies such as Broadband ADSL (as opposed to standard dial-up modems) become more affordable, this will change. With a 56k internet connection the picture itself is quite small on the screen; this is due to the sheer volume of data and the speed at which it can be passed over the internet.

The information is 'streamed' straight to your computer, so you don't (usually) have to wait for anything to download. Generally, you will experience some 'buffering' when you first start watching the source and although the picture may initially be slightly jerky, it will improve after a short period. On a 56k dial-up connection, the smoothness is definitely helped if you are not simultaneously downloading anything else whilst you are viewing a video clip or camera feed. A Broadband internet connection will give a superior quality experience and will probably allow you to be doing other things (such as downloading files) simultaneously, without any glitches to the picture quality.

Will I be able to hear sound as well as see the visual content?
Yes, providing your system has an adequate sound card and speakers. In fact, some internet radio channels only use the sound part of RealPlayer. There is an 'audio only' Big Brother feed available which, via a 56k connection, offers a higher quality audio than you would experience if you were to watch the camera feeds together with sound.

For more comprehensive FAQ's please click here to go the RealNetworks website.

RealPlayer, RealOne Player, RealVideo, RealAudio and the Real logo are the registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc.

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