Tech tips for working with the Virtual Gardens, information for IT support staff and information about creating your own entries.
 Viewing the Virtual Gardens
The Virtual Gardens consist of Quicktime panoramic (QTVR) movies displayed in a shockwave interface. In order to view the gardens correctly you will need the following: - The Quicktime plug-in (version 4 or higher) from www.apple.com
Available for both Macintosh and PC, the Quicktime software plays video files and a large number of graphic formats. Once downloaded, launch the installer and choose a 'minimum' install when prompted. A 'pro' version of Quicktime can be purchased but is unnecessary for this site.
- The Shockwave plug-in from www.macromedia.com
Sometimes referred to as the 'Shockwave/Flash' plug-in, the Shockwave plug-in is not the same as the 'Flash' plug-in, also by Macromedia, installed as standard in most recent browsers. If you do not have the required plug-in, the browser will inform you and attempt to download it for you.
- A Javascript-enabled browser.
If you have turned off Javascript support in your browser, the pop-up windows with more information about each garden will not appear.
- Active-X enabled in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
On some systems, Active-X may have been disabled for security reasons. Check with your I.T. advisor if you need to change this setting (or use Netscape instead!).
How can I improve the performance of the Virtual Gardens?
There are two main factors influencing the performance of the Virtual Gardens: The internet connection and the configuration of the computer on which it is playing. The following tips may help improve performance.
- If the movies are taking a long time to download, use the 'options'
button to choose the smaller, lower quality versions.
- Close other browser windows and stop other internet activity (such as files downloading in the background).
- Where possible, close other programs running on the computer.
- If the Quicktime playback is problematic under Windows, check the Quicktime setup.
Open the Quicktime control panel. Under the 'Video
Settings' header, selecting 'Safe Mode' can resolve many playback problems.
Can I run the Virtual Gardens without an internet connection? - We hope to make a downloadable version of the Virtual Gardens available soon.
This will allow you to run the Shockwave locally, avoiding the problems associated with internet downloads. As soon as this is available a link to the download and instructions will be posted here.
What are QTVRs and how can we make them ourselves? - Quicktime Virtual Reality movies, often called panoramas, allow the user to view and control a 360 degree image, giving the illusion of being in that environment.
Find out more about how the panoramic movies for the Virtual Gardens were created. Why have I received an email from 'Majordomo@artie.co.uk' ? - Artie is one of the servers used by the REEP web hosts and it is where the list of email addresses is stored for the Garden Awards newsletters. Majordomo is the software that manages the mailing list.
When you register to enter the competition, we add your email address to the
list and you should receive a confirmation message from Majordomo.
To receive the Garden Awards email newsletter, send an email to 'majordomo@artie.co.uk' with the words 'subscribe reepgarden' in the body of the message (not the subject line) from your email account.
If you wish to remove your email address from the list, send an email to 'majordomo@artie.co.uk' with the words 'unsubscribe reepgarden' in the body of the message (not the subject line) from your email account.
If you need further help don't hesitate to contact us via gardenawards@reep.org
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