Frequently Asked Questions

The following Frequently Asked Questions and Answers may help you to resolve issues in configuring and using your MashCast.

 

MashCast won’t launch.

How do I load the MashCast_Template.zip default assets?

I can’t record audio in MashCast Studio and/or Capture.

Audio is clipped or distorted, or there are glitches or hiccups when I play back my shows.

I can’t play back audio on the stage or from Broadcast>Preview.

I can’t see video from my camera.

Captured video appears grainy.

I can’t broadcast to Facebook using MashCast TV.

I can’t broadcast video to Facebook.

 

 

General

 

MashCast won’t launch.

 

In some configurations, MashCast does not exit when the application is closed. This shows up the next time you try to launch MashCast. Perform the following steps to close the previous instance of the application:

 

Launch the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

Click on the “Processes” tab.

Select “MashCast.exe” from the list of processes.

Click on the “End Process” button

Close the Task Manager.

 

Once the old process has been terminated, the application should launch properly when selected from the start menu or desktop shortcut.

 

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How do I load the MashCast_Template.zip backup assets?

 

The MashCast team has included a set of default mash assets in every MashCast installer. To import these assets follow these steps:

 

Launch MashCast

Click on the menu button.

Select "Restore Database..."

Accept the dialog asking if you would like to log out.

Navigate to the directory you installed MashCast in and select MashCast_Template.zip (i.e. C:\Program Files\MashCast\MashCast\MashCast_Template.zip by default)

Click OK once the database finishes restoring.

 

Once the database has finished restoring you can log back into MashCast and begin enjoying your default MashCast assets.

 

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Audio

 

I can’t record audio in MashCast Studio and/or Capture.

 

Check the following:

 

Is your microphone plugged into your computer via the USB or Firewire port?

Make sure your microphone is “on” or unmuted.

Select “Settings…>Audio” from any of the main menus. Check to see that the Audio Source and Audio Device settings are appropriate for the device that you are using as your audio source.

Check the input volume level in Settings…>Audio. Adjust the slider so that the meter shows between 25% and 75% green when audio that you want to record is present.

Check to make sure that your computer’s audio output volume is enabled and that the volume slider is set to an audible level. To access the audio settings on a PC, click on the speaker icon in the lower right hand corner of your Windows desktop, on the taskbar.

 

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Audio is clipped or distorted, or there are glitches or hiccups when I play back my shows.

 

Check the input volume level. Adjust the slider so that the meter reads between 25% and 75% green when audio that you want to record is present. If the meter reads 100%, clipping, or distortion, may occur in the recording.

Sometimes after MashCast has been running for a long time, or if many other applications are active at the same time, the quality of MashCast’s audio performance may deteriorate. Restarting MashCast, or restarting the computer should restore MashCast’s ability to record and play back audio cleanly.

 

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I can’t play back audio on the stage or from Broadcast>Preview.

 

Check to make sure that your computer’s audio output volume is enabled and that the volume slider is set to an audible level. To access the audio settings on a PC, click on the speaker icon in the lower right hand corner of your Windows desktop, on the taskbar.

You can check to see if the issue is with your recordings or with MashCast’s ability to playback by clicking “Play Sound” from Settings...>Audio.

 

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Video

 

I can’t see video from my camera.

 

Check the following:

 

Make sure your camera is plugged in.

Check Settings>Camera, and make sure that your Device and Source are set properly.

Press the “Reconnect” button in Capture once you have resolved a connection issue in order to restore the video display.

 

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Captured video appears grainy.

 

Adjust the quality slider in Settings>Video. The video profiles are configured to deliver bandwidth-efficient videos suitable for casual internet distribution. These settings are not suitable for some applications requiring higher resolution or fidelity. Greater control over recording settings and profiles will be available in future versions of the application. If you have a specific need that you feel should be addressed by MashCast Networks, please post a comment in our Help Forums, and someone from the MashCast Networks product group will get back to you.

 

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Broadcasting

 

I can’t broadcast to Facebook using MashCast TV.

 

Currently, MashCast TV’s Broadcast capability supports www.facebook.com <http://www.facebook.com/>, but not [mycommunity].facebook.com. If your Facebook account is affiliated with your university or office, chances are your account is not a “www” account.

 

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I can’t broadcast video to Facebook.

 

Check to make sure that you have added the Facebook Video application to your Facebook account. To do this:

o Log into your www.facebook.com <http://www.facebook.com/> account.

o Click on “edit” next to “Applications” in the upper left corner of the page.

o Click on the “Browse More Applications” button.

o Choose “Video” by Facebook from the application list. (Type “Video” into the search field if this selection is not visible in “Recent Favorites”).

o Click on “Add Application”

o Click on “Add Video”


Once the video application has been added to your Facebook account, videos posted to your Facebook account using Broadcast should be visible by clicking on the Video application icon in Facebook, and choosing “My Videos”.

 

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