Sermon Audio Instructions
Playing audio files from websites
Whenever you visit a website using your web browser, all the things you see, like text and pictures, are being 'retrieved' from the website's computer to your computer so your web browser can display the webpage. When a webpage contains a link to an audio file, such as our Koinonia sermon audio files, these files also need to be retrieved from the website's computer to your computer so your computer can play the sound file.
The difference is that while web browsers can directly display text and pictures, many cannot directly play sound files. Some web browsers do have special add-ons called 'browser plugins' that will play audio directly in the web browser, and if your browser is already equipped with an audio plugin that plays mp3 files, your web browser will simply begin playing the sound file. But most people need to allow another program other than the web browser to play the file...a program such as Windows Media Player or Winamp.
For most people, the simplest way to play an audio file is to click the audio file link using the left mouse button. This will usually cause a popup window to appear that looks something like this:
(This screenshot is from Internet Explorer; other web browsers should display a similar popup window.)
Allowing your web browser to download the sound file and automatically start an audio player such as Windows Media Player
If you click the 'Open' button in the popup window, your web browser will download the audio file, and then automatically open whatever program your computer normally uses to play mp3 audio files to begin playing the audio file. This is what most people do to play sound files from web pages. When you are done listening to the sound file, just close your sound player program. The sound file is not permanently saved on your computer.
Downloading the sound file to save the file on your computer for later listening
If instead of 'Open', you click the 'Save' button, your web browser will open another window allowing you to specify where on your computer you wish the file to be saved. It will then save the file to your computer. To listen to the file later, you will need to locate the file using Windows Explorer or similar program, and double-click the file to start playback.
If clicking on the sound file link in your web browser automatically starts playing the sound in your web browser, but you instead want to download the file for later, you can usually do that by clicking on the sound file link with your right mouse button instead of your left mouse button. This should display a popup menu, and if you select 'Save Link As...' or 'Save Target As...' you should be able to download the file for later use.
I've tried all this, and I still can't play the audio files...what now?
If you are unable to get sound files to play, it usually means that your computer doesn't have a program installed to play mp3 audio files, or that your web browser security settings are preventing your web browser from starting your audio player. Give us a shout at webmaster@koinoniamennonitechurch.com. We can't guarantee we can fix the problem, but we may be able to help point you in the right direction!