Tried to view internet video

I tried to view the video presented on CNN.com and it was disasterous. It was a morning news clip with video and sound. The video tried to run but it would not run consistantly. Like run, stop, run, stop always with the video showing. Like a hic-cup every few seconds.
Do I need a particular software on my computer to view videos coming in thru the internet?
Thanks Claire

 

Streaming... The skips are the result of wmp trying to play the thing as it is being downloaded (streamed to your player). This is downloaded or served to you in packets, chopped metered sections and the speed of such is dependant upon the site server used at that time. The skips or pauses are the result of your player trying to play the sections faster than they're being downloaded (served). Wait for the file to be completely downloaded once and then replay it from the beginning. Adjustments to wmp player could be made but this requires knowledge of what your doing, why your doing it, what the adjustments control or effect, and how to undo it, plus they're user specific, optimized based on various components. This coupled with the fact that adjustments for one sites streamed file does not mean that you will not have the problem from another site. I find it best to use wmp defaults and wait for the completion of the streamed download and when I have the file downloaded in total, will replay it from the beginning.

Oh shoot! Sorry Claire,....I had intended to include (here) various handy links with details on this topic, but seemed to have deleted them at some point, on a cleanup whim. Perhaps other members will fill in the holes or a search in the "archives of past posts" using streaming or media player or wmpor a combination of these, will offer further explanations and the sublinks to sites that specialize in media player's tweaks, glitches, and gotchas.

 

Another cause of skipping or glitches is how streaming a/v is sent to your computer, is the method. Streaming typically uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) in which the sending computer does not care in which order the internet packets are received or gets there at all. Internet congestion will affect this.
http://www-net.cs.umass.edu/kurose/transport/UDP.html
There is a chart on that page that show some of what I mean, although the text may be over your head.