Let's start at the beginning. Everyone wants a web site that is as active and dynamic as televison or a CD-ROM program that plays in your computer. Buttons should visually and audibly click; visitors should be greeted with music; dazzling images should appear and disappear on the screen. Unfortunately the web is not as dynamic as television or a CD-ROM yet. It will get there. Quicktime is a format for video and sound files. It works on both Windows and Macintosh computers without a great deal of custom configuration. The latest versions of Quicktime are built into Netscape (newer versions) so users are not required to do any special installations when they reach a page that uses that type of video or audio file.

Fast- start video

Movies can be saved in this special format so that all the critical file information is put at the start of the file data structure. This means that as soon as this information reaches the client's machine, the movie is set to play. Users do not have to wait for the entire movie to load. This does pose a different problem. This format allows the movie to be playing as it is loading. And so long as the client's computer loads fast enough there are no problems. If not, the movie pauses in the middle, waits for some more to load. Then it plays some more, then it pauses and so on. The good news is, that if the client's computer does load quick enough, a ten minute movie and a one minute movie start in the same amount of time. Duration is no longer a problem.

Memory

Memory is a major draw back. It eats up the kb's in seconds, quite literally. This is why my page is so extremely simple.

Quicktime Etiquette

There are certain rulles that must be followed if for no other reason than to keep a client with a slow modem from cursing your page with dead chickens. Always try to warn your client about how much memory something audio or visual is going to take before someone with an ancient computer gets stuck loading for a few days.

This link leads to Matrix trailers which are phenomamally cool but which at best take 60megs. See? wasn't that nice?

When using audio or video quicktime always allow the client to control the action. A student on a library computer logs into a bird research page that continually plays the calls of the great yellow sap-sucker. Imagine the dismay of the student as they look in vein for a way to turn it off. The other students look, point and giggle. And inevitably that student shall never return to that sight again.

This link leads to some of my favorite audio quicktimes. These range from a few k, to just under one meg. Please enjoy.

When using programs to create Quicktime audios and visuals remember this simple recipe for optimumm sound:

1) Record in the best possible setting with the best equipment available

2) Digitize the audio at 44.1 kHz with a 16 bit sample rate

3) Use sound edit 16 to edit and mix the audio

4) Normalize the file

5) Use movie cleaner Pro (a free download from the people at Quicktime) to perform downsampling from 44.1 to 22.050kH, 16-bit with IMA 4:1 compression and to make the file fast-start Quicktime

Don't forget to also show the user how to use the Quicktime bar.

Right arrow=play

Square=stop

line+arrows=step through frames forward or backward

Most of the conrent on this page was found at

www.calafia.com

www.info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual/multimedia/digital_video.html