MULTIMEDIA AND INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES Web multimedia is the use of audio, video,
animation, and other elements to allow interactivity on a Web site
or page. Multimedia and interactivity technologies create and help
you use different forms of Web multimedia. As a modern-day Web
surfer, you expect the Web to mimic the audio-visual experience of
current media such as television, but also to be more
interactive. In Life-long Learning Module
A, we provide you with many links to valuable Web
resource sites on multimedia and interactive technology development
tools and tutorials. Here, we’d like to show you examples of
each technology. Make sure to visit the Web sites provided to truly
enjoy the experience. Animated Gifs When you were younger, did you ever draw figures on the corner
of tablet pages and then flip the pages to make it move? Cartoon
animators have been using a similar technique for years. Animated
Gifs (Graphics Interchange Format) are layers of images that fit
together like frames of a cartoon or a movie. As Web browser loads
the image, it cycles through the frames so the image moves. After
the entire image is loaded into the Web browser, it continues to
cycle through its frames making it appear to move. Animated GIFs can come in a variety of shapes and file sizes,
but most are used for small icons and ad banners. To create an
animated GIF you can start with one GIF file or a series of GIF
files. Then, you’ll need a special program to combine the GIF
files into frames, integrate the frames in a particular order, and
create the animated GIF. Here are some programs to create animated GIFs and some Web
sites containing animated GIF collections: Animated GIF Collections Animated GIF Programs - Animagic GIF
Builder: A popular shareware program.
- Macromedia
Fireworks: A powerful graphics program you can use to make
animated GIFs (and other graphic applications).
- GIF
Builder: A Macintosh shareware program used to create animated
GIFs.
- GIFWorks: A free online
animated GIF program. You don’t even need to install software
on your computer. Just use your Web browser.
Audio and Video Audio You learned in Chapter 4 that Web audio
encompasses all the sounds and music on the Web. There’s a
wide assortment of audio available to you–everything from
brief sound clips and noises you can use as alerts on your computer
to complete CD quality songs. Some of the more popular file formats
for audio are simple Windows audio files (.wav), MIDI (.mid) files,
and MP3 files (.mp3). Windows audio files (.wav) are the accepted standard for all
Windows-based computers. Every sound a Windows-based computer
makes--from an alert to the Windows startup sound--is a .wav
file. MIDI files, or musical instrument digital interface, are used to
control synthesizers and sound cards. You can create songs and
sounds on your computer using MIDI software and a keyboard. MIDI
files are also used as ring tones for cell phones. MP3 files (.mp3) are used to store CD quality music in smaller
files. MP3s are so popular that people buy MP3 players. These carry
music CDs you have purchased or MP3 songs you downloaded off the
Web. You may have used MP3 files yourself to listen to your
favorite music. Here are some Web sites to experience Web audio: - Free Audio Clips:
An assortment of many audio files.
- The Daily .WAV: A
collection of .wav files for you to download and use on your
Windows computer.
- The MIDI Farm: A Web
resource to learn more about MIDI files. There’s also a
collection of MIDI files to download at this site.
Video Web video encompasses all the movies on the Web.
Video comes in many file formats. The two most popular are Windows
Audio Video Interleave (.avi) and Apple QuickTime (.qt) You can play all AVI files using Microsoft’s Media Player.
QuickTime video files need Apple’s QuickTime player. Both of
these player are available for free. Remember, a
player, or viewer, is software that
works outside your Web browser. Both Windows Media Player and Apple
QuickTime also have available plug-ins. A plug-in is
software that works within your Web browser. Here are some Web sites to experience Web video: Players Both players work on a variety of operating systems. Video Sites Streaming Media Streaming media is becoming more popular as audio and video
files increase in size and users demand more from Web audio and
video. Streaming media continually sends small parts of a large
file to your Web browser and you watch or listen to what
you’ve already downloaded. By doing this, you can watch parts
of a movie or listen to a live radio station as more data downloads
to your computer. You can view streaming media in both the Windows Media Player
and Apple’s QuickTime Player. However, RealNetworks RealPlayer
is the leader in streaming media and has its own player: With streaming media, you can listen to live radio broadcasts
from around the world, watch sporting events and music concerts,
and play video games with other people on the Internet. Here are
Web sites with streaming media content for you to try: - Streaming Media
World: A collection of Web sites and reviews of streaming media
sites.
- Streaming Media: A
Web site devoted to various forms of streaming media sources and
tutorials.
You should know that there’s also media available from
within each streaming media player you use. RealPlayer, QuickTime,
and the Media Player all have readily accessible media available
with a button click. Flash and Shockwave Flash and Shockwave are interactive multimedia technologies from
Macromedia. Flash is software that helps you create
animated and interactive Web pages. Many times you’ll see
Flash used to produce short Web cartoons. Some Web sites use Flash
to help animate navigation and provide interactive menus and
icons. Shockwave is software that helps you create Web
pages with significant interactivity. With Shockwave you can
program interactive Web games, chat rooms, and virtual worlds. It
takes many years to master the complexities of Shockwave. We’ve listed a few Web sites and resources for Flash and
Shockwave. You can download both software tools for 30-day trials
to determine if you want to buy them. Your school might even have
this software available for you to use. Make sure to visit Life-long Learning Module A for Flash and Shockwave tutorials: -
Comparison of Flash and Shockwave: This presentation helps you
decide which software is right for you.
- FlashMX: The
newest version of Flash. Entire multimedia Web sites can be created
using this software.
- Flash
Player: You’ll need this free player to view Flash pages
and content.
-
Shockwave Player: Here you can download the free Shockwave
player. To create Shockwave applications, you’ll need to
purchase Macromedia Director Shockwave Studio.
- Shockwave
Studio: A programming environment used to create Shockwave
applications.
VRML and Web3D As computing power increases, so does the level of interactivity
you can experience on the Web. VRML, or Virtual
Reality Modeling Language, creates a virtual world in which
users have the illusion that they are physically participating.
Web3D is the newest implementation of VRML. Web3D allows for even
more interactivity and multimedia applications to be infused in
virtual reality worlds. And all of this is delivered to you via
your Web browser combined with a few plug-ins and players. The Web3D Consortium is a collection of VRML and Web3D
developers. Most VRML and Web3D resources can be found at the Web3D Web site. Players and Plug-Ins Web sites Programming Resources | 
2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education