| Multimedia over the Internet |
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| Adding Video and Music to your Web Presence |
While multimedia delivery over the Internet offers limitless possibilities for individuals and businesses to add depth and richness to their websites, the technical implementation of this delivery is fairly specific. It can be divided into "download-and-play" and streaming. Both types, though, can be embedded into a web page to provide even more immediate access.
By far the simplest way to transmit multimedia, "download-and-play" is exactly what it sounds like. First, the file, the entire file, is downloaded onto the end-user's computer. Once there, the file will play. This method works best for small files or files intended for the end-user to save. Implementation entails merely uploading the file and creating a link to it.
Streaming media, on the other hand, is played as it is transfered, which eliminates long waits for files to download, but can be hampered by the end-user's bandwidth. Implementation of streaming involves the use of a metafile. The exact type of metafile depends upon the media type, but in general the metafile contains the URL, or web address, of the actual file that contains the data.
You may wish to check the Mime Types page to confirm that the webserver recognizes the media type, if you are using an unusual format. Also, just because this document doesn't cover the type of multimedia you wish to transmit, that doesn't mean that it can't be done. There are many websites that offer tutorials on adding various types of multimedia content.