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>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum               <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7193.5 digitizing media files for the web (!)
>Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 13:49:37 GMT
>Priority: normal

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Hi, everyone.

I've been using iTunes to capture the MP3's off the
publishers' CD audio disks and then preparing them for
streaming with QuickTime Pro (all on Macintosh.) The trick
is to "Export" the files as streaming media rather than
using the "Save as" option in QuickTime. You can choose the
streaming rate at that time depending on your network
capabilities. Then you can link to those movies to your web
pages: Works well.

I found the QuickTime solution a little easier than
RealPlayer streaming, though the RealPlayer solution is more
efficient. Many media players will play .rm files: The
complicated part of using RealPlayer is that you must create
a metafile (.ram) file for each media file in order for it
to be accessible on the web. The metafile tells the browser
that the server is sending a media file and that your
computer should open the RealPlayer and get ready for it. In
other words, you can listen to an .rm file over the web with
QuickTime or Divace player, but if you set it up for web
use, the browser will automatically open RealPlayer and
begin streaming. To play a .rm file with QuickTime or
Divace, you have to open the .rm file as a URL from within
media player, which is awkward for the user: You have to
type the URL by hand.

Hope this is helpful,
Karl Fisher
University of the South
Sewanee, TN 37375