Using Other (Less Common) Formats


Although the formats covered in this book (RealMedia, Windows Media, QuickTime, MP3) dominate the streaming audio marketplace, there are a few other format options. This section presents a couple of other commonly used formats, explained with benefits and disadvantages.

Ogg Vorbis

This format is fairly new to the streaming media wars, but it has a major point of distinction: It's 100% free! Unlike the "free" MP3 codec, which actually requires paying licensing fees, Ogg Vorbis is completely open and patent-free with no bit stream royalties. You can easily identify Ogg Vorbis files by their filename suffix .ogg. Find out all you need to know about Ogg Vorbis at www.ogg-vorbis.com.

  • Key Benefits 100% free! Ogg Vorbis is better quality than MP3, but roughly comparable to the other major formats. Some popular audio players, such as Winamp, now support Ogg Vorbis. Code is freely available to anyone who wants to write a player for an operating system. Players are also available for operating systems other than Macintosh and Windows.

  • Disadvantages As a new codec, support for Ogg Vorbis is unlikely to be preinstalled on a potential listener's computer, so if you're going to provide streaming audio in the Ogg Vorbis format, also provide another format to keep things easy. Like MP3, it will take overwhelming public popularity to reach the threshold where the industry begins to support Ogg Vorbis in their players, browsers, and streaming servers.

  • When to use If you are putting up streaming audio for a small audience or for personal use, Ogg Vorbis might be the solution for you. Ogg Vorbis is also a good solution if you believe in the freedom of information or you're a more technical user who likes to have access to the internal workings of your software.

Did we mention it's free?

Java Streaming

Introduced several years ago, Java quickly became a popular language for the Web. Java was used for embedding complex graphics and presentations in Web pages prior to the advent of Flash and Shockwave. Although streaming audio support was added to Java over the years, it's use was limited by poor audio quality. Recently, MPEG support has been added to Java, although its common use is now as a back-end Web page technology solution.

Several companies provide Java streaming technologies, such as www.clipstream.com and www.hellonetwork.com.

  • Key Benefits No additional player application download is necessary. (Only a modern Web browser is needed.) Java streaming is supported on more platforms than only Macintosh and Windows.

  • Disadvantages Java streaming suffers from a lack of built-in high-quality codecs to choose from, typically requiring a somewhat cumbersome installation process to use additional high-quality codecs. The additional time it takes for the Java plug-in to load in the Web browser and the requirement to use the often-unstable Web browser plug-in architecture are also big barriers, decreasing the likelihood of reliable playback.

  • When to use If you are planning to present streaming audio embedded in your Web page and aren't sure if your listening audience has players installed, or if you want to stream to all platforms (including Unix), use Java streaming.



Streaming Audio. The FezGuys' Guide
Streaming Audio: The FezGuys Guide
ISBN: B000H2N1T8
EAN: N/A
Year: 2001
Pages: 119

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