Macromedia® DreamWeaver® MX Unleashed By Matthew Pizzi, Zak Ruvalcaba
Table of Contents
Chapter 13. Adding Video and Audio
If you're looking to provide video content without the expenses of streaming server software, embedding digital video into a Web page might be the best solution. The QuickStart feature of Apple's QuickTime is a nice way for the viewers to quickly gain access to viewing the movie without having to wait for the entire clip to download.
Typically, video clips are delivered in one of the following common formats:
MPEG (MPG, MPEG, MPE) The MPEG format was standardized by the Motion Picture Expert Group. Generally, Windows machines will play MPEG content with Windows Media Player and the Mac will play it with QuickTime.
QuickTime (MOV) QuickTime movies can contain an assortment of different technologies that require playback in the QuickTime player. However, it's not uncommon to have Windows Media Player try to hijack and play the movie itself in Windows.
QuickTime Video (MOV) A QuickTime video can contain video and audio and can be played back by all three media players.
Video for Windows (AVI) This is the format originally created by Microsoft, which is now unsupported by the company; it can also be played back in all three media players, much like QuickTime video.
Codecs
Although movie clips come in many formats, it's important to understand that for the video to be viewable, the proper codecs must be installed in the media player. The word codec comes from combining the words Encoder and Decoder. A codec is used when compressing video and is required by the player to decompress during playback. Many codecs are already installed in Windows and QuickTime, so it's generally not a problem. If you need a codec, you can usually find it somewhere on the Web. Sorenson and Cinepak are common codecs to use when compressing digital video.