Module 3
Media Players
When surfing the web, it is common to find embedded audio and video that uses Windows Media Player, Quicktime, or Real Player. There are plugins available for all 3 (usually installed into Firefox when their respective player is installed) that work with Firefox, but compared to the Internet Explorer plugins they are more limited and sometimes don't always work. In addition, many websites use IE-only techniques (as opposed to standard code, which is supported by all browsers) to embed media.
Codecs
A codec is software that is used to compress or decompress a digital media file, such as a song or video. All three programs use codecs to play and create digital media files. A codec can consist of two components: an encoder and a decoder. The encoder performs the compression (encoding) function and the decoder performs the decompression (decoding) function. Some codecs include both of these components and some codecs only include one of them. For example, when you rip a song from an audio CD to your computer, the Player uses the Windows Media Audio codec by default to compress the song into a compact WMA file. When you play that WMA file (or any WMA file that might be streamed from a website), the Player uses the Windows Media Audio codec to decompress the file so the music can be played through your speakers.
If you get a message from your computer that it is missing a codec, you are probably trying to play, burn, or sync a file that was compressed by using a codec that Windows or the Player doesn't include by default. To find and install the missing codec it is necessary to consult the various players website.
Activity 3.10
The three basic media players (Windows Media Player, Quicktime, and Real Player) all have a browser plugin. This allows a browser such as Firefox to open a small media player window inside a web page. Installing a media player does not necessarily mean you also install its plugin - so if, for example, you have Windows Media Player installed and you still get a missing plugin alert on a web page that has a windows media file embedded in it, then you likely lack the Windows Media Player plugin. In addition, there are known issues with each plugin as well as ways you can configure them to make them work better.
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP offers ways to store and enjoy music, video, pictures, and recorded TV. It can be played, viewed and sync to portable devices around the home- all from the one place. As this is a Windows player from microsoft, there are issues when playing wmc video files using Firefox. If these files are embedded using the "embed" tag, read by IE, than there may be problems reading it in Firefox. I find it easier not to use an alternative to wmc for webpublishing because of the known issues.
To download Windows Media Player your computer is subject to a system check. Then you are given permission to download. Simple to install.
Quicktime
The new QuickTime 7 Player delivers startling quality and is easy to use. It requires no set up for content that streams over the network. QuickTime 7 Player automatically determines your system’s connection speed and chooses the highest quality stream for the amount of bandwidth you have available. QuickTime 7 Player automatically reconnects in the event of you losing connection.
Quicktime 7 Pro is an application for creating high-quality audio and video content, QuickTime 7 Pro lets you create H.264 video, capture audio and video, create multi-channel audio and export multiple files as you continue to playback or edit video. It is simplistic to use and costs what I believe is an expensive $44.95. It has limited features. Installation of both was simple and easy.
Quicktime 7 pro is an upgrade to quicktime that unlocks editing and creation features that enable you to:
- Capture video and audio from a digital video camera
- Build Media Skins to display your media files in a custom environment
- Encode and transcode media in dozens of formats, including the new H.264, AAC, MPEG-4, 3GPP and 3GPP2
- Edit using simple cut, copy and paste functions
QuickTime Player and QuickTime Pro work together to provide the industry’s first end-to-end, cross-platform, standards-based digital media delivery system.
Real Player
Another closed source cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats. Was one of the first media players capable of streaming media over the Internet. To download a free trial 30day version you need to give credit card details which I wasn't prepared to do as I could not see any benefits over Quicktime 7 Pro. RealPlayer was a popular streaming media player during the early years of the Internet, but in recent years it has been surpassed in market share by Windows Media Player and Apple's iTunes.
References:
"QuickTime." Apple. Web. 22 Aug. 2009. http://www.apple.com/quicktime.
"Windows Media Player 11." Microsoft Corporation. Web. 22 Aug. 2009. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/11/default.aspx.
Free RealPlayer - Download Online Videos. Web. 22 Aug. 2009. http://www.real.com.au/?country=au&language=en&src=apac_home&rsrc=.
