Newbie - I want a WMA file to play - embedding?

[©®]

I would like a sample piece of music to play:
1. either on page load or
2. if the person clicks a link.
(I'm thining #2 would be best).

Is this called embedding (not sure of terminology) and how do I do this?
Using DW with Studio MX (6.1)
Thanks

 

[Blinky the Shark]

I would like a sample piece of music to play: 1. either on page load or
2. if the person clicks a link.
(I'm thining #2 would be best).

Yes, it would. If I want to hear your music instead of what I may be
listening to, I'm smart enough to click a button for it.

 

[Rob McAninch]

I would like a sample piece of music to play:
1. either on page load or
2. if the person clicks a link.
(I'm thining #2 would be best).

Yes, giving the user the choice is usually the best idea. I think
Flash does this stuff best. Though if you want it to stream,
rather than just download and play, then your server needs to
support it. You should check the server side support first to see
what's possible.

 

[Jose]

Flash does this stuff best.

Yes, but then the user needs to have flash, and flash is a Bad Thing.
Much better to just have a button that plays the music in the user's
choice of players.

Jose

 

[cwdjrxyz]

I would like a sample piece of music to play:
1. either on page load or
2. if the person clicks a link.
(I'm thining #2 would be best).

Is this called embedding (not sure of terminology) and how do I do this?
Using DW with Studio MX (6.1)

Most commercial web radio stations now use the Windows formats such as
wma for streaming to the WMP, and a greatly decreased number still use
Real formats. I have seen a very few stations in Europe that are
designed for Winamp and other players that often use a m3u playlist and
one or two that use SMIL. Nearly anyone who is into audio or video on
the net will have the WMP, and many also have the Real player, Winamp,
or one of several others. Exceptions are for computers that have OSs
other than Windows or Apple based, and there are a few special players
that will work for these.

To get you started streaming(using progressive download that allows you
to have the sound file on an ordinary html server), see:
http://www.cwdjr.info/media/streamtest.php . and see the source code.
You will need an audio file on your server that you want to play, and
for the WMP it can be a wma, a mp3, a midi, etc. The format best suited
for streaming to some who may be on dialup likely is the wma, and it
should not be recorded at much more than 30 Kbps if you want it to
start playing without long delay on a 56K dialup connection. You need
the small wax redirector file. This is to make the sound stream while
it still is downloading rather than make the song completely download
before it starts to play. The button you see is generated by the WMP in
response to the player object in the page code - you do not have to use
any script to make it work.This object code validates completely, does
not use ActiveX, and works with just about any browser on which you
have the WMP installed. It works for me on the latest versions of
Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape, Opera, and IE6. It also works on the old
Netscape 4.8.

It is possible to make the song play on a Real player if you use a wma
file. The Real player will play the Microsoft wma format as well as
Real formats, but modern WMPs will not play any Real formats. It is
also possible to add a m3u play list for other players. If you should
want to get more complated than just the WMP support, ask, and I can
post another example that does not increase the complexity very much.

 

[JDS]

and flash is a Bad Thing

Wah? Across the board bad? I don't think so.

 

[Jose]

Wah? Across the board bad? I don't think so.

Well, not totally across the board bad - there are a few instances where
flash is ok. But flash is too intrusive to belong on anybody's white
list except advertisers'. Further, most flash content is lame, and
flash is used where it is unnecessary. (I've even seen flash used to
display plain text.) Where the =unique= and =nonintrusive= attributes
of flash are =essential= to the web experience that the =user= wants,
then yes, flash is ok.

Jose

 

[wikigrrl]

<< Yes, it would. If I want to hear your music instead of what I may
be
listening to, I'm smart enough to click a button for it. >>

Oh yes. PLEASE do not design a site that automatically throws audio at
me the second I hit it.

Automatic web audio is the sonic equivalent of popups.

 

[Toby Inkster]

Automatic web audio is the sonic equivalent of popups.

I would say that pop-ups are nothing compared to background music when it
comes to annoyances.

Popups: a small HTML file, usually a few kilobytes in size, is loaded onto
your computer, displaying in a new window. If you're not lucky enough to
be using a browser with a built-in pop-up blocker (which most do), then
you'll see s small window on your screen, which will take a second to
close. From a web designer's perspective, pop-ups are a stupid thing to
inflict upon your user, because any content in them will be almost
universally ignored -- often blocked from opening to begin with. From a
user's perspective, they're a slight irritation.

Background music: a large audio file, usually at least a few hundred
kilobytes in size, is loaded onto your computer, usually not in a new
window -- not in any window at all -- which means that it has no "x"
button to close it. Most browsers do not have an option to disable
background sounds. (Opera does, but I'm not sure if it applies to sounds
caused by plugins.) From a user's perspective, if it's late at night and
there are people asleep nearby, you've probably woken them up; if you're
at work, supposed to be working on a report, you've been sacked; and if
you were listening to your own music, you're now listening to a garbled
concaphony of noise.

 

[cwdjrxyz]

I would say that pop-ups are nothing compared to background music when it
comes to annoyances.

If you are speaking of the old Microsoft background sound, which plays
automatically, can not be turned off, and often is set to loop without
limit, I have to agree with you. Even if I like music in general, I may
very much dislike the selection on a certain page.

However, using nearly any of the modern methods of streaming, you can
use a start-stop button and set it to only start when you click the
button.The more elaborate players such as the WMP and Real allow you to
use a small bar console that in addition has volume controls,
information about the cut being played, and a download status bar that
shows how fast the audio is being downloaded in relation to how much of
the file has been played as the audio is still downloading. Download
does not start until you click the start button. All of this is just
part of the players, and is controlled by parameters in the player
object code. Also, if the browser does not support a player or a
certain sound format, one can write the code so that the start-stop
button or control mini console does not show up at all, so the viewer
will never know the page had sound, unless he or she looks at the
source code. Much the same considerations apply to video formats
including flash, although you would never know it from viewing some of
those flash ads that auto start and can not be turned off. Unless the
page is about a music selection, another very bothersome thing to me is
when someone writes the code to bring up the whole WMP complete with
light show that nearly fills the screen and makes the page impossible
to read. You can click a control or two and minimize the player.
However, if you embed the player correctly(hopefully using an object
rather than illegal embed tag), you need not bother people with all of
this.

Even more bothersome is when someone sends you an email with a musical
selection set to autoplay. At least here you usually can configure how
you view mail so that you do not have to view, or listen to, the html
effects, including the music. However, a few people may have a good
reason to have their mail set up to include html effects and not just
plain text.

 

[©®]

Hi Evryone
Thanks for the replies.
The reason I want to "embed" is so people can play a sample piece of
music that will be available to buy.
I realised choice #2 was best - giving the option to play.
I just thought that it would be good to have a "player" open on the page
instead of an app opening. I think giving the person the choice o
download the clip may be better.
Thanks
PS - If it is not frowned upon, is there the option to embed if the user
so desires to hear the piece or should I still stick with them just
downloading the sample piece?

 

[Jose]

PS - If it is not frowned upon, is there the option to embed if the user

so desires to hear the piece or should I still stick with them just
downloading the sample piece?

Take a look at http://www.sonicbids.com/josefhelujr (click on audio) for
an example of how you might do this. There are separate links for the
different players, and for stream or download.

Sonicbids is a site devoted "electronic press kits", primarily for bands
looking for gigs, and venues looking for talent. This particular page
has my song; there are many other pages but they work pretty much the
same. I wrote the song, but not the site.

Jose

 

[Travis Newbury]

I would like a sample piece of music to play:
1. either on page load or
2. if the person clicks a link.
(I'm thining #2 would be best).

Yes you are right in your assumption that choice #2 is the best.

You have a few options open to you. You can just include a link to an
Mp3 file. This will open the default player the user has on their
machine. This is the most unobtrusive method, but not necessarily the
best depending on the site.

You can also embed a player in the page. Then using scripting you can
let the user switch between songs. The advantage of this method is
that you can Incorporated the player into the page design. Sometimes
that is preferred.

Another option you have is to use Flash. And create a flash player.
Many rock bands do this. (I can personally speak for Run DMC,
Aerosmith, and the Cars because I actually created the Flash players
for their websites) This allows you to make the player an intricate
part of the website. Fox news also does this because Flash video and
music via Flash can get through most firewalls. (Which is another
advantage)

The more you incorporate the music into the page, the fewer people will
actually be able to use it as you have designed. But, this percentage
that can not use it is probably less than 10% of your typical visitors
(probably more like 30 or 40% of the users in this forum would not see
it because they CHOOSE not to.)

A google of "embedded media player" will reward you with the actual
code you need. If you search www.flashkit.com you will find several
flash players that would work for you. Each with the source code.

Good luck, and ignore the idiots here. There is a difference between
"book world", and "real world" that most don't seem to understand.

 

[Travis Newbury]

Yes, but then the user needs to have flash, and flash is a Bad Thing.

You are just intimidated by Flash. Fear the unknown....

 

[Rguy84]

You are just intimidated by Flash. Fear the unknown....

You must never have looked at the accessibility side of it. Flash sucks
for that. So if you want all users to view, avoid flash, period

 

[Travis Newbury]

You must never have looked at the accessibility side of it. Flash sucks
for that. So if you want all users to view, avoid flash, period

You keep on believing that.

 

[Travis Newbury]

You must never have looked at the accessibility side of it. Flash sucks
for that. So if you want all users to view, avoid flash, period

You know re-reading your reply I noticed something you said;

"So if you want all users to view"

You are a fool to believe you can do anything that "all users can view"
ESPECIALLY when it comes to multimedia. Just admit you are intimidated
by Flash. Fear the unknown....

 

[Jose]

Yes, but then the user needs to have flash, and flash is a Bad Thing.

You are just intimidated by Flash. Fear the unknown....

I am not intimidated by flash. I am greatly annoyed by advertisers who
use flash to get through my default settings. I am also greatly annoyed
that flash has no "off switch" (though savvy users can download a plugin
to defeat the flash plugin).

I have also found that in most cases, the flash content is lame to begin
with, and I can easily live without it. Should I want to see it, I can
manually enable it by renaming the appropriate files.

Jose

 

[Travis Newbury]

I am not intimidated by flash. I am greatly annoyed by advertisers who
use flash to get through my default settings. I am also greatly annoyed
that flash has no "off switch" (though savvy users can download a plugin
to defeat the flash plugin).

No you are wrong, EVERY browser DOES have a Flash OFF switch that works
100% of the time. It is called the back button. This same feature
works with other annoying things you might find on a website. If you
don't like it leave. If enough people do that, then the page owner
will get the hint. Let the free market, not ignorance or intimidation,
determine the success or failure of Flash.

I have also found that in most cases, the flash content is lame to begin
with, and I can easily live without it.

This is a personal opinion. And much like anecdotal data, it is
meaningless in an argument.

 

[Jose]

No you are wrong, EVERY browser DOES have a Flash OFF switch that works

100% of the time. It is called the back button.

I suppose the same can be said for the blink tag.

Jose