Techno Page
'Art forms' via the Net
The content and presentation of Internet sites are undergoing rapid improvements thanks to cutting edge multimedia technologies. The 'web' which was originally formed with the intention of enabling scientists and researchers to exchange text based documents (thus the hyper text transmission protocol or http) is now employing more dynamic media elements such as animations, movies and sounds to attract visitors.

Macromedia has been in the forefront of this revolution that was greatly powered by products like Flash and Director, which enabled web designers to incorporate eye catching and dynamic multimedia on their web sites while Dreamweaver chipped in with the web authoring aspect. Meanwhile, RealNetworks and Apple's QuickTime have brought about a new era of web media by spearheading the development of streaming media on the Internet. All in all, the options available to web designers have increased tremendously.

Against such a background, if you are a web designer or if you are aspiring to be one, it is not enough to be just a master of HTML, or a Graphics guru anymore. It is essential that you acquaint yourself with these new technologies and 'art forms' in order to design good websites. Using these multimedia technologies is not as difficult as you may think.

Recording sound and video for the web
If you are using Macromedia Flash or Director to do animations, recording does not become an issue, but if you want to add any recorded media there are some details you may need to know in order to do it efficiently and effectively.

Audio recording tips
Your computer is a capable digital-sound recording device. Buying any other sound recorder is not justified unless you need portability. With an audio editing program as your recorder and a good sound card like Sound Blaster Live, you have a basic streaming media production studio. The two primary considerations when recording audio are creating distortion-free sound and eliminating background noise. Modern recording equipment, even inexpensive equipment, makes high-quality recording easier than ever.

With digital sound, unlike analog sound, any distortion will result in a drastic drop in sound quality. Consequently, when recording sound for digital use, you need to lower the range for the headroom. Headroom is the portion of the decibel range that starts where the sound begins to distort and ends at the point where the distortion becomes a distraction to listeners. With digital recording, you need to use your equipment so that the loudest part of your signal registers between -10 dB and 0 dB on the VU meter. Recording with a digital recorder usually results in a much lower level of background noise than recording with an analog recorder anyway.

Video recording tips
For most Web surfers, streaming video runs closer to 4 fps (frames per second) than the 30 fps of television. To compensate for this difference, you should minimize the movement in your video content as much as possible. The more your content changes inside a frame, the slower the frame rate will be and the lower the quality of the image.

As a result of this problem, zooming in and out doesn't work well in streaming video because, everything inside the frame changes at once. If you must pan or zoom, do it very slowly. Always use a tripod to keep camera motion to a minimum.

Video also has background noise in the form of small specks and flickers that appear in the background. The best way to eliminate video noise is to use S-Video (or digital) cables and connectors instead of the 'analogue' cables and connectors.

Digitizing and editing media files
Once you are done with the recording, you must re-record it digitally onto your hard disk using audio editing or video capture software. In other words, you playback the recording on the analog recording device while recording the playback on your computer with your editing or capture software. Recording the playback is what converts the analog content to digital. If you've made a digital recording, you simply transfer the recording from the digital recording device to your computer. The necessary software usually comes with your video capture card and sound card.

Audio editing programs not only record but also enable sound editing and filtering so that you can both improve the quality of and rearrange your audio. Audio editing programs let you cut and paste audio clips just as you would cut and paste text in a word processor; you can also add sound bites (including sound effects) at any point in a recording and run filters such as noise reduction.

Video editing is very different from audio editing. Real-time video editors provide more convenience but remain quite expensive. Unfortunately, video editing programs are among the most complicated programs you'll ever use, but you can still do some simple things without cracking your head in the process: with software like Adobe Premier, you can cut and paste, add on and add in, make transitions, and add titles without much expertise.

Encoding
Encoding your media will enable the users to view them with less of a hassle as far as download time is concerned. You have to be careful about the type of codec (encoding algorithm) you use because the user will need to have the same to be able to view the media clips. There are many standard codec's that are found in most computers and most of them are also free to be used by anybody.

Different codecs optimize encoding for different bandwidths. Both RealPlayer and the QuickTime Player will play back a wide variety of unencoded media files, but keep in mind that most unencoded media files are huge and will stream painfully slowly. Encoding itself, though automated, is a process that takes time and ties up your computer. Real Networks provides basic encoding software (complete with codecs) for free, and that's really all you need. More advanced encoding software is also available such as DivX.

Embedding Streaming Media Online
Now for the grand finale; you have done all the hard work, but how do you post it on your website? If you are using MS FrontPage or Macromedia Dreamweaver, then the task is quite straightforward. If not, you should be able to get the same program you used in editing and encoding your media clip to also create a webpage to embed it, but this is easier to do with web authoring software because it gives you more flexibility and the process is quite simple.

All these elements should be used carefully and purposefully. The incorporation of these effects does not make a good website unless they are used for a purpose and with the proper intentions. The importance of considering the users needs cannot be overemphasized. There is no point in adding streaming media and extravagant large animations and graphics if the users of your website access the Internet with 28K or 56K modems. Among the factors that decide the success of a web site, the bandwidth, tastes (age group, culture and interests) of the users and the 'timing' factors play a major role. It is only after you have an understanding of these factors that you could successfully use your knowledge and skill to build an effective website.

Have you got anything to add to this? Write into technopage_lk@yahoo.com

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