Multimedia on the Web

Multimedia on the web is a dynamic area. User expectations have grown, and continue to grow. Nothing dresses up a simple site more than the thoughtful use of video.

The web has always held out the promise of being able to integrate words, static images, sound, and moving images. Naturally, the big barrier has been bandwidth. Videos represent a lot of data -- they are very big files. Delivering video to your users is a bit like a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant. It can be done, but...

In this module, we're going to look at the special concerns and challenges that video poses to the Web. We'll explore video and audio compression, and we'll take a look at some of the better tools available as well. We'll look at browser support and licensing issues, and come up with some strategies to help things work together more smoothly.

Delivering a true multimedia experience on the web is no small feat. Learning how to author compelling multimedia experiences is a specialty sport. Like any other field of design, it can take years to master the tools -- to say nothing of the aesthetic and usability issues. That said, the web is a wonderful medium for delivering multimedia if you can accept and fully understand the limitations. The issues of delivering multimedia across the web go to the heart of what the web is as a medium.