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christopher_n_lewis
25-05-2005, 11:55 AM
I want to put some shortish (10-20 secs) video clips on my website. Which file type would be the most sensible to use so that the maximum number of people can download and watch them, regardless of PC/Mac, which OS, and dial-up / broadband. (I'll put some text to warn dial-up users how big the clips are).

I think the three main players are RealPlayer, Quicktime and Windows Media, but I have no idea of how prevalent they are, and how flexible they are about file types.

The clips originate from a webcam, so are not high resolution.

Christopher

johnpritt
25-05-2005, 6:51 PM
Christopher
As a Mac user I have to thank you for not forgetting us! I use the latest version of the Mac OS (OS X.4.1), and usually (I stress usually) have no problem reading .wmv files. Obviously, as far as I'm concerned, Quicktime would be better, but let's be realstic and pragmatic: Mac users are probably more used to dealing with "foreign" file types than Windows users are ;)
Of course, there is a version of Quicktime for Windows, just as there is a version of Windows Media Player for the Mac (OSX). I'm not sure if there is a version for Mac OS 9.2.2, however. I think that Quicktime is possibly more flexible, but wouldn't bet my life on it.
Ask yourself who the intended audience is: if it is members of your family, for example, how many of them use Macs and how many of them use Windows? Then take it from there.
To make it easier, and depending on how you design your site, you could consider including links to the downloads for the various players on your movie index page, with a note to say in which format they are encoded.
I'm not sure, but I don't think there's a huge difference in file size, but even with broadband, a 60 second clip can take a while to download, and I hate to think how long it would take on a dial up connection. And it's not just the speed of the download, it's how the server can cope as well. But presumably you're not expecting as many people as tried to download the clip of janet jackson at the Superbowl?

Rod Neep
25-05-2005, 6:58 PM
Forget software names. (Quicktime, etc.) Many types of software read different file types.

.mpg files (or alternatively, but less common .wmv) are the file types to use that most software will read.

Regards
Rod

christopher_n_lewis
26-05-2005, 11:58 PM
Thanks guys. I'll try .mpg first.
Christopher