The WebDev Buzz

The Internet is believed to offer infinite possibilities in communication. One major step is the use of multimedia. Using multimedia makes the web pages come alive. There will be sound, video, and animations. Most web browsers have built-in software that can handle multimedia. But sometimes, the process of using them can be rather tiresome and long-winded. Some are unwieldy especially for beginners. But there is one which is designed to be user-friendly. It is called Wimpy Streaming.

The Wimpy is an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use multimedia streaming package. It is used to handle and support music, video, and even the spoken word. Since this technology is based on the Macromedia Flash plug-in, which is already installed in almost all web browsers, there will be less downloading involved.

To use the program, the web developer will simply upload some files to the server, together with the multimedia files. The Wimpy files stay in the server and not considered a “service, which demands regular payments. To create the HTML code so that the media player will appear on the web page, the web developer will need to answer a few questions in the Wimpy site. Then, based on the questions, the HTML code is automatically created. The web developer only needs to copy and paste the HTML code into a document to be uploaded to the web server.

So far, there are two versions available, the PHP (which is the first version) and the ASP (which is the much improved version). The Wimpy package is composed of the following: the MP3 player, the MP3 button and the AV player. The MP3 player is the audio player which appears similar to a CD player. The MP3 button is for instances when there is only one audio file to be used. The AV player is for video files.

All audio files should be in the MP3 format and all video files utilizes the Flash Video (FLV) format. At the Wimpy website, there is an available audio encoder that conveniently converts WAV and AIF files into the required MP3 format. As for video files, there are several programs in the Internet that are capable of converting video files into the Flash format. Some of them are even free.

For web developers who wanted to wield their creativity, the Wimpy program can be customized to perform the following:

• Create own skins
• Create and customize XML playlists
• Produce a JavaScript pop up
• Monitor usage of the multimedia
• Have the visitors vote on selections
• Create podcasts from audio files

When there is a Wimpy player on a web page, all the visitor needs to do is to click the play button to view or listen to the multimedia. The whole Wimpy package can be purchased at roughly $60.

Of course, placing multimedia in a website is not always a requirement for success. If multimedia is needed, then it should be uploaded. The multimedia must serve an important function in the website. If there is no need for a multimedia, then the web developers should not use it.