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Plug-ins are extensions to your browser that add some sort of functionality. Whereas a Helper Application can be run without the browser, a plug-in (mostly) changes the look of a part of a web page. For example, most of the ones listed here will display a movie or game on a web page, just as a web page can display a graphic. A word of warning: unless you are prepared to spend a lot of time fiddling with the settings on your PC, don't start to play with plugins - especially if you access the Internet via EduNet. Plugins tend to overlap - for example, they nearly all allow sound to be played - and so they conflict with each other, and with your existing installation. They also can have difficulties with Windows NT, many of them being designed for use on Windows 95/98. Real PlayerRealPlayer allows streaming sound and video - that is, live radio or television downloaded via the Internet. ABC Radio National is available in this format, as are a wide range of other broadcast services. There appear to be problems accessing RealAudio via EduNet. QuickTimeQuickTime is a format developed by Apple Computer. QuickTime can play a very wide range of resources, including QuickTime and JPEG videos, sounds, MIDI files and MP3 recordings. QuickTime also allows access to QuickTime VR, a virtual reality format which allows you to view 360° views, and to zoom in on specific items in the view. Installing QuickTime will automatically install the correct plugins for your browser. It will also install a QuickTime Player application. QuickTime videos can be created by upgrading to QuickTime Pro. This is the least expensive way to add video to your web site. ShockWave & FlashTwo products from MacroMedia, these allow multimedia to be included in a web site. Flash is a format for very small animations and sounds. ShockWave allows interactive multimedia presentations, including games, animations, movies and sound. MP3MP3 is a sound format used to download music files. Because of it's very high compression rate, it is an ideal format for use on the Internet MP3 files are typically a few megabytes, and so can take a few minutes to download. The sound quality is essentially indistinguishable from an Audio CD. There are an increasing range of products that allow a user to download files and save them for later use, say on a personal player, or in a car. Because of this, the format is seen as challenging existing methods of distribution. |
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