Player Page 1

We use Frames with the new SWF (shock wave flash) technology for
streaming audio. We think it is worth the effort because it may be a while
before anyone comes up with a reliable & ubiquitous stand alone player
for SWF. When you consider that the popular MP3 format works fine &
can deliver high fidelity over DSL & Cable, you begin to doubt that an
increasing interest in streaming medium fidelity SWF will even occur.

Why use SWF?
SWF makes sense for as long as the 56k modem remains common:
For 56k modems, MP3 streams at 24 or 32kbps:
Low Fidelity with up to a 30 second delay loading the song clip;
while SWF streams at 56kbps:
Medium Fidelity with about a 5 second delay preloading the song clip.
& this increase in fidelity and buffering speed comes with no increase
in the size of the music file which must be stored online at the server.
A 2 minute 32kbps MP3 songclip requires about 417 kilobytes.
A 2 minute 56kbps SWF songclip requires about 317 kilobytes.
Commercial software is available for converting WAVE or MP3 music files
to the new SWF format. We use a program from Wicked Streaming.
SWF audio technology is also available from MP3soundstream.com
A free trial version is available from either source & their "help files" are
worth reading if you're interested in SWF audio.

Why use Frames?
The use of a frameset is Suggested by the folks at Wicked Streaming who offer a very basic frameset example. The use of frames allows SWF to be streamed in a familiar way. A good "frameset" performs the same function as a stand alone player like Winamp. Without a stand alone player an unsophisticated website visitor will find himself unable to roam from our music page while continuing to listen to our sound clips. But when a framset is used, a visitor to our music page can stream our audio from one frame while browsing our other pages, or remote sites, in a second frame without interupting the stream. When frames are used the music stream is turned off when visitors leave our music page. Not having an "automatic" turn off mechanism wastes broadband and can be irritating to visitors when SWF audio is used. Using frames also prevents the only really annoying feature of SWF audio: the accidental "double play". ~Page 2 features a simple SWF clips player.

CrossFrame Menus
Although a clips player can be made using a lot of freeware menu programs, in order to have a player that works with dispatch through the popular 56k dial up connections most of us have, the menu program needs to be "Cross Frame Capable". That is: the menu must be capable of extending out beyond its own frame over the larger content frame it serves. This capability allows the menu to remain at the ready. (The menu does not need to reload after each new song selection which can interfere with the audio stream.)

The advantage of dropdown menus is obvious. But in order to use dropdown menus effectively additional scripting is required to make them crossframe capable. ~Page 3 features an example using a freeware/donation crossframe DHTML menu program from TwinHelix Designs. A modest familiarity with script is required. But if you're really interested in constructing an attractive SWF clips player on the cheap, we recommend the Cascade Menu.

GUI Interface Menu Programs
An attractive Clips Player can be made using a commercial menu program from Sothink. The program's GUI interface requires a license. It's relatively easy to use after a little study. For players featuring a single artist the Sothink program probably offers the quickest assembly for those unfamiliar with scripting. For better or worse the newest version doesn't support older browsers like NS4 & Moz1.0 but it is capable of producing dramatic effects. ~Page 4 features a Java menu program from Harmony Hollow with a GUI interface. The program loads the player fast & is easy to learn.