EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
`Real-time Audio and Video Playback on the Web
`
`Bob Godwin-Jones
`Virginia Commonwealth University
`
`Contents:
`
`From Downloading to Streaming
`
`Standards and Players
`
` Language Sites
`Instructional Uses
`
` Resource List
`o Streaming Formats and Sample Sites
`o Developer's Corner
`
`From Downloading to Streaming
`
`For many of us interested in language teaching and technology, our first visit to the Web back in the
`pioneer days of 1993-94 was a revelation, even with the painfully slow rendering of pages supplied
`by early Mosaic. Here was a networked medium which displayed not only text with accented
`characters (unlike e-mail) but also graphics, and--so crucial to our needs--even allowed incorporation
`of audio and video files. And it did so in a non-proprietary, cross-platform format! This seems so
`commonplace to us today that it's hard to realize how tremendous a benefit the standards-based,
`multi-platform compatibility of the Web has been to us in language and technology. It has largely
`made our platform wars and battles over authoring tools irrelevant, while providing a means to reach
`out to everyone, not just the chosen few who share our cyber-religious platform convictions.
`
`At that time and until recently, the only way to access audio and video files on the Web was to
`download them temporarily to the local computer, a process which could take some time depending
`on the size of the file. Of course, this process is handled transparently by the browser: a helper
`application or the browser itself plays back the file once it has been received in its entirety. Web
`delivery of multimedia files solved a problem for our language lab at VCU and undoubtedly for
`others as well, namely that of how to store digital audio and video clips temporarily on users'
`machines, without having to manually delete or replace them before each new group of students
`comes in for Spanish, French, or German class.
`
`"What once were virtues now are vices." Today this feature of the Web--the ability to access
`downloadable multimedia files--is seen as problematic. Our give-it-to-me-now mentality needs the
`audio and video to play immediately, not to download first and then play. In fact, Web technology has
`evolved to the point that this kind of real-time delivery (called "streaming") of audio is a reality, even
`over a modem connection. Initial audio quality was that of a cheap AM radio, but the latest players
`feature near CD-qualitystereo (over a fast connection). A number of radio stations, both in the U.S.
`and abroad are now "web-casting" their programs. Many special events and conference presentations
`are being delivered live over the Web in streaming format.
`
`Video streaming has not yet reached the same level of maturity and performance. Real-time video
`provides a small playback window and delivery tends to be choppy and erratic and especially painful
`over a modem connection. Given the enormous volume of visual and graphic information needed to
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`transmit and synchronize video, it's not surprising that reliable streaming video over the congested
`Internet is a tremendous technical challenge. Progressive Networks recently introduced
`their RealVideo streaming technology, which offers a significant improvement in quality. As
`compression technologies evolve and network bandwidth increases (for example through the new 56k
`modems), video broadcasting over the Web should steadily improve in quality and performance.
`
`Standards and Players
`
`There is not yet a single standard for delivery of streaming audio and video over the Web. Currently
`the major formats are StreamWorks, Vivo, VDO, and RealAudio/RealVideo, the latter being the most
`widely used standard. With all available standards, the quality of the delivered files varies
`considerably and is dependent on such factors as the speed of your Internet connection, the capability
`of your computer and the location of and traffic to the site where the file is located. Even under
`optimal conditions, playback is not instantaneous. Typically there is a short "buffering" process
`before playback during which enough of the file is downloaded for it to begin playing. While that
`section is playing, the rest of the file is downloaded in the background in order to allow for
`continuous play. Techniques have been developed to allow a kind of pseudo-streaming of formats that
`normally require initial downloading before playback; this is now possible with QuickTime audio and
`video.
`
`How the audio or video file is delivered to you on the Web varies with each product, but the basic
`approach is the same. You download the player software to your computer from the company making
`the player (it's best to go direct to the source and get the latest version), run the installation program
`(or follow the instructions to install the player manually), and then re-start your Web browser. The
`streaming formats listed here all come with free players for both Windows and Macintosh computers.
`Some Mac players are for PowerPC Macs only; some Windows players are for Windows95 only.
`They typically require Netscape Navigator 2.0 or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher.
`Most players work as external "helper applications" to your Web browser, but some also can function
`as "plug-in" applications, in which the controls (and in the case of video, the picture) are seamlessly
`integrated into your browser window, rather than being displayed in an external window.
`
`The player (or plug-in controls) allow the user to play, stop and pause the file, and in most cases also
`jump ahead or back. With streaming formats it is possible to have usable audio files which are quite
`long in length--some on the Web are an hour or longer--and still have it possible for the user to
`navigate through the file asdesired. With downloaded audio files (in au, aiff, or wav formats), that
`kind of length would not be practical since it would take too long to download over the Internet and
`would also require too much temporary storage space on the local PC. Streaming formats are
`compressed much more than other sound or video formats and thus are easier to receive and to store.
`
`Language Sites
`
`There is a wealth of streaming audio materials available on the Web in a great variety of languages.
`Unfortunately, not all sites use the same streaming technology; this makes it necessary to make sure
`you have the appropriate player for the site you are visiting. Most will let you know what technology
`they are using and will offer some assistance, but this varies greatly from site to site. The links to sites
`in the Resource List below are intended as examples, they do not represent by any means the full
`extent of offerings in any language. Only technologies for which they are a good number of sites
`offering audio or video in languages other than English are listed. Some sites now offer files in more
`than one streaming standard.
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`The major European languages offer the richest variety of streaming audio and video. For French
`there is access to radio stations such as Europe 1 or RTL (FranceLink) as well as to news
`from Canada or Tunisia; Regional French news broadcasts are also available, offering a different
`perspective from the national services. Germany's ARD re-broadcasts on the Web its most popular
`TV news shows and the Deutsche Welle service offers a variety of radio
`transmissions; Swiss and Austrian programs are also available. Spanish speakers can tune in to radio
`broadcasts and news from a great diversity of countries including Spain, Mexico, and a number of
`South American countries (including Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay,
`and Venezuela). News is available in streaming format for Italian and Portuguese
`(from Portugal and Brazil).
`
`Swedish news is available, as is Norwegian, Icelandic, and Finnish. Live radio is being Web-cast
`from Romania, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. You can tune in to Polish broadcasts from Chicago
`(also Bulgarian, Serbian and Russian). Non-European languages are represented as well, with news
`broadcasts from countries such as Israel, Taiwan, Ind ia, Korea, Indonesia, and Japan. The Web offers
`a compelling showcase for regional languages to reach a wider audience--streaming audio is
`available, for example, for Catalan and Cornish. For ESL students, the Timecast server features a
`wide range of sites of potential interest and also allows subscription to a "daily briefing" in user-
`selected areas.
`
`Instructional Uses
`
`What does this technology offer us as language teachers? The most obvious and direct benefit is the
`availability of authentic language materials in a multimedia format. For language teachers, audio and
`video are not fancy add-ons but provide direct access to the discipline's "content"--human
`communication in all its linguistic and cultural diversity. Streaming technologies provide up-to-date,
`even live, information in an on-demand, easy-to-use format. It's not difficult to imagine building
`lesson plans on the basis of student visits to some of the sites listed above. An interesting benefit is
`that while many sites have alternative English versions of their Web pages, most have only target
`language audio and video (an exception is the current Web hit Calling Bill Gates from Germany).
`One practical concern about basing assignments on such sites is whether the targeted links will still be
`active when students visit the sites. Most of the streaming files can not be cached locally, as is the
`case with HTML files or graphics (or traditional audio). In the case of RealAudio, there is a
`commercial version of the player (RealPlayer Plus) which allows saving and local playback of "real"
`audio and video files.
`
`Besides having students use language material from target cultures, it is also possible for instructors
`to put their own audio or video materials in streaming format on the Web. How this is done depends
`on the particular product used. For most, it is necessary to save the audio or video file in a proprietary
`format and then upload it to a Web server or to a proprietary media server. For RealAudio, for
`example, an already digitized sound file in au, aiff or wav format is "encoded" into Progressive
`Networks' "ra" (RealAudio) format using either a (free) stand-alone encoder or a plug-in to programs
`such as SoundEdit 16 (Mac) or SoundForge (Windows). In the case of some streaming formats, users
`then link directly to that new sound file. In the case of RealAudio, the user links instead to a "meta"
`file which contains a pointer to the sound file, which is typically delivered from a proprietary
`RealAudio server. Alternatively, RealAudio files can also be streamed from a standard Web server.
`
`An interesting instructional possibility with RealAudio or RealVideo is "synchronized multimedia."
`While a sound or video file is played, a kind of slide show is shown in the browser window,
`displaying a series of Web pages containing text and/or graphics which complement or illustrate the
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`audio content. In fact, entire lectures, complete with lecture notes or slides, can be delivered in this
`way. This kind of presentation is also possible through Macromedia's Shockwave plug-in technology.
`For content developers, there are in fact a variety of interesting approaches to incorporating real-time
`audio or video with interactive Web functionality through JavaScript or Java.
`
`
`
`Resource List
`
`Streaming Formats and Sample Sites
`
`StreamWorks
`Player and info: Xing Technology
`Directory of sites: StreamWorks Sites
`
`
`Sample sites:
`FranceLink - Links to a number of French radio programs
`La Megaestacion - A San Juan, Puerto Rico radio station (Spanish)
`Yonhap Television News - Korean news
`
`Vivo
`Player and info: Vivo Software
`Directory of sites: VivoActive Video Gallery
`
`
`Sample sites:
`Italia on-line (Italian)
`Tokyo Broadcasting system (Japanese)
`ONTV-sverige (Swedish)
`
`VDO
`Player and info: VDOnet Corporation
`Directory of sites: VDOGuide
`
`Sample sites:
`ARD - Erstes Deutsche Fernsehen (German)
`Polish news from Chicago - Also links to Bulgarian, Serbian and Russian broadcasts
`FR3 - Regional TV newscasts (French)
`
`RealAudio and RealVideo
`Player and info: Progressive Networks
`Directory of sites: Site Guide
`
`Sample sites:
`Radio-Canada Nouvelles - All-news Web site in French from the CBC
`Tunisia National Radio (ERTT) - News, music and sports in French and Arabic
`Der Spiegel - Links to German multimedia resources
`Deutsche Welle - Rich source of news in German
`Swiss info - In German
`Portugal - Live radio programming in Portuguese from Lisbon
`Brazil - News in Portuguese from Rio de Janeiro
`
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`Radio COPE From Madrid (Spanish)
`Colombia - From Bogota (Spanish)
`Uruguay - News and information from Montevideo (Spanish)
`Radiodifusion Argentina al Exterior - From Buenos Aires (Spanish)
`Segundo Informe de Gobierno - From Mexico City (Spanish)
`Venezuela - News and music from Caracas (Spanish)
`Latin News - From Chile, Ecuador and Peru (Spanish)
`Emisoras Unidas - News, sports and entertainment radio station in Spanish from Guatemala
`Hungary - Live news, talk and music programming from Budapest (Hungarian)
`Czech Republic - Multilingual daily news and information about the Czech people
`Croatia - News in Croatian
`Romania - Live radio broadcasts from Bucharest (Romanian)
`RADIO X 97.7 - In Icelandic from Reykjavik
`Swedish Radio - From Stockholm
`Norway - News and information in Norwegian from Oslo
`YLE Radionews - Hourly news broadcasts in Finnish (Helsinki, Finland)
`Taiwan - Music and news in Chinese
`Syahreza's Radio Station - Pop music and news from Jakarta, Indonesia (Indonesian)
`All India Internet radio - Music and news
`Israel - News broadcasts in Hebrew and English
`Ad Newodhow: The Cornish News Service - News from Cornwall (Cornish)
`Catalan - News and talk show programming from Barcelona (Catalan)
`
`Developer's Corner
`
`
`RealAudio Content Creation Guide - Getting started with RealAudio file creation
`Synchronized multimedia - Sending audio or video with timed slide show
`R ealAudio and JavaScript - Controlling playback of audio (or video) with JavaScript
`Educational Resources - Some sites using RealAudio and RealVideo in instruction
`VivoActive Producer 2.0 - Information on creating Vivo audio or video streaming
`StreamWorks Server FAQ - Frequently asked questions about using the StreamWorks server
`VDOLive Tools - How to create VDO files from QuickTime
`
`Shockwave Director - Pointers to information on streaming with Shockwave
`QuickTime - Information on pseudo-streaming QuickTime movies
`
`SoundForge - Commercial sound editor for Windows
`SoundEdit 16 - Commercial sound editor for Mac
`
`
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