New Media Resources

Resources about Digital Video on the Web
Microsoft PowerPoint
DVD-Video Disc Production
Optimizing Computer Settings for Excellent Web Browsing Experiences
HTML Coding

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The New Media Integration Group loves to document the methods and production processes we use to create CD-ROMs, DVD-Video Discs, websites, and streaming video. Often we create a website with the critical information and post it to a publicly available web server for others to reference. Below is a list of handy sites. Feel free to browse and to reference these pages in your own projects.

Resources about Digital Video on the Web

Digital Video for the Web Workshop
A comprehensive resource website on creating and delivering digital video over the Internet.

Data Rates for Various Connection Speeds to the Internet
Comparing the data rates for various pipelines or connections speeds to the Internet is helpful when designing and delivering digital streaming video. How does a 56KB modem differ from a Cable Modem? A “Chart of Real World Data Rates” is provided on this web page.

Graphic Representation of Various Connection Speeds to the Internet
Compare the data rate capabilities of videotape, DVD-Video Disc, CD-ROM, T1 Internet, and 56.6Kilobits/sec modems and see example movies showing the quality and size differences for digital videos.

Download Speed Test for a 1 MegaByte File
The Circuit City electronics store has created a nifty tool that compares download times for a 1MB file (56Kilobits vs 512Kilobits vs 1Megabit vs 1.5Megabits per second). Just access the Circuit City home page, click the “Broadband” link, then select the option “Speed Demo.”

Test Your Current Connection Speed to the Internet
Circuit City offers another nifty tool that registers your current connection speed to the Internet. After accessing the Circuit City home page, click the “Broadband” link, then select the option “Speed Meter: How Fast is YOUR Connection?”

Storage Requirements for Digital Video Files
We’ve created a comparison chart of storage requirements for a one-minute digital video file, depending on the codec used, the video frame size, and the frame rate. This page helps determine how large a firewire drive you should purchase.

Digital Media Samplers
We have worked long and hard to create tons of digital video samples comparing quality and frame size parameters for streaming videos.

QuickTime Player Workshop
Learn to use the Pro version of QuickTime Player for media creation and as a simple editing tool for video and audio files. We demonstrate how to obtain QuickTime, exploit the player’s features and functions, and edit using the software.

Embed Tags for QuickTime in HTML Web Pages
QuickTime is extremely versatile in the display options you have when including a digital video or audio file in your web pages. This website identifies and illustrates 25 different embed tags.

Adding an Automatic QuickTime Detection Test to Your Website
To experience a website with QuickTime media, users must have the QuickTime plug-in or ActiveX component in their web browser. This website dissects an automatic QuickTime Detection Test that either sends the user to Apple to download the application/plug-in or passes the user transparently to your main web pages.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Embedding QuickTime Movies in PowerPoint on Windows-based Computers
This web page provides step-by-step instructions on how to embed QuickTime in the Windows version of PowerPoint. Included is information about making a double-size reference movie so that presenters can display larger movies in large room viewing situations.

DVD-Video Disc Production

DVD-Video Disc Workshop
A very extensive site discussing the MPEG-2 digital video format, as well as the features, functions and methods used to create DVD-Video Discs.

Preparing Menus & Graphics for DVD-Video Discs
Creating the graphics, menus and buttons that accompany most DVD-Video projects is usually very straightforward. But there are rules you must follow in order for the graphics documents to import correctly into the DVD-Studio Pro software and to have their layers interpreted properly. Failure to follow these rules can result in graphics, menus and subpicture button highlights that do not display properly.

The following set of instructions is based on readings and mostly on personal experiences for what does and does not work between Photoshop and DVD-Studio Pro.

DVD-ROM Media: Configurations Chart
Just what are the differences between single-sided/single-layer DVD-ROMs and single-sided/dual-layer, dual-sided/single-layer, and dual-sided/dual layers media?

DVD-R Media: The Difference between General & Authoring Media
Various DVD-R drives use different types of optical media for the jobs they need to do. This web page includes a white paper from Pioneer Electronics explaining the differences between “General” and “Authoring” media.

Optimizing Computer Settings for Excellent Web Browsing Experiences

Font Size Display: Changing the Setting on Windows-based Computers
If a website contains a QuickTime movie in which a caption or text track has been added to the video and audio, Windows computers will sometimes display the text incorrectly (oversized, too big, cut off). This site explains how to fix the display problem.

Volume Controls: Changing the Settings on Windows-based Computers
A website may contain digital video and audio files that play with very low volume. No matter how much you turn up the volume control on your computer’s speakers or turn up the volume controls built into the QuickTime, RealMedia or Windows Media players, the sound level is still too low. This website shows the hidden internal volume settings controls.

HTML Coding

How to Re-Direct One Web Page Automatically to Another
Forgot how to insert the meta tag in the header of an HTML page to automatically re-direct the user to another website or page? Here’s the cheat sheet.

University of Utah Web Resources Website
Media Solutions has created and maintains the U Web Resources website. This website provides University of Utah web developers with current information on U web policies and guidelines, e-commerce requirements, materials from campus Webmaster Forums, web software, coding, and current U webmaster news.