Non-interactive Multimedia

Analogous to the static text and graphics discussed above,  non-interactive streaming media are the most common forms of sound and video files. The user has a limited amount of control over what he or she sees (usually the user controls are limited to simple start/stop/rewind/fast forward buttons).

Streaming Audio

RealPlayer

RealPlayer is a system for distributing audio and video content over the web. It makes small files, and can handle multiple connection speeds in the same file. The quality tends to be somewhat lower than with other systems, however. The major advantages of RealPlayer are that it is cross-platform and that it is installed by default with most modern web browsers. Putting your media into Real format means that most of your colleagues will be able to access it without installing additional software.

SHOUTCast

SHOUTcast lets anyone with a high-speed Internet connection set up a live radio station. The server software runs on Macintosh, Windows and Unix, and the player software is a plug-in for the popular WinAmp MP3 player Despite the name, Winamp is available for the Macintosh as well as for Windows. SHOUTCast audio can also be played with other popular software such as MacAmp (again, despite the name, this software is available for both Windows and Macintosh) and Apple's iTunes.  Both the the server and player software are available at no charge, a substantial advantage over RealPlayer (which charges money for high-performance server software). SHOUTcast allows archiving "shows" for later retrieval by the users, and encodes the audio stream in real time, meaning that a separate encoding step is not necessary. 

Streaming Video

RealPlayer

RealPlayer (mentioned above) allows you to stream video as well as audio. RealVideo file sizes tend to be small (and thus usable on a low-speed connection) but not of the highest quality. Again, though free viewers and encoders are available, taking full advantage of this technology requires purchasing the commercial version of the software.

QuickTime

Quicktime is Apple's technology for showing video on the desktop. It is available for Windows as well as the Macintosh. A disadvantage of this technology is that Windows users must download and install Quicktime (it comes pre-installed on the Macintosh). File compression is good (though the files tend to be somewhat larger than with Real) and the image quality is very good. As with RealPlayer, Quicktime comes in both free and commercial versions. Taking full advantage of this technology requires the commercial version.
 

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is Microsoft's answer to Quicktime. As with QuickTime, it is available for both platforms, though Mac users must download and install the software. Image quality and file compression are good. Windows Media Player is free.

Dr. Evangeline Pianfetti's Digital Video in Instruction pages, University of Illinois

An Overview of Planning, Shooting, Capturing, Editing and Embedding Video for Delivery on a Computer, Jim Bertelsen and Jim Buell, University of Illinois

Digital Video Editing (an online resource aimed at professionals, but also has information of interest to the classroom user or advanced amateur)