sound

sound questions Buzz Kettles wrote on sound playback: >I have one question. I think that the merit of the sound playFile >command is to stream a sound. But a inserted SWA is the streaming >member. What are pros and cons for using a inserted SWA and sound >playFile to play a SWA sound file? There are no real merits to sound playFile. puppetSound on a linked member is the same. (see my recent explanation: "Re: <lingo-l> sound play file and MP3") While both of these do 'streaming', it's media of member streaming from a HD. It can't begin until the member is local (not on a web server), so if you play (using sound playFile or puppetSound on linked member) a file located at a remote address, that file needs to download completely before the 'streaming' begins. SWA, QuickTime and Flash cast members can all stream the media directly from an http: address. This is real streaming ... it can begin before the whole member is local. In short, it's not the data file that does the streaming, it's the mechanism for dealing with that type of cast member. SWA files are just enhanced MP3 files (we added cue points, & more lower compression rates, etc.), that can be streamed or not depending on whether the mechanism (cast member) that is playing them knows how. NOTE: Most MP3 players still don't know how to stream and Director has been doing it for almost 4 years! > Do the new xtras for inserting a SWA >member have better technique? There is no 'the new xtras for inserting a SWA member'. The new Sound Control Xtra gets you enhanced local control over traditional sound members (and Director's sound channels themselves). So it impact SWA Streaming members very little (just the channel control). Like puppetSound and sound playFile, sound().play() needs the entire member to be local, so there is no 'streaming' benefit. Hope This Helps -Buzz And later detailling it: There are no real merits to sound playFile. puppetSound on a linked member is the same. (see my recent explanation: "Re: <lingo-l> sound play file and MP3") While both of these do 'streaming', it's media of member streaming from a HD. It can't begin until the member is local (not on a web server), so if you play (using sound playFile or puppetSound on linked member) a file located at a remote address, that file needs to download completely before the 'streaming' begins. SWA, QuickTime and Flash cast members can all stream the media directly from an http: address. This is real streaming ... it can begin before the whole member is local. In short, it's not the data file that does the streaming, it's the mechanism for dealing with that type of cast member. And of course the files can be compressed enough that they can fit through the download pipe in real time (and still sound decent after 95% of the bits have been removed!) SWA files are just enhanced MP3 files (we added cue points, & more lower compression rates, etc.), and they can be streamed or not depending on whether the mechanism (cast member) that is playing them knows how. NOTE: Most MP3 players still don't know how to stream and Director has been doing it for almost 4 years! Hope This Helps -Buzz