Just because Web sites are easy to build these days, that doesn't mean it's easy to build a quality Web site that meets your business objectives. Before developing your next Web site, or redesigning an existing site, download this Internet.com eBook to guide you through the process and plan your project, whether you're developing a site in-house or outsourcing the project. Register now for your free Internet.com membership to download your complimentary eBook. Membership will also give you access to: eBook library         Whitepapers         Webcasts Newsletters         WinDrivers

Top 10 Articles Web Developer's Virtual Library: Encyclopedia of Web Design Tutorials, Articles and Discussions JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers Design JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - Objects JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - JavaScript Grammar JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - Versions of JavaScript Cascading Style Sheets JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - Embedding JavaScript JavaScript Tutorial for Programmers - Functions Authoring JavaScript

Domain Name Lookup Search to find the availability of a domain name. Just enter the complete domain name with extension (.com, .net, .edu)

Your web page can automatically play background sound when it's loaded. However, as with all multimedia you should carefully consider whether the benefits are justified when weighed against the penalties, e.g. additional download time, and users who don't appreciate having it forced on them. Offer a choice if possible.

The following code sample will play a background sound:-

<EMBED	src	= "fugue.mid"
	autostart=true
	hidden	= true>

If you're going to use the sound on a large page, place the tag towards the bottom of your code (but still within </BODY>). Wave files can take some time to load and may hold up the display of your page. This may cause users to hit the stop button in frustration..

If you have problems with MIDI files, be sure your server has the proper MIME types for MIDI files: audio/x-midi or better, audio/midi. Sounds can either be samples (.wav or .au format) or MIDI format (the above example shows MIDI).

<EMBED> with the "autostart=true" and "hidden=true" commands tells Navigator to start playing the file immediately. If you'd like to display the sound console, e.g. so that the user may stop the music or adjust the volume, use:-

<EMBED  src     = "MIDI/Classical/fugue.mid"
	width	= 200
	height	= 60
	loop	= FALSE
	align	= right
	>

Keep your background sound files small so they'll download quickly! Digital audio files may be recorded at a variety of resolutions, ranging from low resolution - 8 bit, 11 Mhz, up to CD quality - 16 bit, 44.1 Mhz. Typical medium quality may be 22 Mhz, 16 bits. These files can be prohibitively large, e.g. one minute's worth of CD quality audio takes up 10 Mbytes. This can take over two hours to download over a 14.4 Kbps modem, assuming a transfer rate of 1K/second.

For a longer piece of background music, consider using a MIDI file. Add the <BGSOUND> and < EMBED> tags for sound files near the end of the code for your page - visitors will be able to read the page while the file is loading in the background. Also, keep in mind that making people listen to sounds whenever they visit your site may irritate some, especially if they don't share your taste in music.

Better netiquette is to offer your visitors the option of hearing some music. The simplest method is to provide a regular hyperlink, e.g. Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D minor. Or study the source of our Classical MIDI Jukebox for a method that allows the music to continue playing while your visitor browses other pages.

The EMBED tag is not included in HTML 4.0 and you may want to be looking into the OBJECT tag, preparing for the day when all major browsers support it.

Real-time or "streaming" audio can be played while it's being received, eliminating the need to wait for the whole file to be downloaded first. The RealAudio system delivers music and speech over a network in real-time; users do not have to wait while a file downloads; the sound plays as it is delivered. Users have complete control over the sound; they can pause, move forward and back, and start or stop at any time. The network can be the Internet, an intranet, or any local area network. RealAudio formats are optimized for low- to medium-speed connections including 14.4 and 28.8 Kbps modems and ISDN. Early versions of RealAudio sounded like old thermionic valve receivers receiving shortwave transmissions from the other side of the world.. Current versions are much better but still leave something to be desired.

About MIDI

Classical MIDI Jukebox

<BGSOUND SRC=url LOOP=n>