The Web is a great place to find multimedia files of all kinds, including images, audio files, and videos. Here's the basic technical requirements you'll need in order to view the larger files (audio and video in particular). For images, you won't need anything but a computer with a browser.
Basic Multimedia Requirements
If you've purchased your computer in the last two to three years, you shouldn't have any problem at all viewing or listening to most audio and video files. However, here are some of the barebones PC requirements you should have (these requirements are directly from Real Player; you should know that since computers and technology are constantly upgraded, that these requirements are bound to change too). In addition, while these particular requirements are from Real Player, they are pretty much the same across the board no matter which player you choose to play your multimedia content. For PC's:- 120MHz Intel Pentium processor or equivalent (audio only)
- 16MB of RAM
- 28.8Kpbs modem
- 16-bit sound card and speakers
- 65,000-color video display card (video)
- Windows* 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2000 ME (final release version only) or Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4
- IE 4.0.1 or Netscape 4.0 or later
- Mac* OS 8.1 or later
- 32 MB RAM
- Virtual Memory turned on, set to 64MB
- 604 PowerPC* (200 MHz or better)
- 28.8Kpbs modem Internet connection
- Browser support: Microsoft* Internet Explorer* 4.01 or later or Netscape* 4.05 or later
Multimedia Players for Audio and Video Files
These are my personal picks for the best players out there. They are quick to download, take up a small amount of PC real estate, and deliver good quality multimedia content. Plus, they're free; at least for the basic versions, which I have found covers pretty much everything I need.- Apple Quicktime: The more I use Apple products, the more I appreciate them. Apple Quicktime is a superior product that delivers video content in a clean, streamlined format.
- Windows Media Player: Download the free version and you'll be able to play pretty much anything you come across. High quality format.
- Winamp Player: Free download; plays audio and video. Only $14.95 to upgrade to the Pro version, which allows you to rip MP3's and burn CD's; not a bad deal.
- RealPlayer: You can download RealPlayer for free, and it plays pretty much anything.
- Media Players-Download.com: If you want to check out reviews and user comments for various media players, this is a good place to start. Includes the ones already mentioned in this article, with a ton of lesser knowns thrown in as well.
