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Forums, Discussion Groups | Online Documentation | Other Publications
Equipment Manufacturers | Equipment Vendors
Many of the resources here are listed in Appendix H of the book. However, due to the ever-changing streaming media landscape the links here may be more current than those listed in the book. In addition, the list here will grow over time.
Forums, Mailing Lists
These are some of the best ways to stay at the forefront of the streaming media industry. Things are changing so fast, it usually takes months before any of the streaming media software manufacturers documents their latest features -- or bugs. Got a question? Ask a fellow professional.
- Streamingmedia.com lists. The StreamingMedia.com folks have a whole bunch of great mailing lists you can subscribe to, grouped into the following categories:
- Content Markets
- Business Lists
- Tech Lists
- World Lists
- General
Of particular interest for readers of this book is the general list, with lively discussion pretty much all the time, and the advanced technical list, where you can get answers directly from the pros.
- Webcasting list. This list has been around since 1994. Lots of old-timers and broadcast professionals subscribe to this mailing list.
- Apple Lists. The best (only?) place to get answers to questions about QuickTime technology. You can choose from four separate QuickTime lists, of which the quicktime-talk is the most general. The archives are all searchable and an invaluable source of information.
- RealForum. Swing by the RealForum for the latest discussions about RealNetworks technology. Organized as threaded discussions, this is a great place to go for research.
- Windows Media Newsgroups. For all things Windows Media, try one of their newsgroups.
Online Documentation
Although all three streaming media manufacturers offer online documentation, it can be a frustrating experience to wade through it to find the one thing you need. The main locations for the online documentation are as follows:
- QuickTime. You can find a ton of information in the developer section of the Apple Web site.
- RealSystem. You can find lots of good stuff in the Resources & Support section of the Web site. Any of the following RealNetworks sites could have the answer you seek:
- Windows Media. The Microsoft Developer's Network is the place to look, though not always the easiest Web site to navigate. The best bet is to go to the MSDN home page and then search for what you're after.
An extremely useful source is the Windows Media SDK, which is available here. If you work with Windows Media, you should download and install this now. It's a pain to navigate, but most answers are in there -- somewhere.
- SMIL documentation. The SMIL 2.0 Specification is available on the W3C site, as is the XHTML+SMIL Profile.
Other Publications
Although you won't find many other books about streaming media, you can find unlimited numbers of books on other topics that may be helpful. In particular, some topics that are only covered in a cursory manner in the book are dealt with in depth in the following tomes. All of the following books are available from the usual online book merchants.
- Flash 5 Bible. Robert Reinhardt & Jon Warren Lentz. Excellent A-Z reference book for Flash, with superior Expert Tutorials.
- JavaScript Bible. Danny Goodman. A must if you are serious about JavaScript.
- Matters of Light and Depth. Ross Lowell. A ten-year labor of love by one of the best in the business. This is a must-have for people who want to learn about lighting design.
- Modern Recording Techniques. David Huber. A good, thorough book about audio production
- Principles of Digital Audio. Ken Pohlman. The "bible" of digital audio.
- QuickTime for the Web. Steven Gulie. A great place to start for folks who want to learn about QuickTime. Entertainingly written.
- SMIL: Adding Multimedia to the Web. Mary Slowinsky & Tim Kennedy. The first seriously comprehensive book about SMIL.
- Video Compression Demystified. Peter Symes. Recommended by the folks at Sonic Foundry.
- Compression for Great Digital Video : Power Tips, Techniques, and Common Sense. Ben Waggoner. If you join any of the discussion lists or forums, Ben's name will crop up time and again. He's the man. Buy his book.
The only magazine currently dedicated to streaming media is Streaming Magazine. Of course, the author contributes a regular column, which is archived here on this site.
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