Webmaster forum - How do you trigger the next download after the current one is done?

Author

How do you trigger the next download after the current one is done?

STJensen

2007-02-20, 6:17 pm

My website is www.RPwSJ.com and it is for my audio podcast show. What
I am trying to figure out is how to have the episodes download to the
visitor's computer in the fastest way but without causing a bottleneck
or too much delay. The current method is setting it so a new download
starts every minute and a half. The idea being that that should be
plenty of time for even a dial-up connection to download my short
audio podcast episodes. However, for those with a high-speed net
connection, this means it will take a half hour for that to be done.
I'm already getting complaints about the dramatic decrease in download
rate. But the previous solution was staggering downloads every ten
seconds and this caused bottlenecks for even some high-speed net
connections. What I am hoping is that someone here can tell me how to
instruct my website to start the next download right after the current
one gets done. This will make both groups (high-speeds and dial-ups)
happy. Anyone know?

Thanks in advance!

Scott

GreyWyvern

2007-02-20, 6:17 pm

And lo, STJensen didst speak in alt.www.webmaster:

> My website is www.RPwSJ.com and it is for my audio podcast show. What
> I am trying to figure out is how to have the episodes download to the
> visitor's computer in the fastest way but without causing a bottleneck
> or too much delay.

Zip them up. Let the user download them all in one file.

Grey

--
The technical axiom that nothing is impossible sinisterly implies the
pitfall corollary that nothing is ridiculous.
- http://www.greywyvern.com/orca#search - Orca Search: Full-featured
spider and site-search engine

STJensen

2007-02-20, 6:17 pm

The friend that is helping me suggests I pose the question this way:

I need to embed some MP3 files into my website ( http://www.rpwsj.com
: podcasts/talk shows). I would like to have them preloaded for
performance reasons, but it needs to be done sequentially not all at
once to be nice to the user's bandwidth.

What I need is to be able to start preloading the next immediately
after the previous one has completed. How can I determine when one
embedded MP3 has finished downloading so that I can have the page
start the next one?

Is there some way of doing this?

Thanks in advance!

STJensen

2007-02-20, 6:17 pm

On Feb 20, 10:27 am, GreyWyvern <s...@greywyvern.com> wrote:
> And lo, STJensen didst speak in alt.www.webmaster:
>
>
> Zip them up. Let the user download them all in one file.

Thanks for replying.

The vast majority of the audience is not expected to be that
technically savvy. If they're required to download, unzip, store, and
play zipped files, the vast majority will just pass. Instead, I want
to do the downloading for them so it is as hassle-free for them as
possible.

Scott

Gwin

2007-02-20, 6:17 pm

On Feb 20, 11:26 am, "STJensen" <RecreationalPo...@XXXXXXXXXX> wrote:
> The friend that is helping me suggests I pose the question this way:
>
> I need to embed some MP3 files into my website (http://www.rpwsj.com
> : podcasts/talk shows). I would like to have them preloaded for
> performance reasons, but it needs to be done sequentially not all at
> once to be nice to the user's bandwidth.
>
> What I need is to be able to start preloading the next immediately
> after the previous one has completed. How can I determine when one
> embedded MP3 has finished downloading so that I can have the page
> start the next one?
>
> Is there some way of doing this?
>
> Thanks in advance!

streaming flash
why have a page deliver it?
build a flash player and stream them, one after another, or
selectable, or both.

GreyWyvern

2007-02-20, 6:17 pm

And lo, STJensen didst speak in alt.www.webmaster:
> GreyWyvern wrote:
>
> Thanks for replying.
>
> The vast majority of the audience is not expected to be that
> technically savvy. If they're required to download, unzip, store, and
> play zipped files, the vast majority will just pass.

Are you kidding me? Windows opens zip files just like folders by
default. If you're technically savvy enough to open a web browser, you
are savvy enough to open a zip file. By the same token, there is no
reason for a user to expect a "Download all podcasts" link to initiate
dozens of sequential separate downloads. Since "normal" websites don't
work that way, therein lies fear and confusion.

> Instead, I want
> to do the downloading for them so it is as hassle-free for them as
> possible.

As there is no reliable way to do this over HTTP, you are deceiving
yourself into thinking that a problem which does not exist requires a
complicated solution. Your users will thank you for KISS.

Grey

--
The technical axiom that nothing is impossible sinisterly implies the
pitfall corollary that nothing is ridiculous.
- http://www.greywyvern.com/orca#search - Orca Search: Full-featured
spider and site-search engine

PhatSpliff

2007-02-20, 10:17 pm

STJensen

Preloading can prove to be expensive in wasted bandwidth. Why not use
a Flash MP3 player, that way the user can listen to what they want as
it's downloaded (streaming).

A really good free MP3 player can be found over at
http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=Flash_MP3_Player

STJensen

2007-02-20, 10:17 pm

"PhatSpliff" <phatspliff2...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Preloading can prove to be expensive in wasted bandwidth.

For me, bandwidth isn't an issue.

> Why not use a Flash MP3 player, that way the user can
> listen to what they want as it's downloaded (streaming).

The problem with streaming is that unless you have a high-speed
internet connection, there are pauses and lurches. If the page
continues to download the episodes as the listener listens to an
episode, when they select a then-already-downloaded episode, there is
no breaks in the listening to that episode. And if they then select
one that hasn't been downloaded, QuickTime will play it as it
downloads it and thus like streaming.

> A really good free MP3 player can be found over http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=Flash_MP3_Player

I will discuss this with the person that is helping me build this
website. Thanks.

Scott

STJensen

2007-02-20, 10:17 pm

On Feb 20, 11:56 am, "Gwin" <g...@mindless.com> wrote:
> streaming flash
> why have a page deliver it?
> build a flash player and stream them, one after another, or
> selectable, or both.

See my reply to PhatSpliff.

Scott

Gwin

2007-02-20, 10:17 pm

On Feb 20, 4:39 pm, "STJensen" <RecreationalPo...@XXXXXXXXXX> wrote:
> On Feb 20, 11:56 am, "Gwin" <g...@mindless.com> wrote:
>
>
> See my reply to PhatSpliff.
>
> Scott

phatspliff is a fuknut
knows less than shit about excrement
;)

encode the mp3's for 56k, it's the 32k rate you want.
then stream them with a flash player.
the one from .jeroenwijering is ok, or build your own and skin to
reflect your site.

it's only going to skip if you encode/build it wrong.

besides, if you're producing podcasts, you gotta keep the file size a
small as you can.

PhatSpliff

2007-02-21, 6:17 pm

On Feb 21, 2:36 am, "Gwin" <g...@mindless.com> wrote:
> On Feb 20, 4:39 pm, "STJensen" <RecreationalPo...@XXXXXXXXXX> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> phatspliff is a fuknut
> knows less than shit about excrement
> ;)
>
> encode the mp3's for 56k, it's the 32k rate you want.
> then stream them with a flash player.
> the one from .jeroenwijering is ok, or build your own and skin to
> reflect your site.
>
> it's only going to skip if you encode/build it wrong.
>
> besides, if you're producing podcasts, you gotta keep the file size a
> small as you can.

What write your own like you have. You're so XXXXing thick you
retarded slut that, you think Flash is an indecent exposure merchant.

XXXX off whore you don't know what you are talking about.

Gwin

2007-02-21, 6:17 pm

On Feb 21, 4:02 am, "PhatSpliff" <phatspliff2...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Feb 21, 2:36 am, "Gwin" <g...@mindless.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> What write your own like you have. You're so XXXXing thick you
> retarded slut that, you think Flash is an indecent exposure merchant.

depends on whose flash work it is

> XXXX off whore you don't know what you are talking about.

ilum serujc iljlsj asiejpij fpimjs upurcir

STJensen

2007-02-21, 6:17 pm

On Feb 20, 6:36 pm, "Gwin" <g...@mindless.com> wrote:
> encode the mp3's for 56k, it's the 32k rate you want.
> then stream them with a flash player.
> the one from .jeroenwijering is ok, or build your own and skin to
> reflect your site.

Is there a player that will stream and preload? One that once it has
downloaded the one it is streaming, it works on the next episode. If
so, which player can do that and how does one instruct it to do so?

> it's only going to skip if you encode/build it wrong.

Because I have experienced it a lot, it is the reason why I want to
preload as much as possible to be on the safe side.

> besides, if you're producing podcasts, you gotta keep the file size a
> small as you can.

They have supposedly been by Talkshoe. Is there a way to tell if
they're as small as they can be? Is there a way to compress them more
without significant loss of quality?

Thanks for replying!

Gwin

2007-02-21, 6:17 pm

On Feb 21, 6:51 am, "STJensen" <RecreationalPo...@XXXXXXXXXX> wrote:
> On Feb 20, 6:36 pm, "Gwin" <g...@mindless.com> wrote:
>
>
> Is there a player that will stream and preload? One that once it has
> downloaded the one it is streaming, it works on the next episode. If
> so, which player can do that and how does one instruct it to do so?
>
>
> Because I have experienced it a lot, it is the reason why I want to
> preload as much as possible to be on the safe side.
>
>
> They have supposedly been by Talkshoe. Is there a way to tell if
> they're as small as they can be? Is there a way to compress them more
> without significant loss of quality?
>
> Thanks for replying!

unless you know about mp3 editing/optimization, etc., and flash
encoding, player building, etc., the shortcut best for you may be to
give coffecup's stuff a shot.
http://www.coffeecup.com/web-jukebox/
it'll let you come up with some basic skins you can choose from,
import mp3 and auto encode them for you.

STJensen

2007-02-22, 6:17 pm

On Feb 21, 10:53 am, "Gwin" <g...@mindless.com> wrote:
> unless you know about mp3 editing/optimization, etc., and flash
> encoding, player building, etc., the shortcut best for you may be to
> give coffecup's stuff a shot.http://www.coffeecup.com/web-jukebox/
> it'll let you come up with some basic skins you can choose from,
> import mp3 and auto encode them for you.

Thanks. I will look into it.

Scott