Intended for the intermediate user, this appendix addresses specific production questions by referring you to the appropriate section in this manual. If you have questions about a specific SMIL tag or attribute, you may find Appendix C more useful.
Chapter 7 explains the basics of using SMIL 2.0 in a RealSystem presentation.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why should I use SMIL? | click here |
| What versions of RealONE Player can play SMIL 2.0 presentations? | click here |
| Besides more features, are there differences between SMIL 1.0 and 2.0? | click here |
| How do I update my SMIL 1.0 presentation to SMIL 2.0? | click here |
| Where can I get the SMIL 2.0 specification? | click here |
| Will my presentation work with other SMIL-based players? | click here |
| How do I write a SMIL file? | click here |
| Is a closing slash always necessary with a SMIL tag? | click here |
| How do I add comments to a SMIL file? | click here |
| What values can I use for the ID in a SMIL tag? | click here |
What is the rn: prefix I see in some SMIL attributes? |
click here |
| How can I view the SMIL file for a streaming presentation? | click here |
Chapter 8 is your primary resource for learning about clip source tags and URLs. Chapter 20 contains information about servers and streaming protocols.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How do I introduce a clip, such as a video, into a presentation? | click here |
| Should a clip source tag have an ID? | click here |
| How do I set an image clip's streaming speed? | click here |
| Can I treat a SMIL or Ram file like a clip and use it in another SMIL file? | click here |
| What URLs should I use in my SMIL file as I develop it? | click here |
| How do I move my clips from my desktop computer to a server? | click here |
| When I stream my clips, do they all need to have individual URLs? | click here |
| What is Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)? | click here |
| How do I write an RTSP URL? | click here |
| How do I write an HTTP URL? | click here |
| Does RealONE Player cache files like a Web browser? | click here |
| What is the CHTTP protocol? | click here |
SMIL and RealNetworks' SMIL customizations give you many ways to add color to your presentation, as well as to modify the colors in existing clips to create transparency or partial transparency.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What color values does SMIL accept? | click here |
| How do I add a background color to a region that plays a clip? | click here |
| How do I make the background color appear only when the clip plays? | click here |
| Can I make the region background color partially transparent? | click here |
| Can I change a region background color when a clip starts? | click here |
| Can I change the region background color while a clip plays? | click here |
| How do I turn an entire clip partially transparent? | click here |
| How can I make a clip's opaque background transparent, or vice versa? | click here |
| Can I turn a range of colors in a clip transparent? | click here |
| Can I substitute a certain color for a clip's transparent background? | click here |
| Can I make a clip become more (or less) transparent as it plays? | click here |
| Can I create a solid block of color other than a region background color? | click here |
Chapter 11 explains how to lay out clips in the RealONE Player media window.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where in the SMIL file do I define the layout? | click here |
| Is a SMIL region like an HTML frame? | click here |
| How do I set my presentation's overall size? | click here |
| Can I make a clip play in a separate window? | click here |
| How do a define the size of the region in which a clip plays? | click here |
| How do I specify which clips play in which regions? | click here |
| Can I play one clip in front of another? | click here |
| How do I put a logo on top of my video? | click here |
| How do I center a clip in a region? | click here |
| How can I make my clip scale up or down to fit the region? | click here |
| Can I make the same clip display in more than one region? | click here |
Refer to Chapter 12 for basic information about timing presentations. Chapter 10 explains how to organize clips into groups.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How do I make clips play one after another? | click here |
| How do I play several clips at the same time? | click here |
| Can I make an entire group of clips stop when one of the clips finishes? | click here |
| How do I let the viewer select which clip to play? | click here |
| How do I create a clip preview? | click here |
| Can I make a clip repeat? | click here |
| How do I specify how long an image clip displays? | click here |
| Can I make a clip play indefinitely? | click here |
| Can I use timing values with groups as well as clips? | click here |
| How do I make a clip freeze on screen after it stops playing? | click here |
| How do I make a clip display throughout the presentation? | click here |
| How do I delay when a clip starts playing? | click here |
Chapter 13 explains the advanced timing feature, which build on the basic timing features described in Chapter 12.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I start or stop an element when any one of multiple events occur? | click here |
| How do I start or stop a clip when a clip in another group starts or stops? | click here |
| Can I start or stop a clip when another clip repeats? | click here |
| How do I start or stop a clip when the viewer clicks an icon? | click here |
| How can I coordinate all clips with a broadcast? | click here |
| Can I prevent a clip from restarting? | click here |
| Can I create an effect similar to a Javascript rollover? | click here |
| How do I launch a clip on a keystroke? | click here |
Chapter 14 explains how to create hyperlinks in a SMIL presentation.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How do I create an image map over a clip? | click here |
Can a SMIL link have an alt value? |
click here |
| How do I open a link with a keystroke? | click here |
| How do I link my SMIL presentation to a Web page? | click here |
| Can I open a link in a browser frame? | click here |
| How do I open an HTML page in the RealONE Player context window? | click here |
| Does RealONE Player pause when a Web page opens? | click here |
| How do I open a link automatically? | click here |
| How do I link my SMIL file to another streaming presentation? | click here |
| Can I open a linked clip or SMIL presentation in a new window? | click here |
| Can RealText include hyperlinks, too? | click here |
Chapter 15 and Chapter 16 explain transition effects and SMIL animations, respectively, the two features that allow you to create special effects with clips.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How do I introduce a new clip with a transition effect? | click here |
| Can I control how long a transition effect takes to complete? | click here |
| How do I keep a clip visible long enough for a transition effect to occur? | click here |
| Can I stop a transition effect before it completes? | click here |
| How do I fade a clip to or from a solid color? | click here |
| How do I fade a video into the next video? | click here |
| Can I fade the volume of an audio clip up or down? | click here |
| How do I select what clip and property I want to animate? | click here |
| How do I make a clip grow or shrink? | click here |
| How do I move a clip around the screen? | click here |
| How do I animate colors? | click here |
| How do I make an animation flow smoothly? | click here |
Chapter 17 and Chapter 18 cover switching and prefetching, respectively, two advanced features that allow you to stream different clips to different viewers, and maintain greater control over bandwidth use.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How do I deliver different clips to different viewers? | click here |
Do I always have to use a <switch> tag when I present multiple choices? |
click here |
| What attributes can RealONE Player evaluate when choosing a clip? | click here |
| Can RealONE Player evaluate more than one attribute at a time? | click here |
| How do I deliver clips in different languages to different viewers? | click here |
| How do I stream clips at different bandwidths to different viewers? | click here |
| Can I add captions and audio descriptions to aid viewer accessibility? | click here |
| How do I deliver different clips to Windows, Macintosh, and Linux users? | click here |
Can I use a <switch> tag to stream different sizes of videos? |
click here |
| How do I stream clip data to RealONE Player before the clip plays? | click here |
| How much bandwidth can I use for prefetching clip data? | click here |
| How much clip data can I stream in advance of clip playback? | click here |
See Chapter 19 for information on embedding your streaming presentation directly in a Web page.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
Will an <EMBED> tag work with Microsoft Internet Explorer? |
click here |
What is a .rpm file? |
click here |
| How do I set my presentation's size in my Web page? | click here |
| How do I add RealONE Player controls to my Web page? | click here |
| How do I make all the controls work together? | click here |
| Can I center my clip in an HTML table? | click here |
| Can I make my presentation start as soon as the Web page loads? | click here |
| How do I set shuffle play? | click here |
| How do I lay out my SMIL presentation in my Web page? | click here |
| Can I use Javascript or VBScript to control my embedded presentation? | click here |
|
©2001 RealNetworks, Inc. All rights reserved.
For more information, visit RealNetworks Click here if the Table of Contents frame is not visible at the left side of your screen. |