I have an .mp3 file that I would like to play in the background of a page. I want to set it up as streaming audio rather than just embedding it (It's 3MB).
How do I go about doing it? Are there codes to type, or do I need a software?
If software is required, can someone recommend one under $40 with an easy learning curve?
If the user's browser supports HTML 5 audio or is IE less than 9 and has the Media Player plugin (this covers almost all modern browsers), this script might do:
I know Media Player automatically streams long files, and I think - though I'm not certain that HTML 5 audio does the same.
For legacy browsers (Like IE 4 and very early Netscape/Mozilla), a simple bgsound tag or embed will be used. These do not stream.
Still under development for touchscreen devices. If you have one to test on and are willing to work with me on that part, we can get that working as well.
Note: this is an old discussion, but in case anyone else has similar questions, I wanted to add a bit of information also.
"Streaming" as a technical term refers to sending out bits of information for an audio and/or video signal from a server rather than sending out a file. This is what, for example, internet radio stations do. It requires special software (often special hardware) and is expensive, complicated, and probably not needed for 3mb files. The only real advantage (other than the possibility to coordinate what everyone hears-- eg, the radio station idea) is that you can make it more difficult to have your content stolen since there are no files. It's still possible for someone to take it, but it's not as easy.
What would probably work best in this case is something like John suggests where the media starts playing before it's loaded entirely. But that is technically not "streaming" in case that's what the original question was about, or if someone finds this thread while trying to solve their own problem and is looking for 'real' streaming.
If anyone does find this and has more questions, reply here and I can add some more detail if needed. John's post is probably the most immediately helpful though.