Adding Sound to my Site

[tinggg]

Hi

I've got some of my own music on cd and want to be able to add it to my site as sound samples - can anyone tell me how to do this or point me in the right direction. My current host doesn't support sound streaming so I have to switch.

Is it better to add sound in mp3 format or to play via real?

Sorry if this sounds all wrong its just that many prospective hosts seem not to support the real server (I presume they need to play via real player? The new host that I would like to go with told me "You can stream over http without issue, but we do not support any specific server such as the real server." I don't know what this means.


I need to add about 20x20 second sound samples so I'm wondering is mp3 the way to go or would I be better off paying more for a host that supports Real?

Basically I just want the method that allows visitors to access the samples in the easiest and fastest way.

Sorry again if my post is unclear its just that I don't really understand what I need to do to get this.

Many thanks.



Thanks for any help.

Cheers

[tinggg]

Hi

I've got some of my own music on cd and want to be able to add it to my site as sound samples - can anyone tell me how to do this or point me in the right direction. My current host doesn't support sound streaming so I have to switch.

Is it better to add sound in mp3 format or to play via real?

Sorry if this sounds all wrong its just that many prospective hosts seem not to support the real server (I presume they need to play via real player? The new host that I would like to go with told me "You can stream over http without issue, but we do not support any specific server such as the real server." I don't know what this means.


I need to add about 20x20 second sound samples so I'm wondering is mp3 the way to go or would I be better off paying more for a host that supports Real?

Basically I just want the method that allows visitors to access the samples in the easiest and fastest way.

Sorry again if my post is unclear its just that I don't really understand what I need to do to get this.

Many thanks.



Thanks for any help.

Cheers

[williama]

Personally I'd go with MP3. People will be able to download the file to listen to offline with no extra bandwidth cost to you. It also means that they won't need to install the RealPlayer Spyware.

If I'm on a site I'll ALWAYS choose the non-real option, and if Real is the only choice, I'll think twice before I download it.

MP3 is probably the most portable format too.

The fact that your host doesn't stream is less of an issue if the file can be downloaded. People with slower connections can get the good quality version too, if they're prepared to wait a bit longer for it to come down the line.

[tinggg]

Many thanks William for your reply - its all a bit of a minefield but I will give it a go with mp3.

Cheers