119

Working with command markers

Command markers add interactivity to a multimedia presentation streamed over the Internet by inserting metadata into streaming media files. As your video plays, any number of other actions can be programmed to occur. These commands are a part of the Microsoft® Windows Media® and RealMedia® streaming formats. Most frequently, these actions add text or open a related Web site where the viewer can find more information about the topic at hand. The specific commands available vary depending on the final format of your project.

Note: Windows Media Player 9 will ignore metadata commands unless the Run script commands when present check box is selected on the Security tab of the player's Preferences dialog. Be sure to instruct your audience to select this check box before playing your file.

You can use command markers to add closed captions to your project. For more information, see Adding closed captioning to Windows Media Video (WMV) files on page 229.

Command markers can also indicate when an instruction (function) will occur in a WAV file being used in a radio broadcast environment (Scott Studios data). The following two sections define the markers for both streaming media and Scott Studios files.

Note: While streaming media files can be played on any hard drive or CD-ROM, they require a special streaming media server (provided by your Internet service provider) to stream properly across the Internet.

CHP. 4

BASIC EDITING TECHNIQUES