CNN logo
#nav bar

Infoseek/BigYellow


Pathfinder/Warner Bros


rule


Plug-ins (How to Enjoy the Really Cool Stuff)

What's a plug-in?

Think of it as an option, sort of like the ones you get to choose from when you buy a new car. Your browser is the base model. It comes with standard equipment, just as your car comes with manual transmission, roll-down windows and AM-FM radio. But if you want enjoy the Web equivalent of a state-of-the-art car audio system, you may need to add an option, a plug-in. It all depends on how much standard equipment your browser (and your computer) came with. The good news is you probably won't have to fork over any extra money for your plug-ins or for any similar programs called helper applications. And there's no haggling.

Can't I just download pieces of sound and video from Web pages that offer them?

Yes, but there's a chance you won't be able hear them or see them without a plug-in or two. It's true, many Web pages contain hypertext links that let you download sound and video files directly to your computer. All you have to do is click on the link and follow the instructions. But your computer may not be able to play back those sounds and video clips if you haven't stored the proper plug-in or helper application somewhere on your hard drive. (Confused about downloading? Check out our Downloading information page).

What kind of plug-ins are there?

Lots of them. Way too many to summarize here. So with that in mind, we whittled down the vast list of plug-ins and helper applications and came up with six general types that you might be interested in. For a comprehensive list of available plugins, check out Netscape's plugins page.

Standard Audio
If you download an standard audio clip to your computer you won't be able to listen to it unless you have some sort of audio play-back program. The good thing is, the browsers we recommend come packaged with audio players, so you don't have to worry about it. But if you have less than Netscape Navigator 3.0 for Macintosh, you may want to download a helper app called Sound Machine.

Standard Video
To view movies in Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, you need a video plug-in. If you want to watch a movie that you downloaded, you will need a video program. QuickTime and AVI are the standards. Everything you need for QuickTime can be found at Apple's QuickTime site in the following flavors: Macintosh, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95/NT.

QuickTime
RealAudio

Streaming Audio
Some Web pages contain audio files that you can listen to as they download to your computer. In other words, you don't have to wait until the whole audio clip is transfered, you get instant gratification. However, if you browse the Web with Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can't get instantly gratified without some help. You need a plug-in. A popular plug-in that lets you hear live radio or TV signals as they're broadcast is called RealAudio.

Vivo

Streaming Video
This is instant gratification for the eyes, though usually at less quality than QuickTime or AVI. Again, you'll need a plug-in to experience it. Try either V-Xtreme (our choice), Vivo or VDO Live, or Real Networks' Real Video.

Real

Animation
You know all of those cool games on the Web that let you go bowling or color in a picture? Chances are, that's something called Shockwave. Check out the Games section of CNN Plus to see how we use this technology.

Shockwave
Live3D

3D
This is the cutting edge. More and more people are using something called Virtual Reality Modeling Language, or VRML, to turn their Web sites into three-dimensional playhouses. If you want to catch this latest wave you'll need, you guessed it, a plug-in. We suggest Netscape Live3D.


[ Web Kit | The Basics | Browsers | Plug-Ins | Search Engines | Downloading ]

rule
Message Boards Sound off on our
message boards


You said it...
rule

top

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.