The place for audio and video on the Web

by Gordon Black

It's hard to imagine a Broadway musical without dazzling costumes or the Las Vegas strip without neon. Now think how dull the Web would be without sound and vision. Audio and video are revolutionizing the Web the way "talkies" first changed movies. Only faster.

You can now tune into sports radio, view video news clips and download music right from your computer. There's something to satisfy the audiophile or videophile in us all. The best part is WindowsMedia.com makes finding the broadest range of multimedia on the Web child's play.

WindowsMedia.Com gives you the options, and the Windows Media Player turns files into sounds and visions. The Windows Media Player plays the most popular audio and video file formats on the Web, so you can sit back and enjoy rock music, drama, movie clips, sports, opera, news, and much more.

Some like it light
Whether your entertainment pleasure is the visual spectacle of a Chorus Line or the dark intensity of a David Mamet drama, WindowsMedia.com is your playbill to the Web--and then some. Throw in TV Guide and you're closer to the breadth of multimedia content available through WindowsMedia.com. It conveniently groups video and audio sites into 16 general categories, such as art, business, computer, news and music. Just choose a category and browse through the list of offerings. If listening is your goal, WindowsMedia.com has a huge selection of radio stations to choose from. Bring in some moody sax from a station in the jazz and blues category, or let rip with some raucous sounds from a rock station. Or mellow out with seventies favorites offered by a revival station in London.

Not your cup of tea? Keep that station-seeking mouse clicking away. WindowsMedia.com probably has more categories of radio stations available than exist in most cities--24 in all, from adult contemporary to world music. Since the Web is not limited by geographic or broadcasting boundaries, you'll find stations from Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America.

Music to your ears
By some estimates, there are hundreds of thousands of recorded songs available to download. Many are stored in the MP3 audio file format, which you can download and listen to using the Windows Media Player. Take a look at our previous article for background information on MP3.

You can watch clips of classic films, view music videos, stay informed with business news and take virtual trips to faraway places from the video options available at WindowsMedia.com. "Video" is not listed as a separate category but you'll find many sites offer video clips. Take a look around this easy-to-navigate site and be adventurous.

Recorded sound and recorded images have evolved greatly in the seventy years since the "talkies" helped displace silent movie star Buster Keaton. Luckily, the Web makes it easier than ever to appreciate the early masters of the medium, and the emerging ones too.

Gordon Black looks forward to more Afro-Celtic music on Web radio.