Mgmt. 298D: Electronic Commerce
Prof. A. Geoffrion
 
DEMO 9:
Audio and Video In E-Commerce
 
 
 
Week 7 Assignment, Item 3 [30 min]

To prepare for a Class 8 discussion of audio and video in e-commerce, find a couple of good examples that we can hear/see in class.  Besides checking your bookmarks and keeping your eyes out for good examples as you cruise the Web between now and then, you can search specifically for audio and video materials in some search engines (see your search engine materials).   

To the extent that you want to search directly for audio and video files by their extension, you will find the most popular formats in the Audio and Video sections of http://www-dsed.llnl.gov/documents/, a very useful page in its own right that can help you get your browser working with the leading formats.  If you haven't installed RealPlayer from http://www.real.com/ yet, now would be a good time.  Optionally, you may wish to visit the good but technical FAQ on audio and video by J.F. McGowan, "AVI Overview", at http://www.rahul.net/jfm/avi.html . 

It is easy to think of ways in which audio and/or video can be useful for a serious Web site; see the 12-purpose list with examples in the Web page audiovideo.htm linked to the Week 8 section of the course home page. 

Please do your best to extend this list of purposes and to suggest other good examples.  For each one, I would like not only to know the URL but also to hear a few words about how the new purpose or example contributes to one or more of the business models (see my notes) applicable to the Web site in question.  N.B.: I reserve the right to cold call in class. 

Feel free to post your examples, together with your commentary, to the Discussion Area for Course Module 5 on the Course Home Page. 
 
 
Legend:
    [NS] NetShow player {.asx}
    [RP] RealPlayer for RealAudio and RealVideo (plug-in) {.ra, .ram}
    [SH] Shockwave player (plug-in) {.swf}
    [VX] VXtreme Web Theatre Client (plug-in) {.ivy}
     
1. To hear samples of music, or to see clips from videos or movies. 2. To port radio and TV content to the Web. 3. To render some types of comedy that lose much without sound or sight. 4. To capture an important speech or current event with details and nuances that would likely be lost if repackaged without sight or sound. 5. To see or hear someone you are fond of, impressed by, or curious about. 6. To give instruction or commentary on music, dance, using a software package, etc. 7. To capture a cultural performance. 8. To set a mood via background music. 9. To enable rich-format advertisements, demonstrations and presentations. 10. To give proper pronunciations of names, places, and other words.
  • Here is an example of advanced vocabulary relating to the brain from Discovery Communications, Inc. (aiff format).
    • 11. To give foreign language instruction. 12. To entertain, as in animated cartoons or adding dazzle to games. Business Models: which examples apply to which?