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Graphics Files
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.gif
- The most common graphics file format on the Internet, it stands
for Graphics Interchange Format.
File Type: Binary
If your browser does not have a built-in GIF viewer (but most do), then you can use Lview Pro (lviewpxx.zip) or PolyView (polyvxxx.zip) to view these graphics on a Windows PC. On the Mac, a shareware utility called GIF Converter can be used to view and modify GIFs.
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.jpg/jpeg/jfif
- A popular compression standard used for photos and still images.
File Type: Binary
JPEG files can be viewed on any platform as long as you have a JPEG viewer. You can view JPEG files with most web browsers. For the Mac, use JPEGView; for the PC, you can use Lview Pro or PolyView.
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.tiff
- A very large, high-resolution image format.
File Type: Binary
Use JPEGView for the Mac and Lview Pro or PolyView for the PC.
All of the above graphics formats can be readily viewed, created,
or manipulated with one or more commercially available graphics software programs like PhotoShop or DeBabelizer for the Mac, and Photostyler or PhotoShop for Windows.
Sound Files
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.au/uLaw/MuLaw
- The most common sound format found on the Web.
File Type: Binary
Macs need Sound App to play this type of file; PCs can use Waveform Hold and Modify (whamxxx.zip) which provides support for a variety of formats,
conversion between them, and file editing functions.
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.aiff
- Another fairly common sound format found on the Web.
File Type: Binary
Although it is a Macintosh format, it can be used on other platforms as
well. It requires the same programs as .au to play.
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.mp3
- The most popular file format on the Web for distributing CD-quality music. A 1 Mb files is equal to about one minute of music.
File Type: Binary
This type of file requires an MP3 player, which is available for both Macintosh and Windows.
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.ra
- A proprietary streaming audio format called RealAudio.
File Type: Binary
Developed by RealNetworks, RealAudio allows
you to play sound files in real-time. This type of file requires the RealPlayer, available for both Macintosh and Windows.
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.wav
- The native sound format for Windows.
File Type: Binary
On the Mac, you can use Sound App to play .wav files. For the PC, use aveform Hold and Modify or Goldwave to play these files. There's also a good program called Win Play! (wplnyxx.zip) that will play it, as well as other popular formats.
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.wma
- Short for "Windows Media Audio, this proprietary file format was developed by Microsoft to compete with .mp3.
File Type: Binary
This type of file requires the Windows Media Player.
Video Files
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.avi
- The standard video format for Windows.
File Type: Binary
These files need an AVI Video for Windows player (aviprox.exe) or the Windows Media Player from Microsoft.
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.mov/.movie
- The common format for QuickTime movies, the Macintosh native movie platform.
File Type: Binary
You can use a number of applications to play .mov files including
Sparkle or MoviePlayer on the Mac, and QuickTime for Windows.
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.mpg/mpeg
- A standard format for "movies" on the Internet, using the MPEG compression scheme.
File Type: Binary
On the Mac, use Sparkle to play ,mpg files or to convert them to QuickTime movies. There are a
variety of MPEG Players for Windows and an MPEG FTP Site that has a large
collection of MPEG player resources for all platforms (Mac, Windows, and UNIX).
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.qt
- Another extension that denotes a QuickTime movie.
File Type: Binary
Use the latest version of Quicktime for the Mac.
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.ram
- A popular format from RealNetworks for streaming video.
File Type: Binary
To view these files, you need the RealPlayer, which can be downloaded from Real.com.
To download software to decompress, view, or play any of the file formats covered here, visit Download.com.
Last update: Jan 4, 2008
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