NTC Hosting Blog

Multimedia post

The multimedia content is that vital part of websites’ layout that makes us see the web as a colorful, multi-lateral virtual reflection of reality. Thanks to the advanced digital technologies, multimedia website layout elements can represent information in the form of images, audio and videos and thus make our browsing online a lively and intuitive experience. Over the years, several image and audio file types have been publisized as standard multimedia content ‘containers’:

GIF – the ‘veteran’ image file format the web knows, today used mainly for reproducing plain images like graphics and logos. GIF is a bitmap file format, supporting a wide range of resolutions. Its greatest benefit is the capability to allow efficient data compression, which helps for the image quality to be preserved after changing the file size.

JPEG – this is the best image format for storing color images. Its amazingly effective compression method allows for images to be compressed to about five percent of their original size, which in turn helps websites minimize their traffic consumption. The image quality changes following the compression are usually invisible to the human eye. With their size flexibility, JPEG images are also recommended for image file exchange operations.

PNG – a patent-free alternative to the .GIF image format, perfect for storing detail-dependent images (e.g. astronomical/medical images), ensured by its lossless compression method. PNG images may also contain plain text details such as image author name and description. They are all susceptible to fine transparency tuning through the opacity/color brightness control options of image editors.

TIFF – a preferred image format for multi-color digital photographs and line art graphics. TIFF images preserve 100% of the reproduced original data and can undergo multiple modifications with no negative effect on their quality.

AVI – one of the most widely spread video formats, supported by the popular Windows Media Player and the majority of video editing programs.

MP4 – an established audio and video format for online streaming and broadcasting. MP4 files allow users to add short YouTube style video clips to their sites where they advertise their products and special offers or make an overview of their company.

MP3 – a widely popular digital music format, making a huge impact on the music industry as a whole. MP3 files are fit for both online streaming and post-download use through a flash player.

FLV – this multimedia format empowers you to apply Flash technology to your web pages by means of quality audio and video elements. FLV files can carry vector-based animations, quality background audio and full-length videos.

SWF – one of the most popular all-inclusive Flash formats, used for representing animated ads and video clips on modern interactive websites.

Browse through the newly enhanced pages of the Multimedia section of our NTC Hosting Encyclopedia for more information on the typology and application of multimedia content. Check out which exact image or video file format will best fit the layout requirements of your dynamic content driven website.

The multimedia content is that vital part of websites’ layout that makes us see the web as a colorful, multi-lateral virtual reflection of reality. Thanks to the advanced digital technologies, multimedia website layout elements can represent information in the form of images, audio and videos and thus make our browsing online a lively and intuitive experience. Over the years, several image, audio and video file types have been popularized as standard multimedia content ‘containers’:

GIF – the ‘veteran’ image file format the web knows, today used mainly for reproducing plain images like graphics and logos. GIF is a bitmap file format, supporting a wide range of resolutions. Its greatest benefit is the capability to allow efficient data compression, which helps for the image quality to be preserved after changing the file size.

JPEG – this is the best image format for storing color images. Its amazingly effective compression method allows for images to be compressed to about five percent of their original size, which in turn helps websites minimize their traffic consumption. The image quality changes following the compression are usually invisible to the human eye. With their size flexibility, JPEG images are also recommended for image file exchange operations.

PNG – a patent-free alternative to the .GIF image format, perfect for storing detail-dependent images (e.g. astronomical/medical images), ensured by its lossless compression method. PNG images may also contain plain text details such as image author name and description. They are all susceptible to fine transparency tuning through the opacity/color brightness control options of image editors.

TIFF – a preferred image format for multi-color digital photographs and line art graphics. TIFF images preserve 100% of the reproduced original data and can undergo multiple modifications with no negative effect on their quality.

AVI – one of the most widely spread video formats, supported by the popular Windows Media Player and the majority of video editing programs.

MP4 – an established audio and video format for online streaming and broadcasting. MP4 files allow users to add short YouTube style video clips to their sites where they advertise their products and special offers or make an overview of their company.

MP3 – a widely popular digital music format, making a huge impact on the music industry as a whole. MP3 files are fit for both online streaming and post-download use through a flash player.

FLV – this multimedia format empowers you to apply Flash technology to your web pages by means of quality audio and video elements. FLV files can carry vector-based animations, quality background audio and full-length videos.

SWF – one of the most popular all-inclusive Flash formats, used for representing animated ads and video clips on modern interactive websites.

Browse through the newly enhanced pages of the Multimedia section of our NTC Hosting Encyclopedia for more information on the typology and application of multimedia content. Check out which exact image, audio or video file formats will best fit the layout requirements of your dynamic content driven website.