How does this work?

Media here are very simple: H.264/MPEG-4, and Windows Media Video. I've chosen these basic file types to enable fairly universal playback between the given systems available, when this website was published. Broadband access to the internet is strongly recommended.

Windows Media Video (WMV) is common among nearly all Windows-based computers. It should allow most people to play the videos without using extra plug-ins. Viewers should be able to just click on the links and watch the videos once they download.

H.264/MPEG-4 is the main medium of this website as of publication. This species of MPEG-4 should be compatible with the HTML5 standard. Video players embedded within each viewer page call such a file for playback. As with the WMV files, the MP4 files are available for download and playback on the viewer's own machine. Windows users may add QuickTime to their systems to include the ability to view these MPEG-4 media.

In a true technological leap forward from the original release of the e-poets Videotheque (done in 1999), practically all media here are available in two sizes. Mobile device users may click to the small renditions (typically 320 x 240 pixels). Fuller sizes which are typically in standard definition (typically either 720 x 480, or 640 x 480 pixels) are the default size. Players embedded in the viewing pages go for MPEG-4 videos at the default size.

In those cases where an SD video is lacking, the largest available video is published. Where available, stereo soundtracks are supported. No special or proprietary streaming technology should be needed for playback or download of the media.

Playback on different platforms has been observed, but it is not guaranteed owing to shifting standards of web-based video. Here are some sample platforms that have functioned appropriately with the e-poets Videotheque content:

• Apple Macintosh computers
• iPad, vers. 4 (embedded & downloaded MPEG-4)
• iMac (embedded & downloaded MPEG-4)
• Macintosh Pro

 
• Microsoft Windows computers
• Windows 7 browsers (Firefox, Explorer)
• Windows XP browsers (enabled to play MPEG-4)

 
• Google Android devices
• tablet using Android (circa 2011), using built-in web broswer

 
• other devices
• net-connected BluRay player, using built-in web browser to display video on an HD television

The playback abilities of all these media platforms may change beyond this site's ability to handle the outcome. At launch, at least, media quality is significantly improved over the original website.

- Kurt Heintz, 2012