Customer Reviews

QuickTime for the Web: For Windows and Macintosh (With CD-ROM)

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QuickTime for the Web is a hands-on, how-to guide for working with QuickTime (Apple's software architecture for multimedia content creation and delivery) and the web. It shows how to embed QuickTime movies on web pages and configure the playback of those movies to achieve any of a number of special effects. If you are working with web pages and want to make use of sounds, video, text, still images, or any other other kinds of media that QuickTime supports, you should buy and read this book.

The book is chock full of information, but it's anything but a dry presentation. The author is witty, precise, and instructive. He approaches the subject in a way that presumes very little prior acquaintance with either QuickTime or HTML. Little by little, he teaches us how to do some amazing things.

If you are a web page designer, a webmaster, or an HTML author, this book belongs close at hand in your office!

This is an important resource for anyone who is serious about maximizing the potential of Quicktime. At Rayhawk.com we have been using this book to enhance our web productions and the results have been noticable, not only to us, but to our clients (KFC, Taco Bell, BMW, Porsche).

The book is full of useful info and the author is fun and helpful. He assumes we have little prior knowledge with either QuickTime or HTML and by the end of the book, he teaches us how to produce some amazing content.

This book is a must have if you plan on working with QuickTime to make multimedia content available! I call this book 'a rare find', as it is great for beginner through master, leaving few questions unanswered or stones unturned. The text is a good mix of "how to" information combined with "tips and tricks" to get your implementations to work.

I purchased this book for its material regarding steaming content over the Internet, and learned a great deal in the process. The chapter on QuickTime VR answered my "how do they do that?" questions, and has led me to explore the use of this technique for my upcoming projects.

The QuickTime VR chapter is a good example of the depth of knowledge used to develop this text, as it gives in-depth information on photography techniques that only a mid- to experienced photographer would know.

My only criticism of the book is that it only begins to explore about half of the knowledge needed to set up your own streaming web server, but I can hardly fault the authors for that -- it says right on the cover "A Hands-On Guide for Webmasters, Site Designers, and HTML Authors." It says nothing about being aimed at System or Network Administrators. If your main interest in this book is the setup of streaming servers, you might want to consider another book (or better yet, purchase this book along with another to round out your knowledge).

With the ... QuickTime Pro included, I can say without reservation that this is one of the best computer book values I have ever purchased. The book paid for the rest of the cost by showing me how to trick Microsoft Internet Explorer / Windows Media Player in such a way that it will not try to open your .mov files (great in a Windows-dominated environment)!

Highly recommended, even if you have only a passing interest in QuickTime.

This book is excellent. Not only is it fun to read but also very informative. You can read it from front to back and you can use it as a reference manual. What graphics mode for tracks does what? You'll find it! What compression scheme do I need for what purpose? You'll find it! How do I change the movie controller? Why do I have to change it sometimes? Just look it up! Did you ever wanted to know how the people from Apple make movie trailers?

The CD contains an audio tour, many examples, and software (QuickTime 5 Pro, full versions and demo versions of various tools) for Windows and Macintosh computers.

Steve Gulie does it again. It is rare to read a technical book that makes you laugh out loud, but Steve leavens the clearly-explained information about the intricacies of QuickTime and Web browers with wit and humour.
This second edition includes QT 5 Pro Keys for Windows and Macintosh - separately these alone would cost nearly (...), so the book is a bargain too.

Full disclosure - I am an engineer on the QuickTime team, know the author, and proof-read this book. I know that it is accurate and helpful, and that it will explain techniques that would take you a long time tolearn on your own.

This is a very complete book with everything you need to know about Quicktime. It starts pretty slowly with the basics, and ends up going into quite technical stuff. I am working alot with video editing, and its really great finding out how to make the best quicktime videos of my stuff and put it on the web (it covers info on how Apple is making their insanly great looking trailers). The book is very up-to-date and covers Quicktime 5.0.2, and Sorenson3 codec.

You get a free version on the CD of Quicktime 5.02 PRO which costs 30 dollars alone. A great bargain.

I've used QuickTime for over two years now, especially for QTVR movies. I belong to several email lists, have bought several tools (hardware, books, and software), and prowl Apple's QT web site. But until this book, I had many questions. Now I have many answers. Actually more than I can handle. At over 700 pages of truly "hands-on" information that is very friendly to read, I now can do many more things with QuickTime. Also, I can plan more than I can do, since I now understand how. The book has just the necessary illustrations and screen shots, not too many. For a long time, I'd heard of sprites, which sounded like elves, but were graphics. This book explains them and why QuickTime is a good place for them. It also has a glossary and index, so you can find things easily. ..............

This book is a must have! From how to create VR with interactive sounds and sprites - to getting your video or photos streaming on the web - this book shows you how. As a web master of a site with over 100 different Virtual Reality and QT movies, I found this book (and the free tools and interactive sprites for my use) to be invaluable. I reccommend it without hestitation. Luke Wonderly, Web master - vrbakersfield.com

I've been using QuickTime for nearly ten years, and have often been frustrated when trying to explain to people that it is not just for video and sound any more. The frustration stems from the lack of examples and explanations to use these powerful features for non-programmers. This book changes that. It explains clearly and wittily how to use QuickTime to enhance your website or CD-ROM, and take advantage of over 10 years of cutting-edge digital media technology for free.

[Full disclosure - I work for Apple on the QuickTime Engineering team, and know the author - believe me I wouldn't endorse this book if it wasn't great]

This book contains all of the otherwise unwritten techniques for producing QuickTime movies and panoramas for the web, appropriate for both Macintosh and Windows users.

Steve Gulie is in constant contact with producers of QuickTime content (on the mailing list), and is familiar with their day-to-day travails. The book is essentially an embellished FAQ, plus suggestions from Steve's first-hand experience in producing QuickTime for the Web.

The book comes with a QuickTime Pro license for both the Macintosh and Windows, which more than pays for the cost of the book. In addition, the accompanying CD contains demos or fully functional versions of dozens of useful application, for Mac and Windows.

If you're doing any QuickTime production and delivering it on the web, then you need this book.