This depends on what kind of audio you are putting on the site and how you are planning to use the audio.

If you are using the audio as background music for a page, we recommend using MP3 files.  While recorded audio formats like wave, or wma can sound better, they have a much larger file size.  This is important when considering the bandwidth or your hosting package.  Keep in mind that every time a visitor visits that page, the audio file will be downloaded. So, if you have a 5MB mp3 file for the background music and 1000 people visit that page, that will use up 5GB of bandwidth.  If you put background music on multiple pages, then the bandwidth usage can go way up. 

Also, if you want to have recorded music on your website (like music on a cd), we recommend using the mp3 format.  The mp3 format creates relatively small files and is the most universally accessible file type.  If you are able to determine the quality of the mp3 file, we recommend either 128kbs or 192kbs as these are near cd quality.  Using a lower quality level will make the file size smaller, but may cause the music to sound distorted.

If you want to have recorded speech on your website (like a sermon), we recommend using the mp3 format.  If you are able to determine the quality of the mp3 file, we recommend 32kbs.  Vocal recordings do not require cd quality sound, so you can reduce the file size of the audio file significantly without causing distortions.

*Note: A website must have a Gold, Silver, or Bronze package to upload recorded audio file types like mp3 or wma.

Where can I get audio files?

There are many sites available that sell royalty-free background music that is very high in quality and needs no license or permission.  Some websites you may want to try are:

http://www.SongsofPraise.org
http://www.cyberhymnal.org
http://members.aol.com/alshymns/godsmusic.htm

*Tip: Be sure not to have more than one audio file set to start automatically ("Auto Play") as that will cause multiple audio files to play at the same time.

*Tip: Most visitors like to be able to control whether audio is playing.  Sometimes this is because they are in a public location where those around them would be disturbed by the audio.  Other times they may simply not want to listen to the audio at that time.  Let’s face it, even good songs get old after the 4th or 5th time in a row.

1. Website video/audio embedding - Adding video or audio to your site.


2. CD/DVD Ripping - Pulling the audio or video files off of your CD/DVD and giving it to you in a format that you can use to embed the audio or video into your site or manipulate in an editing program.


3. Creating digital audio files from audio cassettes – Converting your cassette tapes to a format which can be used to embed the audio on your site or placed onto a CD.


4. Creating digital video files from video tapes - Converting your video tapes to a format which can be used to embed the video on your site or placed onto a DVD.


5. Creating Audio/video pages - Create pages for your site that have audio/videos for your visitors to choose from.


6. Flash Movies - Convert your movies to Flash, which is the most recognized online movie format because it highly compatible with today’s computers, has a small file size yet keeps maintains the quality of the video.

Give OurChurch.com a call at 727-723-2454 or email us at support@ourchurch.com for the latest details relating to audio and video. It is well worth the effort to enhance your website with features that will not only bring visitors, but keep them coming back for more!

Once you have uploaded the desired audio files in the Asset Manager, you are able to put those files on your web pages. Click to edit the page you want to add the audio to and then, in the page editor, select where you would like the audio player to be located. (Note: You can move the audio player after you have inserted it onto the page.)  Then click on the “Insert / edit embedded media” icon. In the window that comes up, select the type of file you would like to add in the “Type “ section select. You have five options to choose from: Flash, Quicktime, Shockwave, Windows Media, and Real Media (Figure 1).

(Figure 1)


Next, click the folder icon next to the “File/URL” field (Figure 2) to access your Asset Manager. In the Asset Manager select the desired audio file and click the “OK” button to return to the Media dialog box.

(Figure 2)


In the “Dimensions” option you can enter the width and height (in pixels) you want the media player to be (Figure 3). A good size for audio is 300 x 35.

Note: Clicking the “Constrain proportions” will link the width and height. That way if you change one, the other is changed as well automatically and the perportions of the media player will stay the same. This is especially helpful when dealing with video.

(Figure 3)

Note: The “Advanced” section under the "Advanced" tab is the same under every file type, while the “Options” section below the “Advanced” section will change according to file type that you choose.

In the “Advanced” section you can adjust the following:

1. ID – The ID is the name of the file that is displayed within the coding. You may be asking why you would need to give your file an ID when you don’t even see the code. You don’t have to, but if you have deaf visitors, the program they use to know when there is audio on the site will read this ID and show them the ID. The ID can help them know what the audio is.


2. Name – This is the title of the audio file that you are uploading (Figure 4).
   
   (Figure 4)
   


3. Align – This option will NOT control how the media player aligns within the page but how it aligns with the text around it. There are 4 options:

Top: This will align the media player at the top of the text.

Right: This will align the media player to the right side of the text.

Bottom: This will align the text to the bottom the media player

Left: This will align the media player to the left side of the text.

4. Background – This controls the background color behind the media player. Since we are using the player for audio you will not be able to see the background color. (Figure 5)
   
   (Figure 5)
   


5. V-Space / H – Space – HSPACE sets the horizontal space (buffer) between the media player and surrounding text. VSPACE sets the vertical space (buffer) between the media player and surrounding text (Figure 6).
   
   (Figure 6)
   

The second section under the "Advanced" tab is the “options” section. The options under this section will change depending on the type of file you selected under the “Type” section under the General tab.

The most common options under the “options” section are (Figure 7) :

1. Loop –Checking this will make your file restart once it is finished. If check the audio will keep replaying until the visitor leaves that page or manually stops the audio.
2. Auto Play – Checking this option will make your file start media playing as soon as the page opens. Tip: The Auto Play feature can be helpful when you have only one media file playing on a page. If you have more than one media file on a page, be careful to either have only one or none of the media files Auto Play. Otherwise, multiple files will start playing at the same time.
3. Show Menu – Checking this option will show the menu or controls for the media player that the file is playing in. This allows the visitors to the page to control the media player to stop, pause, start, fast-foward or rewind the audio as well as control the volume. Tip: Most visitors like to be able to control media on a page. Having the controls displayed for the media player can make the visitor's experience more enjoyable.
   
   (Figure 7)
   

Note – Other options are available under the “options” section; however, we recommend that you not change those options unless you are familiar with them.

*Tip: You can quickly edit your media file by right clicking on the file within your page and selecting “Edit embedded media”.

To insert a Flash file, in the page editor, click where you would like the Flash file to be located within your page and then click the "Insert / edit embedded media" icon. Click the folder icon next to the "File/URL" field (Figure 1) to access your Asset Manager.

(Figure 1)

In the top, right hand corner of the Asset Manager (Figure 2) make sure that "Flash" is selected from the drop-down menu. This will allow you to select the desired file from your upload list. Select the file you want to use and click "OK" button to return to the Media dialog box.

You can further adjust setting for your file by clicking on the “Advanced” tab in the Media dialog. There are two sections under the “Advanced” tab, the “advance” section and the “options” section. (Figure 3)

(Figure 3)


Under the “Advance” section you can adjust the following:

1. ID – The ID is the name of the file that is displayed within the coding. The ID is generally not seen by visitors; however, some screen reader software will let blind visitors know what the ID is. The ID can allow you to indicate to visitors using screen readers what the flash file is. (Figure 4)


2. Name – This is the title of the file that you are inserting (Figure 4)
   
   (Figure 4)
   


3. Align – This option will NOT control how your Flash player or Flash object aligns within the page but how it aligns with the text around it. There are 4 options: (Figure 5)

Top: This will align the Flash at the top of the text.

Right: This will align the Flash to the right side of the text.

Bottom: This will align the text to the bottom the Flash

Left: This will align the Flash to the left side of the text.

4. Background – This controls the background color behind the Flash. (Figure 5)
   
   (Figure 5)
   


5. V-Space / H – Space – HSPACE sets the horizontal space (buffer) between the image and surrounding text. VSPACE sets the vertical space (buffer) between the image and surrounding text. (Figure 6)
   
   (Figure 6)
   

The second section is the “options” section. The options under this section will change depending on the type of file you selected under the “Type” section under the General tab. (Figure 7)

The most common options under the “options” section are:

1. Loop –Checking this will make your file restart once it is finished. If check it will keep replaying until a view leaves that page.
2. Auto Play – Checking this option will make your file start playing as soon as the page opens.
3. Show Menu – Checking this option will show the menu or controls for the player that the file is playing in.
   
   (Figure 7)
   

Note – Other options are available under the “options” section but we recommend that unless you are familiar with these options that you not change them.

*Tip: You can quickly edit your media file by right clicking on the file within your page and selecting “Edit embedded media”.

The process of inserting a video is virtually the same as that of inserting audio or Flash. With the growing popularity of videos on the Internet, the use of video is becoming more common and can be quite effective for Christian ministries as they present their mission. A word of caution is in order, however, Video can use a tremendous amount of bandwidth, so be sure your hosting package can handle the bandwidth before you insert video. Also, not all video formats are viewable by everyone, so, if you have a choice, choose your video format carefully.

To insert a video file, in the page editor, select where you would like the video file to be located and click the "Insert / edit embedded media" icon. Under the "Type" section select the type of file you are going to use (Figure 1). Then click the folder icon next to the "File/URL" field (Figure 2) to access your Asset Manager.

(Figure 1)


(Figure 2)

In the top, right hand corner of the Asset Manager make sure that "Media" is selected from the drop-down menu. This will allow you to select the desired file from your upload list. Press "OK" button to return to the Media dialog box.

You can further adjust setting for your file by clicking on the “Advanced” tab in the Media dialog. There are two sections under the “Advanced” tab, the “advance” section and the “options” section.

Under the “Advanced” section you can adjust the follow:

1. ID – The ID is the name of the file that is displayed within the coding. The ID is generally not seen by visitors; however, some screen reader software will let blind visitors know what the ID is. The ID can allow you to indicate to visitors using screen readers what the flash file is.


2. Name – This is the title of the video that you are uploading (Figure 3)
   
   (Figure 3)
   


3. Align – This option will NOT control how the media player aligns within the page but how it aligns with the text around it. There are 4 options:

Top: This will align the media player at the top of the text.

Right: This will align the media player to the right side of the text.

Bottom: This will align the text to the bottom the media player

Left: This will align the media player to the left side of the text.

4. Background – This controls the background color behind the media player. (Figure 4)
   
   (Figure 4)
   


5. V-Space / H – Space – HSPACE sets the horizontal space (buffer) between the image and surrounding text. VSPACE sets the vertical space (buffer) between the image and surrounding text (Figure 5).
   
   (Figure 5)
   

The second section is the “options” section. The options under this section will change depending on the type of file you selected under the “Type” section under the General tab.

The most common options under the “options” section are (Figure 6):

1. Loop –Checking this will make your file restart once it is finished. If check it will keep replaying until a view leaves that page.
2. Auto Play – Checking this option will make your file start playing as soon as the page opens. Tip: The Auto Play feature can be helpful when you have only one media file playing on a page. If you have more than one media file on a page, be careful to either have only one or none of the media files Auto Play. Otherwise, multiple files will start playing at the same time.
3. Show Menu / Controller – Checking this option will show the menu or controls for the media player that the file is playing in. This allows the visitors to the page to control the media player to stop, pause, start, fast-foward or rewind the audio as well as control the volume. Tip: Most visitors like to be able to control media on a page. Having the controls displayed for the media player can make the visitor's experience more enjoyable.
   
   (Figure 6)
   

Note – Other options are available under the “options” section; however, we recommend that you not change those options unless you are familiar with them.

*Tip: You can quickly edit your media file by right clicking on the file within your page and selecting “Edit embedded media”.

The NE1™ Web Builder makes it easy to use different types of media files on your website. There are several types of media files that work with the web builder and the “Asset Manager” makes it easy to upload and keep track of those files.

Before a media file can be put on your website you must first upload it from your computer into your account.  To upload a file, you can either use the NE1™ Asset Manager or FTP.  On this page we will address uploading files using the Asset Manager. You can find information about uploading files via FTP in the “Using FTP to transfer files” help page. 

Note: The NE1™ Asset Manager has a file size upload limit of 5MB. Files larger than 5MB need to be uploaded using FTP.

There are two ways to access the NE1™ Asset Manager.

1. If you are planning to put the media in the body of the page, you will use the "Insert / edit embedded media" icon. First, locate the page to be edited and click the location on that page where you want the media displayed. Then press the "Insert / edit embedded media" icon (the green film strip) in the Page Editor. You will then see the Insert / edit embedded media dialog window. (Figure 1)
   
   (Figure1)
   
   
   
   

   Under the "Type" section select the type of file that you would like to add to your page. There are five options, Flash, Quicktime, Shockwave, Windows Media, and Real Media (Figure 2).

   (Figure 2)
   
   
   
   

   Next, under the "File / URL" section click the folder icon.(Figure 3) This will take you to your Asset Manager. (Figure 4)

   (Figure 3)
   
   
   (Figure 4)
   
   
   
   
   
2. If you are planning to use the media as background music, click the "Upload" button in the "Background Music" section of the page on which you want the background music (Figure 5). This is in the Page Settings section under the "Edit Subpage" tab. This will open your Asset Manager Window. (Figure 4)
   
   (Figure 5)
   

The Asset Manager is your home for all media and graphic files. It is here that you can see a list of the files that have been uploaded, preview those files, and upload files. To upload a file, press the “Browse…” button . This will open a window displaying the folders and files on your computer.  Locate the file you would like to upload and double click it.  Once the file has been chosen, press the “upload” button. Once uploaded, you should see the file listed in the Asset Manager.

*Note: Files you wish to upload must first be a file on your computer.  If you have audio or video that is currently on a tape, cd, dvd or other source other than your computer, you will first need to create a file of that audio or video on your computer.  If you would like to upload an audio or video file that is on another website, you will need to download that file to your computer before you can upload it to your website.  (All copyright laws should be followed.)

*Note 2: The asset manager has a limit on the size of file it can upload. That maximum size is 5MB.

General Info:

Because of the wide variations in video processing and editing techniques, it is difficult to offer specific advice concerning its use. However, OurChurch.com has some excellent articles available in the “Web Trends Blog”. One article consists of several important video editing and publishing tips. It is available here:

http://blog.ourchurch.com/2006/12/28/video-editing-and-publishing-tips/

There is another excellent article that gives tips for shooting the videos themselves. It is available here:

http://blog.ourchurch.com/2006/12/20/tips-for-shooting-videos-2/

In the following blog article there are 3 videos it is recommended every church have. While the article is written about church websites, the article is comprehensive enough to mention as something everyone should read, not just churches. It is available here:

http://blog.ourchurch.com/2006/12/12/three-videos-every-church-website-should-have/#more-54

How much video should I use on my website?

As much as you want.  Just keep in mind that video files take up both disk space and bandwidth.  So, be sure you have the best hosting package for what you want to do.  You can view info about our hosting packages here:

http://www.ourchurch.com/hosting/web-hosting-plans-packages.php

OurChurch.Com can accommodate any disk space or bandwidth need you might have.  So, if you need more disk space or bandwidth than is offered in our hosting packages, please contact us and we would be happy to put together a custom package.

What video file types do you recommend?

There are many file types to select from and each have their own advantages. The most popular video format is .mpg or .mpeg, though .flv (a flash video format) is growing in popularity. Most video players can play .mpg, .mpeg, and .avi. making them more accessible.

There are many things to consider when creating your digital video.  The three most important factors are file size, video dimensions, and quality.

File size is important both in consideration of your hosting package’s disk space and bandwidth, but also in consideration of your visitors.  Many people still aren’t using broadband.  Using videos that have a very large file size can make it difficult, if not impossible for some visitors to view them.

The video’s dimensions refer to the size of the picture for the video.  The larger the video’s dimensions the easier it will be for people to see.  This is especially important if your visitors tend to be over the age of 35 or under the age of 13.  At these ages it’s usually better to have slightly bigger text and bigger videos.  But keep in mind that the larger a video’s dimensions, the larger the video’s file size will be.  You may have to weigh the benefits of each.

Quality can be nice, but isn’t necessarily that important.  If the video does not contain things that are important to see very clearly, you may be able to cut back the quality of the video to reduce the file size.  For example, if you are putting up a video of your Pastor’s sermon, it’s probably not that important that visitors see the pastor very clearly.  The important part is what is being said.  Of course, you also don’t want the quality to be so bad it makes people not want to watch.  On the other hand, if you putting up a video displaying your church’s new building, you may want better quality so people can clearly see the building.  So, the quality you use may be determined by the content of the video and may be a great way to save some disk space.