Downloading mp3s without using zip
I'm being asked to look into the possibility of offering to my user the opportunity to download mp3s in a manner that would be similar to what they do on Amazon using their "Cloud" player.
At first I recommended using the "zip" approach, only because you're automatically prompted to select a location for your download, whereas a a "raw" mp3 is often opened up using quicktime and it can become less than intuitive.
The other concern I had was that in some instances, the "playlist" that's being downloaded will include a video so you're looking at a download that's over 60MB when you include the songs and the video file, so displaying the selections one at a time with a corresponding download button seemed the best route.
In any event, I'm looking for feedback to either reinforce my recommendation that my client offer the selected playlist as a:
- list of selections that are to be downloaded one at a time with each file being a zip file
- one big file (possibly cumbersome) as something other than a zip file, but I have no idea what that would look like
- duplicate of what amazon.com offers in terms of a "cloud" player, but I don't know if that's going to be feasible since we're not collecting any customer data and there will be no way to provide an individualized web interface
Bottom line: Is there another way to facilitate downloads easily without using a zip file approach? I'm thinking, "No," but I wanted to run it past some minds greater than my own.
Thoughts?
At first I recommended using the "zip" approach, only because you're automatically prompted to select a location for your download, whereas a a "raw" mp3 is often opened up using quicktime and it can become less than intuitive.
The other concern I had was that in some instances, the "playlist" that's being downloaded will include a video so you're looking at a download that's over 60MB when you include the songs and the video file, so displaying the selections one at a time with a corresponding download button seemed the best route.
In any event, I'm looking for feedback to either reinforce my recommendation that my client offer the selected playlist as a:
- list of selections that are to be downloaded one at a time with each file being a zip file
- one big file (possibly cumbersome) as something other than a zip file, but I have no idea what that would look like
- duplicate of what amazon.com offers in terms of a "cloud" player, but I don't know if that's going to be feasible since we're not collecting any customer data and there will be no way to provide an individualized web interface
Bottom line: Is there another way to facilitate downloads easily without using a zip file approach? I'm thinking, "No," but I wanted to run it past some minds greater than my own.
Thoughts?
Last Comment
Ray Paseur
My two cents: ZIP compression is really good for plain text with whitespace. Binary files like MPEG-encoded data is already compressed, and the addition of ZIP compression may not be a value-added feature.
ASKER
Ray, I get that, but my challenge isn't so much in compression as much as it is in ease of use. Asking a user to right click on a link and highlight "Save Target As..." and any one of a number of other approaches is going to look and feel amateur when compared to an amazon.com or iTunes.
I'm trying to convince my client that using a zipped approach is best in that the user will automatically be prompted to download the file, select where they want it on their desktop, etc. The only other option I can see is where you have an actual application that in some instances actually interfaces with iTunes and I'm not sure, given the scope of my client's campaign, that kind of time, money and code is worth it.
When I've built a shopping cart in the past, I've always used either zen cart or, if I built something from scratch, the download was always a zip file simply because of the way an operating system processes it as a download.
I guess I just want to bounce this off of you and anybody else who's experience and knowledge is greater than my own to make sure that the recommendations I'm making go beyond my preferences and do represent the downloadable landscape as it truly exists. Namely, apart from building a standalone application, offering your downloadable mp3 files as a zip file is going to be the easiest to build and the most intuitive for the user.
I'm trying to convince my client that using a zipped approach is best in that the user will automatically be prompted to download the file, select where they want it on their desktop, etc. The only other option I can see is where you have an actual application that in some instances actually interfaces with iTunes and I'm not sure, given the scope of my client's campaign, that kind of time, money and code is worth it.
When I've built a shopping cart in the past, I've always used either zen cart or, if I built something from scratch, the download was always a zip file simply because of the way an operating system processes it as a download.
I guess I just want to bounce this off of you and anybody else who's experience and knowledge is greater than my own to make sure that the recommendations I'm making go beyond my preferences and do represent the downloadable landscape as it truly exists. Namely, apart from building a standalone application, offering your downloadable mp3 files as a zip file is going to be the easiest to build and the most intuitive for the user.
Was hoping to also post some examples from my own site, but as fate would have it, the server crashed and the hosting company is scrambling to replace a failing hard drive. When they get it back online, have a look at the audio recordings of the sermons at www.nationalpres.org and see if that has a design that makes sense for your needs.
All the best, ~Ray
All the best, ~Ray
ASKER
I'll do it! Thanks!
ASKER
Hey, Ray! I'm clicking on "sermons" on your page but I don't see any options for downloading the mp3. I've seen where you can download the bulletin, but I'm missing the mp3 dynamic.
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ASKER
Thanks, guys!
Ray, what's the m3u option you offer? That looks very, very cool in that a person can download a file that is automatically read by iTunes.
Ray, what's the m3u option you offer? That looks very, very cool in that a person can download a file that is automatically read by iTunes.
Thanks for the points. Just copy and follow the design pattern. I am admittedly not sure why it works, but it does! Apple is smarter than I am!
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