Professor Gordon McCray's Cybershow example 1:

• New G2 version: requires Real G2 player.
  To install the new G2 player:
1. Click on Start menu, and choose Run...
2. At the prompt, type in: \\acad1\physics\pub\real
3. Double-click on the r32_g20_1-v603-981224.exe to run the G2 player installer.
   
• Using Real player 5.0

If you don't have the Real G2 player installed but would like to see how it works first, click here to see a ScreenCam (~5MB) showing how the Real G2 player works.

Creating a G2 Streaming slideshow with synchronized audio, step-by-step:

1. Preparing the slides:
• Create slides with PowerPoint. Save it as HTML (File, Save as html...). It will save the slides as gif or jpg files. It will automatically name the gif or jpg files of the slides numbered as, for examples, img001.gif, img002.gif, ... or sld001.gif, sld002.gif... depending on whether you choose the non-frame or frame version of your PowerPoint html.
• Copy all the gif or jpg file of your slides onto a directory on your www-home.
2. Preparing the audio:
• Record the voice-over with SoundRecorder (included on all TPs, under Start menu, Program, Accessories, Multimedia) or SoundForge as an .wav file. You can record separate audio clip for each slide, or one big audio for the whole slideshow. The above example is a one big audio.
• Jot down the start time and end time and the duration of the audio clip for each slide. SoundForge and SoundRecorder both show the timer.
• Convert the wav file into an .rm file with RealProducer G2 available at http://proforma.real.com/mario/tools/producer.html.
• Copy or move this .rm file onto a directory inside your department directory on the \\acad1 (Network Neighborhood, Entire Network, wfu, Acad1)
3. Preparing the smil file:
   The smil file is a text file, like an html file. It defines the audio and slide synchronization. Click here to see the .smil file (as a text file) for the Cybershow example above.
• As a quick start, you may use a template .smil file. Click here to download a MS Word form we created for the above Cybershow example. Modify the form items (shaded) of slide URL, filename of the .rm file, URL of your .rm file, etc. If you are not sure what the items are, click once on that item, and hit the F1 key. An explanation will appear on screen.
• Save the finished form as a text file (DO NOT save it as .doc file). It will warn you about losing the formating. It is OK because you want a plain text file.
• This text file will have an extension as .txt. Rename the file to change the extension to .smil.
• Copy or move this .smil to a directory on your www-home, preferably in the same folder as your slides.
4. Finally... You can create a link on a web page to link to this .smil file. When people click on the link, if they have G2 player installed, it will asked them if they want to open or save it. Either way, they will be able to play your streaming slideshow. Alternatively, they can also run the G2 player directly without going through Netscape, and enter the URL for this .smil.

Note: Why are the slide graphics and the .smil file on the www-home while the .rm file on the \\acad1?
The .rm file has to be on \\acad1 because \\acad1 is running the G2 server but the www-home is not. So, only \\acad1 can stream the .rm RealAudio. Technically, you can put all the slides and the .smil file to the \\acad1, too. However, \\acad1 does not have as much space as the \\acfiles, where your www-home locates. It is also that currently \\acad1 has been serving for the departmental files rather than personal course materials.