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Click on one of the media player icons shown below to download the player.
While downloading files from our site, you will undoubtedly encounter many different types of electronic file formats. The way to identify the file type is by looking at its extension, typically expressed as a dot followed by 2 to 4 letters (.xxx). You will find these extensions listed under the format column in the Resource File Area.
Table of Contents
- Plain Text
- Documents
- Compressed Files
- Graphic Files
- Sound Files
- Video Files
Plain Text (ASCII) Files
.html/.htm
The language in which Web documents are authored. File Type: ASCII This file type requires a web browser, such as Navigator or Internet Explorer, for viewing.
.txt
A plain (ASCII) text file. File Type: ASCII These files can be viewed with a word processor like Microsoft Word or a simple text editor like Simple Text or BBEdit for the Mac. For the PC you can use Notepad that comes with the Windows operating system.
Formatted Documents
.doc
A common PC format for formatted text files. File Type: ASCII
Although you may occasionally come across files with this extension that are not text documents, usually they are documents that were created using Microsoft Word or WordPerfect for Windows.
.pdf
Portable Document Format, a proprietary format developed by Adobe Systems, Inc. that allows formatted documents (including brochures or other documents containing artwork) to be transferred over the Internet so they look the same on any computer. File Type: Binary
This file type requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view files and can be downloaded from the Adobe website.
.ps
A PostScript file. File Type: ASCII Though it is technically a plain text file, it is essentially unreadable except by a Postscript printer or with the help of an on screen viewer like Ghostscript, which is available for Mac, Windows, and UNIX.
.xls
Microsoft Excel speadsheet file.
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Compressed and Encoded Files
bin
A Mac binary II Encoded File. File Type: Binary
This file type requires Stuffit Expander for the Mac. You download this type of file as MacBinary or Binary.
.exe
A DOS or Windows program or a self-extracting file. File Type: Binary
If this is an executable (self-extracting) file, then it can usually be launched by double-clicking on the icon on your desktop. This is the only way to tell if it is an executable file.
.zip
A common compression standard for DOS and Windows that uses a DOS utility called PKZIP. File Type: Binary
These files can be decompressed on the PC with WinZIP. You can get copies for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95/98/2000/XP (winzipXX.exe). You can also use Stuffit Expander for Mac or Windows.
Graphics Files
.gif
The most common graphics file format on the Internet, it stands for Graphics Interchange Format. File Type: Binary
If your browser does not have a built-in GIF viewer (but most do), then you can use Lview Pro (lviewpxx.zip) or PolyView (polyvxxx.zip) to view these graphics on a Windows PC. On the Mac, a shareware utility called GIF Converter can be used to view and modify GIFs.
.jpg/jpeg/jfif
A popular compression standard used for photos and still images. File Type: Binary
JPEG files can be viewed on any platform as long as you have a JPEG viewer. You can view JPEG files with most web browsers. For the Mac, use JPEGView; for the PC, you can use Lview Pro or PolyView.
.tiff
A very large, high-resolution image format. File Type: Binary
Use JPEGView for the Mac and Lview Pro or PolyView for the PC.
All of the above graphics formats can be readily viewed, created, or manipulated with one or more commercially available graphics software programs like PhotoShop or DeBabelizer for the Mac, and Photostyler or PhotoShop for Windows.
.swf
SWF graphic file format is a version of the Macromedia Flash Player vector-based graphics format.
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Sound Files
.au/uLaw/MuLaw
The most common sound format found on the Web. File Type: Binary
Macs need Sound App to play this type of file; PCs can use Waveform Hold and Modify (whamxxx.zip) which provides support for a variety of formats, conversion between them, and file editing functions.
.aiff
Another fairly common sound format found on the Web. File Type: Binary
Although it is a Macintosh format, it can be used on other platforms as well. It requires the same programs as .au to play.
.mp3
The most popular file format on the Web for distributing CD-quality music. A 1 Mb files is equal to about one minute of music. File Type: Binary
This type of file requires an MP3 player, which is available for both Macintosh and Windows.
.ra
A proprietary streaming audio format called RealAudio. File Type: Binary
Developed by RealNetworks, RealAudio allows you to play sound files in real-time. This type of file requires the RealPlayer, available for both Macintosh and Windows.
.wav
The native sound format for Windows. File Type: Binary
On the Mac, you can use Sound App to play .wav files. For the PC, use aveform Hold and Modify or Goldwave to play these files. There's also a good program called Win Play! (wplnyxx.zip) that will play it, as well as other popular formats.
Video Files
.avi
The standard video format for Windows. File Type: Binary
These files need an AVI Video for Windows player (aviprox.exe) or the Windows Media Player from Microsoft.
.mov/.movie
The common format for QuickTime movies, the Macintosh native movie platform. File Type: Binary
You can use a number of applications to play .mov files including Sparkle or MoviePlayer on the Mac, and QuickTime for Windows.
.mpg/mpeg
A standard format for "movies" on the Internet, using the MPEG compression scheme. File Type: Binary
On the Mac, use Sparkle to play ,mpg files or to convert them to QuickTime movies. There are a variety of MPEG Players for Windows and an MPEG FTP Site that has a large collection of MPEG player resources for all platforms (Mac, Windows, and UNIX).
.qt
Another extension that denotes a QuickTime movie. File Type: Binary
.wmv
Windows Media Video (WMV) is a generic name for the set of proprietary streaming video technologies developed by Microsoft.
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