In the Macintosh world, the AIFF format predominates, while virtually every Windows PC can deal with WAV sound files. Unfortunately, sound standardization has yet to arrive on the Web . Newer versions of browsers now include the functionality that allows them to play various types of audio files. Sound files in the above formats must download to the user's hard drive before being played by the browser or helper application. The larger the file and the slower the connection, the longer the download will take.
Streamed audio is still bandwidth -intensive, however.
Users with slow Internet connections may experience gaps in the sound. Typically, users need a player for the format in which the streaming audio was encoded. Their site provides players and production tools. When you incorporate sound in your Web resource, provide links to sources for necessary plug-ins . Wherever possible, offer alternative pathways for acquiring the information that is presented in the sound files.