NET TOOB -- NET TOOB is the Real Deal when it comes to viewing digital videos over the 'net. Although NET TOOB specializes in MPEG and MPEG-1 files, QuickTime for Windows (MOV), Video for Windows (AVI), and FLC/FLI videos can also be viewed so long as you first grab the necessary (and free) drivers off the NET TOOB Info Page. NET TOOB also supports playback of WAV, MIDI, and SND sound bytes as well as QuickTime VR models. NET TOOB is perhaps the first digital audio/video viewer of its kind -- nothing else on the 'net allows for playback of so many file types and without the need for additional hardware. NET TOOB automatically sets itself up as a web browser helper application or as a plug-in module (with v3.0) in order to enable automatic video playback from Netscape, Internet Explorer, Spry AirMosaic, and a few additional browsers. Features in NET TOOB are pleasingly abundant: adjustable video window sizes (1/8, 1/4 or even full screen playback), small files (thanks to MPEG-1 compression), video compression ratio averages of 200 to 1 and audio compression ratio averages of 15 to 1, MPEG-1 playback at 15 frames per second, and playback of synchronized and interleaved audio/video. There is even a video screen saver that you can use to play your favorite videos. Unfortunately, you can only play one video at a time -- i.e. currently, there is no video slideshow capability with NET TOOB. The quality of both audio and video delayed playback (non-streaming) is amazing. Even more impressive, the folks at Duplexx Software (creators of NET TOOB) have now completed an update to v3.0, called NET TOOB Stream, that supports real time audio and video playback...over the 'net!

This newest release of NET TOOB takes the app in a new direction (and with the new name - NET TOOB Stream). With the new version you can play all current digital standards on your PC including MPEG-1, Video for Windows (AVI), and QuickTime for Windows (MOV) as downloaded media, and varied frame-rate MPEG-1 on-demand media without server software. NET TOOB Stream even gives you the option of full screen video playback for MOV and AVI video files, but don't expect quality or speed to be anywhere near adequate with a slower 'net connection. While these new features do bring NET TOOB Stream several steps closer towards becoming a super deluxe real-time audio/video player, there are still noticeable delays when playing files while they are being downloaded. However, the 3.0 release and its impressive collection of new features are quite a dramatic improvement over the 2.x and earlier releases. Version 3.0 still has a few kinks to be worked out, but at only $19.95, NET TOOB Stream is one of the easiest recommendations to make for a winsock app, and when real time audio and video streaming capabilities are perfected there's no doubt that NET TOOB will be a five-star app.

Pros: Excellent multimedia viewer, audio and video at high frame rates; many file types supported
Cons: Lacks real time A/V support, needs multimedia slideshow capability
New: 32-bit release, on-demand real time streaming playback, frame rate control, full screen video, more

Version Reviewed: 3.3 Date of Review: 7/7/97

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