"Streaming" audio begins playback while it is still downloading. ShockBox's streaming capabilities provide almost instant playback of high-quality audio, even for users with 56k modem connections to the Internet.

1/8/2000 - ShockBox 1.4 for Macintosh PPC & Windows 95/98/NT

Version 1.4 revisions:

Download updates directly through ShockBox / engine file Preference file created ShockBox Server welcome screen with disclaimer option Click on movie thumbnail for larger display Playlist and bookmark files encrypted for security Password protection in FTP area Direct access to readme files and website from pulldown menu Enhanced dialogs and alerts Locate audio files by scanning selected folder Hyperlink support in news area Bookmark menus are now more reliable Accurate scrolling routines Creation of icons for new filetypes (MAC only) Endless bug fixes

1/4/2000 - ShockBox 1.3 to be published in MacLife.

A Macintosh magazine published in Japan! Many thanks for their writeup on ShockBox. Unfortunately I can't read Japanese either.

12/19/99 - ServerMaker 1.2 for Macintosh PPC

Easily create your own ShockBox server and preference files with ServerMaker 1.0 from Steve Rusher. Be sure to visit Steve at http://tern.damnsw.net/servermaker/

10/23/99 - ShockBox 1.3 published in Mac MAGAZIN.

A Macintosh magazine published in Hamburg, Germany! Many thanks for their writeup on ShockBox. Unfortunately I can't read German.

Freeware Notice
ShockBox is Freeware. You may use it at no cost. However, ShockBox is still copyright ©1998-2000 by endres design. All rights reserved. ShockBox may not be included in any for-profit software compilation or bundled with any other for-profit package, except with prior written consent from the author, Lance Endres. ShockBox may be distributed freely on on-line services and by users groups, except where noted above, provided it is distributed unmodified.

Please do not include any version of ShockBox in any shareware/freeware collection, Web browser or book without getting my expressed permission. If at all possible, I ask that you send me a complimentary copy of the product. I only ask this because I wish to know how ShockBox is being distributed. Also, let me know of any articles or web sites that expressly talk about or feature ShockBox. Thanks!

Why use it?
Your entire music library is instantly available on your computer! With ShockBox, high fidelity music can be played wherever the user takes his/her laptop. Large stacks of physical CDs stay conveniently and safely at home. Compress your audio, label your audio files with the appropriate suffix and drop them in a folder labeled with the CD title and you're ready to create customized playlists for playback. Plus, drop a JPEG image of the CD cover into the same folder and view the CD image while you listen to the audio tracks!

ShockBox for Desktop Playback of Audio/Video
SB's desktop abilities allow you to locate folders and files of audio/video and then play them back from your desktop. Not only can you locate audio/video files on your hard drive but also on your external drives, network servers, and other accessible media.

ShockBox desktop abilities allow you play the following formats off of your hard drive or local hard drive:

Audio	Suffix	Video	Suffix
AIFF	.aif / .aiff	AVI	.avi
MIDI	.mid	Digital Video	.dv
MPEG Layer III	.mp3	MPEG Video	.mpg
MPEG Layer II	.mp2	QTVR	.qtvr
Shockwave Audio	.swa	Quicktime 4	.mov, .qt, .qt3, .qt4
Sun Audio	.au
WAVE	.wav

(NOTE: Audio/video file suffixes are needed to recognize your files.)

ShockBox for Web Playback of Audio
SB links to the Official ShockBox Server through the Internet to gather information on which ShockBox Servers are available. A ShockBox Server is in actuality a Web or FTP address that houses the audio and descriptive data which the ShockBox accesses. Once SB makes contact with the Official ShockBox Server, a list of valid ShockBox Servers is displayed. From the list you may select a server of your choice and listen to the audio files that particular server houses. The amount and content of the audio files that are housed are entirely up to the ShockBox Server administrator. Learn how to create your own ShockBox Server. For information on how to process Shockwave/MP3 audio files click here.

ShockBox Internet abilities allow you play the following formats off of the Internet through a ShockBox Server:

Audio	Suffix
MPEG Layer III	.mp3
MPEG Layer II	.mp2
Shockwave Audio	.swa

(NOTE: Audio/video file suffixes are needed to recognize your files.)

ShockBox for FTP Playback of Audio
SB's FTP browser allows you to locate MP3/Shockwave audio by browsing FTP sites.

ShockBox's FTP abilities allow you play the following formats from FTP sites:

Audio	Suffix
MPEG Layer III	.mp3
MPEG Layer II	.mp2
Shockwave Audio	.swa

(NOTE: Audio/video file suffixes are needed to recognize your files.)

Go to the search engine FTP search v4.0 to find FTP sites that have MP3 audio available.

For detailed instructions on how everything works, see General Instructions.

Why was it built?
Currently on the Web there are multiple examples of Internet audio delivery systems. All of these products are either driven by Web browsers with specific plug-ins or with audio software that require they be activated through a Web browser. From a practical standpoint it is rather ridiculous that you should launch a memory-intensive Web browser just to listen to audio. Along with the large memory requirement for your web browser is the incredible degradation in audio quality. Another element that is missing entirely from audio standpoint is the element of choice. Almost every aspect of audio on the Web is predetermined. The end user rarely has the ability to receive options in their audio selection.

System Requirements:
PowerPC Macintosh (100mhz minimum recommended) with 6MB memory or Windows 95/98/NT (100 mhz minimum recommended) with 6MB memory. You must have Internet access to use SB Internet abilities. It is recommend that you have a 56 modem connection or higher when using SB.

System Compatibility Notes
ShockBox requires at least System 7.0 and Sound Manager 3.1 or greater (part of System 7.5.3). The suggested system required is PowerPC-based Macintosh computer running System 7.5.1 or later. IBM compatibles require Windows 95/98/NT and a sound card. SB should run acceptably with the minimum memory allocation of 6000K. Large Quicktime movies tend to require massive amounts of memory for playback through ShockBox. If you receive a memory error or unexplained quitting, allocate more memory to the application. Quicktime 4 is required.