Advice for asset files¶
Adding asset files to ROAR experiments
ROAR experiments can often include a lot of asset files, such as images, audio, and video. But as we include more asset files, our website becomes larger and this can affect application performance. It is therefore important to choose file formats that minimize file size while preserving quality. We recommend the following file formats and conversion tools:
Use the MP3 file format. We recommend using ffmpeg to convert your files to MP3. For example, to convert the file sample.wav to sample.mp3, use
The -codec:a libmp3lame option tells ffmpeg to use the LAME audio encoder and the -qscale:a 9 option tells ffmpeg to reduce the audio quality in order to reduce file size. In our experience, you can be very aggressive in reducing the audio quality. But if you test out your audio and you aren't happy with the quality, you can always reduce the number that goes after -qscale:a.
Use the MP4 file format. We recommend either ffmpeg or Handbrake for converting video files. Here is a nice article on using ffmpeg to convert media files. The specific options that you will need to convert videos depends on the input video format. So we recommend searching the web for best practices in converting your file format. For example, here is an article on converting AVI files to MP4. And here is one with a collection of commands for converting MOV files to MP4.
If your image files are of geometric shapes (e.g. logos, icons, etc.), then we recommend using a vector graphic file format such as SVG or PDF. If your image file is a photograph, we recommend using a raster file format like JPEG or PNG. Try to strike a balance between image resolution and file size to save space in your web app.