So here's my list of questions

1. Is there a class where it takes an audio file as a constructor and has methods that allow me pause, play and continue from any selected part of the song?

2. How do you get video to work on an applet and have the functionality from question one?

3. How do I fade an image to a particular color?

4. What would you say is the max refresh rate for a 1680 x 1050 applet with double buffering and without any choppiness? (considering that I'm using an up to date computer).

4b. If simply took a small image and stretched it to 1680 x 1050, would it change the fame rate?

>1. Is there a class where it takes an audio file as a constructor and has methods that allow me pause, play and continue from any selected part of the song?
According to API ackage javax.sound.sampled provides interfaces and classes for capture, processing, and playback of sampled audio data. However I never used it...

>2. How do you get video to work on an applet and have the functionality from question one?
You will have to search on the matter, but maybe you should read this first

>3. How do I fade an image to a particular color?
Original Java image functionality is limited. However, Sun Systems seen this problem and support many community projects which try to solve the problem. To address the issue there is a Java Advaced Imaging (JAI) and Java Advanced Imaging Image I/O Tools API Core (jai-imageio-core)

>4. What would you say is the max refresh rate for a 1680 x 1050 applet with double buffering and without any choppiness? (considering that I'm using an up to date computer).
That image size is to big, it will take hell of time for processing and downloading for users. Just look what is the size of videos posted on youtube, google or yahoo videos

>4b. If simply took a small image and stretched it to 1680 x 1050, would it change the fame rate?
Now you lost me... Do you want to stretch video of small size to larger view or you trying to use images and get video out of it???

I guess I'll have to take a look at that...

This is probably going to drive me nuts....

Well what I'm going to do is local and not over the web. Basically I'm making an audio player, slide show and video player.

Well I was thinking about the video and audio part of my program and I was thinking about how windows media player has a skin selector. Can I make wmp skin out of java? If I can, then this would simplify everything for me.

Also thanks for the link Peter_Budo

I don't think you can create a media player skin from Java. It seems to have it's own SDK. It doesn't sound too complicated though. Here is the MSDN page on how to create skins:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa393417.aspx

Well What I was thinking of doing is create a player that runs over my applet, but I don't know xml and need to have it for the most part be always on top. So in a way it's as if it's a part of my applet.

So here's the things I need to know:
1. Does xml support "always on top" window behavior
2. Can java produce key presses? I know I can listen for key presses, but can key presses be produced by Java?
3. Can xml listen to key presses?

4. Any sites that I can easily learn xml in a short time?