Zikula Community

This is my first time posting here, so please be patient with me. I want to turn my downloads module into a "media center" where users can view different media formats, such as quicktime, windows media, and flash. My plan is that:

a. A user will be browsing the "downloads" and click on one.
b. Instead of a "download" starting, the user will be taken to the details page.
c. Instead of the description, there will be a media player embedded so the user can view the media without another window opening or program loading. Thus, not leaving my website.

Most of this I have researched on my own and have been able to do, or feel confident enough to try, however...

When writing the code to embed a media player, is there a PostNuke variable/method I can use, or create if not, that contains the complete URL to the file? I tried the variable $URL, but it is empty whenever I try to use it. Next, and this is slightly unrelated, is there a way to code an appropriate program to tell what media format a file is in, and then embed the correct media player? I would consider myself a web programming novice, but I like a challege. I have already tried My_eGallery, but that would not work with my site. Any help will be much appreciated!

Before I forget, I would like to thank the developers and community members who spend their personal time writing a solid open source program and answering newbie questions.