Progressive download for an embedded avi file

[vlad230]

Hi guys!

I want to embed an .avi file on my website and I want to do it using windows media player.

Here's the code that I'm currently using:

<OBJECT ID="MediaPlayer" WIDTH="640" HEIGHT="506" CLASSID="clsid:6BF52A52-394A-11D3-B153-00C04F79FAA6"
STANDBY="Loading Windows Media Player components..." TYPE="video/x-msvideo">
<PARAM NAME="FileName" VALUE="video2.avi">
<PARAM name="ShowControls" VALUE="true">
<param name="ShowStatusBar" value="true">
<PARAM name="ShowDisplay" VALUE="false">
<PARAM name="autostart" VALUE="true">
<EMBED TYPE="application/x-mplayer2" SRC="video2.avi" NAME="MediaPlayer"
WIDTH="640" HEIGHT="506" ShowControls="1" ShowStatusBar="1" ShowDisplay="0" autostart="1"> </EMBED>
</OBJECT></noscript></noscript>

The problem with it is that it downloads the whole movie file first and then it plays it... I want it to do a "progressive download" meaning it downloads a small chunk first then starts playing it and while the first chunk is playing the 2nd chunk is being downloaded so that the user doesn't have to wait too long.
I'm using some big avi files (50 to 100 mb) so waiting for the whole file to download first isn't an option.

Any ideas on how to do that?

Thanks,
Vlad

 

[RageD]

Like a stream so having it buffer as you go?

You'll want to make a .ASX file for this. You can google them and there are a lot of tutorials which could show you how to do this effectively.

-RageD

 

[vlad230]

Like a stream so having it buffer as you go?

You'll want to make a .ASX file for this. You can google them and there are a lot of tutorials which could show you how to do this effectively.

-RageD

Isn't a .asx a simple file that only contains the direct path to the video file?
Does it also have the property to make the video file "buffer while it's playing" ?

 

[Daniel]

An ASX file (Advanced Stream Redirector) is a special type of file which works closely with Windows Media ASF files.

* The ASF file is the actual media file, containing video, audio, etc.
* The ASX file is a metafile — a file which contains data about another file. In this case it is a simple text file containing a reference to an ASF file.

The purpose of an ASX file is to start the ASF file streaming.

... Apparently, here's the source: http://www.mediacollege.com/video/format/windows-media/files/asx.html

 

[vlad230]

I've just tried it and it's doing the same thing (downloads all the movie first and then it plays it)

On page code:

<OBJECT ID="MediaPlayer" WIDTH="640" HEIGHT="506" CLASSID="clsid:6BF52A52-394A-11D3-B153-00C04F79FAA6"
STANDBY="Loading Windows Media Player components..." TYPE="video/x-msvideo">
<PARAM NAME="FileName" VALUE="video10.asx">
<PARAM name="ShowControls" VALUE="true">
<param name="ShowStatusBar" value="true">
<PARAM name="ShowDisplay" VALUE="false">
<PARAM name="autostart" VALUE="true">
<EMBED TYPE="application/x-mplayer2" SRC="video10.asx" NAME="MediaPlayer"
WIDTH="640" HEIGHT="506" ShowControls="1" ShowStatusBar="1" ShowDisplay="0" autostart="1"> </EMBED>
</OBJECT></noscript></noscript>

ASX file:

<ASX version="3">
<Entry>
<ref href="video10.avi" />
</Entry>
</ASX>

Any more ideas?

 

[vlad230]

If you have any ideas please don't hesitate to post here

 

[RageD]

Try putting your full path to the video in your .ASX file. For example:

<ASX version="3">
<ENTRY>
<REF HREF="http://YOURSITEHERE/SometimesMakesADifference/video10.avi">
</ENTRY>
</ASX>

-RageD

 

[vlad230]

Apparently there is no method to embed an .avi file and make it progressive download.... The only of doing this in WMP is to convert it to .asf and that works great

 

[RageD]

Alright. I had tested with .WMV which allows a progressive download because I didn't have any .avi's available xD Thanks for the update though, I'll remember that for the future

-RageD

 

[Valdeam]

So changing it to a WMV fixed the problem?

Valdeam

 

[vlad230]

I tested it with a .ASF file and it works perfectly
Apparently RageD tested it with a .WMV and it also works

NICE :P

.AVI seems to be twitchy ...