Karelia Community Forum

Matinicus Rock

Member

m4v files not playing on Firefox

Hello brilliant Sandvox professionals,

I am a new Sandvox user and have a website that I use to display my showreel.  Mysteriously however, the m4v files I have on my website no longer play on Firefox.  They play fine on Chrome and Safari. 

here's an example:

http://ionapictures.com/showreel/stunts … -dump.html

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?  I followed the email a few weeks back about creating video files using Quicktime pro and selecting "Export for Apple TV."  So I feel like I'm doing the right thing and this problem is ONLY happening on Firefox.

Any help greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!!!!

Matinicus Rock

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

I've done a little more research on this -- When I play the file itself in Firefox, it plays it fine using the Quicktime Plugin (which is what I have it set to play from in applications in Firefox preferences.)

But when I load the html page and look at the code, Sandvox has added all this code forcing the browser to use shockwave flash!  Why is this and how come the browser at the user end can't decide what application/plugin to use?  This I think is the problem I'm having -- for some reason shockwave flash isn't working on Firefox on my computer (even though I've deleted and reinstalled it TWICE) and the Sandvox code isn't allowing Firefox to use my plugin of choice - the Quicktime plugin.

Anybody got any ideas for workarounds???

Matinicus Rock

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

Here's the Firefox error message I get when I load the page in question.  What's an "addonWorker???"

Timestamp: 3/22/12 12:48:40 PM
Error: An exception occurred.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "resource://onepassword-at-agilebits-dot-com/api-utils/lib/content/worker.js", line 174, in portEmit
    self._addonWorker._onContentScriptEvent.apply(self._addonWorker, arguments);
TypeError: self._addonWorker is null

VicBhenner

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

I also have the same problem.
I have followed the email's instruction, and all goes well with all the browsers BUT not for Firefox.

You can check tis at: http://www.enzobenincasa.it

Please Karelia have you any suggestions?
Thanks in advance

JamesJM

Super Hero

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

Vic, I cannot duplicate this.  The video plays fine in Firefox for me.  Firefox v. 11

BTW… EXCELLENT graphic work on the slides.

JamesJM

Super Hero

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

Matinicus, I AM having a problem viewing your video in Firefox.  But it's odd, I'm not actually getting an 'error'.  I get the player, the controls, but no video. - JamesJM

Matinicus Rock

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

James yes that is the problem.  Vic I can see your site fine as well.  Frustrating.  I posted this problem in the Firefox community and they came back with this:

There is code on that page that only shows the video for Webkit browsers (e.g. Google Chrome) and remvode the video tag for other browsers.

var video = document.getElementById('video');
if (video.canPlayType && video.canPlayType('video/x-m4v')) {
    // canPlayType is overoptimistic, so we have browser sniff.
    var ua = navigator.userAgent;
    if ((ua.indexOf('WebKit/') < 0 && ua.indexOf('MSIE') < 0) || ua.match(/MSIE [1-8]\./)) {
        // Only webkit-browsers can currently play this natively
        fallback(video);
    }
} else {
    fallback(video);
}

Other browsers get a Flash player, but there doesn't seem to be a FLV file specified in the code, so nothing happens.

flv=../../_Resources/player_flv_maxi.swf

<video controls="controls" autoplay="autoplay" preload="auto" width="720" height="405" id="video">
<source src="../../_Media/ff2-sizzle720.m4v" type="video/x-m4v" onerror="fallback(this.parentNode)" /><object id="player_flv_maxi.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="../../_Resources/player_flv_maxi.swf" width="720" height="405">
<param name="movie" value="../../_Resources/player_flv_maxi.swf" />
<param name="flashvars" value="flv=../../_Resources/player_flv_maxi.swf&amp;margin=0&amp;showplayer=autohide&amp;autoplay=1" />
<div style="width:720px; height:405px;" id="unrecognized">
<p>This browser cannot play the embedded video file.</p>
</div>
</object>

SO... Sandvox writes code in the page that you can't edit that PREVENTS Firefox from playing the video format (m4P) that they themselves advise using??? I don't get it...

VicBhenner

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

Hi,

first, thanks JamesJM for your words.

Second, I have still the same problem with Firefox.
When I open my web page with Firefox I can see only a black rectangle with a play bar in the bottom, but nothing animation...

I have found this problem with Firefox on PC and MAC

:)

Matinicus Rock

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

I've been waiting for almost a week now for Sandvox to reply to my feedback regarding this, and in the meantime I've posted this problem on the Firefox community website as well as written to the folks at Blueball Design (I use their skin)

I'm not an expert html person by any means, but this is what I've been able to cobble together:

Seems like what's happening is that ever since Firefox upgraded to 11.0, m4v files stopped working. Firefox is not a "webkit browser," in other words, it doesn't have a built in Flash Player like Safari and Chrome do.  So when you try to play an m4v file on Firefox, Sandvox code directs the browser to use an html 5 Flash Player that sits in the Resources folder on your website.  This html 5 player is not working with the latest version of Firefox.  It worked in version 10, because that was the Firefox version I was on and referring to while building my website.  Everything on v10 was fine.  Then I upgraded to v11 and now no love.

I've written on my web page for visitors to use either Safari or Chrome until Sandvox and/or Firefox sort this problem.  Frustrating that this has happened, but I'm not surprised either, as it seems Firefox comes up with a new version every few weeks and so it's a constant struggle for everyone that offers 3rd party plug-ins, helper apps, etc to keep up (like 1password for example - every time Firefox releases an upgrade, 1Password has to release an upgrade to remain compatible!)

Anyway, sure would be great if someone with a lot more knowledge than me would either respond to this and enlighten, or get back to me directly from Sandvox regarding my case#!

chinajon

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

I could only find this on eHow:
Instructions

        1 Launch Notepad or your preferred text or HTML editor and open the Web page in which you wish to embed an M4V file.
        2 Scan through the page code and choose the location where you want to embed the video.
        3 Insert the following code into your document. This code includes both the <embed> tag and the <object> tag for cross-browser compatibility:

        <OBJECT CLASSID="clsid:02BF25D5-8C17-4B23-BC80-D3488ABDDC6B"
        CODEBASE="http://www.apple.com/qtactivex/qtplugin.cab"
        WIDTH="320" HEIGHT="256" >
        <PARAM NAME="src" VALUE="http://URL.com/video.m4v">
        <PARAM NAME="autoplay" VALUE="true">
        <PARAM NAME="controller" value="true">
        <EMBED SRC="QTMimeType.pntg" TYPE="image/x-macpaint"
        PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download" QTSRC=" http://URL.com/video.m4v"
        WIDTH="320" HEIGHT="256" AUTOPLAY="true" CONTROLLER="true">
        </EMBED>
        </OBJECT>
        4 Alter the "WIDTH" and "HEIGHT" parameters for both the <object> tag and the <embed> tag to the desired display size of the video in a visitor’s browser.
        5 Replace "http://URL.com/video.m4v" in the example with the URL of the video file on your server. Be sure to make this change for both the <object> and <embed> tags.
        6 Set the "Autoplay" and "Controller" parameters for the <object> and <embed> tags to "true" or "false." The "Autoplay" parameter automatically starts the video when a visitor lands on the page, if this value is set to "true." The "Controller" parameter governs whether the video controls display below the video, allowing the user to pause, fast-forward or rewind the video.
        7 Save the changes and upload the Web page to your server.

Read more: How to Embed M4V in IE and Firefox | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_12088616_embed- … z1r3Kyk4vW

Not sure if it works. I know FF has idiosyncrasies.

Heather

Administrator

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

Sorry for the delay on this, we have fond the problem and it is fixed in the next release.
If anyone is running the latest beta you can republish and all should be working again.

Matinicus Rock

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

Hooray!  What was the problem???  Can you share?

Matinicus Rock

Member

Re: m4v files not playing on Firefox

Sorry for the delay on this, we have fond the problem and it is fixed in the next release.
If anyone is running the latest beta you can republish and all should be working again.

Heather or anyone else at Sandvox - when is the next release coming out?  Or should we download the latest beta because the next release is still a ways off?  When you say "republish," do you mean "republish all?"

Thanks...