Why won't the video play?

January 19, 2006 11:41 AM

Why is it that some videos won't play for me and I get this instead?

This is what I see

http://thebeachcomber.org/temp/why.jpg

posted by wsg to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

You'll have to provide a lot more details than that.
posted by jon_kill at 11:48 AM on January 19, 2006

Platfrom (XP?)? Browser (IE?)? Video format? Installed video players? Not enough information!
posted by jdroth at 12:00 PM on January 19, 2006

Response by poster: Sorry 'bout that. Windows XP, IE, WMP, Real, QT.
posted by wsg at 12:18 PM on January 19, 2006

Best answer: WMP 10 not installed?
posted by fondle at 12:53 PM on January 19, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks, fondle. That appears to have taken care of it. Odd, though, that I have had that problem for years through several versions and updates of media player and updating it didn't solve the problem. This time it seems to have.
posted by wsg at 1:09 PM on January 19, 2006

Note to web designers: embedded video is a hallmark of the Devil's touch. Just give us the goddamn link so we can play it in VLC instead of having to install WinReal_NotSpywareWeSwear.exe.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 1:15 PM on January 19, 2006

Or use flash to embed the video. :)
posted by meta87 at 4:15 PM on January 19, 2006

Just in case there's anybody out there who doesn't already know these things:

1. Firefox, under Tools>Page Info>Media, will show you the URLs for everything embedded on the current web page, and allow you to save a copy of any embedded media locally; you can then play it with whatever you fancy.

2. Quicktime Alternative and Real Alternative are spyware-free open-source packages that allow playback of QuickTime and Real media, both standalone and embedded in web pages.
posted by flabdablet at 7:30 PM on January 19, 2006