Making tutorials - your wishlist - Page 2

[Will Gresham]

Youtube videos maximum 10 minutes. WHAT!!! Can't they be any longer. Looks like I might need to host these videos myself. Does anybody know if that is 100% true that youtube videos cannot exceed 10 minutes as I am waiting for youtube to process my video although when trying to play it is says can't display due to the length.

Don't think so....

Search it for Longest Video or something, there is a 4+ hour video of some guy recording random crap from his day.

I think the limit is 100MB, which probably works out to be about 10 minutes at a decent quality, but since you will only be using text/voice I would have thought you can compress it a little :)

[leviathan185]

gone are the days of uploading vids to youtube more than 10 min. The only people that are allowed these days are the 'Gurus' that were allowed before that rule came in

[digital-ether]

Why not just make one? A simple cms for videos would only take a few hours.

In my personal experience, it usually takes a lot longer. I worked on a video site last year. It took about 1 week to get a basic working prototype (2 developers). The actual project went on for 6 months. It would probably take less time if I did it again, but I'd say a few days would be a better estimate.

If you transcode files to FLV manually, that would reduce development time. There are however, good Video CMSs already available. I'll try and post a few sites we looked at here when I find them again.

[somedude3488]

True, a few days is more accurate. If I didn't run into problems like I always do it wouldn't take more than a few hours though.

What about the site made it take 6 months to complete?

[cwarn23]

Why not just make one? A simple cms for videos would only take a few hours.

Looks like I will have to Macgyver myself a video cms but the only problem is displaying/streaming the video. The best method I can think of is by using Java but does anybody know of tutorials or simple open source scripts that will stream the videos from preferably the file format wmv using Java. This includes pausing the video, playing the video and viewing in full screen. Hope there is a good java tutorial for such script. Thanks.

[somedude3488]

I just use a flash flv player and send the video data to it via php.

This is simple one I use for most projects: http://code.google.com/p/flvplayer/

There are other ones that are just as good, I just liked the setup of this one.

[cwarn23]

I find Flash to be a nightmare to code so are there any equivalents for Java?

[somedude3488]

You don't have to code anything in flash. All you have to do is supply a url to the file and it will play it.

Thats it.

[cwarn23]

I'll give it a try but for the moment my Internet is about to get the cut so will try soon.

[cwarn23]

I just downloaded the google flv player but when browsing the links there is no official documentation it seems. Is this correct because other than the download at the link you provided I can't find any information on how to use the downloaded swf file.

[somedude3488]

Use to be there. The documentation was good, thats why I recommended it.

Maybe they moved it. ???

[somedude3488]

Found it. Its on their website.

http://flv-player.net/

[cwarn23]

Found it. Its on their website.

http://flv-player.net/

Thanks for the documentation but I just tried to use "replay file converter" and it won't convert my wmv files to flv for some reason. From your software list do you recommend any wmv to flv converters?

[somedude3488]

I don't have any software recommendations. I haven't used many of them that actually worked. There are some online ones that work. Most of the time I use ffmpeg to convert the files when the are uploaded.

Here is a conversion class I wrote a long time ago. It seemed to work pretty good.

class conversionHandler {

	var $ffmpegPath;
	var $basePath;
	var $outputPath;
	var $attribs;
	var $error;

	function conversionHandler() {
		$this->__construct();
	}

	function __construct() {
		ini_set( 'max_execution_time',3600 );
		$this->ffmpegPath = '/usr/bin';
		$this->checkFFMPEG();
		$this->basePath = $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'];
		$this->attribs = array();
		$this->error = array();
	}

	function setConverterPath( $path ) {
		if ( !is_dir( $path ) ) {
			$this->error[] = "{$path} is not a valid directory for the converter path";
		}
		$this->ffmpegPath = $path;
	}

	function setBasePath( $path ) {
		if ( !is_dir( $path ) ) {
			$this->error[] = "{$path} is not a valid directory for the base path";
		}
		$this->basePath = $path;
	}

	function checkFFMPEG() {
		if ( !exec( "{$this->ffmpegPath}/ffmpeg" ) ) {
			$this->error[] = "FFMPEG NOT FOUND AT {$this->ffmpegPath}";
		}
	}

	function inputFile( $file ) {
		$file = $this->basePath . '/' . $file;
		if ( !file_exists( $file ) ) {
			$this->error[] = "Input file '{$file}' can not be found!";
		}
		$this->attribs['i'] = $file;
	}

	function fileType( $type ) {
		$this->attribs['f'] = $type;
	}

	function audioChannel( $channel ) {
		$this->attribs['ac'] = $channel;
	}

	function audioCodec( $codec ) {
		$this->attribs['acodec'] = $codec;
	}

	function videoCodec( $codec ) {
		$this->attribs['vcodec'] = $codec;
	}

	function videoTarget( $target ) {
		$this->attribs['target'] = $target;
	}

	function videoSize( $size ) {
		$this->attribs['s'] = $size;
	}

	function audioRate( $rate ) {
		$this->attribs['ar'] = $rate;
	}

	function audioBitrate( $bitrate ) {
		$this->attribs['ab'] = $bitrate;
	}

	function videoBitrate( $bitrate ) {
		$this->attribs['b'] = $bitrate;
	}

	function removeAudio() {
		$this->attribs['an'] = '';
	}

	function removeVideo() {
		$this->attribs['vn'] = '';
	}

	function overwrite() {
		$this->attribs['y'] = '';
	}

	function setOutputPath( $path ) {
		if ( !is_dir( $path ) ) {
			$this->error[] = "{$path} is not a valid directory for the output path";
		}
		$this->outputPath = $path;
	}

	function getThumbnail( $time,$folder ) {
		$this->attribs['ss'] = $time;
		$this->attribs['r'] = '1';
		$this->attribs['vframes'] = '1';
	}

	function buildCommand() {
		$cmd = "{$this->ffmpegPath}/ffmpeg ";
		foreach( $this->attribs as $attr => $value ) {
			$cmd .= "-{$attr} {$value} ";
		}
		$time = $this->microtimeFloat();
		$cmd .= "{$this->outputPath}/{$time}.{$this->attribs['f']}";
		$array['cmd'] = $cmd;
		$array['file'] = "{$time}.{$this->attribs['f']}";
		return $array;
	}

	function convert() {
		$cmd = $this->buildCommand();
		$this->error[] = "Command: {$cmd['cmd']} executed";
		exec( $cmd['cmd'],$output );
		if ( !file_exists( $this->outputPath . '/' . $cmd['file'] ) ) {
			$this->error[] = "Command Failed";
			return false;
		}
		unlink( $this->attribs['i'] );
		return $cmd['file'];
	}

	function microtimeFloat() {
		list( $usec,$sec) = explode( " ",microtime() );
		return str_replace( '.','',( (float)$usec + (float)$sec ) );
	}

	function debug() {
		echo '<pre>';
		print_r( $this->error );
		echo '</pre>';
	}

}

The actual use is tricky because the functions need to called in a certain order. Sadly, I don't remember the order. Some online documentation for ffmpeg is what I used to create the class. The info to use it should be there.

[cwarn23]

I did a google search and found one called "Cool Wmv to Flv converter" and IT WORKS!!! I can use videos on my site. But one problem. A half hour video is about 500MB. I will reduce the resolution to helps solve this but there will still be guessing 200MB of file size for each video. Is there any way of compressing it or something?

[cwarn23]

Also how do I specify multiple parameters for the flv player?

[cwarn23]

Just found out - same as url parameters. Soon I shall have it uploaded as the upload is 128MB (half hour tutorial).
*~*`

[cwarn23]

I just finnished uploading the video and when trying to play it the script waits for the entire video to be downloaded before playing it. Is it possible to setup a buffer with flv player where it plays as it downloads? Hope someone can help with this.

[somedude3488]

If I remember right, there are some configurations to use with the player.

[cwarn23]

I set the buffer to 16 seconds but I've waited for over 90 seconds and still the video won't show. The link is at http://www.syntax.cwarn23.info/media/index.html

[cwarn23]

WTF. I try my page in Opera and it doesn't work. Says I need a plugin or something although it displays this giant play button. I try in Internet Explorer and it works perfectly. I'm not a fan of IE but I will need to try and investigate why it is not working or even displaying in Opera. Any suggestions are welcome.

[somedude3488]

Suggestion: get Firefox.

You probably don't have a plugin installed for flash. ????

[j_limboo]

And also methods to Preventing multiple Login, I mean Preventing account fraud
The Login, Protect page.

[cwarn23]

And also methods to Preventing multiple Login, I mean Preventing account fraud
The Login, Protect page.

I don't get what you are talking about there?
As for the flash plugin, I checked what plugins were installed and I found "Shockwave Flash" and "Shockwave for Director" as well as multiple occurrences of the QuickTime plugin. As for changing browsers - I've found that Opera is the only browser which doesn't crash on me. Every other browser including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Crome and Safari crash on me about every 4 or 5 hours. Some of them even more frequently. Why? Because as I am typing this message I have 19 pages open and is usually kept around that number with tabs constantly closed and new ones constantly opened. So for that kind of web browsing only Opera can do the job without crashing as Opera only crashes about once or twice a month if I don't clear the cache. Also I'm using Opera 10 and so does anybody know why Opera 10 won't view this script. I checked miniclip and their flash games have the same play button my script has meaning the browser Opera puts it there. However Opera can play the flash games and buffered movies at miniclip. So if Opera can play the games and movies at miniclip why won't Opera play my movies using the flv player. Is it as simple as a html code not being used properly or what should I do. Below is the script I used:

<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="player_maxi.swf" width="640" height="503">
     <param name="movie" value="player_maxi.swf" />
     <param name="FlashVars" value="flv=tutorial1.flv&width=640&height=503&autoload=1&buffer=16&buffershowbg=1&bufferbgcolor=AA6666&buffercolor=FFFFFF&buffermessage=Buff _n_&showloading=always&ondoubleclick=none&showplayer=always&showfullscreen=1&showmouse=autohide&loop=0&volume=200&bgcolor1=E9E9E9&bgcolor2=A9A9A9&playercolor=A9A9A9" />
</object>

[somedude3488]

I will get opera and try it. Do you have the flv file available online?

[cwarn23]

yes the flv file is located at http://www.syntax.cwarn23.info/media/tutorial1.flv
Hope you can help solve it because the bug is really bugging me.

[somedude3488]

Works just fine in Opera 10 for me. http://www.box201.com/~kkeith/

Thats the site I am currently building. I just added your html and linked it to your flv file. Worked in all browsers.

[cwarn23]

Does that page take longer than a minute to load for you? Because when I view it, I click the play button like I did on my site and it keeps on loading loading and loading unlike in Internet Explorer where there is at least a visual during the loading process. And in IE there is only a 16 second loading process where as in Opera there is 4 minutes and counting... It seems as if the browser is trying to download the whole movie before displaying it. BTW, did you use version 10 of Opera? Also I tried upgrading to the latest version of Flash but that didn't work. Now I have dug into a really deep hole. Any chance of finding a way to dig out?

[somedude3488]

I downloaded the latest version of opera.

The video didn't take that long at all to load. I could play it only after seconds of loading.

Try downloading opera again. Maybe it will fix some problems.

The video cuts off though. Even though I could see it, most of the tutorial wasn't there. That seems to happen a lot with flv files. I have had the same problem in the past.

[cwarn23]

I did some browsing on the net and found that Flash10 does not work with Opera10. So is there some way I can downgrade to Flash9 via download?