Embedded WMP Alternative Image Display

[Gary Masson]

Currently I have my demos in WMV format streamed from my website. However, when someone views the webpage, all they see is the embedded Windows Media Player default image. Is there a way to change the default image and have say, an image of the couple inside the player but still displaying the controls?

[Ervin Farkas]

Not possible with the current version of WinMedia software. Flash does that, and you also have a better chance that all of your viewers have the player. Problem is, flash is lower quality video...

Try mp4/h.264 played back with the flash player, I got awesome results, quite possibly better than wmv.

[Gary Masson]

Thanks for that.
I was under the impression from threads posted here, that Flash was actually a superior format to WMV but the latter has more global covergae than the former. You seem to indicate the opposite is true.

[Ervin Farkas]

See this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=118400; toward the middle I posted some statistics that show, Flash is the most popular player, installed on virtually all computers, followed by WinMedia.

As far as quality goes, it's a mixed bag. Flash can look very good, when the insanely expensive ON2 method is used; regular flash quality falls behind wmv at least in my tests.

A few month back Flash incorporated playback of MP4 QuickTime files (the H.264 flavor) and that looks awesome. It can be done with free tools!

[I love to see someone from Aberdeen! I visited your city and northern Scotland a few years back and fell in love with it... castles, lochs, monsters... the quiet life... lovely].

[Giroud Francois]

it is possible if you set the mediaplayer to be transparent at start.
then you can overlay a picture.
the problem being to disable transparency when video starts.
this require to write some javascript code.
look at http://www.imagidee.ch/image2/index.asp
select first menu item (demo video)
in that case i made the picture disappear after 11 sec (the usual time for the video to start)
i could have made it clever by reading the player status and use the frame pointer.

here is the code

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="VBScript">
On Error Resume Next
lngMP70 = IsObject(CreateObject("WMPlayer.OCX"))
document.write "<OBJECT ID=MediaPlayer "
document.write "STANDBY=""Loading Microsoft Windows Media Player components..."" "
document.write " WIDTH=368 HEIGHT=266 "
If (lngMP70) Then ' Windows Media Player 7 Code
document.write " CLASSID=CLSID:6BF52A52-394A-11D3-B153-00C04F79FAA6>"
document.write "<PARAM NAME=""url"" "
Else ' Windows Media Player 6.4 Code
document.write " CLASSID=CLSID:22d6f312-b0f6-11d0-94ab-0080c74c7e95 "
document.write "CODEBASE=http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/mplayer/en/nsmp2inf.cab#Version=6,4,5,715"
document.write "type=""application/x-oleobject"">"
document.write "<PARAM NAME=""FileName"" "
End If
</SCRIPT>

VALUE="mms://your.stream.server.IP/imagidee/">
<param name="uiMode" value="invisible">
<PARAM NAME="windowlessVideo" Value="0">
<PARAM NAME="animationatStart" VALUE="0">
<PARAM NAME="TransparentAtStart" Value="-1">
<PARAM NAME="AutoStart" VALUE="-1">
<PARAM NAME="EnableContextMenu" VALUE="-1">
<PARAM NAME="ShowDisplay" VALUE="0">
<PARAM NAME="ShowControls" VALUE="0">
<PARAM NAME="ShowStatusBar" VALUE="0">
<PARAM NAME="PlayCount" VALUE="0">
<param name="AutoSize" value="-1">
<param name="Mute" value="0">
<param name="Volume" value="30">

<embed type="application/x-mplayer2" pluginspage="http://www.microsoft.com/Windows/Downloads/Contents/MediaPlayer/" width="368" height="266"
src="mms://your.stream.server.IP/imagidee/" filename="mms://your.stream.server.IP/imagidee/"
autostart="True" showcontrols="False" showstatusbar="False" showdisplay="False" autorewind="True">
</embed>
</OBJECT>
</td></tr></table>

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript">
function showvideo() {
MediaPlayer.uiMode = "none";
}

setTimeout("showvideo()", 11000);

</SCRIPT>

[Gary Masson]

Originally Posted by Ervin Farkas

See this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=118400; toward the middle I posted some statistics that show, Flash is the most popular player, installed on virtually all computers, followed by WinMedia.

As far as quality goes, it's a mixed bag. Flash can look very good, when the insanely expensive ON2 method is used; regular flash quality falls behind wmv at least in my tests.

A few month back Flash incorporated playback of MP4 QuickTime files (the H.264 flavor) and that looks awesome. It can be done with free tools!

[I love to see someone from Aberdeen! I visited your city and northern Scotland a few years back and fell in love with it... castles, lochs, monsters... the quiet life... lovely].

Thank you for your kind words about Scotland. I am a true patriot and someday VERY soon you will be able to visit an Independent Scotland, no longer part of the UK. I cannot wait.
Regarding "Flash" I am utterly confused. I know I have Flash player on my system because Flash content plays from the web. However, I cannot find any "player" in my program list and also when I right click on a file to "open with" it never gives a flash option, only WMP or QT.
I encoded a short video file with the QT mp4 option in Vegas which I belive is H264 and end up with a file of mp4 extension.
I am utterly frustrated Ervin!!

[Ervin Farkas]

It is a bit frustrating... flash works different than other players. When you download it to your computer, you're not downloading a stand-alone program, but rather a plugin that works only inside your web browser. There are a few stand-alone flash players out there, however, I don't know what version of flash they support, or if the MP4 files will work with these. Google aroud for "stand-alone flash player" and you will find them.

If you would like to embedd a flash player into your webpage, a very trendy one is available at http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=JW_FLV_Player from Jeroen Wijering over in Holland; free for personal use, 20 Euros for commercial applications. Easy to implement even with basic html coding knowledge.

PM me if you need more help.