Watch Your MP4 Files Directly on Your Website

[Lin Evans]

I wasn't sure whether to put this post in "Software" or in "Video" but here goes:

If you want to embed MP4 files directly on your website there is now an easy way to do it. A new software "Xara Web Developer" ($49.95 USD) allows you to "VERY EASILY" build a web page and simply drop in Flash SWF, Flash FLV or MP4 files which are streamed from your server rather than downloaded to the host computer on a hidden folder and run from there.

I tested it by loading some decently large original images into a PTE slideshow then using the PTE Create function to output an MP4 at 800x600 resolution to a web page which took about 3 minutes to create in Xara Web Developer 6.

The software puts a player right on your web page which allows volume control, start, pause and rewind, etc. You simply drag the dimensions when you construct the page to make the show any size or place on your page.

I use Xara Web Developer to develop websites for clients and find it to be exceedingly easy to use. It has a WYSIWYG interface and lets you do things which most web development tools (even really expensive ones) would throw up trying to accomplish. For example, you can drop a movie or image in the middle of text, tell the program to "repel" the text, give it the number of pixels to separate the image from the text and drag the image anywhere through the text and watch the text flow around it. Use any font you wish and the program can easily (two clicks) convert it to a graphic representation of text which you can edit directly just like text. Have text run sideways, follow a curve, etc.

The only down side is that if you need web forms you will have to use something like Coffee Cup to create your forms but they then drop in perfectly and Coffee Cup is really inexpensive too.

Here's a link to a the sample slideshow. If you have a really slow connection you may need to let it run a minute or so and start over to stay ahead of the flow because of the size of the images used make the show.

http://www.learntoma...t/mp4/index.htm

Note the text at the top which mentions Flash - Actually in this sample it's the embedded MP4. You can also embed Youtube, etc., just as easily. Note that the black bars on top and bottom of the player can easily be eliminated by choosing the exact pixel aspect ratio when you output your mp4 from PTE. I just didn't bother for the test.

Also, if you have lots of toolbars, etc., at the top of your web pages - You can just press F11 to play any web page full screen. Moving the mouse cursor to the top of the screen will return your control task bar.

Best regards,

Lin

[mhwarner]

Thanks for the heads up Lin! The software looks really interesting. I have downloaded the trial to play with.

[paul alford]

Hi Lin

I have Dreamweaver CS3 and it doesnt have the "insert MP4" as an option...and I hate to buy Xara WD just for this one thing. Are you familiar with Dreamweaver as well and know how to insert a MP4 video created in PTE to show on my webpage ? Also, are there "best settings" for the PTE output to show on the webpages ?

Thanks

Paul

[Lin Evans]

Hi Paul,

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Dreamweaver's capabilities. If there is no provision for using MP4, the alternative would be to convert your output to Flash. There are some free Flash converters out there and Flash works pretty well for the most part. There are two types of Flash output files and if your show is longer than about 3 minutes and has synchronized sound, it's usually better to convert to Flash FLV. This is because Flash SWF can't reliably sync sound for more than a couple minutes. The added benefit of FLV is that you can also add a preload so that a certain amount of the show is downloaded before playback begins. This helps assure that the viewer won't have undesirable starts and stops while file is buffering. Slower connects (non-broadband and slower DSL) can't always keep up with data feed. The preload helps greatly with this. The downside of playing an MP4 h.264 directly via a player like the one with Xara Web Developer 6 is that to my knowledge, there is no way to buffer or preload. This means that the user with a less than optimal bandwidth must start the show then immediately pause and wait for the "gas gage" to advance a few inches. This "manual buffering" then helps insure an uninterrupted playback. The up side of the Xara WD6 is that you need take no intermediate step and it only takes a couple minutes to create the complete code to upload to your site and it works wonderfully with excellent quality. The $49 price is about what you would pay for a medium quality Flash converter so it's pretty much a toss up. If Dreamweaver lets you simply drop in a Flash show and immediately outputs the code for your site, then perhaps the Flash converter might still be your best bet. Of course you still have the additional step, but it's still perhaps a more elegant solution. With the Xara WD6 approach you would simply upload the code to a folder on your website then simply "link" an image or text on your site to play the MP4. You would also need a link to return to the site from the MP4.

Sorry I don't have an answer for you about directly embedding the MP4 in Dreamweaver, but I don't do that much web development any more so am not current on the top-end tools like Dreamweaver.

Best regards,

Lin

Hi Lin

I have Dreamweaver CS3 and it doesnt have the "insert MP4" as an option...and I hate to buy Xara WD just for this one thing. Are you familiar with Dreamweaver as well and know how to insert a MP4 video created in PTE to show on my webpage ? Also, are there "best settings" for the PTE output to show on the webpages ?

Thanks

Paul

[paul alford]

Thanks for all the input Lin. That helps alot. I think I will try the Convert to Flash option first. I think most browsers and sites are more use to seeing flash so that might be smoother in the long run too. Now... I have to find a MP4 to Flash converter. Any ideas ? Free or inexpensive to start off.

Oh yeah, I downloaded the JW Player, but they want $90 to buy it so I think converting to Flash is the better option for me too.

[1colibri]

Hello

If you are interested in the internet broadcast of your slideshows in the form of video you can see an example here.

http://vieillespierres.1cd2.com/les-cloitres-en-italie.html

This site uses Joomla as a base and we are developing our sites as part of an association 1colibri-diffusion where we share the cost of a very powerful server to meet the needs of the video bandwith.

You can see here the sites developed by the association's members they often present videos and slideshows created with PTE.

http://www.clubipi.1cd1.com/realisations.html

Regards

Jean-Claude

[Gilio]

Paul Alford, try any-video-converter.com its free.