Hyperlink to Video File Troubleshooting

[Amber]

It would seem simple enough...I have a hyperlink to a
video file. When I publish to a CD, all of the other
hyperlinks work (links to the web, links to photos, links
to other pages, etc.), but when I click on the link for
the video clip I get a 'cannot find server or DNS' error.'

The file structure on the CD is fine. I can open the
folder on the cd and play the clip directly when I double-
click on it. Anyone know what's up?

 

[Jim Buyens]

Please post the code for the failing video file link.

Jim Buyens
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
http://www.interlacken.com
Author of:
*----------------------------------------------------
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|| Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Inside Out
||---------------------------------------------------
|| Web Database Development Step by Step .NET Edition
|| Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out
|| Faster Smarter Beginning Programming
|| (All from Microsoft Press)
|/---------------------------------------------------
*----------------------------------------------------

 

[Guest]

Review of

<a target="_blank"
href="Video_Clips/Crush_Vid_1.mpg">video one</a>

showing step one showed extensive sparking.

<a target="_blank"
href="Video_Clips/Crush_Vid_2.mpg">Video two</a> shows

 

[Jim Buyens]

Curious, because the same type of link worked for me.

The target="_blank" attribute seems to be extraneous; for me, the link
worked the same with or without it. But as a long shot, you might try
removing it.

What viewer do you have configured to play .mpg files? I tried both
RealPlayer and Windows Media Player and both seemed OK.

Are you sure the player wasn't trying to go onto the Internet for some
other reason, such as completing registration or downloading a codec.
(i.e. do the same files play OK if you browse from a local disk
location or local Web server?)

Jim Buyens
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
http://www.interlacken.com
Author of:
*----------------------------------------------------
|\---------------------------------------------------
|| Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Inside Out
||---------------------------------------------------
|| Web Database Development Step by Step .NET Edition
|| Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out
|| Faster Smarter Beginning Programming
|| (All from Microsoft Press)
|/---------------------------------------------------
*----------------------------------------------------

 

[Amber]

OK, the player is trying to go onto the internet or
something. When I'm in design view and "<Ctrl>+click" to
follow the link, what looks like a local version of
windows media player opens and plays the video in its own
window (which is exactly what I want).

When I preview the page in IE 6.0 and click the same
link, I get windows media player, but it has links to the
internet, etc. and not just the stop, play, pause, etc.
buttons (which, I think, is the problem, but I don't know
what's causing it or how to fix it). Argh.

I'm trying to accomplish a bad thing here (I think). For
portability issues (everyone on the planet has a web
browser) I am trying to publish some report results that
contain multi-media files as a cd-based web page (client
does not want it on a server for various reasons,
including security). So far so good, except for the
video, which is the REALLY important part.
(These 'reports' were previously put into PowerPoint (not
by me) which was an absolute nightmare.)

 

[Jim Buyens]

I think that instead of linking directly to your MPG file, you should
link to a Web page that includes Windows Media Player as an ActiveX
control, and then configure the ActiveX control to play the mpg file.

This is the fourth method described in the article at:

Displaying Video Files
http://www.interlacken.com/winnt/tips/tipshow.aspx?tip=38

Jim Buyens
Microsoft FrontPage MVP
http://www.interlacken.com
Author of:
*----------------------------------------------------
|\---------------------------------------------------
|| Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Inside Out
||---------------------------------------------------
|| Web Database Development Step by Step .NET Edition
|| Microsoft FrontPage Version 2002 Inside Out
|| Faster Smarter Beginning Programming
|| (All from Microsoft Press)
|/---------------------------------------------------
*----------------------------------------------------