No video in FlowPlayer3

Nothing obviously wrong with the code, and if you can hear the audio it sounds like FlowPlayer is trying to do something. Can you try installing an earlier version of FlowPlayer (flowplayer-3.0.5.swf perhaps?), and then on the FlowPlayer configuration page point to that player instead. Does that work?

-edit-
Meant to say, I tried using exactly your code on my local dev setup, and it works fine (using version 6.x-2.2, and also OK using HEAD). I get a small player window, with my flv scaled to fit.
-/edit-

here you go.
and the control button .swf

This is odd, and I'm not sure if this is SWF Tools issue or a FlowPlayer issue. I've never seen this behaviour locally, and if the player is appearing, and you are getting the audio, then it sounds like the player is loading, triggering, and is able to find the video file.

When you say "How do I get video back again?" what was it working in before? Does it work if you revert to that?

Does the video play ok in, say, Wijering?

Do you get the same behaviour in all browsers that you try to use?

Do you have the video on a public facing page where a few other people can try to view it to see if they get the same issue?

@BWPanda:

I have found that FP3 has issue's with SWF. So have choosen to use FP2.

FP3 has issue's with SWF

Do you mean SWF Tools? If so, can you be more specific! The problem is that SWF Tools is becoming a very complex module, and it tries to support a lot of different players. FlowPlayer3 support is very new, so if bits aren't working right can you point me in the right direction! Thanks!!

I tried the link, and I don't see the video either.

I then tried playing your video file on my local system by calling it directly, and while FlowPlayer3 has been happily playing YouTube content, local flv's and streamed media, when I call your file I get audio and no video.

Also, the scrubber doesn't move, the total video length doesn't appear, and you can't navigate through the movie.

If I use Wijering it's fine, and you say you already tested the generic player.

So it looks like either FlowPlayer3 doesn't like the video file itself, rather than a problem with the FlowPlayer3 module, since I am able to play any video other than this one. Given the behaviour of the player, and things like time data not appearing, it looks like FP3 might not be reading the file correctly (although the other players seem happy!)

Option two is that there is some specific configuration setting that your video file needs that FlowPlayer3 isn't being given. But I'm not sure what that would be!

I'm not an expert with flv / FlowPlayer3 formats, so I'm not sure what to suggest from here. Maybe someone else can offer some tips?!

@Stuart Greenfield:

The issue I was having was that FP3 was not loading in and .flv files using the <swf file="[my_vid].flv">

But if i was to use FP2, the video would load up straight away with no issue's.

Also I have been unable to get looping to work on either FP2 or FP3.

Hope that helps

Could this be the issue? I'm at work on a coffee break, so I won't be able to investigate until tonight, but it describes the experience here - other players able to play a video stream, but FlowPlayer3 can't. The issue is missing metadata at the start of the file.

http://www.flowplayer.org/forum/8/16349

I dont know if the 2 are related. I have no idea how to check for metadata.

But it could be related

If I open a local flv file (one that does play in FP3) in a text editor I can see that at the start of the file, amongst all the data, the following in plain text: onMetaData, duration, width, height, videodatarate, framerate, videocodecid, audiodatarate, audiodelay, audiocodecid, canSeekToEnd, creationdate.

If I open the file from brat.info then that header data is NOT present. So I'm guessing the reason the brat.info video doesn't work in FP3 is the missing header. That fits with the explanation at the link above to the Flowplayer website. It seems that some of the other players CAN play even with the missing header data, so Wijering will still work.

Therefore I think the issue is the actual FlowPlayer3 itself, not the Flowplayer3 module.

@Squidge
Maybe you could have a look at the files you have that didn't work and see what you find? That would really help with diagnosing the problem.

@Stuart Greenfield:

I have had a look in the flv file that doesnt play in FP3.

I have no plain text: onMetaData, duration, width, height, videodatarate, framerate, videocodecid, audiodatarate, audiodelay, audiocodecid, canSeekToEnd, creationdate.

No idea if any of these are any good, but Google seems to have a number of links to programs that claim to repair flv files. Maybe one of those will work.

Will take a look at #340037: Movie plays automatically, but shouldn't now...

Setting this thread to fixed since we know the cause.

You can also check and try to repair files using the flvcheck tool that comes with Adobe Flash Media Server. This post has some notes on this.

Glad I could help.

I never realised that SWF Tools would lead me down so many unexpected avenues!!!!

BWPanda... that was a GREAT find! I use ffmpeg to batch FLV creation, so this makes a great addition to my script. I have a few batch files that I use in a Windows environment for processing (even though it could be faster in a 'nix env). Fortunately ffmpeg, mplayer (and mencoder), and yamdi are all available for the Windows platform too. If anybody is interested, this is what I use:

You can put the following lines in a batch file, then drop whatever video files you want on the batch file:

%ffmpegPath% -i "%CD%\%~nx1" -y -ar 44100 -acodec libmp3lame -ab 128k -ac 2 -r 24 -s 320x240 -vcodec flv -vb 700k "%CD%\%~n1.flv"
%yamdiPath% -i "%CD%\%~nx1" -o "%CD%\%~n1_wMetadata.flv"

Thanks BWPanda!

I have the same problem and I can't find solution, I have only sound and no video
please advice