FlowPlayer 3

Last updated May 9, 2009. Created by Stuart Greenfield on March 29, 2009.
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FlowPlayer 3 is a great looking player, but it can be a little bit fussy, and a little bit tricky to set up.

First, and most importantly, be aware that with versions of FlowPlayer 3 prior to version 3.1 there is a bug with the FlowPlayer 3 audio plugins. Although the plug in is called flowplayer.audio-3.0.4.swf the player always looks for flowplayer.audio-3.0.3.swf. This was reported in #401992: flowplayer 202 The provider specified in this clip is not loaded, Provider audio.clip: [clip] and there are fixes described. Basically, you should either rename the plugin, or create a symbolic link, as you prefer. This bug does NOT affect FlowPlayer 3.1.

Secondly, FlowPlayer 3 will not play back flv files that do not have metadata in their header. This was reported in #395502: No video in FlowPlayer3, and the solution is to repair the flv file. Some ways to do this are included in the original thread. It includes using the flvcheck tool included with Adobe Flash Media Server (Windows), while others found YAMDI worked for them under Linux.

If you want to include a splash image in your FlowPlayer then you can either supply a jpeg by setting an image variable in your input filter, e.g. <swf file="myAudio.mp3" image="mySplash.jpg">. If it is a video you are playing back you can use the first frame of the video by setting autoplay to false, and autobuffering to true, e.g. <swf file="myVideo.flv" autoPlay="false" autoBuffering="true">.

If you want to stream video then simply set the stream using stream="rtmp://server/app" in your input filter.

Lastly, FlowPlayer 3 files include the version number in their file name. Don't rename the player, but make sure that SWF Tools is looking for the right player as new releases come along by updating the module settings. When you upload your player make a note of its name, e.g. flowplayer-3.1.0.swf. Now go to Administer > Site configuration > SWF Tools > FlowPlayer 3. Expand Player and plugin files, and check the player name matches. Correct it if it doesn't and save the settings.