Windows Media Player Presentation Uploads

[Sky Blue Hope]

Okay, this is a little hard to explain, but here's the problem for me now..

It USED to be, that when I would upload a slideshow made with windows movie maker (WMV. format), that I could click on the thumbnail, then there would be another little thumbnail, I'd click on that, and my Windows Media Player would pop up and the thing would start playing, no problem...

NOW, when I upload something in the same format, I click on the thumbnail, but then instead of something else to click on, I get the box that just says "Windows Media Player" on it, and nothing happens!! It doesn't start to play, I can't get it to work for me from here.

I open them from my files on my pc and they play just fine, but when I upload them to here, it is not like it used to be.....I'm unable to get it to play, or be that "clickable" thing that would make my player pop up, so I can not test it or whatever.

I do have the latest version of Media Player, version 9, for Windows ME.

So, can anyone tell me why this is happening, and what can I do? Also, is it the same for everyone else? I don't think it is, because other slideshows I've uploaded have had feedback, so I'm assuming those people who left the feedback were able to view it with no problem, what's wrong with me???

[Sky Blue Hope]

Okay, this took like forever on dial up, but for experimental purposes, I uploaded another homemade slideshow called "Roger Waters-What God Wants", onto homestead.com. Then, I posted a link for it on my Graphic Artists United II forum. When I clicked on THAT link, my windows media player popped up, and although it took even longer to finish "buffering", it did play and it did work!!

Sooooo, how come the ones I upload on here won't work/open for me?

Here's a link to the Roger Waters one in case anyone is curious:

http://hstrial-jjones998.homestead.com/files/Roger_Waters_What_God_Wants_Revised.WMV

[Rumour]

I do have the latest version of Media Player, version 9, for Windows ME.

So, can anyone tell me why this is happening, and what can I do? Also, is it the same for everyone else? I don't think it is, because other slideshows I've uploaded have had feedback, so I'm assuming those people who left the feedback were able to view it with no problem, what's wrong with me???


I can sum up half your problems in one word. ME. That is not me, notyou, but the Millenium Edition of windows. Nasty nasty stuff that is. However, since I assume you were using it before when things were fine That Win ME isn't the source of THIS problem.

I found a wmv file in my files somewhere and uploaded it as a test, seems to work just fine for me. Just in case, go here (http://www.innertraveler.com/publicgallery/showphoto.php?photo=3773&password=&sort=1&cat=all&page=1) on my gallery and test it yourself. If it works, we can try and sort out how your uploads are different from mine. If it doesn't, we can maybe look at browser issues or soemthing else.

[Sky Blue Hope]

Okay, first, I went to the link you gave me through my email, and said "this image is no longer in our database".

Also, here is another possible variable/factor...I recently went from cable modem, through my cable company, to dial up (again..sigh),through my phone company, Verizon. Could this have something to do with it?

Although, the other thing I uploaded onto Homestead worked okay, so I don't see why that would be it, or could it?

[Rumour]

Whoops, sorry about that, try this link instead. http://www.innertraveler.com/publicgallery/showphoto.php?photo=3864&password=&sort=1&cat=all&page=1

I wouldn't have thought that going from cable to dial up would have made much of an issue, except perhaps that it would take a lot longer to download things. It would be the only thing I can think of, that after clicking on your images, it's taking a lot longer to get anything to display.

If this link doesn't work for you, we can try sorting out what else is different.

[Sky Blue Hope]

Here's the same thing I posted in the video you uploaded:

This is awesome, and it works, but not great for me. It says "buffering", and then when the buffering is complete, it starts to play, and then kind of stauls out, says "buffering" again, plays a little more, then stops to buffer again, then plays a little more, and on and on like that...usually once it's buffered it will play straight through for me. And, when I used to upload these, there was a thumbnail you would click on after the initial thumbnail, and the player would pop up instead of just being there already, like here. I can click on the controls of the player here, but cannot click the controls of the ones I upload....hmmm....

[Rumour]

Ok, the buffering thing sounds to me like it might very well have something to do with your connection, and perhaps your provider as well. When you scroll over controls on files you've uploaded, does the cursor change at all, but nothing happens?

Also, what sort of compression do you use? (Not a great expert on wmv compression techniques, but I know a teeny bit- enough to know that I have the option of compressiong for 28k modems, PAL, broadband, streaming...etc.) Since I didn't compress this file, I'll have to hunt down what settings it used, then perhaps we can compare. If you open up your file in WMP and check the properties, can you tell me the settings for the video and audio codecs and the bit rate.

For Funny Cats, I have:
Video codec: Windows Media MPEG-4 Video V3
Audio codec: Windows Media Audio V8 32 kbps, 32 kHz, stereo
Bit rate: 221Kbps

The player thing popping up instead of already being there sounds like it might be a browser / Win Media Player settings issue. Might want to go through and double check these.

[Sky Blue Hope]

Okay, regarding all of the data you are asking about, never really thought about it before, just make the movie, save them, and upload!! I'll have to look into it and get back to you on that one.

Here's another thing, I went and re-checked some of my earlier WMV. uploads and some of them worked now, just like it worked when I tried yours. Same thing, plays, stops, stauls, plays, stops, stauls, etc, etc....but one or two of them, didn't work at all still.

I think it's this lousy dial up connection I had no choice to use now, couldn't afford the cable bill and I'm trying to rent my spare bedroom out, but no takers yet...(that's another long story).

I figured dial up again was better than nothing for now, but it's had PLENTY of complications other than this topic.....

I'll look into my video properties and write down whatever info. I can find and then get back...and thanks very much for your time in trying to help me on this one!!

[A3DLover]

Sky,
That prob your having viewing vids could easily be your connection type/speed.
When I was on dial up it took forever for music/vid files to buffer and play.
And sometimes all it would do is "buffer".
There is away to increase the dial speed but not by much.
If your connection speed is around 40 to 50,000 bytes a second thats normal for 56k modems do you know what your modem is rated at?
If its an older one say 25 to 28,000 bytes well thats a big part of it.
The biggest part of you being able to view your uploads is the type of connection and connection speed. You say you have WinMovieMaker do you have the latest version which is 2? Version 1 is easily inferior to ver2.
Dial up can loose connection to servers it may say its uploading but the connection can be interupted without you knowing it.
If you had cable you probably had upload/download speeds of up to 4 megabytes a second with dial up its 4 to 7 kilobytes a second.
My dsl connection averages 40 to 50 kilobytes a second.(its supposed to be 384 KB a second) but the amount of users in your area depending on time of day affects all types of connections.
Try this: upload files between 9:30 am and 11:00 am your time, should improve. Why cause everyone on earth is online between 6:30 am and 8:30 am local time. Believe me it matters especially with dial up connections.
The server this site is on is so busy sometimes I get "page not found" when uploading files.
Happened to me twice this week.
Check your onboard modems' speed, 56k is pretty standard on most new pc's.
128k, 300k are special order, but available but will not improve dial up that much.
I know Verizon can offer some economical service depending on plans and area of service, see if they have dsl(only need 1 phone line, drop any extra line) its much better than dial up but not as fast as cable or dish.
Check network connections in your control panel Windows O/S and internet settings(connection tab on flyout window) check "never dial" click settings button, check autodetect settings, click apply and "ok" then refresh your browser if this doesn't help you need to talk to your browser/providers support and if you have is yahoo all I can say is goodluck getting support help.

[Sky Blue Hope]

Okay first, (and thanks for the input there A3DLover), I am 56K.

Second, back when I first got this pc (it was bought for me by my mother "refurbished" through Gateway), I had dial up through AOL, because it came one year free with the pc. Yes, it was slower to wait for the videos and/or music to "buffer", but once it finished buffering that was it!! It would play straight through.

Then I went to cable modem, lost that, went back to dial up through not AOL, but my phone company, Verizon, and now on this site only so far, it buffers, starts to play, then will just stop, says "buffering" again, then play a little more, then stop and buffer again some more, then play a little more, and I know that's not how it should be working, even on dial up.

When I post a link on my forum or wherever and test it through the link, it buffers for awhile, but then plays straight through, it's only on here it does that?

I launch my internet through Internet Explorer, on top where the blue line is it says "Microsoft Internet Explorer customized for Verizon Online", just like that.....do you think that's something to do with it then? :)

[A3DLover]

Considering what your saying, its either only this site a configuration dillema that only admins can solve or a combo of both your browser and this site.
I'd email admins about this matter.
Good Luck

[Sky Blue Hope]

Okay thanks A3D.

Also, I checked the properties of my videos both in WMV. format and the format it is in when done in Movie Maker, and they both just give general information, what it's set to open with (Media Player), the disk and file size, when it was created, and that's about it...:)