FLVPlayback seek handle not visible

[amarghosh]

hi all,

i just got a Flash CS3 professional --- i badly wanted to use FLVPlayback component; i was using Flex builder so far and i couldn't use fl.* packages there; is there a way?

anyways, i dragged an FLVPlayback on to the stage and set the source property and tested it. All went well until i noticed that the handle of the seek bar is not visible when the video is played for the first time. handle will appear at the end of seek bar when the flv finishes playing. Once it shows up, it will be there on the subsequent plays at correct locations and i can drag it to seek as i wish. only first time there is a problem. handle of volume control is always there at correct locations. this link will show u the problem.


And i have given my fla in this zip file

may be i am missing some basic things here -- am not at all familiar with CS3 environment and am using video streaming for the first time. so any help is appreciated. And by the way what are cue points? i saw them a lot in the adobe references. is it something like preset bookmarks in the video?

[wvxvw]

I don't use FLVPlayback component, but may be this'll help:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Flash CS3\en\Configuration\Component Source\ActionScript 3.0\FLVPlayback\fl\video\FLVPlayback.as

And, yes, cue points are sort of bookmarks, basicaly you need them to seek() to specific time in video.

[amarghosh]

u don't use FLVPlayback?
is there any other controls available? i did some googling and read that FLVPlayback is a wrapper for VideoPlayer control -- saw that in the code too, thanks; but the code is too long to digest -- and its better to use FLVPlayback rather than VideoPlayer.
what do u use for playing FLVs? is FLVPlayback not the good option?

And anyone out here using FLVPlayback? have u encountered this problem?
i searched the forum and found some threads regarding seek bar in FLVPlayback but none specific to my issue.

[sleekdigital]

It looks like it has something to do with the flv file you are using. I would guess that it does not have the duration metadata in it. You can test your fla and point to this flv... http://www.sleekdigital.com/media/zacknlumpy.flv .. and you will see the seek bar appear. And yes that is my cat giving my son a bath

Also, when was the last time you allowed adobe update to do its thing? It seems as though I have a different version of the component than the one used in your FLA.

Just to clarify wvxvw's cue point comment. seek() can be used to seek to any time code, you would not need a cue point. Cue points can be used to trigger events allowing you to synchronize flash animation or other behavior with things that happen in the video.

[sleekdigital]

FLVPlayback has its problems, but it generally does a pretty good job and has a nice, well documented API if you ask me.

[wvxvw]

I write code for my players myself... Components are for laizy ppl :P
Actually, as you've noticed, it's too much code for a functionality anyone would commonly need.
And, huh, me sorry... I was thinking about the key-frames not the cue points... Yes, cue points may contain text data, which NetStream will recieve in client.onCuePoint().
And, here I may be wrong... but it seems like if you have cue points in the FLV, than the sound may be mono only (FLV uses 1 sound channel to store them).

[amarghosh]

Originally Posted by sleekdigital

It looks like it has something to do with the flv file you are using. I would guess that it does not have the duration metadata in it.

yeah, u r right. it worked well with your flv (nice one by the way).
my flv was actually a wmv file. i converted it using some free tool. i was not able to run adobe's video encoder. it says i don't have DirectShow 9 and Quicktime 7. i will get them and try again.

Originally Posted by sleekdigital

Also, when was the last time you allowed adobe update to do its thing? It seems as though I have a different version of the component than the one used in your FLA.

i installed CS3 only two weeks back. r u sure u have the latest one?

Originally Posted by wvxvw

I write code for my players myself... Components are for laizy ppl :P
Actually, as you've noticed, it's too much code for a functionality anyone would commonly need.

u write video players by urself? i have written custom controls like combo box, scroll bar and controls like that but a video player? no way -- at least not yet.
first thing is i don't know how to do that or where to begin with. secondly, i don't need anything extra (just need to embed a video, nothing complicated). so i think i would go on with FLVPlayback now.

and yeah, u r right; am a toooo lazy guy

[sleekdigital]

i installed CS3 only two weeks back. r u sure u have the latest one?

I ran adobe updater just a few days ago, maybe I am wrong about the version of the component being different tho. But usually I got prompted to replace or use existing when I tried to place my version on the stage of your fla, that usualy means the version are different.

I say go for it in terms of using FLVPlayback. Why write your own when one is provided and it meets your needs. If it doesn't meet your needs there are others out there. Writing an flv player yourself is abit like reinventing the wheel. FLVPlayback is a bit bulky, but it also handles alot of things better than most coders would on their own, such as attempting multiple connections on different ports for streams, reliably detecting end of stream, switching between progressive and streaming... I could go on.

I've often heard it said that a lazy coder is a good coder

[amarghosh]

i installed quick time player and encoded wmv to flv using adobe encoder. now its working very smoothly. also the file size of my flv also got reduced by good amount. thank u sleekdigital.

and as for wvxvw, i'll need ur help when i try to write custom players --- i can't see that happening in the near future though. for my current project i just need to show a video and nothing more. so i would go with the existing wheel.