Launching Windows Media Player/Quicktime from Flash?!

[cvw]

I have a demo reel clip that I need to be able to launch from a multimedia CD with company info. I have been all through the Flash 5 help files, training videos and Tek-Tips forums and can't find anything on this. Surely there is a way to do this! Can anyone help me?

Thanks in advance,
Jeff

 

[oldnewbie]

On a CD?
FSCommand and "exec"!

ldnewbie

 

[cvw]

Yes, I want to launch it from a CD.

As for the second part of you response...I'm afraid I don't speak your language. What do you mean by FSCommand and "exec"?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[coldfused]

fs command is the way flash passes the command to play the file..you'll find it in your actions panel..exec is the command in which you are telling flash to call the reel and play..also in the fs command panel inside the actions panel..you want flash to execute the start up of the file in the users media player!

fscommand is how ya do that!!

carlsatterwhite@endangeredgraphics.com

 

[oldnewbie]

Don't want to put my friend Carl down... But this ain't all that easy.
Been playing around with this for a few hours and here's what I can come up with:

on (press) {
// fscommand ("exec", "notepad"+chr(9)+"site1.txt"
// fscommand ("exec", "start"+chr(9)+"Sample.mov"
// fscommand ("exec", "wmplayer"+chr(9)+"zazou.wmv"
// fscommand ("exec", "start"+chr(9)+"gemeaux1.avi"
// fscommand ("exec", "mplayer2"+chr(9)+"zazou.wmv"
// fscommand ("exec", "QuickTimePlayer"+chr(9)+"Sample.mov"
}

First thing I must say, is that I don't have a CD burner, so can't really say if all of this would work, but it should at least on a Windows platform.

You can uncomment one of these fscommand to check them out one at a time.

The first one will open "site1.txt" in notepad as long as that file (site1.txt) is in the same directory as the Flash movie, but only if notepad.exe resides in the c:/windows folder.

The second and & forth ones will open the Sample.mov(with QT) or the gemeaux1.avi (with the Windows Media player), as long as these files are in the same directory as the Flash file, regardless of where the QT or WMP players reside, but only after opening an annoying dos empty window.

The third & fifth ones will open the files directly but only, once again, if the players reside in the c:/windows folder.

The last one should do the same, but I already have problems with QT on my machine, and maybe for this reason only, it simply won't work. You would have to check it out... But the QT player should reside in the c:/windows folder.

In the documentation that I have, it is said that you can use a different path if the players don't reside in the c:/windows folder, but I can't get that to work either.
Anyhow, using another path might be tricky, since the enduser may not have the application in your specified path.

Hopes this helps a bit!

Regards,

ldnewbie

 

[coldfused]

hey i never said that was all to it..i was just explaining what you meant, by what you had given..

and i also will be needing this in the future so if ya figure it out save it for me..at promaintenance4u i plan on having a crap load of how to movies that i want to load..waiting on steve to buy the converter from vcr to video card..

carlsatterwhite@endangeredgraphics.com

 

[oldnewbie]

Cool down man!
I'm not attacking you! Never did!
Shesssssssssssssssssssssssh!

PS: Yes, I'll keep for you! Although this is for a projector use. You can't force an .exe on a user online.
You'll have to stream those videos differently.

Regards,

ldnewbie

 

[coldfused]

right...streaming online...technicalities...

carlsatterwhite@endangeredgraphics.com

 

[cvw]

Thanks for the info guys! I just got your responses so I haven't had time to try it yet. I'll see what I can come up with and let you know how it turns out. I appreciate the help!!

Jeff

 

[wangbar]

Hey Carl - launching streaming media online is pretty easy. You just need to embed the player (Real, Windows whatever) into an HTML page (you can do this really easily with DreamWeaver, it takes care of the classID for you too) and launch that as a pop-up with getURL and a bit of JavaScript.

 

[coldfused]

by embeding the player does that mean it will only play in that player? what if it's a mac? or if they don't have the player i embed? will it still play , or prompt the download of the player? or would you use conditional statements do determine the player?

carlsatterwhite@endangeredgraphics.com

 

[oldnewbie]

I believe, I could be wrong, that all of the main streaming players (QT, REAL, WMP), are now compatible with either Macs or Pcs. That said, if you don't offer the user a choice of at least 2 of those players, you might loose some.
Worst of it, is that in the end, you're the one that will have to encode these different versions so you can offer them! Technicalities maybe! But still a lot of work!

And if you're thinking of dial-up users, prepare yourself to be deceived by the results! Anything larger than 320 *240 (and even of that size!) looks pretty crappy on a dial-up.

Including it in Flash? Forget it! Have a look at Dave's picture sizes on pinkzeppelin and mostly at the size of his swfs.

ldnewbie

 

[coldfused]

don't have to include those in flash..i can write the html for that page and call it in to the "mainsite" frame (yes i have been teaching myself how to write html, go figure)..and when making my movie then i will make it the size i need to to be able to stream it for dial up's as well..one thing i have learned in the last few months old man is nothing is impossible..just got to work at it..

by the way, have a look at

http://www.willdrawforfood.com

that is my interface..what do ya think?. colors,layout,etc...not much there yet so..and yes that is a familiar pre-loader..doing it for the students at my school who haven't quite made it as far as i have yet..helping them get their work on the web..

carlsatterwhite@endangeredgraphics.com

 

[wangbar]

Have you seen this?

http://www.javakitty.com/vid2flash/

Downloads are pretty extreme (but all video over IP is) and the picture's crappy (no surprises there either) but no player hassles and it's bound to get better as it's developed.

If the movies were loaded in as separate swfs it wouldn't be that different from waiting for QuickTime or Real to kick off and you retain total control over your page layout without media players popping up in places you don't want.

 

[oldnewbie]

Interesting!
But a bit like Flix, no?

http://www.wildform.com/

Flix seems better but maybe it's just my connextion.

ldnewbie

 

[wangbar]

A lot like it. Hadn't seen Flix before. Of course, if we could work out how to sync up the audio properly we could save $99 and do it ourselves...

 

[cvw]

Okay guys... Maybe I should have done this from the start but hind sight's 20/20. I changed the wav to an mp3 and all of the commands work. Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it!

Jeff

 

[mifsmark]

Any help?
I'm trying to embed video files in a website that are stored in a mysql database as binary data with their filename, filesize and filetype. I need to stream these files in html code to be viewed in the website in a small real or wmedia player windows.
How can I do that?

 

[sle2002]

I have read through this thread and am still having problems.

First I will tell you what I am trying to accomplish. I have created a flash movie that I want to add a link or a button to play a .wmv or a .mpg. Everything is going to be burnt on a cd and handed out.

I have read about using fscommand, and am still having some difficulty with it.

I have added the follwoing code to my button:

on (press){
fscommand ("exec", "wmplayer"+chr(9)+"jenn1.mpg"
}

Is there something else that I am missing. I am also using Flash 5 on Windows NT.

Thanks for your help,
Susie

 

[oldnewbie]

Using Flash 5, but to you have the Flash 6 version player installed?

Is the WM player.exe and the .mpg movie bothin the c:/windows directory? Regards,