New Site w/Embedded WMV - 4 Questions

[Ken Roberts]

This is going to be a very interesting Website, because it has never
been done before on this Topic - "Case Mod Videos" (Videos depicting
all kinds of techniques for Modifying your Computer Case).

Can you check out the main "Videos" page:
http://www.casemodvideos.com/videos/index.htm

The idea is to play WMV video files on my site, without the external
WM Player. It is working but has a few problems.

I started out wanting to use a transparent GIF pic of the Big-Screen
TV you see there (the screen portion would be transparent), with
embedded WMV files running "behind" it. This would give a perfect
simulation bexause the edges of the videos would be cropped slightly
by the TV screen edges.

I used Layers to do this. I was able to insert the WMV Player into a
layer - but unlike all other Layers you work with - even though the
layer can be positioned behind the layer with the TV pic - the ActiveX
WMV player ALWAYS is positioned in the front. Very odd, because it is
anchored within the layer, and it does move when I move the layer, and
the layer itself is behind the TV screen pic layer - YET THE VIDEO
always plays in front of the TV Screen pic.

So I settled for making the inside of the TV Screen pic, and the
videos exactly 360x240.

Question 1) How can I get the player in back of the pic, just as the
layer it is embedded within, is in back?

Question 2) is there any way to have the WMV ActiveX video player and
my image of the Big TV screen co-exist in the same area on the screen,
without using layers? I doubt it but wanted to ask

Question 3) this is the old absolute positioning issue with Layers.
Right now I have the layer moved to the left (20 px from left) -
otherwise when I test it at 800x600, the TV is partially off the
screen and the users have to scroll to place it in full view. I
really want to place it near the top - CENTERED - and let the user's
browser position it properly, no matter what screen resolution they
are set to.

I read here that you can center layers by placing them inside the
cell of a table, and center the table. I tried but see no way to
anchor a layer within a cell of a table. The layer simply ignores the
Table structure altogether, and when I move the Table, the Layer stays
put. How can you do this?

Question 4) when the Video clip finishes playing, it always leaves
the last frame in view, stationary. It does not simply go to black as
I expected. Is there a parameter or setting I am missing?

Thanks !!

 

[Andrew Murray]

Answers in-line below comments/answer between square brackets [ ]

One thing, there's no player controls, like play, back, forward pause, stop
etc (like Media player would have).
you can actually use javascript to control the video...maybe have like a VCR
image or some sort of thing to go with your TV image.

This is going to be a very interesting Website, because it has never
been done before on this Topic - "Case Mod Videos" (Videos depicting
all kinds of techniques for Modifying your Computer Case).

Can you check out the main "Videos" page:
http://www.casemodvideos.com/videos/index.htm

The idea is to play WMV video files on my site, without the external
WM Player. It is working but has a few problems.

I started out wanting to use a transparent GIF pic of the Big-Screen
TV you see there (the screen portion would be transparent), with
embedded WMV files running "behind" it. This would give a perfect
simulation bexause the edges of the videos would be cropped slightly
by the TV screen edges.

I used Layers to do this. I was able to insert the WMV Player into a
layer - but unlike all other Layers you work with - even though the
layer can be positioned behind the layer with the TV pic - the ActiveX
WMV player ALWAYS is positioned in the front. Very odd, because it is
anchored within the layer, and it does move when I move the layer, and
the layer itself is behind the TV screen pic layer - YET THE VIDEO
always plays in front of the TV Screen pic.

So I settled for making the inside of the TV Screen pic, and the
videos exactly 360x240.

Question 1) How can I get the player in back of the pic, just as the
layer it is embedded within, is in back?

Question 2) is there any way to have the WMV ActiveX video player and
my image of the Big TV screen co-exist in the same area on the screen,
without using layers? I doubt it but wanted to ask

[Suggestion:
Put the TV in as a table background image, then position the media player
on top with use of tables/cells (?).
]

Question 3) this is the old absolute positioning issue with Layers.
Right now I have the layer moved to the left (20 px from left) -
otherwise when I test it at 800x600, the TV is partially off the
screen and the users have to scroll to place it in full view. I
really want to place it near the top - CENTERED - and let the user's
browser position it properly, no matter what screen resolution they
are set to.

[ It fits my screen without the need for scrolling - viewing at 800x600 ]

I read here that you can center layers by placing them inside the
cell of a table, and center the table. I tried but see no way to
anchor a layer within a cell of a table. The layer simply ignores the
Table structure altogether, and when I move the Table, the Layer stays
put. How can you do this?

Question 4) when the Video clip finishes playing, it always leaves
the last frame in view, stationary. It does not simply go to black as
I expected. Is there a parameter or setting I am missing?

[ From viewing the Test Video, it returns to the "title" screen "Case Mod
Videos"] = doesn't freeze on the last frame as you describe - viewed in IE6,
SP2 XP Pro. ]