can start movies only from beginning

[andreaconsole]

Hi,
when I watch a flv file on my kubuntu 11.10 laptop, I cannot watch it from a middle point but only from beginning. I think it's something related to flash decoder, since it happens with both vlc and dragonplayer.
I tried to install and uninstall adobe flash plugin and vlc, with no result.

[OneLine]

Could you tell a bit more ?

How to reproduce ?
- Is the flv file in your computer or are you trying to view it from the net (url) ?
- What kind of flv ? The Flash Video is a container file format /2/.


An example

Dowloading a sample file from the http://www.mediacollege.com/adobe/fl...ample-flv.html
The file name is: 20051210-w50s.flv



It is /1/:

Count of video streams                   : 1
Count of audio streams                   : 1
Video_Format_List                        : VP6
Video_Format_WithHint_List               : VP6
Codecs Video                             : On2 VP6
Audio_Format_List                        : MPEG Audio
Audio_Format_WithHint_List               : MPEG Audio (MP3)
Audio codecs                             : MPEG-2 Audio layer 3
Complete name                            : /home/oneline/Videos/20051210-w50s.flv
Folder name                              : /home/oneline/Videos
File name                                : 20051210-w50s
File extension                           : flv
Format                                   : Flash Video
Format                                   : Flash Video
Format/Url                               : http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer
Format/Extensions usually used           : flv
Commercial name                          : Flash Video
Internet media type                      : application/x-shockwave-flash
Codec                                    : Flash Video

It seems to play (from the middle) at here - how about at there ?

Links

1. http://www.kubuntuforums.net/showthr...ation-on-Linux
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Video

[james147]

flv is a horrible file format for movies :S I would recommend trying to obtain the file in a different format if you can.

You could try kaffeine or gwenview as well see if they can do it.

[andreaconsole]

thank you for your answers!
When I'm looking for a better format, I just rent the movie
This is a downloaded one, just for kill time...

See attached data from vlc.

I don't like when windows seems better than kubuntu, and this time it seems so, since I can see the movie starting from every frame >

[andreaconsole]

PS: OneLine, I can play your sample, 20051210-w50s.flv, from every point.
I cannot give a link for my video since I downloaded from cacaoweb some month ago, but it's the same for every video from cacaoweb.

[andreaconsole]

from mediainfo:

General
Count                                    : 279
Count of stream of this kind             : 1
Kind of stream                           : General
Kind of stream                           : General
Stream identifier                        : 0
Inform                                   : Flash Video: 297 MiB, 1h 32mn
Count of video streams                   : 1
Count of audio streams                   : 1
Video_Format_List                        : Sorenson Spark
Video_Format_WithHint_List               : Sorenson Spark
Codecs Video                             : Sorenson H263
Audio_Format_List                        : MPEG Audio
Audio_Format_WithHint_List               : MPEG Audio (MP3)
Audio codecs                             : MPEG-2 Audio layer 3
Complete name                            : /home/andrea/Scrivania/download/[DivX ITA] Il Settimo Sigillo.avi
Folder name                              : /home/andrea/Scrivania/download
File name                                : [DivX ITA] Il Settimo Sigillo
File extension                           : avi
Format                                   : Flash Video
Format                                   : Flash Video
Format/Url                               : http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer
Format/Extensions usually used           : flv
Commercial name                          : Flash Video
Internet media type                      : application/x-shockwave-flash
Codec                                    : Flash Video
Codec                                    : Flash Video
Codec/Url                                : http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer
Codec/Extensions usually used            : flv
File size                                : 311352476
File size                                : 297 MiB
File size                                : 297 MiB
File size                                : 297 MiB
File size                                : 297 MiB
File size                                : 296.9 MiB
Duration                                 : 5526960
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn 6s 960ms
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn
Duration                                 : 01:32:06.960
Overall bit rate mode                    : VBR
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 450667
Overall bit rate                         : 451 Kbps
Tagged date                              : UTC 2008-07-23 10:35:53
File last modification date              : UTC 2012-11-11 11:49:01
File last modification date (local)      : 2012-11-11 12:49:01
Tagging application                      : MEGA

Video
Count                                    : 248
Count of stream of this kind             : 1
Kind of stream                           : Video
Kind of stream                           : Video
Stream identifier                        : 0
Inform                                   : 424*318 (4:3), at 25.000 fps, Sorenson Spark
Format                                   : Sorenson Spark
Commercial name                          : Sorenson Spark
Codec ID                                 : 2
Codec                                    : Sorenson H263
Codec                                    : Sorenson H263
Duration                                 : 5526960
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn 6s 960ms
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn
Duration                                 : 01:32:06.960
Width                                    : 424
Width                                    : 424 pixels
Height                                   : 318
Height                                   : 318 pixels
Pixel aspect ratio                       : 1.000
Display aspect ratio                     : 1.333
Display aspect ratio                     : 4:3
Frame rate mode                          : CFR
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 25.000
Frame rate                               : 25.000 fps
Frame count                              : 138174
Resolution                               : 8
Resolution                               : 8 bits
Bit depth                                : 8
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Delay                                    : 0
Delay                                    : 00:00:00.000
Delay, origin                            : Container
Delay, origin                            : Container

Audio
Count                                    : 217
Count of stream of this kind             : 1
Kind of stream                           : Audio
Kind of stream                           : Audio
Stream identifier                        : 0
Inform                                   : 22.05 KHz, 2 channels, MPEG Audio (MP3) (Version 2) (Layer 3)
Format                                   : MPEG Audio
Commercial name                          : MPEG Audio
Format version                           : Version 2
Format profile                           : Layer 3
Internet media type                      : audio/mpeg
Codec ID                                 : 2
Codec ID/Hint                            : MP3
Codec                                    : MPA2L3
Codec                                    : MPEG-2 Audio layer 3
Duration                                 : 5526960
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn 6s 960ms
Duration                                 : 1h 32mn
Duration                                 : 01:32:06.960
Bit rate mode                            : VBR
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Channel(s)                               : 2
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Sampling rate                            : 22050
Sampling rate                            : 22.05 KHz
Samples count                            : 121869468
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Delay                                    : 0
Delay                                    : 00:00:00.000
Delay, origin                            : Container
Delay, origin                            : Container
Delay relative to video                  : 0
Video0 delay                             : 0

[james147]

PS: OneLine, I can play your sample, 20051210-w50s.flv, from every point.
I cannot give a link for my video since I downloaded from cacaoweb some month ago, but it's the same for every video from cacaoweb.

Wonder if it a drm "feature"

[OneLine]

Pure guessing

Known:

kubuntu 11.10
...
Video_Format_List : Sorenson Spark
Video_Format_WithHint_List : Sorenson Spark
Codecs Video : Sorenson H263
...

Thoughts - why it is not working

The Sorenson H263 is a proprietary video codec /1/. The foss developers are trying to back engineer the codecs and the add the interoperability to the VLC/ffmpeg. Sometimes this will work sometimes it won't.

The Ubuntu is using the ffmpeg fork /2/ libav /3/. The ffmpeg /4/ seems to have the Sorenson H263 support but is the libav having it ?.

The newest versions of the programs are for the latest release versions /5/:
VLC kubuntu 11.10: 1.1.12-2~oneiric1
VLC kubuntu 12.10: 2.0.3-0ubuntu0.12.04.1


Something to try - these may or may not help


The Medibuntu /6/ has special version of packages that cannot be included into the Ubuntu distribution for legal reasons - sometimes those packages can help with the proprietary formats (maybe you are already using ?).

Conversion - you could convert the Sorenson H263 format to the another format.

Upgrade 1 - you could upgrade the VLC and the libav to the recent version.

Upgrade 2 - you could upgrade your Kubuntu to the recent version.



Links

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorenson_codec
2. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FFmpeg
3. http://libav.org/
4. https://ffmpeg.org/trac/ffmpeg/wiki/...TypesInFormats
5. http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?ke...ll&section=all
6. http://www.medibuntu.org/

[dmeyer]

Random thought, but is the whole video downloaded? If the file is corrupt or incomplete you can run into a problem like this (happened to me before).

Edit:

Oops I see you can play it from every frame in Windows. Never mind with my dumb question then