Help! Embedded YouTube videos won't play

[scotpens]

My computer (HP Pavilion desktop running Windows 7) recently had a few major issues and needed to have the system completely restored. Now everything seems to be working fine, except that embedded videos here on Trek BBS don't show up at all. I just get a blank screen with the message "A plugin is needed to display this content."

Can any of you geeks help me out here? What plugin do I need to install? I'm using the latest version of Firefox. Videos on YouTube itself play without any problem.

 

[Metryq]

Youtube still feeds Flash video, I believe, along with HTML5 (MP4 video). The YouTube site itself will auto-detect for a Flash plugin, then switch to HTML5 if that is missing. During the transition, there was a special page (youtube.com/html5) where users could set their preference. I'm assuming that placed a cookie in the browser. Since you completely restored your system, such a cookie may be missing.

Should you install Flash? I'd say no, as Flash has been a resource hog and festering security hole for years. I've read that Google Chrome browser includes a "sandboxed" version of Flash, which prevents all the security problems. Why Adobe doesn't release a sandboxed version of the plugin is beyond me.

Don't know if any of this helps, but it might give you somewhere to start.

 

[T'Girl]

I just reload adobe (again!) and it is possible to download it without the ad on security system, you just have to unclick a box.

I don't need two overlapping security systems and it runs much better without it.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Considering the security features in Windows and most anti-virus/security apps, I don't really worry about what Flash player might be lacking in that area.

I always check the "remind me to update" box, since I still don't like automatic updating of anything, in the event there's a poxy version of Flash (or whatever).

The unfortunate fact is, most or all embedded videos are Flash based.

 

[Metryq]

Considering the security features in Windows and most anti-virus/security apps, I don't really worry about what Flash player might be lacking in that area.

You're missing the point. I didn't say Flash lacked proper security features. Flash is the security hole.

The unfortunate fact is, most or all embedded videos are Flash based.

Since I can play most of the videos I encounter and do not have the Flash plugin installed—nor do I use Chrome—neither most nor all embedded videos are Flash.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Considering the security features in Windows and most anti-virus/security apps, I don't really worry about what Flash player might be lacking in that area.

You're missing the point. I didn't say Flash lacked proper security features. Flash is the security hole.

Even so, with Windows Defender & ESET Smart Security, I've never given it a second thought.

The unfortunate fact is, most or all embedded videos are Flash based.

Since I can play most of the videos I encounter and do not have the Flash plugin installed—nor do I use Chrome—neither most nor all embedded videos are Flash.

At work, on the one computer that won't allow me to update Firefox, it always has Flash disabled upon starting. No videos will play anywhere, youtube, espn.com, yahoo, etc. until I enable Flash.

Now, I'm not saying some videos aren't Shockwave or some other type, but everything plays OK after I do the enable. So if nothing else, most of them are Flash based.

 

[hux]

Since this thread is here, maybe some can help me

When I try to post a vid, I just get a big white box

When I click on someone elses vid, the box vanishes and all i get is the audio

?

 

[scotpens]

I installed the latest Flash update and did a few other tweaks and now embedded videos play just fine.

My only problem now is that I can't get YouTube videos to play in "theater mode" -- the intermediate screen size between default screen and full screen. It seems to be a Firefox issue, as YouTube videos will play in theater mode when I'm using Chrome.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

My Firefox issue is that embedded YT videos don't show up at all!

I don't know why this happens. YT videos appear in Safari, but not Firefox. I have made no changes to any settings that might explain this.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Do you have noscript installed in Firefox? If a given URL is forbidden in NS (and not necessarily the video's URL), the embedded video can be a blank area, a white area, etc.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Do you have noscript installed in Firefox?

No.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Well that ends that theory.

I have had issues with my work computer & embedded videos. Partly because my one machine is so admin'd up and also because there is so much security inside the company.

Probably not related to your issue, but maybe it's security or firewall settings? Though this should affect all browsers, I would think.