Some/most of the videos on the sphere are not FLVs, but F4Vs.

FLVs get sent to the browser with the type "video/x-flv", which is correct and makes it possible for your browser to display the videos.

However, it seems that their Apache server is not correctly set up for F4V files, they get sent as "text/html". Which means that the file is sent as a TEXT file, and not as a BINARY. Which means that it is effectively "corrupt" when it arrives on your PC, which means your browser needs extra power to "properly" handle these files.

Which videos?

AmericanIdol
Alphabet Street
Controversy
I Wanna Be Your Lover
TheBritAwards
TeAmoCorazon
Creep
7-ComeTogether
The1UWannaC
Uptown
SomewhereHereOnEarth
I Would Die For You
Little Red Corvette
RaspberryBeret
Seven
Diamonds and Pearls
Dirty Mind
Kiss

BTW The lyrics are actually XML files, so you can download them. They're in uppercase, however, but any decent text editor (like NotePad++, TextPad,...) should be able to convert that in "nicer" text.

BartVanHemelen said:

How?

If the Apache server was correctly set up for F4V files? Would the videos run more efficient on the home users machines???

realm said:

Is this why they're incredibly pixellated? The sound is found, but the picture is atrocious.

The .flv files, however, are relatively clean compared to these new ones

Wouldn't .f4p protected files be more difficult to "steal" once they get their shit together with their streams?

I remember having to set up my server on my own website to correctly accept the XSPF extension as it was displaying as text/html.

Pain in the arse, but it's something that needs to be done. Hopefully Scott gets this sorted ASAP. What he needs to do is look for a section called "MIME Types" in whatever backend configuration panel there is on the lotusflow3r server and add it in there. Scott, if you're reading this and need a hand, send me an orgnote

squirrelgrease said:

No, it'd be the exact same process as ripping a .flv file. If that was their intention by changing formats, it won't work.
[Edited 4/2/09 8:40am]

Militant said:

Good to know.

As I remarked in another message, the f4v files have lower bitrate audio than the previous videos with the same name.

Also the bitrate of the video is lower, but now it is h.264, which compresses better.

Combined this can save them a bit of bandwidth.
So they might have taken a look at their mrtg graphs and been a bit shocked afterwards?
Why else re-do the videos?

Audio was 256 Kbit mp3, now 128 kit aac.
23% savings overall...

EmeraldSkies said:

'Do Scott & co know anything about websites? Yet another flaw unearthed...'



I'm sure they are STILL working on the site. I know they want to make it as flawless as possible so everyone can enjoy the site to the fullest. You never know Bart, they may just read this thread.....

"Does" not "do" ding-dong.

xlr8r said:

No, he's right, it's do. Way to embarass yourself.

TwiliteKid said:

it do?


.
[Edited 4/2/09 20:33pm]

amorbella said:

Why do you people keep taking shit from Prince that you would NEVER take from any other business?

Scott has admitted that they know very little about Prince themselves, so that wasn't the reason why they were hired. So then what? Their expertise?
The kind of expertise where you don't protect CC data? Where you ask people to send CC details via mail?
The kind of expertise where you don't protect your client's valuable content (it still isn't protected)?
The kind where you fail to acknowledge that a large section of Prince's fanbase is NOT from the US?
The kind where you send passwords in plain text via email?
The kind where you launch a website that only works on state of the art PCs?
The kind where you put a BROKEN ZIP on a server and don't fix it for days?
The kind where you obviously don't test anything?
The kind where you don't allow users to save the login data in a cookie so they can easily log back in?
The kind where you need to solve a riddle to be able to subscribe to a website?

Seriously, what have they done right?

BartVanHemelen said:

Bart, serious question now. How are you NOT taking it just like the rest of us. You are also a member right, and you are also posting criticisms, reports, observations, demands on here just like a lot of other members.

Are you doing something else behind the scenes that is an example of you NOT putting up with it in the same way as some of "us people"?

KeithyT said:

Bart is not taking it.
He is pointing out the flaws, problems, etc.
He is putting things in a normal context.
Not the fan-that-doesn't-notice-anything-but-the-goodies view but the critical, clear thinking person with some technical knowledge.
This may be too refreshing for people, they may find it even offensive (without proper reason).
That is his way of NOT taking it.
And has been for quite some time. (the past decade+ ?)

BartVanHemelen said:

Bart, sounds like you are a true hardcore fan.....

amorbella said:

It appears that you don't get it, with all due respect.
Because Bart cares, he is sad, outraged, dismayed, etc that stuff goes as it went. He thinks that things should be better.
That the glitches, mishaps etc could have been avoided by some professional approach. (no disrespect to Scott until proven necessary)
Because he cares he spends energy on this.

It might be hard to grasp by the obsessed fan that just cares about the person and music of P, but I think this is more or less Bart's position.

udo said:

It appears that you don't get it, with all due respect.

I guess I just don't get BART. But its cool. THE ORG is full of opinion.

xlr8r said:

Not all of the world does speak english.
And how is your insert whatever language?

BTW: the type is now set to video/mp4 for f4v files...
[Edited 4/4/09 3:21am]

udo said:

Cool, glad they sorted it.

squirrelgrease said:

No, Adobe's take on DRM is a joke. The streams themselves are not encrypted in any form, there's just a secure handshake required preceeding playback.
So once you're past the handshake, you can just dump the stream to your harddisc and playback without needing to unlock the file in the future.

I noticed that the globe now (again) presents us flv's instead of f4v's.
There go the bandwidth savings...