Linking to external video in Captivate 7

Report · Feb 22, 2014

I develop video-based training. Each slide includes mostly video. I've been successfully embedding f4v videos into Captivate projects for some time but video quality and file size issues make it necessary to begin linking to videos on external servers.

I've tried a number of options without success.

I create a video event, choose the url option, and add the url from the uploaded video. The only usable server choice is the Adobe Media Streaming Service. I've tested the videos on different servers including Amazon since the troubleshooting advice alerted me that only Adobe partners servers will be recognized. The project previews and the progress bar moves as if the video is playing but only the background file is visible. I tried all the preview options - no luck.

I decided to try the YouTube widget. I uploaded test videos to YouTube, inserted the Interaction widget and added the url, etc. This option results in a successful preview only when I choose the html 5 output in web browser option. Captivate will successfully publish the project but I get "Java Script Error unable to acquire LMS, API content, may not play properly" messages.

The published file performs like all of the unsuccessful previews. The file loads and acts as if the videos are playing in that the progress bar moves but there is no video, just the slide background image. I tried different output settings like just SWF, just html5, both SWF and html5, different versions of the flash player, etc. I also added the output folder to the Flash Global Security settings in case it was a permissions issue.

I'm working on a mac so I emailed a zipped file to my PC and tried to open in Internet Explorer to see if the file might play on a different system or browser - same outcome - no luck.

Making external video work is critical to my work and use of Captivate so I'm hoping there's something I'm missing or misunderstanding about what I need to do.

Any help or advice will be appreciated.

Report · Feb 22, 2014

The JavaScript error you're seeing is due to the fact that you have turned on LMS reporting in Quiz Settings but you are NOT testing your content by uploading to a SCORM compatible LMS. The content is trying to communicate with an LMS but cannot find one. Turn off LMS reporting until you are ready to actually upload and test on an LMS. (I have set up a Moodle server on my DEV box for this so that I can test locally before sending content to a client.)

Your other issue with video might also be resolved if you upload to a web server and test from there. But there are actually lots of reasons why video in Captivate may not work. So uploading to a web server is just a first step debugging.

Report · Feb 23, 2014

Thanks for your input.

Turning off reporting did eliminate the JavaScript error message. I hoped that since the message included "content may not play properly" this would also solve my primary problem of the published file not linking successfully to video. The published file opens and plays but there is no video or error message. The progress bar moves during the time the video should be playing but only the background is visible.

This is the same behavior I see when I preview in any other mode but "html5 in web browser". In the html5 preview mode, the file links to the videos and performs as expected. I published with just the html5 option checked but did not solve the problem.

Just to clarify, I am now only trying to get the YouTube widget to work. The videos are uploaded to YouTube.

Previously, I uploaded videos to a variety of servers and pasted the links into the appropriate section of the Event video dialogue box. I was never able to get any videos to play even in preview mode. All of the links play successfully when pasted into a browser. In the long run, getting this option to work would be best.

Since the YouTube videos play in the "html5 in "web browser preview mode, I must be close. Am I right in guessing that the YouTube option minimizes server issues?

Report · Feb 23, 2014

The YouTube option doesn't necessarily "minimize server issues". There can be any number of reasons why videos don't work in Captivate output.

Which specific version of Captivate 7 are you using? Is it the latest patched version?

Which version of the YouTube interaction are you using? Have you tried removing and reinserting the latest version YouTube interaction to see if there has been an update that resolves this issue?

Whenever you are dealing with these interactions you should always be testing AFTER uploading the content to a web server. Testing locally has too many ways the playback can fail.

Report · Feb 23, 2014

Thanks again for your help.

I'm using Captivate 7 version 7.0.0.118

I have licenses to the Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Captivate. When I open the Adobe Application Manager, Captivate isn't listed just the Creative Suite software so I'm not sure whether there is a Captivate update available or how I would get it. I haven't received any email notices about Captivate patches. I don't know how to get a patch if it's available. I'm just using the YouTube interaction that came with the current version of Captivate. How do I update the YouTube interaction? Is that independent of the Captivate patch?

When you say test AFTER uploading to a web server do you mean uploading the Captivate output? I was trying to make sure the linked videos (as opposed to the published file) were on a robust server. That's why I thought YouTube might be more reliable than linking to videos on other servers.

Is it possible that a published file with links that don't work on my mac will work when uploaded to a server? If so, do I have to ask clients to work with me on a hit or miss testing process since I won't know until integrating to their LMS?

I guess the bigger question is: Is this technology reliable enough to recommend to my clients at this time? I know this is the way everything is headed but can I use it now or do I need to wait?

Report · Feb 23, 2014

I was able to figure out how to update to Captivate 7.0.1.237

I published the file from the new version but still couldn't get the videos to play. However, when I uploaded the test file to my ftp site and used my browser to open from there the file functioned as intended. So, with your help, at least I seem to have a file that works with YouTube videos:

http://videoactive.org/PreventingObesityOnlinelinks/index.html

I guess I'll just have to see what happens when interacting with different LMS delivery options? I imagine I should upload non-YouTube versions to see if they work. I'm less optimistic about those since they never previewed in any mode.

Thanks again for sharing your insights.

Report · Feb 23, 2014

Whenever you update Captivate with a patch, always delete your Preferences folder at that time before beginning work again:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/6129202#6129202

See the insructions above.

Report · Feb 25, 2014

I'm continuing to have problems with the YouTube widget. My client sent me YouTube links and when I copied and pasted the new links into the Captivate file and the published and uploaded the file, the links didn't work.

To review, I uploaded video files to YouTube and used the interactions widget to insert the linked videos. The videos which I uploaded can be previewed in html5 in web browser but not in any other way. When I publish this file and view the file on my system on my browser (Safari) the file opens but the videos do not play. However, when I upload to my ftp site and open the file from there, the linked YouTube videos play.

So this led me to believe that I have a file that will work at least in html5 output. But when I replace the original YouTube links that I uploaded with new links provided by my client the videos preview in html5 in web browser mode but do not play on my system or when uploaded to my ftp site. All of the videos (mine and my clients) play in YouTube and preview in html5 mode.

Additionally, when I ouput the html5 file, the quiz doesn't work properly. The radio buttons don't appear on screen so when answers are selected the user has no way of knowing their selections have been accepted. Oddly, the quiz is registering answers since when you submit there is a brief flash during which you can see the buttons but they quickly disappear and results are tallied accurately at the end. But the quiz is unusable without user feedback for selections. You can view this performance beginning on the sixth slide (the beginning of the quiz).

http://videoactive.org/PreventingObesityOnlinelinks/index.html

Are html5 output files compatible with Learning Management Systems? Is there a way to use the YouTube widget in SWF output files?

Report · Jan 18, 2023

Hey there! Did you find any solution here linking external videos to the project? Now with the ACaptivate 2019 version the YouTube widget was deleted, so there's not more options. I've tried inserting my server's URL but it didn't work... Is there another way you can link the videos from an external server?

Report · Jan 18, 2023

Point to the YouTube video as slide video. Or use a web object.