Quicktime logo and question mark in lieu of A/V controls when using Safari

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Quicktime logo and question mark in lieu of A/V controls when using Safari

I created a website using iWeb with mp3 podcasts. When the website is viewed on my Mac using Safari or Firefox the podcast appear with a Quicktime logo and question mark in the area where you expect to see the A/V controls. I am unable to start the podcast. I was temporarily able to correct the problem by installing Quicktime 7.6.6. This fix did not work after exiting and then restarting Safari. I repeated the Quicktime 7.6.6 install procedures but could not get the A/V controls to re-appear. Any suggestions out there on the root cause of this issue and/or workarounds. I would like to Quicktime to work properly and to access these podcasts.

Mac, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Dec 2, 2010 4:41 AM

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Answer 1

Gofishin Author

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Dec 3, 2010 4:17 PM in response to Gofishin

Updated info: When visiting my website from a Windows laptop using safari or google browsers, quickime works fine & I can see/use the a/v controls (i.e. no quicktime logo and question mark). So it appears the problem is linked to my mac. Should I deinstall Quicktime and re-install?

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Answer 2

Dec 3, 2010 5:08 PM in response to Gofishin

Post a URL so we can look at the file and the page code.

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Answer 3

Gofishin Author

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Dec 4, 2010 8:37 PM in response to Gofishin

Here's the URL

http://web.me.com/jchop1/GatheringofFriends/Podcasts/Podcasts.html

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Answer 4

Dec 5, 2010 5:18 AM in response to Gofishin

http://web.me.com/jchop1/GatheringofFriends/Media/03%20Is%20There%20a%20Point%20to%20Being%20Catholic%20Anymore.mp3

The link to one of your .mp3 files. When tested using Safari I get the question mark. But when I open the URL using QuickTime Player the file begins downloading (over 151 MB's in size) and I can start playback instantly by clicking on the play control.
So. iWeb wrote correct code but Safari isn't reading it correctly.
The %20 code is used for spaces in file names. The Q icon with the question mark is Safari's way of saying "there is QuickTime content here but I can't find the file". iWeb writes page code that calls the QuickTime browser plug-in.
I would edit the file name of the .mp3 replacing the spaces with an underscore or hyphen (Using the Finder) and drag it back into iWeb (replacing the original). Then publish the page again and test with Safari.

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Answer 5

Gofishin Author

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Feb 13, 2011 7:26 AM in response to QuickTimeKirk

Thanks Quicktime Kirk - I made edits to the filename as you suggested and uploaded the new file. Same results. I did notice that when I use Firefox on the Mac and select a specific podcast, I can see the spinning donut in the browser tab as the page shifts from the list of podcasts to the specific podcast I have selected. In Firefox the spinning donut transfers to the specific podcast page and the Quicktime logo remains until the podcast has completed its download at which time the A/V controls appear. Using Safari on the Mac initially (i.e. the podcast has not been downloaded using another browser) , I show the spinning donut for just a few seconds and then it disappears and the quicktime logo remains.

I'm not sure if the follow info is relevant. If I have downloaded the podcast on a different browser and have left that page open, and then use Safari to download the same podcast, it will immediately appear with A/V controls in Safari (whether the file has spaces or not).

When I use Safari on a PC, the download process works fine (i.e. spinning donut continues through the shift from general podcast page to specific page) and A/V controls appear after the download has completed.

My sense today is that there is a code issue in the Mac version of Safari for this particular feature (i.e. download of imbedded mp3 files). I'm currently using v5.03 which I believe is the most up-to-date.

Thanks for all your help and please excuse my delay in acknowledging your professional response. You are a big help and your time is appreciated.

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Answer 6

Feb 13, 2011 8:14 AM in response to Gofishin

I still get the QuickTime ? icon when testing your page in Safari.
Firefox must download the entire file before playback can begin. This is because you've set the QuickTime file "autoplay" tag to "false". This is done in iWeb and you can change the tag to "true" to let the file begin playback while the download continues.
I have no trouble opening the file directly in QuickTime Player (File menu / Open URL):
http://web.me.com/jchop1/GatheringofFriends/Media/Dr.mp3
Copy the link above to open it in QuickTime Player.
I don't have a solution to the Safari ".mp3" issue. Even the direct link above shows the QuickTime ? icon.

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Answer 7

Gofishin Author

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Feb 14, 2011 7:43 PM in response to QuickTimeKirk

Thanks Kirk. I think we've vetted this issue enough. It appears to be a problem in Safari. I and others can listen to Podcasts using Quicktime or by using a different browser. Again, appreciate your time and response.

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Answer 8

Feb 14, 2011 8:13 PM in response to Gofishin

I would use QuickTime Player Pro ($30) to "wrap" your .mp3 files into a ".mov" container and publish these files until Apple finds a solution.
Just a simple "Save As" on your .mp3 files to turn them into .mov files.

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Answer 9

Apr 30, 2011 3:10 PM in response to Gofishin

I have the same issue. It has to be a Safari issue, as the site works in Firefox and anything else I've tried - Mac or PC. I've tried different encoding methods, VBR non VBR, etc. <http://www.clearriver.org/podcast/>

And to answer QuickTimeKirk... the .mov solution is not really viable for audio podcasts which need to be played on any device that they get sent to. I'm dealing with a very technically diverse user base (a church) and while I'd love to switch to AAC files for the added features I can't risk alienating anyone and MP3 is still the defacto standard.

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Answer 10

vkdev

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Jun 26, 2011 12:56 AM in response to Gofishin

I found exactly the same problem with iWeb and .mp3 and Safari.

Too bad that Apple's own software is so inconsistent.

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