Is there any way to View video with HTML5 video browser, as from wikipedia articles, on my IPad mini?, Is there any way to View video with HTML5 video browser, as from wikipedia articles, on my IPad mini?

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Level 1

8 points

Is there any way to View video with HTML5 video browser, as from wikipedia articles, on my IPad mini?, Is there any way to View video with HTML5 video browser, as from wikipedia articles, on my IPad mini?

I do a lot of research using Wikipedia articles. Sometimes those articles have video attached. When I click on the play button of the image, it opens a floating window with the first frame of the video, but it's not moving. A thin banner at the top of it me: "For a better video playback experience we recommend a [ HTML5 video browser". And touching the play button ( hoping it might play anyway) has no effect. It will not play.

Is HTML5 a PC/Windows only format? Or is there an App that will alow me to use these videos on my iPad mini? I've spend 6 hours already trying to find out what I can do about this, and I've made zero progress. I've checked out a handful of apps in the app store, and don't even know what I'm looking at. I got the Wikipedia app for mobile devices, and it doesn't offer the videos in the truncated articles it provides. I've spoken to several Apple techs at the Applecare phone number, and no one there seems to know anything about it.

surely, I can't be the only one with this issue. Please comment, please help. Thank you all.

iPad, iOS 6.1.3, Mini

Posted on Jun 26, 2013 3:49 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 15, 2014 11:26 PM in response to Jabbadah

There is an app that claims "WikiLinks is the first and only app that plays Wikipedia videos on mobile Apple devices!" I haven't tried it. Here is the link to their discription. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wikilinks-smart-wikipedia/id555005650?mt=8

Has anyone tried this app and can confirm that all videos on Wikipedia do play?

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Answer 2

Jun 26, 2013 3:58 PM in response to Jabbadah

iOS browsers play HTML 5 video just fine. The error you are seeing is a result of the video you are trying to view is not being served in HTML 5 format. Until the site uses HTML 5 format your browser will display the error.

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Answer 3

Jabbadah Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 26, 2013 4:07 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

Thank you for your response, but I'm not sure I understand it. Permit me to paraphrase: The video offered by the Wikipedia website is not in an HTML5 video format, but in some other format that my iPad will not play. If this is yhe case, then how do I find out what is the true format used by Wikipedia, and what do I need to do in order to play those videos?

Thanks for your time.

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Answer 4

Jun 26, 2013 4:14 PM in response to Jabbadah

Correct. View the source of the web page and look for the html video tag. You won't find one if the video is not HTML 5. The HTML 5 video tag looks like this:

<video>

</video>

with the video details between the video open and close tags. An example from W3C Schools follows:

Your browser does not support the video tag.

</video>

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Answer 5

Jabbadah Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 26, 2013 4:25 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

Thanks again for your reply. I'm afraid --(and you should be too), that you are talking to the computer-illiterate. I have only a modest inkling of what you mean and I will attempt to pursue your suggestion; yet, while it may offer me a way to identify the nature of the video I hope to play, I seem still to need a solution towards how to play the video I wish to view. Thank you for your effort, though.

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Answer 6

Jabbadah Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 26, 2013 4:49 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

Okay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Evolution_of_the_Moon.ogv

Frustrated, I followed the information here to the website from which this video originated and viewed it there; but as there are often more videos scatted throughout Wikipedia articles, it would--ha ha-- save me time if I could simply play them directly from the articles.

Thanks again.

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Answer 7

Jabbadah Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 26, 2013 5:41 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

Dear Bob,

I downloader a VLS Streamer from the Apple app store. It requires some kind of helper software to run, which, as far as I can tell from the video at the developer's site, allows one to download content from one's mobile device to their computer. Since I don't have a compatible computer for my iPad to link to, the instructions don't help my situation. I emailed them with my query and will probably hear from them sometime this week.

I've lived with this problem for the 3 months I've had my iPad, and I'll keep after it until I have a solution. But right now, I've run out of steam. If this lead helps me to resolve my issue, I'll come back and HELPFUL or RESOLVED every response you've given. I'm very grateful for your help. Sorry I'm so utterly clueless.

Thanks once again. Please don't cringe if I get back to you another day.

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Answer 8

Apr 15, 2014 3:03 PM in response to NicksGrandad

I have the latest version of Chrome installed on my iPad mini and I still get the same results as Jabbadah. The message says, "For a better video playback experience we recommend a html5 video browser." A video on wikipedia will not play http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Mars.ogv

I've tried using Dropbox, VLC, and playing the video using the Mercury browser. Mercury has a "User Agent" feature where you can switch to a different browser within the app (i.e. Firefox, Chrome, etc.) and still won't play the video.

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Answer 9

Apr 15, 2014 2:59 PM in response to Johnathan Burger

Currently, there is VLC for iPad but it won't play the video either: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vlc-for-ios/id650377962?mt=8

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Answer 10

Jun 26, 2013 4:40 PM in response to Jabbadah

Give us a link to the page/video and we'll tell you what format it is in.

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Answer 11

Jun 26, 2013 5:07 PM in response to Jabbadah

It appears that the file format is .ogv within a ogg container. Although this format can be served in a HTML 5 video tag the site is not doing so. Try using a player such as VLC.

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