1536 Width Limit in Expression Web 4

Question

I'm having an issue when placing a silverlight video into my web site. I'm encoding a .mov file in Expression Encoder 4 SP1 and Encoder handles the encoding to windows media just fine. I then use Expression Web 4 SP2 to [Insert], [Media],[Silverlight Video] to take that file and embed the file into the web page. When I view the Silverlight video in the web page the video has the vertical black bars and displays the video in the old square monitor format. Sorry, don't know any technical way to phrase the old resolution settings. I can view this windows media file anywhere else and it displays in it's normal wide monitor format. I don't know what the encoder within expression is doing to the file. Can anyone help me retain the wide format when I embed this file using the silverlight encoder that came with expression? Or is there a better method to achieve the silverlight solution in the web site. I need to keep it simple.

Thanks

Answer 1

Look at the code generated for the height and width of the video. There is a default size setting if I recall correctly. Change the height/width to what you set the output to be when you encoded the video.

BTW, if you send me a video that is 1536px wide and I happen to be on my cellular modem I'm going to be really, really pissed because of the bandwidth that can be burned through before I can get off you page particularly since even my Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit tablet can't display anything that wide. My other mobile devices like the Surface are 1366px maximum AND I don't think my iPad will display Silverlight nor will an Android device. So think about your target audience and most importantly do not auto start.

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Answer 2

Just confirming Cheryl's point about the width:  Are you really limited to an audience that can display a video that wide?  I'm not even talking mobile devices: the PC I'm on right now has a montior that isn't a widescreen monitor, and can't do 1536 (nevermind the additional browser window borders, etc.).

Answer 3

On top of what Kathy and Cheryl have said, one other practical consideration is file size. We haven't seen it, but a 1536 x 864 px (16:9) video is probably one honking big file. It may work on your desktop, but I'd be very concerned if your visitors could stream it.

All things being equal, Silverlight is typically larger file size than Flash. Based on the video content I have worked with, I'd be very surprised if that video could stream in the real world.

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Answer 4

Thanks for the input. What I'm trying to get accross is that no matter what the size of the source file, Expression does not display the aspect ratio of the source file on the web page. The embedded silverlight object displays it's own aspect ratio. Basically it is squishing the rectangle into a square, no matter how small the file is. I can choose the option for Encoder cut the size of the file to quarter size or even smaller and it does fine exporting the file while maintaining the same aspect ratio. The aspect ratio is maintained when I insert the object into expression. When I open the page the aspect ratio of the video is not maintained, the dang thing gets mutated into a square.

Hope this clarifies my symptoms,

Answer 5

It's up to you to specify what the height and width are.  You had the option to do this when you inserted the video into your page (on the encoding window).  You can play with the height and width (in two places, video and the frame around it) in the code EW puts into your page, also.

Answer 6

Post a link to a published page with the issue you're describing. For all we know, you've got an iframe or other container which is limiting the size of the displayed file. Or, you may have a parameter passed to the object/embed code by default when the Insert command was used which constrains the size.

Video files are not native HTML elements, and no browser supports them natively, which is why plugins are required, and why <object> and/or <embed> are used, to notify the browser that it has to pass the file off to a plugin for playback. Ultimately, it is the browser plugin that determines the display of the video, so unless there is an HTML container element that is constraining the display, I can't see how there is anything that EW can or does do to cause this issue.

Post a link and let us see what parameters you're passing. If the issue is in the encoding, there may be nothing we can determine. If it is a parameter or HTML issue, we may be able to spot it. Oh, and I will agree with the others: If I were to visit your site on my tablet or smartphone, and you took that big a hit on my monthly data plan, you can bet your backside that I would never be back there again. Just sayin'...

cheers,
scott

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Answer 7

All things being equal, Silverlight is typically larger file size than Flash. Based on the video content I have worked with, I'd be very surprised if that video could stream in the real world.

That's the opposite of my experience plus Sliverlight has streamed better for me on my tutorials. Bandwidth was reduced by 30% when I switched from Flash streaming to Silverlight streaming while the number of views actually increased.

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Answer 8

"I don't know what the encoder within expression is doing to the file."

Just a point of reference: EW doesn't have an encoder, itself.  It's using Encoder, and creating a silverlight .xap file for the display.  It's sort of a mini-version of creating a SilverLight project from a wmv file directly in Encoder.

Answer 9

I wonder if it varies depending on the type of image (like jpg file size differs depending on the image). My experience is that Silverlight videos are larger, but it's been a while since I experimented.

At any rate, even if it is a bit smaller for his video, it's still a big honkin' file.

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Answer 10

We'll agree that it will be a big honking file. Mine were encoded to the same physical size in both Silverlight and Flash.

It has been some time since I encoded one with Expression Encoder - been moving towards html5 video with flash fallback if I think I need it for the target audience. If I remember correctly there is a default size that is a square same height/width which needs to be changed to match whatever the output display size is from Encoder.

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