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Member since 2009 • 213 Posts

Hi! I had previously experienced problems with Gamespot's Video player:

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=27137261&msg_id=318627665

The problem somehow got solved on it's own, but now I'm experiencing those problems again, please help!
=========================
Additional info:

the browser says: " Transferring data from image.gamespotcdn.com" (or dw.cbsi.com) , and then nothing happens...
When I try to load this file : http://image.gamespotcdn.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/eidothea/release/eidothea.swf , The page just says "loading" and then nothing happens...
I tried downloading the file with a downloader (orbit), after 5 minutes it downloaded 1.11 KBs and then nothing...
When I suddenly was able to see the player before, it would download it from "cbsinteractive"...

I don't mind not being able to watch the videos, since I'm using dial-up modem. But I want to know where the problem is...
The problem is not in my firewall or security settings, because last time I didn't touch any of my settings and it got fixed on it's own, and this time it got problematic again while I didn't change any of my security settings.

Is it possible that the problem is with my ISP?

Thanks!

15 years ago

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#2 double_decker

Member since 2006 • 146090 Posts

If you're a Canadian user you might want to see this thread and see if you are having a similar issue many others are having. If not you can provide some addition information such as what browser you are using. You can also try going into the advanced options section by clicking on "Menu" for the player and trying different Playback and bitrate options. Remember to Save Settings and reload your browser when trying these options. Also clearing your browser's cache in between trying these options could help as well. Otherwise see the stickied thread I directed you to above and see if anything listed in there is of help. :)

15 years ago

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Member since 2009 • 213 Posts

My problem is not with "playing videos", it's with "loading the player" (which is a flash file) All additional info like my browser and all that stuff are here: http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=27137261&msg_id=318627665 I didn't want to copy and paste them again.

15 years ago

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#4 double_decker

Member since 2006 • 146090 Posts

Well assuming you have tried everything gmax suggestion in the thread you just linked me to, then it might be your ISP again, but he might have some more suggestions for you if none of what he suggested before in the old thread worked. He's far more savvy when it comes to the networking side of things, and since I am out of my element when it gets to those sides of things I am going to sit back and wait for him to help you further so I don't make things worse. I'm sorry I couldn't assist you further with this, I am going to sit back and learn with you, hopefully someone else can get things working for you again soon. :)

15 years ago

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#5 gmax Moderator

Member since 2005 • 6865 Posts

It sounds to me like something strange is going on (probably network-wise) that is blocking the video player from loading. Whether it is software on your machine or something your ISP is up to can be tricky to differentiate unless you are extremely knowledgable of what you are running on your machine. Just for reference, the eidothea.swf file is 112431 bytes when I just save it to disk. Dialup throughput can vary a lot, but I'm guessing it would not be uncommon for transferring just eidothea.swf to take over 40 seconds. It should still get done in less than 5 minutes though, although a server *might* disconnect if progress got too slow. Personally, I suspect that your downloader never really got anything, but the actual content of the 1.11k or whatever might be interesting to see - especially if it's some kind of error message. In any case, we can at least confirm that you are able to reach image.gamespotcdn.com. Among many other things, they host box shot thumbnails from there, so you can try to load up one of those. First, make sure to clear your browser cache. Then try this link (12919 bytes) using your dialup connection. If you'd like to try something larger for size, try this link (111751 bytes). Assuming that works, we know that your browser can find, connect to, and transfer data from image.gamespotcdn.com. What we have to figure out after that is why something like the images would work, but the video player would not. Since what's being blocked is fairly specific, I tend to think it's intentional. Go ahead and let us know what happens when you try these links, just so we can be sure, and we'll figure out where to go from there.

15 years ago

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Member since 2003 • 25 Posts

same problem i tried both on MAc and windows xp NO videos, the only thing that loads are the commercials at the beginning , thats its .

Tried safari, and firefox , both newest versions . OSx is up to date so is flip for mac. Problem started a few days ago. Before that it worked fine.

So i figure its a problem with mac. Use my windows pc , same problem no videos anymore . any hints would be great .

i can see both pictures you posted btw

15 years ago

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#7 gmax Moderator

Member since 2005 • 6865 Posts

shenlin - your problem is technically different from gezegond's, but similar to what is described in this thread. Please have a look at that thread and what we are asking for, and continue your discussion there.

15 years ago

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Member since 2009 • 213 Posts

I can see those pictures without a problem. This is my theory : There are 2 places that gamespot uses to host their player, and my ISP is blocking one of them. Whenever gamespot decides to change the player's hosting site, I can't see the player. I'm sure that the problem is with my ISP now, 'cause I succeeded in loading the player using a Proxy server.

15 years ago

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Member since 2009 • 213 Posts

Do you know a way that would let me download the player to my computer (once), and then use the SWF file on my hard-drive to load the player? (Instead of downloading it every time?) I'm using Firefox...

15 years ago

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Member since 2009 • 213 Posts

Another Update: I could download 12kbs of the player using my downloader without using a Proxy server, So it seems that technically I can see the player, but it's download speed is so low that it practically takes forever to download, don't know why, busy server maybe? I can download the pictures with full speed though, The bigger picture was downloaded in less than 5 seconds...

15 years ago

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#11 gmax Moderator

Member since 2005 • 6865 Posts

While I know there are (at least) two Flash-based video players in use on the site, I am only aware of one place that eidothea.swf is hosted. At least I've only noticed one host (image.gamespotcdn.com). What other host have you seen? My theory is a little different - basically, the problem is that something in your network chain doesn't like Flash. That isn't hard for me to imagine, particularly in a dialup scenario. What happens if you try the Flash test page over dialup? What about other Flash-based video players like on youtube? Who is your dialup ISP? Do you have to install any software on your machine to use them? Do they advertise any "accelerator" features associated with their dialup service? It is sometimes possible to download an .swf file and use it locally, but a lot of times it's not. In the sense of being able to use a local copy to play videos in GameSpot pages - that would take all kinds of extra hocus pocus that I would say rules it out as a practical option.

15 years ago

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Member since 2009 • 213 Posts

We're getting close... I couldn't load the Flash test page, exactly like Gamespot, It just says says "Transferring data from wwwimages.adobe.com" and then nothing happens.? Given that I could load the player using the Proxy Server, I'm sure now the problem was with my ISP security settings. So it means that sometimes my ISP doesn't let people to download SWF files? I know I could see the player without any problems just a week ago... Anyway, I can see the player with a Proxy Server and I also can download the video files in the download section without a problem, so right now my problem is solved... somehow. (again) Thanks for all the help, really!

15 years ago

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#15 gmax Moderator

Member since 2005 • 6865 Posts

Sure - no problem. Maybe a couple other thoughts to ponder, for whatever they're worth... A lot of swf's are big, and transferring them over dialup is slow. A lot of them, in fact, are also ads. It wouldn't be all that net-neutral of them, but if this filtering is actually happening at your ISP, they may think they are doing their users a favor. By and large, they probably would be. Sometimes, when an ISP deploys something like this, they give users a way around it. There might be a web page you can visit to change a setting, or you might have to give them a phone call and ask. You never know. It is also possible that software on your own computer could still be involved. Basically, if there's something that can detect the speed of the connection and change filtering behavior accordingly, that could account for what you are seeing. I'm not sure where I'd start looking though if I suspected that. Finally, trying to get the video player working might be worth it in terms of downloading time. Different video encoders perform differently, and the flv files used by the video player are often available in multiple bit rates. So you might be able to get a better deal in terms of absolute download time or a better balance in the trade off of download time versus video quality, but a lot depends on your preferences. Maybe setting up several downloads and coming back later to watch them once they're all finished fits your needs best. If you managed to get the player working, it would give you another option to consider. Anyway, enjoy that dialup!

15 years ago

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