Video's starting at 0!!

Look I have asked this question over and over and it appears that it just gets ignored.  I have followed the suggested idiot proof programming offered in two places by Dolphin Jay.  Who is convinced this is the answer.  Look this is simple.  The player is starting at 0 after the offered changes have been implemented and cache cleaned.  I am not a newbie and have addressed this issue with multiple people through multiple versions of Dolphin.  Not just dealing with this but also video quality which was addressed with other adjustments.  My only thoughts are is it possible people are just not using video?  I have multiple uploaded video's and ALL of them start at 0 and leave a big black hole on what is now a beautiful page .  The programming changes indeed grab thumbnails for other spots and they are used throughout the site and the programming that calls for thumbnails.  The only issue is the PLAYER IS STARTING AT 0!!  I have tested this and proven it by putting a picture in the 0 spot and it appears on the player as the thumbnail for the PLAYER.  Now having said this there is really only 2 options one the programming offered is wrong or the player is not addressed in the programming offered.  Now I am sick of this black hole and I need help to get rid of it.  The programming offered is as simple as changing a 0 to a 20 in my version and that is it and only 2xs.  Has anyone actually featured a video and seen that the votes don't carry forward a well? So, you have a featured video which is the major part of the page with a black hole and no votes.  If I am not changing the 0 - 20 correctly and then clearing cache please I am all ears and would be glad to post the entire page here to show that it has been done with no changes to anything but the 0 to a 20.  I will be glad also to provide a PM for the videos that are in very hi def and have the "UGLY" black hole!      

Thumbnail grabbed

Votes not carrying forward AND HUGE BLACK HOLE!!!!

Votes there

What Should be!

}

function grabImages($sInputFile, $sOutputFile, $iSecond = 20, $bForse = false)
{
    $sImageFile = $sOutputFile . IMAGE_EXTENSION;
    $sThumbFile = $sOutputFile . THUMB_FILE_NAME . IMAGE_EXTENSION;

    if(!$bForse && file_exists($sImageFile) && filesize($sImageFile)>0) $bResult = true;
    else $bResult = convertVideoFile($sImageFile, getGrabImageTmpl($sInputFile, $sImageFile, "", $iSecond));
    if(!$bResult) return false;

    if(!$bForse && file_exists($sThumbFile) && filesize($sThumbFile)>0) $bResult = true;
    else $bResult = convertVideoFile($sThumbFile, getGrabImageTmpl($sInputFile, $sThumbFile, "-s " . THUMB_SIZE, $iSecond));
    return $bResult;
}

function getGrabImageTmpl($sInputFile, $sOutputFile, $sSize = "", $iSecond = 20)
{
    global $aConvertTmpls;

    return prepareCommand($aConvertTmpls["image"], array("input" => $sInputFile, "second" => $iSecond, "size" => (empty($sSize) ? "" : $sSize), "output" => $sOutputFile));
}

20 seconds into the video!!!

Great it is grabbing the thumbnail 20 seconds in just as asked...

On the subject of the player starting at 0.00 this is in fact the start point of the video before it starts playing see picture

Regards the blank frame at start of video if the video starts at 0.00 and the first frame is blank that is where the video starts you have to edit video before upload to ensure the video starts with a picture in the frame this has nothing to do with the icon capture at 20 seconds that is just where in the video it took the image .

I edit videos so I have 3 seconds of a picture at the start of video with the site name and contact details this also helps with not having to edit the default capture time ..

I can not help with the rating issues ..

Happy thought

I have not done a lot of work with video and none concerning HTML5.  When I use to covert to flash my editor would let me grab any frame to use as a "cover" for the video player that would be displayed regardless of what was the first frame of the video.  I am assuming that with HTML5 you can not do that.

So you want your videos to start playing from 20 seconds in? I guess you just want the player to show something other than your first frame (which is black in this example) when the page first loads? Starting every video at 20 seconds seems silly.

I can think of a way to do it. Modify the video view page so that it loads a div over the top of the player, which looks like the player with the thumbnail looking like frame one. Script it so that onmouseclick it disapears and trigers the video playing.

It's faking it but it would get it looking and working like you want from a users perspective.

7.0.9   See start at 0 but with the 1 change in "THAT" version took care of the black hole!!

 Really you are so right it would be silly to start at 20 seconds in and that is not what I am asking really that is what you got from all this? That I want it to start 20 seconds in you must be kidding!  It needs to grab the thumbnail 20 seconds in and display it in the player as the thumbnail and not the 0 spot!

SO 7.0.9 does not have one video that starts with a black hole hmmm.  I guess all the video's out of 1,000 plus just got lucky and ALL had a picture in the "0" spot?

Well, that's basically what you're asking, whether you meant to or not.

As I say, I guessed that was not what you were looking for and explained that if you want your player to show something other than frame 1 after it has loaded but still play from frame one (Why you wouldn't just stop uploading videos that start with a black frame I don't know) you would have to cheat a little. Try placing a div over the video which has a background set to align at the bottom, and looks like the player control bar. In that div place the thumbnail image. Some simple CSS will have that looking like the video player in no time. Now just use Java to make it disappear on click and trigger the video playing.

0 spot vs 20 in...   This is the thumbnail not the 0 spot! in 7.0.9

Same Video o spot

 I just started the site and don't program all I know is what I see in the old version vs the new version... But thank you for the thought...

The difference is that 7.0.9 did not have the HTML5 player.  You can switch off the HTML5 player in 7.1 and use the Flash player instead.

Yup,Geek Girl is right, you are now using an HTML5 player (I.E, that of your browser). As far as I know all major browsers will show frame 1 when the <video></video> html5 tag is used. You could disable it but that would be a step backwards and your site would not work "as well" IMO.

Is it your own videos that have the first frame blank and black? If so, why don't you place a single frame of your choice at the beginning? If it your users videos, you have no control over the content they upload and I would say just stop seating over it.

It is a good idea to put a pic in slot 0 but damn it does become a time consumer!  I guess what I am after here is the ability to use html5 with the same thought out process of grabbing a thumbnail seconds into the video to be a tease so to speak.  I don't think without question a black screen is acceptable.  New programming to us but still not acceptable to have a black hole.  Inserting 1 photo at will is a work around but time consuming for sure.  The obvious cure is to have html5 do what happened with the old programming...

If you throw pic in place then you have to render the video... Grrrr

OK, I have been over looking at the attributes for the HTML5 Video tag.  I found this:

The poster attribute specifies an image to be shown while the video is downloading, or until the user hits the play button. If this is not included, the first frame of the video will be used instead.

So, if we could automatically point this "poster" attribute to the thumbnail of the video; then wouldn't that be the answer to a video that has the first frame black?

http://www.longtailvideo.com/html5/poster/

Now, what could be done is when we upload a video, we can upload the poster; or specify a URL to the poster.  This poster attribute would then be added to the HTML5 tag when we go to play that particular video.

Is seems that IE9 is interpreting the poster attribute a bit different than the other major browsers.  In the case of IE9; you have to set preload=none.  See this page: http://www.iandevlin.com/blog/2011/12/html5/the-problem-with-the-poster-attribute

OK after all the you seem to be asking for this which was completely different than what I was asking for.  The suggrstion is to use a different player no problem except it is a convoluted process of a series of events that then give you what you want or again a work around!  My entire point is that is not the idea of software or technology at all!  The idea is ease off use! If I upload a video and the player gives me a dark hole program something into the process that says oh wait it is so obvious that a black hole is not what you want that here upload a picture to be used as a thumbnail.  This forum is loaded with years of threads dealing with video quality and the lack of a thumbnail and yet when new technology is introduced like HTML5 no thought is given to the obvious.  Is it because it just is not known? 

OBTW I already have that with a player that lets me choose the thumbnail... 

OK, I feel like I was just smacked LOL.

HTML5 video is a BRAND NEW specification.  I just went out and researched and provided the answer to the HTML5 starting with a black frame.  I was expected to be patted on the back and congratulations all around LOL.

Seriously, a little bit of extra programming is all that is needed and if we ask nicely, the Dolphin developers might decide to do this for us.  I know there are some good coders out there in Dolphin land where this would be a walk in the park.

OK Geek_Girl omg thank you so much for the effort lol joking of course.  My misery is not directed towards you.  I do appreciate the effort.  The issue is in and out for all involved.  You have not been around long enough to go through the trials and tribulations of things like the HTML purifier and all that crap.  What is the purpose of going through all the tweaking of your server and all the programming extras only to be teased about actually using it in an in and out deal!  Post be proud move on.  No not on our sites you have to do this or that in order to get the staple product to work.  I have a player that is very APPLE friendly and plays flash when it is available but APPLE FRIENDLY when on an IPad or IPhone!  The only issue is that is great for ME ONLY!  Am I to tell others well do this and you then can have that!!  NO NO NO NO NO NO NO AND AGAIN #### NO!  it is never in and out and the consistency or offer is not marketable for what I want to do and it is just frustrating!  HL has written books on this but I must say years later this is as close as it has ever been.  I have a very large idea that I am going to do in a couple weeks if not sooner and I need the player to act right and not use a big black hole that I will have to explain why it does that. No don't want that...

For 7.1

Go to flash --> modules --> video --> inc --> open functions.inc.php 

Find : 

$sTmpl = prepareCommand($GLOBALS['aConvertTmpls']['image'], array("input" => $sInputFile, "size" => "", "second" => 0,

change "second" => 0, to 2 like this "second" => 2, then the black screen is gone and a picture of the video is shown.