Einthusan Vigneswaran einthusan

How to:

Fix pseudo-streaming videos by moving Moov Atom

Relies on some *nix CLI utilities: mediainfo; and qt-faststart (part of ffmpeg). I used homebrew to install them on OS X.

What is pseudo-streaming?

Pseudo streaming is simply a video that can start playing before it's fully dowmloaded. The videos are not streaming but rather progressively downloaded. What's important is that the file metadata (the Moov Atom) is at the start of the file rather than at the end. Usually this is an option set when encoding the file (called quick start or web start). If the files have not been encoded this way you can either re-encode or use a utility to move the Moov Atom. Re-encoding takes much longer than using a utility to move the Moov Atom so here's how to do it.

Steps

First check with mediainfo to see if video 'is streamable':

	#!/usr/bin/swift

	// DISCLAIMER

	// This script modifies an unencrypted file associated with the trial version of Final Cut Pro.
	// Under the DMCA (17 U.S.C. § 1201), this modification does not qualify as circumvention of a technological
	// protection measure (TPM), as it does not involve bypassing encryption, authentication, or similar protections.
	// Distributing this code is therefore legal under the DMCA.

	// This script is intended for educational and research purposes, such as exploring trial-related file structures,

	#!/bin/sh

	# OPTIONAL FLAGS:
	#
	# -geoip true
	# this will install maxmind geoip and auto update crontab file
	#
	# -cloudwatch true
	# this will install aws cloud watch metrics and send them to aws dashboard
	#

	history.replaceState && history.replaceState(
	null, '', location.pathname + location.search.replace(/[\?&]message=[^&]+/, '').replace(/^&/, '?')
	);