How to force HTML5 video on Twitch.tv
Twitch.tv is a popular streaming site on the Internet with a strong focus on gaming related content. You can tune in and watch various people play games, talk about games, or watch gaming related events streamed live like the Dota 2 International Tournament.
One thing that is holding Twitch back currently is that it only supports Adobe Flash Player when it comes to streams.
While the company has been working on HTML5 streaming technologies for some time, it has not yet made that option available on its site for users.
This puts it as a disadvantage, as competing services such as YouTube support Flash and HTML5 streams.
How to force HTML5 video on Twitch.tv
While HTML5 streams are not yet supported officially on Twitch.tv, there is a tweak that you may make use of to enforce the use of HTML5 video for streams on the site.
This is a workaround that switches the streaming technology. The downside to it is that streams are displayed fullscreen in the browser which means that things like chat and other page elements are not shown.
Here is what you need to do
The regular URL for Twitch channels uses the format https://www.twitch.tv/CHANNELNAME.
When you open a channel using the default format, Adobe Flash Player is required to play the stream.
To force the channel to use HMTL5 video streaming instead of Flash streaming, change the URL in the following way:
- Default URL: https://www.twitch.tv/CHANNELNAME
- HTML5 Video URL: https://player.twitch.tv/?channel=CHANNELNAME&html5
HTML5 is used for the stream when you use the second URL listed above. As mentioned before, this turns the stream to fullscreen. There is no chat, no site navigation, no subscribe option, and no comment, follow or share functionality.
Simply switch back to the default format on Twitch if you want to make use of that functionality. Please note that some is linked to Adobe Flash and won't be available if Flash is not enabled or installed.
Twitch.tv is expected to launch official HTML5 video support this year. It is unclear when this is going to happen. What seems a given is that the service will offer HTML5 as an alternative at first, so that users may use Flash or HTML5 to stream content using the service.
Why not make use of the mplayer.conf?
Huh, I have never even seen this “font cache” pane; videos play at once for me, using VLC & XP SP3.
Mike, in theory this should have only been displayed once to you, at the very first video that you played with VLC. The time this window is displayed depends largely on the number of fonts in your font directory.
huh, I lucked out for a change?? Amazing!!
Apparently VLC keeps this info through version updates, but I didn’t see this message after a fresh OS install about 8 weeks ago, & a new VLC.
yes, yes, i have the same problem. sometimes, VLC crashes when it is playing .mov file.
Error:
Buidling font Cache pop-up
Solution:
Open VLC player.
On Menu Bar:
Tools
Preferences
(at bottom – left side)
Show settings — ALL
Open: Video
Click: Subtitles/OSD (This is now highlited, not opened)
Text rendering module – change this to “Dummy font renderer function”
Save
Exit
Re-open – done.
Progam will no longer look outside self for fonts
Source – WorthyTricks.co.cc
Great tip, thanks a lot Kishore.
@Kishore, I’ll try your tips, but does this mean it will no longer show subtitles either?
I do use subtitles, but the fontcache dialog box pops up (almost) everytime I play a file.
Could this be related to the fonts I have installed? Or if I add/remove fonts to my system?
I’ll try to do a fresh install also, if your tips does no work. I’ll post back here later…
/thanks
/j
@ Javier, The trick i posted will show up subtitles too. If not,
@ Javier, The trick i posted will show up subtitles too. If not,Dont worry, VLC is currently sorting out this issue and the next version will be out soon.
No probs @ Martin !! Its my pleasure
Try running LC with administrator privileges. That seemed to fix it for me
I am using SMplayer 0.8.6 (64-bit) (Portable Edition) on Windows 7 x64. Even with the -nofontconfig parameter in place SMplayer still scans the fonts. Also, I have enabled normal subtitles and it is still scanning fonts before playing a video. Also, it does this every time the player opens a video after a system restart (only the fist video played).
Does that mean that only instrumental versions of songs will be available for non-paying users?