Sending WMV video via email - link to .asx or .html

[stevenrblake]

Could users get a security warning if I hyperlnk a player image directly to an Windows Media .asx? Or should I stick with linking to an embedded player within an .html page.

It is getting sent to about 10000 recipients (Windows PCs) so I want to make sure it isn't filtered or plauged with security pop ups from secured email clients.

Steve

[Dave]

(12-01-2008 04:32 PM)stevenrblake Wrote:  Could users get a security warning if I hyperlnk a player image directly to an Windows Media .asx? Or should I stick with linking to an embedded player within an .html page.

Users could get a security warning with either depending upon the e-mail filters set-up at each site. Not all mail clients will render html mark-up either, so linking from an image may not have the desired effect.

(12-01-2008 04:32 PM)stevenrblake Wrote:  It is getting sent to about 10000 recipients (Windows PCs) so I want to make sure it isn't filtered or plauged with security pop ups from secured email clients.

Steve

If you link via a web page, then it can give you more options for presenting associated content, especially stuff which you may find that you want to update after the e-mail is sent out.

Dave

[daveuofu]

Another problem with sending the .asx file directly is that you'll be relying on the recipient's computer being properly configured to handle that file extension. If you instead link to the content from within an html page, you can more tightly control what application is used to play the content. You can detect the presence of desired player and, if not present, offer automated guidance to the end-user.

Dave

[stevenrblake]

Thanks Dave,

After looking at things, I will likely push the embedded player option for the reasons you list plus a few others.

This project doesn't need it but now I wonder where I can find some good example code for player detection. I imagine Flash has their's and MS has their's but there must be a good repository that integrates both.

[Dave]

(12-03-2008 12:21 PM)daveuofu Wrote:  Another problem with sending the .asx file directly

I'm not sure that this is what was meant by the original posting.

I interpreted it as e-mailing a URL to the .asx metafile as oppossed to sending the .asx metafile as a file attachment.

Attempting to send it as an attachment will get blocked by a lot of e-mail servers.

(12-03-2008 12:21 PM)daveuofu Wrote:  is that you'll be relying on the recipient's computer being properly configured to handle that file extension.

Same applies to a web server hosting the .asx though - it will require a MIME type entry for .asx to be set up correctly on the server, as well as the appropriate configuration on the client, otherwise you are likely to get a text listing of the contents of the .asx file in the browser.

(12-03-2008 12:21 PM)daveuofu Wrote:  If you instead link to the content from within an html page, you can more tightly control what application is used to play the content. You can detect the presence of desired player and, if not present, offer automated guidance to the end-user.

Dave

Indeed, however player detection across a wide range of systems can be harder than it first sounds, and assumes that scripting is enabled in the browser.

Dave