Intro

BRIEF INTRO

The AllVideos plugin began as an idea of how to bring all this "video sharing" hype (YouTube, Google Video etc.) to the Joomla! community in an easy manner, combining the most popular video providers, targeted for use by people that did not even know what HTML is! Well, after about 3 months, this 'little' plugin topped (yes, no.1) the "Top Rated" extensions list at Joomla! Extensions and has "stuck" there! Now, in version 2.x, being much more mature, it has evolved into a full blown all-in-one media (video and audio) management solution for Joomla! - the world's most popular CMS.

The AllVideos Plugin (by JoomlaWorks.gr) NOW gives you the ability to embed online streaming videos inside your content (items) as well as your own video or audio content that resides on your server. That means that you can still use, for example, YouTube to upload your videos and then embed (stream) them inside your site without eating your server's bandwidth or having to spend money on expensive video conversion software! But! You are now able to stream/play any type of video or audio content (yes, you read correctly, any type) using simple tags, from content uploaded onto your server. Nice for quick podcasting, too!

So besides being easy, the AllVideos Plugin is smart, cheap and now flexible content streaming for you!

To wrap up the features, on version 2.x we have:

1. Over 35 video providers, including regional Google Video websites.
2. Own video or audio content streaming, for every possible media format (.flv, .swf, .mov, .mp4, .wmv, .avi, .mpg, .mpeg, .rm, .ram, .wma, .mp3 etc.).
3. No "click to activate" problems for IE and Opera users anymore, since an EOLAS patch has been incorporated! Don't know what this is? Check these sites for more: ZDNet and eWeek.
4. Master controls provide layout consistency on all media shown in your Joomla! website.
5. A CSS class has been added to manipulate the way videos are displayed through your template's CSS file. Handy for achieving different layouts on different categories/sections.
6. A "master" local video folder for storing your videos and displaying them with simple tags like {flv}my_trip_on_hawaii{/flv}.
7. A "master" local audio folder for storing your audio files and displaying them with simple tags, like {mp3}nadasurf-popular{/mp3}, with additional audio player parameters.

Need we say more?
Please read the USAGE INSTRUCTIONS to get you started on the brand new AllVideos Plugin v2.x! The documentation might seem a little big, but it's worth the time and will save you a lot of questions in forums! So, read on.

Changelog

CHANGELOG

• Fixed a bug regarding the number of videos included in one page. One can now embed as many videos as they want, without any problems whatsoever!

• added support for remote content streaming, in other words, for content that you can stream from other servers, where you might have uploaded your files, to save bandwidth
• added version 3.1 of the Flash Media Player by Jeroen Wijering
• small fixes in documentation

• added the ability to stream remote mp3 files (hosted on other servers), using the tag {mp3remote}
• added .ram support for Real Media
• updated both the FLV video player and the MP3 player to v3.0 (from Jeroen Wijering)
• added "Autostart" option for FLV and MP3 files
• switched the provider Revver to stream videos in flash format, but also maintained Quicktime (.mov) streaming with the {revver-mov} tag
• added Yahoo Video
• added Clipfish.de
• added CollegeHumor.com
• added GameTrailers.com
• added Google Video Australia
• added Biku.com (for chinese-speaking users)
• made some small code improvements

• Added full AUDIO support! MP3 and WMA playback (as well as .mp4 or .rm) is now possible. Audio files can be assigned to a different master AUDIO folder and some more parameters have been also provided. For MP3 playback, we have used the best player on the web, the "Flash MP3 Player" by Jeroen Wijering
• Smaller size for the .php file (restructured code)
• Added one more 3rd party video provider -Mofile TV- for Chinese speaking users.
• Updated documentation to include new changes and additional copyrights.

Usage Instructions for local server content streaming

STREAMING YOUR OWN VIDEO CONTENT FROM YOUR SERVER

In this version, we have made it possible for everyone to simply upload any type of video or audio file on their Joomla! website (via FTP, the Media Manager or a WYSIWYG editor) and directly stream/play these files without the need for a third-party content provider. This option can be helpful for a lot of reasons. For example, imagine a company website that needs to display company videos without any "YouTube" logos! An other possible situation could be the contiguous downtime of some providers which leave you with a blank space in your website.

You can upload on your Joomla! website almost any type of video format used today on the web. From Windows Media to QuickTime, Flash, DivX or Real Media and of course MP3! To be exact you can stream any of the following file formats with the AllVideos Plugin (from your own or a remote server):

• .flv (the recommended format for video streaming)
• .swf
• .mov (second best recommended format for video streaming)
• .mp4 (supports both video and audio as a format)
• .wmv (.asf or .asx are not included since they are considered "dead" formats)
• .avi (utilizing any codec, this includes DivX)
• .mpg and .mpeg
• .rm and .ram (Real Media - supports both video and audio as a format)
• .mp3
• .wma

So, how would you add video (or audio) files that you just uploaded to your content, using the AllVideos Plugin? Simple!

First we setup a "video folder" that we store all our videos inside our Joomla! website. By default this folder is called "videos" and resides within images/stories. So the full path to this folder would be images/stories/videos.Say you uploaded 2 videos called trip_to_paris.flv and mariasparty.wmv. You open up a new or existing content item and simply add {flv}trip_to_paris{/flv} and {wmv}mariasparty{/wmv}!! Couldn't be more simple, right?

Let's have a look at what we did here. We have 2 video files, one is flv type, the other is wmv. We added each video to our content by inserting a "mambot string" of this form:

{video_file_type}video_file_name{/video_file_type}

Notice that we did not include the "video" folder in the mambot strings in the examples above, cause this is already set from the plugin's parameters (on the right of this page). But what do you do when you want to categorize videos into subfolders, within the "master" video folder? Say we wanted to have 2 subfolders on the previous example, "holidays" and "fun", on which we would put trip_to_paris.flv and mariasparty.wmv respectively. Then the mambot strings inserted into our content items would simply be of this form:

{video_file_type}subfolder/video_file_name{/video_file_type}

So the above files would be inserted with the strings:

{flv}holidays/trip_to_paris{/flv} and {wmv}fun/mariasparty{/wmv}

See how easy it is?
If the case was with audio/music files, we would use something like {mp3}nadasurf-popular{/mp3} or {wma}marilyn_manson_idontlikethedrugs(butthedrugslikeme){/wma}.

Imagine now that people usually stick to one format when "playing around" with videos (or audio), so it's easy for you to train others (= your customers or friends!) to easily insert video or audio content inside Joomla! content items.

Usage Instructions for 3rd party providers

VIDEO CONTENT STREAMING FROM THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS LIKE YOUTUBE, GOOGLE VIDEO, iFILM ETC.

In this version, the AllVideos Plugin gives you the ability to stream video content from EVEN MORE "third-party" providers like YouTube etc. Supported video providers as of version 2.x are:

1. Google Video International
2. Google Video Australia
3. Google Video Deutchland (Germany)
4. Google Video Espana (Spain)
5. Google Video France
6. Google Video Italia (Italy)
7. Google Video Nederland (The Netherlands/Holland)
8. Google Video Polska (Poland)
9. Google Video U.K. (United Kingdom/Great Britain)
10. Yahoo! Video
11. YouTube
12. iFilm
13. Vimeo
14. Metacafe
15. Bolt (for Audio & Video)
16. Bofunk
17. Break
18. Jumpcut
19. Current TV
20. Revver
21. College Humor
22. MyVideo.de
23. Sevenload.de
24. ClipFish.de
25. Stickam
26. Krazyshow
27. GameTrailers.com
28. MySpace Video Code
29. FreeVideoBlog
30. Streetfire Videos
31. Crossroad Videos
32. Dropshots
33. UUme (for chinese speaking users)
34. Tudou.com (for chinese speaking users)
35. Seehaha (for chinese speaking users)
36. QuXiu (for chinese speaking users)
37. WangYou.com (for chinese speaking users)
38. Mofile TV (for chinese speaking users)
39. Biku.com (for chinese speaking users)

These providers offer content in various formats, but most of them use Flash Video technology.

To embed videos to your content use the following Mambot Strings per video provider:

• For Google Video use: {google}video_id{/google}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3406925506469882756 then your video_id is -3406925506469882756, that means the characters that come after "docid=". Please note that in some cases there might be a minus sign (-) before the last sequence of digits or not!
• For local Google Video sites (like Google Video France) use: {google.TLD}video_id{/google} and replace "TLD" with "co.uk", "com.au", "de", "es", "fr", "it", "nl" or "pl", depending on the local Google Video service.
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=-3406925506469882756 then your video_id is -3406925506469882756, that means the characters that come after "docid=". You then write inside the editor: {google.fr}-3406925506469882756{/google.fr}. Please note that in some cases there might be a minus sign (-) before the last sequence of digits or not!
• For Yahoo! Video use: {yahoo}video_id{/yahoo}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=c860df3ccf66c83fb61bb2ffd934330b.1155220&cache=1 then your video_id is 1155220&cache=1, that means, everything that is AFTER the last DOT on the link!
• For YouTube use: {youtube}video_id{/youtube}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdXTDovB9K8 then your video_id is cdXTDovB9K8, that means, again just the number at the end of the link!
• For iFilm use: {ifilm}video_id{/ifilm}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2732615 then your video_id is 2732615, that means, yes you've guessed too, just the number at the end of the link!
• For Vimeo use: {vimeo}video_id{/vimeo}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.vimeo.com/clip:78198 then your video_id is 78198, that means, yes you are a genius, again just the number at the end of the link!
• For Metacafe use: {metacafe}video_id/video_name{/metacafe}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.metacafe.com/watch/143709/i_get_knocked_down/ then your video_id/video_name is 143709/i_get_knocked_down. That is a tricky one because you need to ommit the last slash (/)! Be careful with this one!
• For Bolt Video use: {boltvideo}video_id{/boltvideo}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.bolt.com/wakey1989/video/1293961?cn=HUBS_video_new_all_PAGE1 then your video_id is 1293961.
  For Bolt Audio (music) use: {boltaudio}video_id{/boltaudio}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.bolt.com/MeLo-X/audio/1214080?cn=FEATURED_audio_PAGE1 then your video_id is 1214080.
• For Bofunk use: {bofunk}video_id{/bofunk}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.bofunk.com/video/3466/he_thinks_he_can_sing.html then your video_id is 3466. Bofunk uses ASX files to stream content.
• For Break use: {break}video_name{/break}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.break.com/index/rally41.html then your video_name is rally41. Break uses Windows Media Video (WMV) to stream content.
• For Jumpcut use: {jumpcut}video_id{/jumpcut}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=E227D48AF9B111DABAF94E6A17CD0207 then your video_id is E227D48AF9B111DABAF94E6A17CD0207.
• For Current TV use: {currenttv}video_id{/currenttv}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.current.tv/studio/media/2144246 then your video_id is 2144246.
• For Revver use: {revver}video_id{/revver}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.revver.com/video/29572/ then your video_id is 29572.
• For College Humor use: {collegehumor}video_id{/collegehumor}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1714080 then your video_id is 1714080.
• For MyVideo.de use: {myvideo}video_id{/myvideo}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.myvideo.de/watch/17290 then your video_id is 17290.
• For Sevenload.de use: {sevenload}video_id{/sevenload}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://sevenload.de/videos/ZHNTpBZ then your video_id is ZHNTpBZ.
• For ClipFish use: {clipfish}video_id{/clipfish}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.clipfish.de/player.php?videoid=MjkwfDI= then your video_id is MjkwfDI=.
• For Stickam use: {stickam}video_id{/stickam}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.stickam.com/editMediaComment.do?method=load&mId=174010582 then your video_id is 174010582.
• For Krazyshow use: {krazyshow}video_id{/krazyshow}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.krazyshow.com/media/playvideo.aspx?f=flash7&cid=AF8BCC6F96F04A4ABECBED7B6EC738F9 then your video_id is AF8BCC6F96F04A4ABECBED7B6EC738F9 (after &cid).
• For GameTrailers use: {gametrailers}video_id{/gametrailers}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.gametrailers.com/umwatcher.php?id=3542 then your video_id is 3542.
• For MySpace Video Code use: {myspacevideocode}video_id{/myspacevideocode}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.myspacevideocode.com/v-3673-afternoon-delight.php then your video_id is 3673.
• For FreeVideoBlog use: {freevideoblog}video_id{/freevideoblog}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://video.freevideoblog.com/video/06d6ce03-a0db-44e5-9afd-cb51fab7215d.htm then your video_id is 06d6ce03-a0db-44e5-9afd-cb51fab7215d.
• For Streetfire Videos use: {streetfire}video_id{/streetfire}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://videos.streetfire.net/video/cf324233-408a-4e93-8c02-29147e71ab0e.htm then your video_id is cf324233-408a-4e93-8c02-29147e71ab0e.
• For Crossroad Videos use: {crossroad}video_id{/crossroad}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.crossroadvideos.com/video/2fabf084-ef82-4e63-a094-c8a9d1a2ad76.htm then your video_id is 2fabf084-ef82-4e63-a094-c8a9d1a2ad76.
• For Dropshots use: {dropshots}browser_link{/dropshots}
  For Dropshots we use the whole browser link, for example http://www.dropshots.com/day.php?userid=127444&cdate=20060612&ctime=050513, because this is the easiest way to embed video. You see, Dropshots uses variables inside the link that would otherwise need to be "found" inside the browser link. And our "motto" for the plugin is "no HTML-hassle" at all! So using some extra PHP code, we "clean up" the link and embed the variables correctly in Joomla's content. So all you have to do is just paste the whole link and that's it!
• For UUme use: {uume}video_id{/uume}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.uume.com/play_0p7PhcCcJ2ra then your video_id is 0p7PhcCcJ2ra.
• For Tudou.com use: {tudou}video_id{/tudou}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/T7tcywVL8P0/ then your video_id is T7tcywVL8P0.
• For Seehaha use: {seehaha}video_id{/seehaha}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.seehaha.com/play/19787 then your video_id is 19787.
• For QuXiu use: {quxiu}video_id{/quxiu}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.quxiu.com/mov/V12285.htm then your video_id is 12285 (without the 'V').
• For WangYou.com use: {wangyou}video_id{/wangyou}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://v.wangyou.com/play.php?id=1773127 then your video_id is 1773127.
• For Mofile TV use: {mofile}video_id{/mofile}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://tv.mofile.com/QM66Q9O8/ then your video_id is QM66Q9O8.
• For Biku use: {biku}video_id{/biku}
  For example if the link on your browser displays http://www.biku.com/opus/59150.html then your video_id is 59150.

Tips

TIPS FOR BETTER USAGE (regarding third-party or own videos)

Keep in mind that when you choose to adjust the width and height of your videos (through the plugin's parameters) it is best to maintain a 4:3 aspect ratio and add about 5% to 6% (5,75% to be exact) of your target width to your height (for the video controls, like play, pause etc.) so that your video will not stretch and look ugly! Pay attention to this, as you will only do it once!

So, for example, if you choose to have a width of 600px, then your height should be (600 x 3/4)px + (600 x 5,75%)px = 485px. But keeping it at the default 400px width and 323px height, will suit most people's needs, since this dimension is similar to the dimensions of the original online videos!

In most cases you need to have a consistent look for the videos on your site. That is why AllVideos utilizes a "master" width and height for all videos except for iFilm and Metacafe, that can be "problematic". Having a "master" width and height for all videos also means less clutter in the bot's admin panel (in Mambots >> Site Mambots >> AllVideos). iFilm and Metacafe are "problematic" because they use flash menus that are not hidden, e.g. if you increase the width of an iFilm video you will "discover" all the menus used for user interaction! So we have assigned seperate widths and heights for these two providers so that you will not have to experiment with inbetween values of width and height!
Well? What are you waiting for? Go post a ton of videos on your site!

Use Flash Video in your website! How? Encode your videos with the free RIVA FLV ENCODER

The Riva FLV Encoder is the best video encoder at the moment for converting most popular video formats to Flash Video (.flv) format, the widely used and soon-to-become industry standard solution for video distribution on the web! At present you can transcode the following formats: AVI, MPEG, Quicktime, WMV. Make sure you visit the Riva website to learn more about this excellent tool, provided for free.

Credits

CREDITS

The development of the new AllVideos Plugin would not be possible if these two people hadn't done such a remarkable work!

We refer to Jeroen Wijering for his great work on the Flash Video Player and the Flash MP3 Player (both licensed under a Creative Commons License), the best FLV/MP3 players on the web. The AllVideos Plugin v2.x incorporates Jeroen Wijering's "Flash Video Player" for FLV playback (utilizing almost all of its advanced features) and "Flash MP3 Player" for MP3 playback.

The second person is Gero Zahn, whose ingenious bot_gzNoClickToActivate Joomla! plugin (released under the GNU/GPL license) has been incorporated to solution around the web.

We sincerely thank these two people for their contributions to the Open Source Software community.

About

FOR INFO, UPDATES, REQUESTS & CONTACT

Check out JoomlaWorks.gr, the official website of this Joomla extension and home to other popular ones, like the AJAX Newsflash Module, the Ultimate PNG Fix Plugin or the Tabs In Content Items Plugin.

JoomlaWorks.gr is the place to read interesting articles or find useful tips and tutorials for the Joomla! CMS and web design/development in general. At JoomlaWorks.gr you can always download the latest software updates as well as post comments, requests or even discuss the extension.

Thank you for your support!

This extension is released under the GNU/GPL license.

(Last update: November 29th, 2006 - version 2.4)