Why do I have to wait for my video to start playing? What is metadata?
Is your file taking ages to load? Or just showing a black screen for a long time?
Some video formats - such as MP4 - have metadata attached to the file.
Metadata are the instructions for the player, i.e.:-
- play
- pause
- rewind
- fast forward
- and stop
The file can't begin playback until these instructions have been downloaded - which means that the whole file has to download before the video will play.
This can look like pausing, like the video is not playing, like the video is black or seem as if the video has stalled.
For MP4 there are many video editing suites that place the metadata at the end of the file - so the viewer has to wait for playback.
So, for some MP4 videos, it seems as though nothing is happening - but in fact the file is downloading and will start just as soon as the player information gets through!
If you are experiencing this behaviour, then you need to move the metadata in the file from the end to the front - so that the video can play straight away.
Solutions
If you are using Windows:-
We would recommend using Metadata mover as a solution to move the metadata for MP4 files.
DOWNLOAD METADATA MOVER
Just download the software - then select the file on your computer that you wish to edit. Then drag and drop it into the Metadata Mover.
Once finished, re-upload the file to your storage solution.
If you are using a Mac:-
You can use Adobe Air (as an installation platform) and the QT Index Swapper to fix the metadata on your MP4 files.
You can get Adobe Air here:-
http://get.adobe.com/air/
You can get QT Index Swapper for Air here:-
http://renaun.com/air/QTIndexSwapper.air
Adobe Air is the platform that the program runs on. You have to first download and install Adobe Air. After that finishes, download and install QTIndexSwapper. Run QTIndexSwapper and choose the file you want to fix the metadata issue on.
Quicktime Pro will also move the metadata for you if you re-save the file and select "Fast Start".
Then re-upload your file to your storage solution and create or edit a player.
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