How can I display the accurate video length before starting playback?

Help & Support
1

What are the possible ways to showcase the precise duration of a video before initiating playback. Despite thoroughly examining the official documentation, I haven’t been able to uncover a solution. What’s more, in the example videos provided, the duration remains hidden until the playback commences, showing “0:00/0:00.”

This lack of visibility poses a challenge, especially when users expect to know the duration upfront. Therefore, I’m keen to discover any potential methods or alternatives that could address this issue effectively.

2

For accurate duration of a video before playback initiation, several approaches can be used based on the chosen video player or platform:

  1. Extracting Metadata: Extracting metadata from the video file provides valuable information regarding its duration. Tools such as FFmpeg or MediaInfo offer programmable solutions for metadata extraction. Once obtained, this duration data can be displayed to users prior to playback.

  2. Leveraging Video Player Features: Many web- and desktop-based players offer built-in functionality to showcase the video duration pre-playback. Check the documentation or settings of the chosen video player to determine if this feature is available. For instance, HTML5 video players provide access to the video duration through the ‘duration’ property of the ’ the default video player interface lacks duration display, creating a custom UI can address this. Utilize HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to craft a tailored video player UI with a progress bar indicating the video duration. This method grants full control over the user experience, allowing for customized UI design.

  3. Third-party Libraries: Explore third-party JavaScript libraries and frameworks like Plyr, Video.js, or JW Player, which offer advanced video player functionalities, including pre-playback duration display. These libraries provide customizable video player components with native support for showcasing video duration.

By implementing any of these methods, you can gain insight into the video duration prior to initiating playback, thereby enhancing the overall user experience and accessibility of the video content.