470627 - Context menu for <video/audio> to open in external player

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Firefox :: Menus, enhancement)

Description

[Biju]

(Inspired from bug 453063 comment 6
And I know now we can copy url and paste it in a external player to play it externally...)
 
Can we get a context menu item on <video/audio> to open the URL in external player..

ie, a menu item "Open Externally" with sub menu having option for adding list of players 


Open Externally >
                 - VLC
                 - MPC
                 ------
                 - Add Other ...


PS: mean while I wish somebody create a add-on

Comment 1

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

Maybe in the prefpane, not as a context menu item.  What makes these different from any other type of content that another app can do something with?

Comment 2

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

This was filed as a suggested short-term remedy for the lack of full-screen support, which is critical for video.
It's also probably important long term: What makes this different: I am quite likely to want to view this in my video player, or even save/import it.
Also, my video player may be set up for a remote control, which Mozilla probably doesn't support for quite some time (and would need set-up as well).

To your argument: MS Word docs (which I am also likely to want to read or modify in MS Word) aren't displayed inline, so the problem doesn't exist there. Note that we also have "Set as background picture", which I personally consider pointless.

I don't think we need to allow a selection of video players in the context menu. You're right that this should be in preferences. However, there should be an easy/quick and obvious way to save the video, and to open it in my standard video player (for the reasons above).

Comment 3

[Biju]

Ben, if you are not a programmer then just reopening this wont get it fixed. If you want get it fixed by Mozilla you may have to get enough CC and votes for this bug. This was WONTFIXED by Mike Connor Firefox 3 development lead.

BTW: I dont think adding this needs additional screen, as we can generate menu items using the "open with" items provided/managed by OS.

Comment 4

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

Biju, Ben knows who I am.

Ben, if you want something in the prefpane, file a bug to make sure the Applications tab handles this sanely.  This bug is specific to the context menu, which is something we're not going to do.

Comment 5

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

Mike, you haven't given a good reason, though, and I have given 3 good reasons why this should be fixed.

Comment 6

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

For the record:
- The video element currently creates a video, usually with controls by Firefox, inline in the page. Here's an example: <http://transparencycamp.org/videos/>.
- It has the following context menu entries:

  Play
  Mute
  Hide Controls
  --
  View Video
  Copy Video Location
  --
  Save Video As...
  Send Video...

- View Video seems like it's fulfilling this bug, but actually only opens the video as full "page" in the browser, it doesn't launch an external player.

So, how exactly does the average user open the video in an external player? Are you asking users to, all by themselves, know to open Preferences | Applications by themselves, and manually configuring the video player there, for "OGG file"? 

How would they know that they have to go to Application Preferences in the first place?

We already have "View video", but it's not doing what most people would expect. What's the UI problem with adding
  View video in external player
? Sounds perfectly natural and useful for many people to me.

Comment 7

[Mike Connor [:mconnor]]

We're treating <video> and <audio> like images and other web content tags.  The entire point is to handle them in the browser.  If you want to use an external player, change your configuration.  This isn't something that has a significant benefit to being discoverable, but if someone wants to hand off videos to an external player, that's fine.

Of course, you're assuming people have Ogg players already installed.  That'll be Linux users, and I guess anyone with VLC installed on Mac.

Ultimately, I don't think any of your reasons are good enough to add a core feature that's useless to a vast majority of users, especially after string freeze, and most especially as a "mitigation" piece of UI.

Comment 8

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

> if someone wants to hand off videos to an external player, that's fine.

Not for all. Just for a few that I want to really watch (music videos and movies), and where need fullscreen, and more controls, and maybe a remote control.

Comment 9

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+1]]

I believe that there is another bug already filed which handles adding the fullscreen mode and more controls. But finally those things doesn't match this bug.

Comment 10

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

Yes, see initial description: "Inspired from bug 453063 comment 6" - but that feature is not going to get done anytime soonm, and full-screen is a must-have. And even then, Firefox cannot properly implement remote control support (which I think is standard on Mac, and available on HTPC Windows and Linux machines).

Comment 11

[Ben Bucksch (:BenB)]

FWIW, I don't want to diminish the <video> tag and embedded videos. That's a great and fantastic feature. I just want to make it more useful, in more situations. This will help its acceptance (and would be better than Flash).

Comment 12

[Biju]

(In reply to comment #6)
> - View Video seems like it's fulfilling this bug, but actually only opens the
> video as full "page" in the browser, it doesn't launch an external player.

"View Video" complements the behaviour of "View Image".
As "View Image" dont open image in external viewer, "View Video" should not open external viewer. Else it is confusing.