Fullstack dev, help me debug this video player issue

I have a backend streaming server that streams video blobs from Google Cloud Storage. This streaming server sends back response header that returns content-range, accept-ranges, content-length, content-type. The problem is that the frontend that loads this blob correctly streams the video but the loading bar does not indicate the entire length of the video so I cannot skip to a particular timestamp. I can only just let it stream from start to end. What could be the issue Netflix Google Meta Amazon Apple

New
yeeeezy Apr 5

Have you asked chatgpt

Amazon Hamazon Apr 5

It sounds like the frontend might not be interpreting the response headers correctly or it might not be handling the content-range header properly. This header specifies the range of bytes being sent in the response, which is crucial for indicating the length of the video and enabling seeking.Check if the frontend code properly parses and utilizes the content-range header. Additionally, ensure that the frontend player supports seeking based on the content-range information. If everything seems correct on the frontend, then review the backend code to ensure it's correctly generating and sending the content-range header.

Google bzbse OP Apr 5

Seems logical enough. Will give it a try

Accolite dumb_dump Apr 5

Try this : put it on Stackoverflow with all right tags(techs that you'reusing and issue), but add one wrong answer. You'll get right answers and that might be faster. Plus this kinds of streamers are designed/used in pre-recorded training videos where creater wants to enforce that no one skips to the end and mark it as completed. Are you sure you're not just trying to skip this video-watch ?

T-Mobile 5Gee Apr 5

The problem you're encountering with the loading bar not indicating the entire length of the video, and the inability to skip to a particular timestamp in the streamed video, is likely related to how the HTTP headers are being handled and interpreted by the client (front-end). Here are a few areas to check and potentially fix the issue: 1. **Correctness of the `Content-Range` and `Content-Length` headers**: - The `Content-Range` header should correctly indicate the range of bytes of the video that is being sent in response to a range request. If the video is being sent in chunks (which is typical for streaming), this header should reflect the specific byte range of the current chunk. - The `Content-Length` header should reflect the length of the actual data being returned in the response, not the full length of the video. However, the client needs to understand the full length of the video from the initial request or from metadata to properly show the loading bar. 2. **Use of `Accept-Ranges` header**: - This header should be present and set to `bytes` to indicate that the server supports partial requests. This allows the client to request specific ranges of the video, which is necessary for skipping to different parts of the video. 3. **Video metadata loading**: - Some video players or front-end implementations might require specific metadata from the video file to correctly display duration and support seeking. This metadata is often at the beginning or end of video files. If your streaming solution involves sending video data in chunks that do not start from the beginning of the file, the player might not immediately have access to this metadata. Ensuring that the metadata is available or loaded first can help. 4. **Client or Browser Support**: - Ensure that the video format is fully supported by the browser or client you're using. Some video formats or codecs might not be fully supported, leading to issues with seeking or displaying duration. 5. **Front-end Player Configuration**: - Check the configuration of the video player on the front-end. Some players have specific settings or requirements for streaming content that allows seeking and proper duration display. It might be necessary to adjust these settings or switch to a different player that better supports streaming scenarios. 6. **Testing with HTTP Range Requests**: - You can test how your server handles range requests independently of your front-end implementation. Using tools like `curl` with the `Range` header can help verify that your server responds correctly with partial content and the appropriate headers. To diagnose further, you could: - Verify the headers returned by the server on initial and subsequent requests. - Check the network activity in the browser's developer tools to see if range requests are being made and how they are being responded to. - Look for any console errors or warnings in the browser that might indicate what the issue is. Correctly configuring these aspects should help in making the video loading bar reflect the video's total duration and support skipping to different timestamps.

New
gvsK32 Apr 6

Ask in Stackoverflow

PepsiCo USif68 Apr 6

What’s the streaming format . Is it dash /hls ? Usually metadata about the length of the video is part of the first few packet itself for most of the video protocol /streaming .