WTF is "new activex control" in relation to videos?

[richard]

I've come across several websites that post videos and I am told, in
both FF and IE, that I need to install THEIR "new activex control".
If you click cancel, you get a run around that trys to force you to
install the shit.

I tried installing one last night and the machine crashed each time.
So I ain't installing the shit no more.

Seems to me I don't need this shit just to run windows media player.

I didn't need it on my site to play wmp.

So what exactly is their game here? Anyone know?

 

[Dylan Parry]

I've come across several websites that post videos and I am told, in
both FF and IE, that I need to install THEIR "new activex control".
If you click cancel, you get a run around that trys to force you to
install the shit.

From your use of the word ActiveX, I'm presuming you're using Internet
Explorer.

It sounds like you might have encountered "Theora", which is a new Open
Source video format. From what I gather, it's soon to be supported
without any extra plugins by the likes of Opera (Latest build?) and
Firefox (3.1+), but requires an ActiveX component for Internet Explorer.
It's currently supported by vast array of different players too.

I don't know much about the pros and cons of it, but you can read more
at http://www.theora.org/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theora

Presumably, the biggest pro will be that it will be supported on various
different platforms (unlike Windows Media formats), and again presumably
the biggest con will be lack of browser support.

--
Dylan Parry
http://electricfreedom.org | http://webpageworkshop.co.uk

The opinions stated above are not necessarily representative of
those of my cats. All opinions expressed are entirely your own.

 

[richard]

From your use of the word ActiveX, I'm presuming you're using Internet
Explorer.

It sounds like you might have encountered "Theora", which is a new Open
Source video format. From what I gather, it's soon to be supported
without any extra plugins by the likes of Opera (Latest build?) and
Firefox (3.1+), but requires an ActiveX component for Internet Explorer.
It's currently supported by vast array of different players too.

I don't know much about the pros and cons of it, but you can read more
at http://www.theora.org/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theora

Presumably, the biggest pro will be that it will be supported on various
different platforms (unlike Windows Media formats), and again presumably
the biggest con will be lack of browser support.

could very well be something like that.
One of the source files had a name of v-codec-1406.exe so I figured it
must be a codec problem.
Sort of like when divx first came out. Problems galore then it finally
settled in.

For now, I ain't messin with it.