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WWDC 2011 session videos fail to work in major browsers

updated 01:25 pm EDT, Thu June 30, 2011

 

Non-Apple browsers being blocked


The web versions of Apple's WWDC 2011 session videos are being blocked for browsers outside of Safari, according to complaints. Both the stable and Canary versions of Chrome, for instance, are unable to access the videos. Similarly, neither Firefox nor Opera will work, regardless of whether the browsers are running on a Mac or Windows system.

Whether Apple is intentionally favoring its own platforms (including Safari on iOS 4) is uncertain. The restriction appears to be arbitrary though, since Apple does allow people to watch the WWDC keynote in browsers like Chrome. Both the keynote and session videos are H.264-encoded.

The only alternative to viewing the videos in Safari is downloading them through iTunes. Apple has restricted other streams to Apple platforms in the past, namely live broadcasts of press events.


By Electronista Staff

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TAGS :  

troubleshooting, software, developer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome

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Previous Comments

  1. mytdave

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2000

    -9
    06/30, 01:37pm | report spam | reply

    Don't get it

    How does this help Apple's image in any way? What the heck is the problem with them lately? Limits and restrictions are the Microsoft way. Get your act together Apple.

    Whether intentional or sloppy, that should be fixed.


  1. prl99

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2009

    +15
    06/30, 01:46pm | report spam | (1 reply) | reply

    These are Apple's WWDC videos

    These videos are only available to ADC members so Apple actually has every right to have them viewed by their own browser. I tried them in Firefox 5 and it comes up with a message saying they have to be viewed in Safari. That's fine with me since I'm viewing Apple videos about Apple software. Why do people feel Apple has to make their videos work on non Apple browsers when they aren't available to the general public?

    If the videos were for the general public and available without logging onto any Apple website, then I would have a problem but not when they are only for ADC members to view--and NOT DISTRIBUTE per the ADC NDA agreement--like too many people do.


  1. bleee

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Mar 2002

    +13
    06/30, 01:46pm | report spam | reply

    Perhaps if Google didn't intentionally remove supp

    From Chrome than it would work in Chrome?

    http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2011/01/googles-dropping-h264-from-chrome-a-step-backward-for-openness.ars


  1. facebook_Samuel

    Via Facebook

    Joined: Jun 2011

    +14
    06/30, 01:54pm | report spam | reply

    Well,

    To be a developer, you have to run Xcode anyway. So, you need a Mac. So you have Safari anyway. So what?


  1. SierraDragon

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Mar 2004

    +15
    06/30, 01:55pm | report spam | reply

    For developers, duh...

    C'mon you guys, what is with the yellow journalism? Like prl99 says, these are APPLE DEVELOPER files, so why should Apple go to the effort to comply with other browsers? Safari is not my primary browser - - but it is for my Apple developer work.


  1. mjtomlin

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

    +16
    06/30, 01:58pm | report spam | reply

    Html video tag

    Uh, could it be because they are using the HTML video tag with h.264 files, which isn't supported by those other browsers? I noticed they haven't mentioned Internet explorer, which does have h.264 support.


  1. ggirton

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Nov 1999

    +6
    06/30, 03:12pm | report spam | reply

    Why wouldn't you use iTunes?

    Not sure why you wouldn't use iTunes to download them.

    This criticism is meaningless -- the videos are restricted-use, and the complaint is that viewing is restricted?

    Oh, I get it. It's a joke!


  1. facebook_Jonathan

    Via Facebook

    Joined: Jun 2011

    +6
    06/30, 03:27pm | report spam | reply

    Research Please

    I doubt they are blocking anything. They are using HTTP streaming with H.264. The only browser that supports this is Safari. In face I think it only works in Safari for Mac and iOS so they are probably alienating Safari for Windows users too. I don't think any developer really cares. I'd imagine the main reason they even have this extra capability that didn't exist before is so that devs can watch on their iPhone and iPad where storage is limited. The fact that it is viewable on the desktop is just an added benefit.


    Comment buried. Show
  1. wrenchy

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Nov 2009

    -10
    06/30, 04:12pm | report spam | (1 reply) | reply

    That's fine??


    >>>That's fine with me since I'm viewing Apple videos about Apple software.

    This is what will happen if worldwide standards are not observed. Apple & Microsoft will tailor the internet according to OS's. Is this good for the internet? Is this what we want?


  1. prl99

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2009

    +9
    06/30, 04:46pm | report spam | reply

    worldwide standards

    wrenchy, which worldwide standards are you talking about? Apple complies with a lot of international standards. H.264 is one of them (MPEG-4 Part 10). Flash is not a standard but it can handle some standard video formats. Apple might be performing simple browser identification and not allowing anything other than Safari on OSX. That's their right. As I said, these videos are not for everyone. Apple has every right to restrict how they are viewed. If I attended an in-house Microsoft programming course, I would be expected to use IE (ick!) and if I tried to use anything else, I'd probably be escorted from the room. WWDC is a paid event. ADC is a paid OS-specific developer organization. How Apple runs their company is up to them. We are not talking about anyone on the internet outside ADC members. Don't try and make this supposed limitation into something it isn't.

    I need to get back to watching the movies.


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