YouTube Embedded Video Device Support Error

May 07, 2015

When I try to embed a video from YouTube I get a 'device support error' in Articulate Storyline 2. The attached thumbnail is shown and the video fails to play.

Any ideas why this is happening? Have YouTube changed the way embedded videos are streamed to external locations?

103 Replies
NOMIKI BIBLIOTHIKI

Is there anyway to pause the youtube video (embeded as web oject with the new youtube iframe api) on the base layer (maybe with  javascript  trigger)?

I have tried with a button trigger (Action Show another layer  lets say "pause") and on "pause" layer properties the option "Pause timeline of base layer" but no luck!!

Chad Keller

Hello George,

This would not be a simple feet to pull off.  It requires that the web object points to a custom html page that contains the youtube iframe embed code, Storyline variables and triggers, and some javascript that will setup a two way communication with the html page and Storyline.

I might be able to work up an example if I have some down time.

Efrat Maor

Lee,

Go for a coffe and come back - see if it was uploaded.

We saw that when embedding the yuotube videos, they load reallllly slow. 

Unlike regualr embedding and unlike a simple page embedding (even a full YT page). 
So we will not be using this methid, and currently will change links to open in a new window. 

We have learners on various remote sites, using VPN, and connections can vary, so if we, at the one of the biggest sites get such a slow upload of these - it is not smething we can provide a learner with.

Simon Seagrave

Hi all,

Just to add my 2 cents into this thread.  

Basically same issues as others, ie: new slides containing embedded videos don't work, though... existing slides with embedded YouTube videos do work.  

However, if I take the code from the working embedded YouTube slide and copy it to a new slide it doesn't work.. but, if I duplicate the working slide the newly duplicated slide works also.

I have cleared by browser cache to ensure it merely isn't loading a cached copy.

I've tried the Web Object approach, though it just isn't a pretty solution (eg: video sizing slightly off).  Also, we have a lot of content to update and am hoping for a fix.

Thanks,

 

 

Simon

Thomas Smith

This is getting frustrating going round and round like this.

My course admin spread the word about this problem on the storyline groups to get people to put their concerns on the google page suggested by Articulate staff at https://code.google.com/p/gdata-issues/issues/detail?id=7146 and as you will see there has been 'some' response to this call but until Articulate take this seriously and stop fobbing us off with a web-object fix thats just not fit for purpose we will never get this fixed.  Why should my course admin have to marshal people to post on that google page?  where is the strenuous effort from Articulate to leverage its userbase to push google to support these embeds? I havent received any call to action from Articulate or anyone else.

Its VERY disappointing and I have discontinued video embeds for further development until its resolved.

Where is the voice of Articulate when we need this battle fought and won against a company who frankly doesn't give a damn about the consequences of its code changes?

Thomas

Justin Wilcox

Hi Thomas. 

Thanks for the response and I do understand that this is frustrating. We did post this issue to Google here as you noted and we are actively looking at what we can do for this issue moving forward. This issue does have our full attention and we will be sure to let folks know when we have something to update. Currently the  web object workaround outlined would be a solution. If you are the creator of the YouTube video then you can download the movie and import it directly into your course. We will let you know more when we have further information to provide. 

Thomas Smith

Hi Justin,

Look at that page and you will notice:

Status: New
Owner: ----
Type-Defect
API-YouTube

So they havent even assigned anyone to review it in almost 3 weeks.

Are you seriously saying that is the sum total of Articulate's efforts to date?

Really?

I would have been harrassing the hell out of their offices at this stage.

Surely there must be someone high up in articulate that can contact someone high up in Google to get some attention to this problem?

Thomas

Thomas Smith

In the spirit of 'if you want something done, do it yourself' I am contacting any youtube and google execs in my Linkedin network by inmail with the following standard letter.

I invite others here to copy and adapt to their needs and contact any google reps they can to help raise awareness of this problem.

Dear X

I am contacting you now in desperation having exhausted my options with Articulate Software through a discussion thread at https://community.articulate.com/discussions/articulate-storyline/youtube-embedded-video-device-support-error and having lodged 3 weeks ago a support request with GOOGLE at https://code.google.com/p/gdata-issues/issues/detail?id=7146

I am referring to an API code change which has blocked youtube embedded videos from being viewed in some older smart tvs and by consequence e-learning courses created using youtube embeds in software from Articulate.com and Adobe Captivate. This is just the cases I know of but from the posts on the google code issue I have referred to above this API change is affecting thousands of users and is creating problems for e-learning content creators who wish to either host or refer to videos on youtube. Its likely the affected students could number in the millions given the popularity of the two software development platforms mentioned.

Since no action has been taken by google so far I am in desperation reaching out to any google and youtube executives I can reach personally to seek your assistance in escalating this problem to the attention of someone who can FIX the problem. To leave these changes or to not make them backwards compatible will leave thousands of courses with faulty and inaccessible youtube embeds and millions of users unable to access the youtube videos. It will also result in alternative video hosting sites to be used or youtube embeds being avoided to avert such problems in the future.

This is counterproductive for both youtube and the elearning software developers and development software providers.

Please help me get this issue raised where something can be done to fix the problem and make old embeds backward compatible with the new API.

Your assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Thomas Smith MIEx, ITS, DEO
Integrated Learning Solutions
T/A eBSI Export Academy
Tel: +353 87 6783785
Email ts@ebsi.ie

Lets get this sorted people!

Thomas

Lee Millard

Ashley,

Thanks so much for posting. Playing the file you published to Articulate Online works as intended. I downloaded and opened the file you posted, published for Web, and uploaded to our LMS (no SCORM needed which is why I published for Web), and while the video/web object loads up as expected, once you click on it it plays, but when you move your mouse off the slide it disappears. Weird. I attached a screencast of this.

Thomas Smith

Hi all

Just received from someone in Google.

Hi Thomas

Here's a reply from my colleague:

It seems that they are using 3rd party software (Articulate) which for some reason did not update their code. This should have been an easy fix on Articulate's side and I'm not sure why they didn't update things on their end - so they must still be working off v2 API code instead of v3, but the warnings were in progress for nearly a year.

Perhaps you should advise this guy to contact Articulate. He can point them toward our developer site: https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3/getting-started

Regards
Ben

 

So Articulate why on earth are you fobbing off the problem to Google when you could have addressed it in your latest updates?

Thomas

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Lee,

I published it again for web and placed within Tempshare here to see if the behavior you showed was consistent in my environment and I'm able to hover my mouse outside of the course and the video continues to play. Are you able to check with your LMS team to see if there is something specific with how they interact with web objects?

Brian Gil

Thomas,

We are advocating the approach of pushing Google to restore V2 playback as that's the only way YouTube videos embedded into existing courses would continue to work. Even if we switched to V3 that would require every course to be updated. Given that each course needs to be modified, we highly recommend using the web object method as that is supported across all outputs including HTML5. Also, it protects against Google possibly breaking the content again in a future API update.

- Brian

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