Forum Discussion
How to deal with long recordings?
Hi to all!
Quick question: how do you all deal with long recordings in form of mp4 files?
I am talking about over an hour. The file size does not seem to be the issue, however, the recording starts buffering after a certain amount of time. In one case, it stops at 14 mins, in the other case at 40 mins & sometimes it runs smoothely the whole way through. Is this a general issue or is my mp4 file the source of error? If general, do you have any solutions to this, other than just cutting the recording?
Grateful for all tips & tricks! :)
Hello MichaelReckendr,
Thanks for the additional details, I’m happy to chime in!
What you’re describing sounds like a progressive download issue, which can happen with long MP4s that aren’t optimized for web playback, even if the file size looks fine. The buffering or stopping (like at 14 or 40 mins) usually points to how the video was encoded.
A recommended quick fix is to re-encode the file using HandBrake:
- Open the MP4 in HandBrake.
- In the Summary tab, check Web Optimized.
- Click Start Encode.
- Replace the old video with the new one in Storyline and republish.
Also, if you’re hosting the video yourself, please make sure the server supports MP4 playback. For example, in IIS (Internet Information Services), you might need to add a .mp4 MIME type (video/mpeg).
Please let me know if you’d like help walking through any of the steps.
3 Replies
Hi MichaelReckendr 👋 To best answer your questions, I think we'll need a little more info. Are you putting these videos into a Storyline or Rise course? With the buffering, is that from the published course? If so, are you publishing to LMS, Web, or using Review?
Hi GingerSwart! :)
- Storyline
- the buffering occurs in the Storyline Preview & when I upload the training to our LMS.
Hello MichaelReckendr,
Thanks for the additional details, I’m happy to chime in!
What you’re describing sounds like a progressive download issue, which can happen with long MP4s that aren’t optimized for web playback, even if the file size looks fine. The buffering or stopping (like at 14 or 40 mins) usually points to how the video was encoded.
A recommended quick fix is to re-encode the file using HandBrake:
- Open the MP4 in HandBrake.
- In the Summary tab, check Web Optimized.
- Click Start Encode.
- Replace the old video with the new one in Storyline and republish.
Also, if you’re hosting the video yourself, please make sure the server supports MP4 playback. For example, in IIS (Internet Information Services), you might need to add a .mp4 MIME type (video/mpeg).
Please let me know if you’d like help walking through any of the steps.
