Quicktime Player options
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Overview

The HTML code for the embedded Quicktime player has the following general structure:

<OBJECT ID="QTPlayer" CLASSID="CLSID:02BF25D5-8C17-4B23-BC80-D3488ABDDC6B"
HEIGHT="390" WIDTH="360" CODEBASE="http://www.apple.com/qtactivex/qtplugin.cab">
<param name="SRC" value="http://www.surfnet.nl/cgi-bin/play.php/force_qt.qtl?url=f/ftptest/hinted.mov&start=0&end=0.1&embed=true">
<param name="AUTOHREF" value="FALSE">
<param name="AUTOPLAY" value="FALSE">
<param name="CONTROLLER" value="TRUE">
<param name="HREF" value="">
<param name="LOOP" value="FALSE">
<param name="SCALE" value="ASPECT">
<embed NAME="QTPlayer"
SRC="http://www.surfnet.nl/cgi-bin/play.php/force_qt.qtl?url=f/ftptest/hinted.mov&start=0&end=0.1&embed=true"
PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" TARGET="myself"
HEIGHT ="390"
WIDTH ="360"
AUTOHREF ="FALSE"
AUTOPLAY ="FALSE"
CONTROLLER ="TRUE"
HREF =""
LOOP ="FALSE"
SCALE ="ASPECT">
</embed>
</OBJECT>

This code consists of an <OBJECT> tag and an <EMBED> tag. The <OBJECT> tag is interpreted by Internet Explorer, but is ignored by Netscape. The OBJECT tag handles the embedding of an ActiveX component. Netscape uses the EMBED tag for embedding a Netscape plugin. The combination of both tags ensures a correct replay of the clip in both browsers.

Setting options

The easiest way to set common options is by using the Virtual Cutter. However, you can add manually options that are not included in the generated HTML code. An overview of all options is presented below. Note that you must specify the options for both the OBJECT and the EMBED tag.

OBJECT tag parameters
Add the line below. Replace [parameter name] by the name of the parameter and [value] by the value of the parameter.

<param name= '[parameter name]' value ='[value]'>

An example:
In order to set the value of the parameter 'AUTOSTART' to 'true', add the following line underneath the other lines (but before the ">"):

<param name='AUTOSTART' value='true'>

EMBED tag parameters
Add the line below. Replace [parameter name] by the name of the parameter and [value] by the value of the parameter.

<param name='[parameter name]' value='[value]'>

An example:
 In order to set the value of the parameter 'LOOP' to true 'true', add the following line underneath the other lines (but before the EMBED tag):

'LOOP' ='true'

Overview of the options

Below you will find the options with which you can modify the behaviour of the embedded RealPlayer to your wishes. Include the options in the generated  HTML code as described above. The following guidelines apply:

OBJECT tag
- The reserved words PARAM, NAME and VALUE are not case sensitive.
- Parameter names are not case sensitive.
- The same holds for parameter values. Note that file names must often be specified in lowercase.
- Parameter values must always be enclosed in double quotation marks.

EMBED tag
- Parameter names are not case sensitive.
- The same holds for parameter values. Note that file names must often be specified in lowercase.
- There is no need to put quotation marks around the parameter values, unless the value is an URL (file location).

Only examples for the EMBED tag are provided.

AUTOHREF

When set to TRUE, the AUTOHREF attribute causes any URL specified in the HREF parameter to load immediately, without waiting for a mouse click.

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE
Default value FALSE
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" href="http://dns/foo.mov" autohref="true">

AUTOPLAY

When AUTOPLAY is set to TRUE, the movie starts playing as soon as the QuickTime Plug-In estimates that it will be able to play the entire movie without waiting for additional data.

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE
Default value user's settings for Quicktime
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" autoplay="true">

BGCOLOR

The BGCOLOR parameter specifies the background colour of the image window

Value(s) Hexadecimal value or colour name
Default value white
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

Standard colour names are:
"BLACK" (#000000), "GREEN" (#008000), "SILVER" (#C0C0C0), "LIME" (#00FF00),
"GRAY" (#808080), "OLIVE" (#808000), "WHITE" (#FFFFFF), "YELLOW" (#FFFF00),
"MAROON" (#800000), "NAVY" (#000080), "RED" (#FF0000), "BLUE" (#0000FF),
"PURPLE" (#800080), "TEAL" (#008080), "FUCHSIA" (#FF00FF), "AQUA" (#00FFFF)


an example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" bgcolor="000000">

CACHE

If CACHE is set to TRUE, then the file is saved in a cache. The next time the file is requested it not downloaded but started from the cache.

Value(s) TRUE, CACHE (= TRUE) or FALSE
Default value user's settings for Quicktime
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

This functionality is supported only by Netscape version 3.0 and later.


An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" cache="true">

CONTROLLER

If CONTROLLER is set to FALSE, the movie controller will not be displayed.

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE
Default value TRUE
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" controller="false">

CORRECTION

This parameter is valid only for Quicktime VR panoramas.

Value(s) NONE or FULL
Default value FULL
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="320" height="240" correction="full">

DONTFLATTENWHENSAVING  

If this tag is added (no value) the data is saved into a movie file without being flattened. This is not applicable to streaming files.

Value(s) NONE or FULL
Default value FULL
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="320" height="240" dontflattenwhensaving>

ENABLEJAVASCRIPT  

If you want to control a QuickTime movie using JavaScript functions, you need to enable JavaScript for that movie by setting ENABLEJAVASCRIPT="TRUE".

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE
Default value FALSE
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="320" height="240" enablejavascript=true">

ENDTIME  

You can specify the end of the movie using ENDTIME. This attribute is not required for the Virtual Cutter, because the duration of the fragment is managed by play.php. The use of ENDTIME can lead to unexpected results.

Value(s) end time in the format hh:mm:sec:frames.frac
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" endtime="3:30:22.5">

See also: STARTTIME

FOV

FOV is used to set the field of view angle for quicktime VR videofiles.

Value(s) Integer values between 8 and 64 (degrees)
Default value value saved in the movie
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" fov="55">

See also: NODE, PAN, TILT

GOTOn  

See QTNEXT

HEIGHT 

The HEIGHT attribute specifies the height of the embedded file in pixels. The HEIGHT attribute is required unless the HIDDEN attribute is specified. The HEIGHT of the movie can be found by choosing 'Get Info...' in the 'Movie' menu within QuickTime Player. If the SCALE attribute is set to FALSE and you supply a height that is smaller than the actual height of the movie, the movie will be cropped to fit the height. If you supply a height that is greater than the height of the movie, the movie will be centered inside this height. The Virtual Cutter sets SCALE to TRUE.

Remark 1: Never specify a height of less than 2, as this can cause problems with some browsers. 

Remark 2: If the movie controller is visible, an additional 16 pixels will need to be added.

Value(s) integer exceeding 2
Default value (none)
Compatibility All versions

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" controller="true">

See also WIDTH.

HIDDEN

The HIDDEN attribute makes the movie invisible. The HIDDEN attribute is appropriate for sound-only movies. This option is not appropriate for QuickTime VR Objects or Panoramas. If you do not supply HIDDEN, then the movie will be visible.

Value(s) not applicable
Default value not applicable
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" hidden>

Remark: If you add the HIDDEN attribute, be sure to set AUTOPLAY="TRUE" as well.

HOTSPOTn

This attribute enables clicking on a hotspot with the specified ID in a VR panorama to take the user to the specified URL. n is the hotspot ID as defined when the hot spot is created in the QuickTime VR authoring tools.

Value(s) not applicable
Default value not applicable
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" hotspot17="http://www.apple.com">

You can use TargetN to target a hotspot URL to a frame or window, or to the special targets "quicktimeplayer" or "myself".

HREF

When set, the HREF attribute provides a link to another page or movie when the movie is clicked on. 

Value(s) valid URL
Default value none
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime">

Note: If you are using a relative path name for the HREF then it should be relative to the location of the movie specified in the SRC attribute.

See also: TARGET

KIOSKMODE

When KIOSKMODE is set to TRUE, the plug-in does not include its pop-up menu in the movie controller and does not allow drag and drop to save the movie.

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE
Default value FALSE
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" kioskmode="true">

LOOP

When LOOP is set to TRUE, the movie is played continuously. Setting LOOP to PALINDROME causes the movie to play alternately forwards and backwards. This option is not appropriate for QuickTime VR Objects and Panoramas.

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE or PALINDROME
Default value FALSE
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" loop="true">

MOVIEID

This option is comparable to MOVIENAME, but it uses a numerical value instead of a name. 

Value(s) numerical value
Default value none
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" movieid="5">

MOVIENAME

Two or more media files in the same webpage can communicate with one another if they have the same name. See also the Apple website ("Wired Movies").

Value(s) numerical value
Default value none
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" moviename="targetmov">

NODE

The NODE attribute allows you to specify the initial node for a multi-node QuickTime VR movie with multiple nodes.

Value(s) numerical value
Default value NONE
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="320" height="240" node="128">

See also: FOV, PAN en TILT.

PAN

PAN allows you to specify the initial pan angle for a Quicktime VR movie.

Value(s) numerical value (0 - 360 degrees)
Default value Value saved in file
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="320" height="240" pan="180">

See also: FOV, NODE and TILT.

PLAYEVERYFRAME

PLAYEVERYFRAME attribute causes the movie to play every frame of the movie even if it is necessary to play at a slower rate to do so. This attribute is particularly useful to play simple animations.

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE
Default value FALSE
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

an example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" playeveryframe="true">

Note: Setting PLAYEVERYFRAME=TRUE will turn off all audio tracks.

PLUGINSPAGE

The PLUGINSPAGE attribute allows you to specify an URL from which the user can fetch the necessary plug-in if it is not installed. This attribute is handled by your browser to open the location of the plug-in. You are advised not to change the standard value "http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/" .

Value(s) Valid URL
Default value none
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

an example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" pluginspage="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/">

QTNEXTn

QTNEXT can be used to play several (up to 256) consecutive movies one after the other. The value of the parameter specifies the URL that is to be played after the present movie. QNEXTO is the original movie specified by the SRC parameter. A QTNEXT tag's value can also be GOTOn where "n" is the index of the QTNEXT url to load. This behaves exactly the same as if the movie has a HREF track with an auto-url ("A") at the end of the movie. Where n is an integer greater than 0 and less than 256 that defines the index of the url in the playlist. A QTNEXT tag's value can be a url (and optional target) or GOTOn where "n" is the index of the QTNEXT url to load. This allows you to make an endlessly repeating playlist.

The target T is normally specified as 'myself'. If no target is specified, the URL replaces the current browser window, and any subsequent QTNEXT statements are ignored.

Value(s) Valid URL
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<EMBED SRC="nameof.mov" WIDTH="200" HEIGHT="240"
QTNEXT1="<http://www.apple.com/quicktime/movies/sample.mov> T<myself>"
QTNEXT2="<rtsp://www.apple.com/quicktime/movies/sample.mov> T<myself>"
QTNEXT3="<URL> T<myself>"
QTNEXT4="GOTO0">

see also: TARGET

QTSRC

USE the QTSRC attribute to force a browser to use the QuickTime Plug-in for a file no matter what its MIME type is. The attribute treats it's value as a URL to load, and ignores any data loaded by the browser from the SRC parameter.

Value(s) Valid URL
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<EMBED src="sample.mov" qtsrc="rtsp://www.apple.com/quicktime/sample2.mov">

QTSRCCHOKESPEED

Use the QTSRCCHOKESPEED attribute to specify the datarate of a movie being served regardless of the connection speed an end user has. This may be useful when a particular movie is requested from a server by large volumes of users to eliminate congestion in routers. 

Value(s) Maximum datarate
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="320" height="240" qtsrcchokespeed=33600>

QTSRCDONTUSEBROWSER 

When QTSRCDONTUSEBROWSER is set to TRUE, the URL specified in the QTSRC parameter is loaded using QuickTime's internal methods, instead of using the browser to fetch the file. This prevents the browser from caching the file, which speeds access to local movies.

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE
Default value FALSE
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="foo.mov" qtsrc="sample.mov" width="320" height="240" qtsrcdontusebrowser>

SCALE

Use SCALE to specify how the movie is presented in the image window. If SCALE is set to TOFIT, the movie is scaled to fit the embedded bwindow as specified by the HEIGHT and WIDTH attributes. If this is set to ASPECT, the movie will scale to fit the embedded window while maintaining the aspect ratio. If SCALE is set to a numerical value n, the movie will be scaled by that number. Using the latter option with a QTVR Panorama movie can degrade the performance of the movie.

Value(s) TOFIT, ASPECT or an integer
Default value 1
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" scale="tofit">

SRC

The SRC attribute is a required parameter that defines the URL to the file to play. The SRC attribute is the most common way to embed the media, except for occasional instances where the TYPE attribute may be necessary. 

Value(s) Valid URL
Default value (none)
Compatibility All versions

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240">

See also: TYPE

STARTTIME

You can specify the start of the movie using STARTTIME. This attribute is not required for the Virtual Cutter, because the duration of the fragment is managed by play.php. The use of STARTTIME can lead to unexpected results.

Value(s) start time in the format hh:mm:sec:frames.frac
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" starttime="00:15:22.5">

See also: ENDTIME

TARGET

The TARGET atribute is used to specify which application must be used to open the movie or URL. If TARGET is set to "QUICKTIMEPLAYER", then the movie will be played in the stand-alone QuickTime Player. If TARGET is set to "MYSELF", then the movie specified in the SRC parameter is replaced with the movie specified in the HREF attribute when a user clicks on the movie. In both cases the HREF parameter must point to a media type.

Value(s) QUICKTIMEPLAYER, MYSELF or integer
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="poster.mov" width="200" height="240" href="sample.mov" target="quicktimeplayer">

See also: HREF

TARGETn

TARGETn is used to specify the the target frame of a link specified by the HOTSPOT or HREF attribute. Leaving TARGET unspecified will open the new file in the same place as the current movie. It is important to use the same ID for both the HOTSPOT and TARGET for each URL reference.

Value(s) The name of a valid frame (including _self, _top, _parent, _blank)
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

HOTSPOT32="http://www.apple.com/quicktime" 
TARGET32="_blank"

would specify that when hotspot 32 is clicked, the QuickTime home page will load in a new window.

See also: HREF, HOTSPOT

TARGETCACHE

TARGETCACHE is used to indicate if the file must be cached 

Value(s) TRUE or FALSE
Default value FALSE
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="poster.mov" width="200" height="240" cache="true" href="sample2.mov" TARGET="myself" targetcache="true">

TILT

The TILT attribute allows you to specify the initial tilt angle for a QuickTime VR movie. The range of values for a typical movie would be -42.5 to 42.5 degrees. This attribute has no meaning for a standard QuickTime movie. 

Value(s) Integer value from -42.5 to 42.5
Default value De value stored in the movie.
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="320" height="240" tilt="20.0">

See also: FOV, NODE, PAN

TYPE

TYPE="MIMEtype" specifies the MIME type of the media file. This determines which plug-in to load. This parameter is not required for the Virtual Cutter because this is handled by the the play.php program. TYPE is only supported by Netscape 2.0 and later.

Value(s) Valid MIME type
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" type="video/quicktime" width="200" height="240">

URLSUBSTITUTE

The URLSUBSTITUE = <Text>:<NewText> replaces every instance of the string Text by NewText in HREF, sprite action URLs, or VR hotspot URLs. Use this parameter to repurpose QuickTime movies with embedded URLs without editing the movies.

Value(s) Entry in the format: <Text>:<NewText> 
Default value (none)
Compatibility Quicktime 4 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" urlsubstitute="<samplestring>:<http://dns/foo.mov>">

VOLUME

The VOLUME attribute sets the movie's initial audio volume. Only integer values between 0 through 100 are applied for this attribute. By default, VOLUME is set to 100. A setting of 0 effectively mutes the audio whereas a setting of 100 is the maximum volume.

Value(s) Integer value from 0 to 100
Default value 100
Compatibility Quicktime 3 or later

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240" volume="50">

WIDTH

The WIDTH attribute specifies the WIDTH of the embedded file in pixels. This parameter is required unless the HIDDEN parameter has been specified. (FOUT IN NL VERSIE) The WIDTH of the movie can be found by choosing 'Get Info...' in the 'Movie' menu within QuickTime Player.

Value(s) integer exceeding 2
Default value (none)
Compatibility All versions

An example:

<embed src="sample.mov" width="200" height="240">

See also: HEIGHT

The Virtual Cutter was invented and created by
André Rosendaal, ICTOL, Faculty of Arts, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
on behalf of SURFnet bv (SURFworks).
Please send questions and remarks to:
Virtual Cutter Helpdesk