A new movie just got released and you give a desperate look at your wallet in utter distress. You really want to be able to watch the movie then and there but your wallet completely disagrees. It’s time for Google to work its magic and find you a quality copy of the film. And there it is! The movie you’ve been wanting to see, there in all its glory. You press play…and nothing happens.

 

At this point, you don’t even want to say a word. All you want to do is smash the PC into a million tiny pieces and regret every decision you’ve ever made which lead you to being broke. But don’t take it too hard on yourself – just follow this little guide and figure out why you’re being haunted by this error and how to fix it.

Interested in maybe learning about all the different HTTP Error Codes you see while browsing the web? Or, maybe seeing a list of Ultimate Windows Error Codes?

The One Thing You Don’t Want To Hear…Make Sure It’s Not A Virus!

Sometimes those websites you stumble upon that host those sweet, sweet movies you’ve been dying to watch aren’t exactly the safest for you to be on. When using untrusted sites (sites that don’t have “secure” before the web address on your browser), there’s a chance of catching some malware on your device. If you just can’t help yourself, though, make sure you have some sort of malware and antivirus software installed. There are many free options that do just as good of a job as the more expensive options. A firewall is another great thing to have, which also helps screen websites and connections to make sure nothing malicious is taking root on your device. For Windows computers, Windows Firewall is free and easy to install- and doesn’t come with those pesky ads! Unsure if you’re experiencing malware issues? There are ways you can tell if your computer is infected which you will find in this link. Want to find my thoughts re: checking for viruses, and how they sometimes can affect your user experience?

“I’m not into digital marketing, downloading, or streaming – I’ve always been a man of the theaters.” – Werner Herzog

No, It’s Not Malware. Next!

Now that you have made sure it’s not due to any sort of virus, another possibility could be a bad link. A common occurrence on these video link websites is to have a multitude of links all beside one another…and then you’re left to decide which one is the one that will take you to the video. It’s not always easy to guess correctly, and this time you might have accidentally clicked on the wrong link which caused you to face this error. If that’s the case, you have two options:

1. Click other links on the page that look like they’re correct to see if they’ll take you to the real video; or.
2. Give up and go to another site.

But Before You Leave The Site…Try Out Another Server

If you fully believe in the reviews the website has regarding its reliability, then you might just be on the wrong server. Some sites provide different servers to play a specific file and therefore you can choose among them the one that works for you. If there’s an option, such as the one shown below, simply try out another server and see if that fixes the problem for you.

Maybe It’s Not You…It’s the Media Player

Here is a little background for people who are unaware of the JW player, which is most likely what the website you’re visiting is using to stream videos. JW offers its users the facility to be integrated on websites and because of that, it’s a very widely used media player when it comes to online streaming. Like all technology, it can get a little wonky at times. Here’s a list of things that might be holding the JW player back from delivering the video:

Possible Error #1

Sometimes an error appears when JW player is incorrectly set up. It’s not the user’s fault but the coding related to JavaScript. In that case, being a mere user, you can’t really do much other than reporting it to the website and finding another link.

Possible Error #2

Maybe it is you though! Have you updated your Adobe Flash Player lately? Aren’t sure of what that is? The majority of websites these days require that you have this piece of technology to view their content, so update your flash plugin from the official Adobe site– and maybe learn a thing or two while you’re at it.

 

Possible Error #3

Sometimes offline playback is not supported. What they mean to say is that the JW player is not loaded from a web server. The developer can counter this by uploading the page to a web server or running a local web server to dodge this situation. Once again, though, if you’re just a user, this isn’t something you can personally change.

Possible Error #4

Another issue which is a headache to the developer is that skins are not referenced properly. A skin is a changeable interface for the JW player that alters the way it looks- literally, it’s a skin for the player. If, as the developer, you think this is the case, make sure that you have referenced your skins properly and that they are loading.

If you are working with JW player setup here are some ways to troubleshoot the problems.

Make sure you are using a file format supported by your operating system or browser. Two things to keep in mind are:

1. FLV is not supported by HTML5 or mobile devices.
2. RTMP is not supported by HTML5 or mobile devices.

These two formats require Flash and will not work otherwise.

Of these two suggestions, the one I would recommend is to use mp4 or FLV. Why? They provide compatibility on a larger scale as compared to other formats, that’s why. Another streaming format would be HSL. It works for both handheld devices OS that are iOS and Android. It’s a good choice in the era of smartphones but if you want to use HSL on desktops then make sure you have JW Player and Flash installed.

Possible Error #5

You might just not be able to locate your file. In that case, check again if you are not barking up the wrong tree. Make sure the file exists at the location you pointed. You might face an error 404 there is a small guide to this.

1. In Chrome, right click and inspect element
2. Select Plat and see that a red highlighted activity exists. This will alert you of the network based issues.

Possible Error #6

In the end, you might be facing a cross domain issue, which means certain files cannot be hosted because they are present on a different domain. Here is a link that will help you up with cross domain issues. It’s already a complex task, though, so make sure you know what you’re doing!

This Is Not the Format You’re Looking For…

Keep in mind if you are not using the above-mentioned media players you might have a less advanced version of media player, which does not support some of the formats. Or maybe the file where you downloaded might have a different extension, which can be fixed by simply going in the properties of the file and renaming the extension. You can also convert different formats by going on this link. This way if your player does not support one format but does another you can easily select from a wide range of formats that your device supports.

Take a look at those error codes!

Error codes basically help you identify the issue directly without beating around the bush. The Windows operating system uses certain error codes to display issues and generate reports to aware the user on what might be causing problems in running processes. There is a list of error reports which you can find in my blog and read all about them here, all authored by me.

So If These Links Don’t Work, How Do I Watch Media On My Personal Computer?

In today’s world, the most common method of media consumption would be YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and Twitch for live streaming. Most, if not all of these devices, require Adobe Flash to run- so making sure your version is up to date will help relieve most of the issues you can solve on your side.

Conclusion

If you’ve successfully started watching that movie you’ve been dying to see, congratulations! Enjoy the fruits of your work and don’t spoil the ending for me!

Still having troubles getting that video to load? I’ve got a few more tips that could help you out. If you’re experiencing any other issues with error codes, be sure to check out my other articles on Error Codes Pro. Simply type in your errors into the search bar at the top of the page and get those answers you’ve been looking for!

Here at Error Codes Pro, we cover all kinds of error codes – including appliances! Try searching for whatever error causes you pain in the top right, or maybe see this comprehensive list of Hotpoint Dishwasher Error Codes I wrote!

 

Pro Tips Galore

1. Hit the reload button. Sometimes the problem isn’t as big as you think it is!
2. Clear your web browser’s cache and reload the page again.
3. If that didn’t work, clear your browser’s cookies along with cache and relaunch your browser. After that try opening the link again.
4. If all else fails, contact the website to let them know a link is down and navigate to another site to enjoy your movie time there.