It would save data transfer if we do not automatically download audio file each time we visit a lesson. Once we have the file in our ipod we do not need to download it again.
Good point
I must say I do not understand the point. (I am not technical). I only download my sound file once, into iTunes. Then I access it from iTunes when I want to listen to it, again and again. Are there people who download from the lesson each time?
Pierre means that when you open a Lesson the flash player appears at the bottom and downloads the audio automatically. If the on-screen flash player were optional, then you save a lot of data transfer because most people download the audio to their computer and therefore don’t need the flash player.
What this means as far as bandwidth savings etc I don’t have a clue.
Ah ha! I will ask Mark on his return. Thanks Pierre and Ed.
I checked it a couple of times and it works fine on my computer. The file is only downloaded by the flash player after you click “play” not when the page loads.
oops…
I am not sure about your point TasXsit. The audio file is not run before you click but it does not mean the file is not loaded. If I am right and you do not click on play - this download is very unnecessary.
I am pretty sure TasXsit is correct on this. Note the progress bar and rising percentage indicator when you click play on the flash player. As well, my cache folder only contains the download after I press play, and not just after I open the lesson.
Maybe. What the flash player displays is not an evidence of how it works with the file.
To be sure we have to test with big file and slow internet. And with lesson you have not yet use because your browser probably use cache meaning if the file was recently downloaded - it will probably not be downloaded a second time All the trouble being in the probably.
One thing sure when I download the file I know where I save it - when the flash player download the file I do not know where it is saved.
At the end of a lesson we have downloaded the audio at least twice. If we come back later we will probably download it again.
Summary:
1 Flash player - file location unknown.
2 “Play” via the Download button - still no idea about the location.
3 Actual Download - location is known, and the file can be played locally or transferred to an mp3-player.
Are you sure that the browser downloads the file (i.e. makes copies) each time the page is visited? Isn’t that a question of browser settings?
Yes, that is a question of browser settings. Okay, you can test this for yourself Pierre. Assuming you’re using Internet Explorer, on windows, in English, try this:
Hit the ALT key to bring up your menu options. Go into tools > Delete browsing history. When the menu pops up delete the temporary internet files. This will clear your cache. Now go to tools > internet options. In the general tab, under browsing history click “Settings” then “View files.” This will bring up a window showing you the contents of your cache. I would order it by size by clicking on the size tab at the top of the information window until the largest file is at the top. This will make it easier to find the MP3 once it’s donwloaded. (Since it’s going to be the largest thing in the cache.)
Now go to a lesson and open it. Once the page has loaded go back to the cache window and press F5 to refresh the cache. You’ll see a bunch of files for the page appear but you won’t see any MP3s. Now go back to the page and click the flash player to play the file. Once it’s loaded go back to the cache window and refresh. You’ll see the MP3 is now there. This is therefore where the flash player stores the MP3. Scroll to the right in the cache window and you’ll see some columns saying, “Expires”, “last Modified,” “last accessed,” and “last checked.” If you want to, make a note of the values for the MP3 file in these columns. Now go back to the lesson page. Exit the lesson.
Wait for at least one minute (to allow a new last accessed time to be assigned when the file is next accessed).
Now go back into the lesson like you did the first time. Once you’re satisfied everything has fully loaded go back into the cache window and refresh it again. You will see that none of the information in these columns has changed for the MP3 file. Now go back to the lesson page and start the file playing in the flash player again. You’ll notice that the status line is instantly full. Go back to the cache folder and refresh it. You’ll now see that the “last accessed” column for the MP3 has a different time in it than before. This means that when you started the flash player this file was accessed. But as you will note it wasn’t accessed when you loaded the page.
In short, the flash player downloads the file only when it is started, and it stores it in your temporary internet files. When you next play the flash player, as long as it is before the temporary file has expired, you will be playing the cached file, not downloading the file again.
Therefore, if you want to download the file only once, download it with the download button and use it from your ipod, itunes, or whatever you use to play MP3s, and just never use the flash player.
I hope that helps.
Martin.
I do not work with IE but firefox thank you anyway - it will be usefull for other for sure.
I did play a mp3 from the flash player when I was offline - then I search all folders including the hidden one and could not reach this mp3.
Now I am wrong I load a new lesson and get offline before pressing the play on the flash player and you are right the audio is not automatically loaded
Sorry -
Now I am right again.
I load a new lesson - get offline and then put the play button and the audio runs. It was automatically downloaded this time.