Video file .mp4 preview Is it possible?

🍱 Features & apps previewgenerator
1
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Nextcloud version (eg, 12.0.2): 13.0.4
Operating system and version (eg, Ubuntu 17.04): CentOS 7
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PHP version (eg, 7.1): 7.2.6

The issue you are facing:
I can’t have previews (thumbnails) from video .mp4 files.
I think I had a preview at the beginning from Nextcloud.mp4 sample video few months ago… Or did I…? Anyway I would like to have previews from videos taken with phone.

I have set preview generator to pre-generate previews, but no help.

The output of your config.php file in /path/to/nextcloud (make sure you remove any identifiable information!):

'enable_previews' => true,                                                 
  'enabledPreviewProviders' =>                                               
  array (                                                                    
    0 => 'OC\\Preview\\Image',                                               
    1 => 'OC\\Preview\\Movie',                                               
    2 => 'OC\\Preview\\TXT',                                                 
  ),
1 Like
2

Here’s a line from access log:
[04/Jul/2018:15:43:54 +0000] “GET /index.php/apps/files/api/v1/thumbnail/512/512/Nextcloud.mp4 HTTP/1.1” 404 29 “-” “Mozilla/5.0 (Android) ownCloud-android/3.2.1
RC1”
At the Play Store there are video previews on the example pics. Where are my thumbnails…?
Can someone help me?

3

Hi,

Sorry, I can’t help. I don’t have previews either. Maybe it is a limitation with or of MP4.

4

Throw an eye on this installation guide:
https://www.allerstorfer.at/nextcloud-install-preview-generator/

2 Likes
5

@Sanook Thanks a lot for that link! That helped indeed with the preview images.
Do you have an idea as well for, how to be able to play all mp4 files in the NC video player? It is strange, that some mp4 files can be played, but others can’t. I know that the browser needs to support specific file types, but that in mind, it confuses me, that some mp4 will play and some won’t.

3GP files can’t be played at all, but they show a preview as well.

Maybe you have an idea or even another solution for that :slight_smile:

6

Probably the codec is not supported by the player.

h264 is working well.

what is the output of

ffmpeg -i video.3gp -hide_banner

or what does Mediainfo say?

7

You need to install ffmpeg and add the path to ffmpeg to the environment so that Nextcloud can find it.

8

Nice command, I learn a lot today :slight_smile:

So it prints the following for the 3GP and one of the not-working MP4:

Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'MOV00522.3GP':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : 3gp5
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: vfj13gp43gp5mp42
    creation_time   : 2007-09-27T08:12:01.000000Z
    copyright       :
    copyright-eng   :
  Duration: 00:02:48.85, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 83 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(jpn): Video: h263 (s263 / 0x33363273), yuv420p, 176x144 [SAR 12:11 DAR 4:3], 70 kb/s, 10.01 fps, 250 tbr, 1k tbn, 29.97 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2007-09-27T08:12:01.000000Z
      handler_name    : VideoHandler
    Stream #0:1(jpn): Audio: amr_nb (samr / 0x726D6173), 8000 Hz, mono, flt, 12 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2007-09-27T08:12:01.000000Z
      handler_name    : SoundHandler
	  
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'MOV00583.MP4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : 3gp5
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: vfj13gp43gp5mp42emp
    creation_time   : 2009-11-20T21:47:21.000000Z
    copyright       :
    copyright-eng   :
  Duration: 00:00:38.02, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 461 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(jpn): Video: mpeg4 (Simple Profile) (mp4v / 0x7634706D), yuv420p, 320x240 [SAR 1:1 DAR 4:3], 363 kb/s, 28.96 fps, 30 tbr, 1k tbn, 30 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2009-11-20T21:47:21.000000Z
      handler_name    : VideoHandler
    Stream #0:1(jpn): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 32000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 94 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      creation_time   : 2009-11-20T21:47:21.000000Z
      handler_name    : SoundHandler

Does that tell you something?

9

Yes, seems that those codecs are not supported by the Nextcloud player.

The clips need to be transcoded to h264 with AAC sound.

1 Like
10

Thank you again!
If someone is interested more deeply, here is other thread where Sanook helped me with this problem.
https://help.nextcloud.com/t/thumbnail-preview-generation/34123/7

1 Like
11

I have a fresh built version 17 NC and the 3gp files play fine on mine. I didn’t do anything outside of the default install instructions.

12

Thank you.

13

ffmpeg is installed, but how do I tell Nextcloud to find it?

14

As it has been recommended by @Sanook, add the directory path, in which the program has been stored, to the PATH environment variable of the web server user. The best way to double-check if it can be found is, by switch to the web server user, navigate to e.g. the Nextcloud document root directory and enter “ffmpeg”. If the program is found, this prerequisite should have been fulfilled.

15

I didn’t check that, but I guess, it the path will always be correct, if you install via apt.

I had to add these lines in my config.php at the end of the config array:

  'enable_previews' => true,
  'enabledPreviewProviders' =>
  array (
    1 => 'OC\\Preview\\PDF',
    2 => 'OC\\Preview\\Image',
    3 => 'OC\\Preview\\Photoshop',
    4 => 'OC\\Preview\\TIFF',
    5 => 'OC\\Preview\\SVG',
    6 => 'OC\\Preview\\Movie',
    7 => 'OC\\Preview\\MKV',
    8 => 'OC\\Preview\\MP4',
    9 => 'OC\\Preview\\AVI',
  ),
16

If you don’t know the technic behind your system, guessing is definitely the wrong way to go. There is a reason why I asked you to double-check the PATH environment variable, so please do it.

1 Like
17

@Sanook thank you! your fix still works in 2023 - nextcloud hub 6 (27.1.2)

1 Like