InformAction Forums

I'm having some issues playing some videos (doesn't seem to be all) on the BBC News website.

For example: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26450494

If I click on the blocked area, I get a black box and flash doesn't appear to be running. Reloading the page puts me back with flash blocked. If I go to the noscript button->Blocked objects and allow each *@... I get the black box but a reload of the page now allows me to play the video.

Any thoughts making this process a bit easier (obviously just a single click of the blocked flash box would be the most ideal).

Cheers

Paul

URL: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-20778680

Allowed: Then clicked the placeholder & the clip played.

URL: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26452202

A PITA.
Had to specifically use the Blocked Objects menu, allowed something, not sure what ??? & then it finally worked. And now, after Revoking Temporary Permissions, not sure what to select to get it working ... again .

i didn't have a problem with playing the video.. yes, i had to refresh the webpage, to get the video to play, but there is nothing unusual about that..

i have noscript 2.6.8.16 installed, using FF 27.1..

Thinking the problem only ensues if you are blocking Embedding (Flash) and also set it to Apply these restrictions to whitelisted sites too ?

therube wrote:Thinking the problem only ensues if you are blocking Embedding (Flash) and also set it to Apply these restrictions to whitelisted sites too ?

+1
This has been going on for a while now. Something in the Flash (inconsistently for my experience) needs to run scripts before the refresh. I don't think NS is able to pick these up consistently after the refresh because the blocked objects menu doesn't run items straight away in all cases.
Have to admit that I couldn't get a consistent proof together in a timely way for a bug report, so gave up and created a separate BBC profile for browsing their site. EDIT: ie, with the "apply these restrictions to whitelisted sites too" unchecked, not with Flash globally allowed, just in case. That uses less time with mousing for placeholders too, so it's a fair workaround for the regular site user. I trust the BBC webmaster. Not sure I'd let any other site use Flash so liberally.
Also unsure how friendly the placeholder experience would be for NS novices landing on BBC for their first experience.

therube wrote:Thinking the problem only ensues if you are blocking Embedding (Flash) and also set it to Apply these restrictions to whitelisted sites too ?

That is certainly how I have my options set. It's something that only started happening "recently" (perhaps a few months ago). Didn't do enough digging at the time to determine if it's NoScript, Firefox or the BBC that's changed. As it happens, I don't see these symptoms on sites other than the BBC (and not on all BBC sites either).

Paul

I can confirm the OP. Some play and some don't (or they don't without quite a lot of persistence at my end).

Using Firefox [Aurora 29.0a2 (2014-03-06)] with
RequestPolicy 0.5.28 (RP) and NoScript 2.6.8.17rc1 (NS).

I am in the UK so, unlike therube, I did not need bbc.com

therube wrote:Thinking the problem only ensues if you are blocking Embedding (Flash) and also set it to Apply these
restrictions to whitelisted sites too ?

Like therube, Hecuba's daughter and saturnine I also have these settings.

A.
1. On a New Tab
Young scientist Jamie Edwards in atomic fusion record
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26450494
The link from the OP.

2.
Use RP and Temp Allow To allow contact from bbc.co.uk to other BBC domains.
At THIS point, these were the only domains that were being blocked by RP.

3.
Use NS and Temp Allow To allow scripts, Flash etc on the BBC domains.

Can now see the first frame and the flash place holder (top left of first frame).

4.
Click the place holder, get a 'black rectangle' (not the video).
Refresh page, still get a 'black rectangle' after the clicking the place holder.

N.B. Now 'RP flag' has 'gone red' (indicating a block) and is on the RP list. I leave this blocked.

5.
On the right are some "Most watched" videos.
I chose one (right click), and "Open Link in New Tab".

Russia Today TV presenter Liz Wahl quits on air
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26468837

I could play this one (it had a 'Play triangle' in the bottom left corner
not the more common 'flash place holder' in the top left).

So, my initial diagnosis is that 'some play AFTER they are tracked by
edigitialsurvey.com'. I speculated that the BBC wanted to see how
popular some videos are.

I then tried to document this and I got different results.


B.
So I closed Firefox [Aurora 29.0a2 (2014-03-06)] and did the steps 1-5 again.

1, 2, 3 and 4. SAME steps and results.

5. as before BUT this time
Russia Today TV presenter Liz Wahl quits on air
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26468837
would NOT play.

Now used RP to Temp Allow ALL (not just bbc.co.uk) requests to edigitialsurvey.com

Then used NS "Blocked Objects" to Temp Allow and
after another refresh NS "Blocked Objects" to Temp Allow Now get a 'play triangle' in the bottom left corner (which becomes red when you mouse over it).

When I return to the first Tab (the one with)

Young scientist Jamie Edwards in atomic fusion record
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26450494

I can, after a few refreshes, and the same NS "Blocked Objects" (above)
play this using the 'play triangle' in the bottom left corner.

So I closed Firefox [Aurora 29.0a2 (2014-03-06)], used CCleaner to clear Fx cache,
and did the steps 1-5 again (for the 3rd time).


C.
This time I could play

Russia Today TV presenter Liz Wahl quits on air
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26468837

With RP Temp Allowing just BUT to play

Young scientist Jamie Edwards in atomic fusion record
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26450494

I needed to use RP to Temp Allow I used the NS "Blocked Objects" as above.

I think it there may be some combination of 'tracking plays via edigitialsurvey.com'
and possibly offering the video in HTML5 (when I refresh several times).

Why do I think HTML5?
I have BetterPrivacy 1.68 on this Profile.
I have NOT seen any 'deleting LSO' type messages as I closed Fx
(I would have expected this if I had been watching a 'Flash video').
Also, on checking the date and time of the "settings.sol" in it has not changed since yesterday.


Hecuba's daughter's idea of a separate profile looks like a very good way around this.

I help others and I set up windows shortcuts to 'special profiles' e.g. 'just for e-mail', 'just for bank'.
Each profile has RP and NS and the whitelists are short and specific.

Another approach, if the video won't play at the BBC's site, is to try and use their mobile site.
I've not tried this but you may find that there are more HTML5 versions there (or you are offered HTML5 as the first choice).

It is the 'video controls' that are HTML5 or Flash.

DJ-Leith