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MP3 file on website won't play all the way through?

  • 5 replies
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  • Last reply by cor-el

Oaklawn
Oaklawn
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I have a website which I update weekly with new MP3 files. These files play perfectly well in Internet Explorer, but, at times, only play part way through in Firefox. This issue has been going on for a long time, and will usually correct itself if I uninstall and then re-install Firefox. What I don't understand is why it happens so frequently. Also, I have to use a quicktime plugin for mp3 files, as the windows media player plugin seemingly doesn't work at all.

Everything I've read says this is a plug-in issue, but my plug-ins don't change, I have to re-install firefox to fix it.

I have a website which I update weekly with new MP3 files. These files play perfectly well in Internet Explorer, but, at times, only play part way through in Firefox. This issue has been going on for a long time, and will usually correct itself if I uninstall and then re-install Firefox. What I don't understand is why it happens so frequently. Also, I have to use a quicktime plugin for mp3 files, as the windows media player plugin seemingly doesn't work at all. Everything I've read says this is a plug-in issue, but my plug-ins don't change, I have to re-install firefox to fix it.

All Replies (5)

cor-el
cor-el
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With what content type does the server send the MP3 files?

Does Firefox use the HTML5 media player (using Windows Media Foundation support) to play these files or is a plugin like QuickTime used?

Oaklawn
Oaklawn Question owner
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The site uses the quicktime plugin for play. If I disable the quicktime plugin, the mp3 file doesn't seem to exist on the website, much less play. When I re-activate the quicktime plugin, magically, the mp3 is back. It still doesn't play all the way through, though.

cor-el
cor-el
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See:

See also: 

AddType audio/mpeg .mp3

Modified by cor-el

Oaklawn
Oaklawn Question owner
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So, does this mean that if I start making the files mp4 instead of mp3 they won't have this issue anymore?

What I don't understand is that, it isn't that the file doesn't play, but that it plays the first 30 seconds to a minute and then stops like the file is finished. It should either work or not work, not partly work.

cor-el
cor-el
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No. It shouldn't be necessary to convert the files to MP4 (video) files.
Current Firefox releases should be able to play MP3 audio files in Windows with the built-in HTML5 media player provided that the server sends the MP3 file as audio/mpeg. If the server sends a different MIME type then Firefox will use the plugin that supports the MIME type that the servers send with this file and that is usually the QuickTime plugin (this plugin will also be used if the server doesn't send a MIME type).

You may have to check the stream settings in the QuickTime Preferences (Windows Control Panel) if the plugin is working properly.