See that video player on the right? Yeah, it’s not a video player. It’s a JPG. With a play button. That does nothing, other than link me to a Real Video file that doesn’t play (because I refuse to install Real Player).
Jeff’s common sense web design tip of the day: Don’t make something look like a video player that’s not a video player. It pisses people off.
Especially me.
(For those that don’t know, the Chiefs recently redesigned their site, moving away from a perfectly good Happy Cog Studios design to a table-layout, Flash-driven mess of a web abomination from 1996. It really sucks.)
View at flickr »
001 // robertjosiah // 07.11.2006 // 1:01 AM
That’s what happens when you root for the Chiefs. Go Broncos.002 // ASurroca // 07.11.2006 // 12:22 PM
Have you got RealAlternative installed? It will play RealAudio files without the need for the obxnoxious, nearly-adware RealAudio program :)003 // Jeff Croft // 07.11.2006 // 12:34 PM
Looks like RealAlternative is for Windows, which doesn’t do me a lot of good (don’t have a Windows machine). :)004 // Hans (lumilux.org) // 07.11.2006 // 2:56 PM
I wanted to get me some Scrubs (the show), but unfortunately I could only find .rmvb’s. So I closed my eyes, took a breath, and clicked the download link. There really isn’t any alternative to RealPlayer because they’re keeping the codecs under tight wraps, unlike every other video-format creator… They’re greedy bastards, that’s what. I’d really want to know *why* the KCchiefs site was downgraded!005 // dmdonahoo // 07.11.2006 // 3:54 PM
Looks like this one may have come down from the head office. NFL.com is using Real Player on its site as a video player and a couple other teams are as well. Including the Broncos.006 // Jeff Croft // 07.11.2006 // 4:23 PM
Doug- Yes, the NFL has a contract with Real. But that’s really not what I was bitching about (although Real is a royal piece of shit, so it deserves to be bitched about, too). I was really complaining about the fact that they made an image that faked me into clicking the play button (I assumed it was some kind of a Flash-based player), when in fact it’s not a play button at all — it’s just an image.007 // epicserve // 07.12.2006 // 12:43 PM
I agree with robertjosiah, go Broncos! And Real Player sucks! Any website that uses it should have their webmaster kicked in the head!008 // ZTiger // 07.14.2006 // 1:29 PM
Hans, There are altenatives for you Scrubs needs there Hans. All in AVI formate. Though the (Bit) about having a (Torrent) of shoes can be a downside. And Jeff, I agree Real player is less than worthy and the image that looks like a video player is very annoying. Then again I also hate sites that require ActiveX (VH1’s VSpot for example)009 // tonyskyday // 07.19.2006 // 8:59 PM
I’m pretty sure all the video on Redskins.com is in Flash. Though, all the audio-only content is in Real.