Embedding video in an interactive pdf

[Stephen_coyl]

Hi,

I am creating an advert that will be in the format of a pdf, I have embedded video into the pdf and exported as an interactive pdf. When I open the pdf the video works fine, but when I ask colleagues to open it they are prompted with a 'download the latest version of flash' dialogue box.

I would like anyone to be able to open and view the video without having to update software. Is there a video format I can use that will solve this issue? Or does indesign convert videos to flash on export?

Many thanks,

Stephen

[Derek Cross]

Try Publish Online or FXL ePub.

[Stephen_coyl]

Thanks for the reply Derek. I would like to send this out via email thats why I wanted a pdf. We have just tested the epub format on windows and again prompted with 'need extra software'. The idea is that anyone can open this file and see the video regardless of the platform they are using.

[Derek Cross]

You'd probably do better linking to a YouTube video or similar.

Have a read of Bob Levine's blog on PDFs It's okay to say no to interactive PDF

Also have a look at in5: Ajar Productions: in5 - Home

[BobLevine]

What format was the video?

[Stephen_coyl]

It's an mp4 video, but i could convert to any format. I was thinking of maybe trying a gif animation and trying to embed that, try and bypass the video.

[Chad Chelius]

What version of Acrobat are you using? DC? Also, what version of the Acrobat Reader are your colleagues using. Older versions will require a player in order to play the video. This is where you lose control regarding what player the end user will be using. An arguably better approach would be to provide a link to the video in the PDF file that would play via a web browser. The PDF will be much smaller (another factor to consider when e-mailing), and it will be more reliable.

[Stephen_coyl]

Thanks for the reply Chad, I'm using DC. The aim is to bypass people having to download new software, I totally understand it's a compatibility issue just wondered if there was a work around, changing the format of the video etc. The video itself is 1mb so it's small.

[BobLevine · Accepted solution]

The issues you're having is why I wrote this: http://boblevine.us/its-okay-to-say-no-to-interactive-pdf/

It's okay to say no to interactive PDF

The good news is that PDF 2.0 is on the horizon and promises to eliminate a lot of these pain points. When it will be widely available however is still a question.

[Stephen_coyl]

Thanks Bob it's a great article, I read that earlier.

Thank you all for your help on this issue.