To try and encode video that plays in all of the following:

• iPhone (Safari, Chrome)
• iPad (Safari, Chrome)
• Android (Browser and Dolphin)
• Windows (IE7 and up, Chrome, Firefox, Opera etc.)
• OS X (All current browsers)

Sounds easy? Just encode an MP4 in HandBrake, and JWPlayer will do the rest? Nearly.

JWPlayer will work just fine however the various different devices can be pretty picky about the exact encoding format. Android and IE9 in particular get all distressed and soil themselves if it isn’t just-so.

#The Solution

After hours of Googling and experimentation with encoding formats and details these are the Handbrake settings that worked for me.

The significant option selections are highlighted with red circles.

The key here is to choose MP4, encoded in x264.

The ‘Level: 3’ and ‘Profile: Baseline’ bit is for support on older Android devices. Checking ‘Web Optimised’ moves the MOOV Atom to the front of the video, which means that it streams properly (otherwise your browser has to download the entire video before it can start to play).

I don’t think I changed any audio settings. These see to be the default settings for x264 and they work just fine.

If they are not as you wish then change them here. Uncheck the ‘Keep Aspect Ratio’ option if it will not allow you to select your preferred dimensions, and  switch ‘Anamorphic’ to none (unless you want the black letterboxing effect). Also check the ‘Cropping’ is set to zero.

#The Code

If you are using html5 <video> tags you won’t need the below. We needed to provide a Flash fallback as our browser support went back to pre-html5 browsers.

<div id="myVideo"></div>
<script type="text/javascript" src="jwplayer.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
  jwplayer.key="thisisthejwplayerauthorisationkey=="
  jwplayer("myVideo").setup({
    file:     "vip9.mp4"
    width:    720
    height:   400
    primary:  "flash"
    analytics: {
      enabled: false
      cookies: 
    }
  });
</script>

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People are taking the piss out of you everyday.

They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear.

They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else.

They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate.

They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it.

They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.

You, however, are forbidden to touch them.

Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.

Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It’s yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.

You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don’t owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don’t even start asking for theirs.

—Banksy

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The album is called ‘Drunken Uncle’ by Uncle Dicky — aka Freecy D of Lost Souls fame. It will be released on the 10th May 2010 on Flash Fry Records and will be available on CD and digital formats.

All of the beats were written by 2005, some were from the last century.

I co-wrote/produced the music with Biji Talls and two with Mr J. As a matter of fact Mr J missed out on a co-production credit on the sleeve for the tune “Running on fumes”.

Post-production was done by Iris (RIP) of Iris and Mole fame. Mastering was done in Poland, by OSTR and friends.

Anyway, I’m glad I got to see how the story ended with the release date now in sight. Looking forward to hooking up with the Uncle Dicky — ‘Drunken Uncle’ at the launch at Jamm in Brixton.

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