We have Moodle 2.8.3
Is there any way of embedding a video or Flash object in a content page without either seeking to load Windows Media Player for .wmv or switching to browser for .swf? Can a .pdf file be embedded in a content page?
If you can possibly avoid it - don't embed video in Moodle at all. I don't think I have ever had it working properly for all clients for any particular codec and/or setup. Things like YouTube and Vimeo are experts at this and you are better to stick it there if you can.
In theory you *should* be able to upload a video file into a file resource and it 'just works'. Most browsers will now embed mp4 files using HTML5. For most of your users, as long as they have up to date browsers, it probably will but expect grief with tablets and older browsers. Unless you *know* everybody is in Microsoft land, avoid proprietary formats like .wmv.
Lots of hassle but some possibilities exist.
You can use the video tag (HTML5) plus embed code - for older flash based systems - for some more context read this discussion:
https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=277755 , and the links indicted there
You will need 2-4 alternative formats of the video in order to deploy that. The minimum I think is mp4 and webm, maybe ogg as well. Forget swf if you want portability.
This discussion I have found useful - you can read here that pro users of vimeo can embed videos that are password protected:
https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=280532#p1205645
There are also options with the poodll plugin, but I have not used it myself.
Przemek
As mentioned by an earlier poster, Poodll is an option. I've used it for a while and it does the job pretty well. (Also, if you do ever have a problem with it, the maintainer is very quick to help. Just go to the Poodll thread in the forums here.) It also gives you a lot of other options, like audio submission and audio feedback.
One thing you should know though is that when you install it, the configuration looks quite intimidating - there are tons of options (Rather like VLC, if you've ever used that as a media player!) The default config works pretty well until you are ready to try tweaking things. Another important thing is to check that it's enabled in your filters list and that it's placed above the multimedia filters in that list.
Good luck!
Thanks Andy, I'll investigate.
Are these solutions all based on external video hosts though? Vs uploading to the Moodle server? I cannot use external hosting.
The solutions I suggested will also work with video files uploaded to Moodle's resource / activity.
Hi Andy, when installing Poodll filter etc, what is the correct plug-in type description to select please?
Its a "filter" or a "text filter." But for .wmv or .swf, maybe the PoodLL filter is not the best solution.