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JDB-1's avatar
JDB-1
Explorer | Level 3
3 years ago

Am suddenly unable to preview my stored (and newly uploaded) VIDEO files

When I try to view one of my video files (by clicking on the initial, still frame), the proper audio plays, but the screen goes blank (white), and no video plays. Happens with long-existing, and prev...
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JDB-1's avatar
JDB-1
Explorer | Level 3
3 years ago

Mark (and All): This is still JDB-1. I just wanted to add that when I do download the video files, which I can't view on the Dropbox website, they play properly on my computer.

Hannah's avatar
Hannah
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
3 years ago

Sorry to see that you're having this issue, JDB-1.

 

If you try from a different browser or a private browsing/incognito window, what do you see?

  • JDB-1's avatar
    JDB-1
    Explorer | Level 3
    3 years ago

    Thank you, Hannah.

    I have been using Safari (non-private windows) for years with Dropbox videos and have never had this problem. That said, when I go to the Dropbox website in a private Safari window, the video plays properly. The same is true when I use Chrome. However, whether in a private Safaria window or Chrome, when I create and copy a link to the video in an email (which is what I've always done, and want to do, to send videos to people), and click the link (with my default browser set to Safari), I only get the audio again. When I copy and paste the link into the URL window of Chrome, the video plays properly. But, copying and pasting it into a private Safari URL window, it does not. It only plays the audio again. 

    • Hannah's avatar
      Hannah
      Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
      3 years ago

      Thanks for the additional info, JDB-1.

       

      Sounds like a Safari issue, then. Can you try clearing Safari's cache, to see if that helps?

      • JDB-1's avatar
        JDB-1
        Explorer | Level 3
        3 years ago

        Hannah,

        I cleared Safari's cache (I think) by clicking on "Empty Caches" under the "Develop" pull-down menu. I'm not sure it worked, because Safari gave no indication that the caches had been cleared. Also, I deleted all search history and quit Safari, restarted my computer, and restarted Safari.

         

        I have 3 different types of video files (that I know of) stored on Dropbox: ".mov," ".mv4," and ".avi." For some reason, after restarting, I first clicked on the .avi video file (within a non-private search window), and it played properly (both audio and video). But, when I tried it again, I only got the audio. And, it was audio-only for all the other video files I tried too. When I logged into Dropbox inside a private Safari window, I got audio-only for everything I tried. And, for some reason, I'm unable to log onto Dropbox now from Chrome. So, things seem to have gone downhill!

         

        I appreciate your suggestions, but is there any way I can get live help (from you or another qualified Dropbox tech-support person) over the phone for this issue? Not only is this seemingly heading in the wrong direction, but it's doing so over a period of days, which is really having an impact on my ability to make use of Dropbox.

         

        Thanks

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