Playing Recorded Videos on Licode by Using HTML5 Video Tag

on hack, day, and special

Licode is an Open Source WebRTC platform which can be used to create applications which includes video/audio communication. Let’s say you want to have your own secure server deployed which can work as a video conferencing platform, licode can handle such requirements. Using Licode client side and server side API, one can record all connected participant video or audio. To do that on client side you need to execute that line in javascript

room.startRecording(localStream);

After that a message is send to server using websockets to record video and in return server returns videoid, if video ID is returned that means video recording has been started successfully. Now, server side saves that video in “mkv” format with a little poor video quality and “mkv” is too much compressed file. Now problem is HTML5 video player do not support “mkv” video format. I experienced that issue when i was developing an app in licode. After spending 5 hours on google searching solution came into my mind was to convert recorded video to mp4 using ffmpeg right after “stopRecorder” event is called.

Now “stopRecorder” event implementation is in file “licode/erizo_controller/erizoController/erizoController.js”. So open that file and locate that function in that file

socket.on('stopRecorder', function (options, callback)

and at the end of that function write these

var from = GLOBAL.config.erizoController.recording_path + recordingId + '.mkv'; var to = GLOBAL.config.erizoController.recording_path + recordingId + '.webm';

Where “from” variable has path of video which has been recorded and saved by licode, and “to” variable has name and path of converted file which will be created after conversion. Now we have recorded video path. So next step is to convert it which is

exec("ffmpeg -i "+from+" "+to+" ");

Now “exec” is function in node js which is used to execute commands in shell. So, in that we are asking ffmpeg to convert an mkv recorded video to “webm” and “webm” is format which all major browsers video tag supports. If you want to convert video to “mp4” you need to do that

var from = GLOBAL.config.erizoController.recording_path + recordingId + '.mkv'; var to = GLOBAL.config.erizoController.recording_path + recordingId + '.mp4';

exec("ffmpeg -i "+from+" "+to+" ");

Its that simple. Now just pass that path to video tag 




Note: For conversion you need to install “ffmpeg” installed on “ubuntu”. To install “ffmpeg” please read and follow that article [ID]: http://linuxg.net/how-to-install-ffmpeg-2-4-2-on-ubuntu-14-04-linux-mint-17-elementary-os-0-3-deepin-2014-and-other-ubuntu-14-04-derivatives/