Produced MP4 Plays on Local Computer, but Not From Server

Problem

The video plays fine from the local computer but does not play properly when uploaded to a web site.

Solution

You may need to update the server's MIME types to support the MP4 format. We have seen several instances where some web servers (including IIS and Windows 2008) do not have the current MIME types configured. This prevents the MP4 content from being served/played properly.

The following instructions walk through configuring IIS and Apache for the MP4 MIME type.

Internet Information Services (IIS) 7

1. Open IIS Manager.
2. Click the computer name of the server.
3. Double-click MIME Types.
4. Select Add from the right and enter the information below:
   • Extension: .mp4
   • MIME Type: video/mp4
5. Right-click Default Web Site > Stop.
6. Right-click Default Web Site > Start.

Internet Information Services (IIS) 6

1. Open IIS Manager.
2. Access computer name of the server > HTTP Headers > MIME Types.
3. Click New and enter the information below:
   • Extension: .mp4
   • MIME Type: video/mp4
4. Right-click Default Web Site > Stop.
5. Right-click Default Web Site > Start.

Apache

1. Locate and open Mime.types file (normally contained within /etc/httpd/conf/) in a text editor.
2. Add a new line to this file of video/mp4 .mp4
3. Save file and restart Apache. For more information about MIME types, consult your web server's documentation or the Adobe Flash support site.