# Downloaded video won't allow navigation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2004, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582 "2004-08-26T12:33:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582/1 "2004-08-26T12:33:22Z")
I’ve had this happen before, but now it’s really starting to annoy me, so I thought I’d see if someone had an idea. Sometimes when I download a video file (Definitely .mpeg, but I think it happens with pretty much all formats) I can play it, but that’s it. I can’t fast forward, jump to particular spots, none of that. I’ve tried using JetAudio (my preferred player) and windows media player. Anyone have suggestions? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582/2 "2004-08-26T13:04:49Z")
The only thing you can do is to convert the video to some other format. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582/3 "2004-08-26T14:29:08Z")
Maybe try [winamp](http://www.winamp.com/) or [divx](http://www.divx.com), both of those players are free too. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582/4 "2004-08-26T16:57:16Z")
I believe the reason is because the video is playing as a “streaming video.” Even though it’s downloaded on on your hard drive, it’s encoded to tell Media player that it should play it as it loads it, basically meaning that it won’t load the whiole video and let you go to where you want, it will load each little segment right before palying it. A different player won’t solve the problem, you need to get a video converting program to convert to to a non-streaming video. Hopefully, someone knowledgeable in video editing can come along and suggest a good (hopefulyl free) video editing program. Bear in mind, I don’t know a lot about this subject, but it is what has been told to me. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582/5 "2004-08-26T18:22:05Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Bear in mind, I don’t know a lot about this subject, but it is what has been told to me. Naw, I can guarantee that this isn’t streamed video. It’s gen-yoo-ine completely downloaded and stored on my hard drive. So, that’s definitely not the case. I thought at one point in the past I’d detected that it was a matter of a video being incomplete, due to a cut-off download or something. Definitely not the case in this particular file. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582/6 "2004-08-26T18:42:07Z")
It probably is a matter of the video being incomplete. Just because you downloaded the file completely to your pc doesn’t mean it was downloaded completely by the place hosting the file. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582/7 "2004-08-26T20:54:35Z")
> [@Dragwyr](#): > > It probably is a matter of the video being incomplete. Just because you downloaded the file completely to your pc doesn’t mean it was downloaded completely by the place hosting the file. Yeah, pretty much what I was thinking. In that case, are there any alternatives? Are there any programs out there that will put the right trailer on the file for me? A viewer that’s not so…fastidious? Anything other than a total reencode? -Joe ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downloaded-video-wont-allow-navigation/261582/8 "2004-08-26T22:26:46Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Naw, I can guarantee that this isn’t streamed video. It’s gen-yoo-ine completely downloaded and stored on my hard drive. So, that’s definitely not the case. > > I thought at one point in the past I’d detected that it was a matter of a video being incomplete, due to a cut-off download or something. > > Definitely not the case in this particular file. > > -Joe Maybe I wasn’t clear earlier…it’s a video that’s ENCODED to be streamed, even if it IS 100%, completly downloaded and on your hard drive. It tells the media player that it is to play the video as it loads, and to only load it as it plays…if that makes any sense. It just WILL NOT let you skip ahead, it’s just the way the file was made. You basically have to make a NEW video file that will let you skip ahead.