How to embed videos for InDesign fixed layout EPUB3
|
- This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 2 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
-
Hello!
My goal is to make a Kindle ebook with embedded videos for android devices. I am using InDesignCC on a MacAir to build a fixed layout EPUB file, then using Kindle Previewer to covert to a mobi file, then dragging the mobi file to my connected android Samsung Galaxy device.
The Kindle book looks good re. text and figures. But the videos do not even show up, never mind play. I inserted H264.mp4 videos into the original inDesignCC file. The videos play when I test them with the ePUB interactivity preview.
What is the correct file format for the videos? I read that H264-mp4 was the most versatile format. But whenever I open my inDesign file I get an error message saying that my document contains video files not supported by Adobe Flash and that i should convert the videos to FLV/F4V files? Would this solve the problem of viewing the videos in Kindle?
Any ideas would be helpful.
Thanks.
Sharon
-
Hi Sharon
As you’ve discovered Kindle Previewer will offer to convert your fixed layout EPUB from InDesign to a KF8 but the disappointing news is that the Amazon fixed layout KF8 format does NOT support video and that is why it is being removed. And it’s not just video, in fact any audio, animation, media overlays, interaction, transparency and many other aspects you might expect that are present in the rich EPUB3 format simply are either removed or do not work.
I also expect your ebook won’t look as good as you think it does when viewed on a device… the ‘previewer’ doesn’t really live up to it’s name as it doesn’t show you how the fonts will drop out when the ebook is viewed on a device.
You then mentioned Android and that is another challenge! It is a struggle to find a reliable Android EPUB reader that can play video. There is an Android Amazon app but as I say their fixed layout KF8 can not support video anyway…
Workarounds would be to switch to a reflowable KF8 which can contain video (and audio) or to try their beta of Kindle Text Book Creator but that only provides video to Amazon devices, so not desktop, iOS or Android as you require.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there are many of us frustrated by the poor format.
Ken Jones
Circular Software
https://circularsoftware.com/
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
 |