

Ask HN: Do we really need volume controls on embedded videos? - valgaze

Why should a user have to play equalizer on two sets of audio controls (the main computer audio and the audio of the tiny box on the screen.)<p>Just my $0.02, but I think on/mute gets the job done.<p>I noticed these folks didn't bother with a volume slider on their embedded video: http://ycombinator.posterous.com/embark-nyc-is-the-1-mta-award-winning-best-ap
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dtsingletary
It's absolutely necessary; it should, in fact, be illegal to omit a volume
control on any audio-playing control, embed, device, or otherwise. This is a
bit of a tangent, but stay with me: Much like with playing audio without
asking for an opt-in (PLAY button), not having a volume control makes
assumptions:

a) The computer's volume is at a sane level.

b) The video or audio has a volume track recorded at some standard volume

c) by extension, ALL audio is always at the same level, and therefore a user
would never have audio turned up to listen to some prior softer audio

d) The user doesn't already have some other audio playing, or that your embed
audio takes precedence over that.

e) Their speakers have volume control; they might have headphones on. You
don't know their sound situation, you can't make assumptions about it.

The reason I go so far as it being illegal to automatically play audio, and
not offer even per-embed volume control is because this all has the potential
to cause serious damage to their ears, equipment, and health.

That's why! :)

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valgaze
a) I buy that;

b) hmm;

c) but then if there is only one master control, they'll just have one volume
control to mess with, right?;

d) I don't buy that & here's why: are you really going to be listening to
other tunes in the background while you're listening to a TED talk? For case
2, you can pause/mute the video (all I'm referring to is the volume control
_slider_ in embeds;

e) I agree 100% not to make any assumptions about potentially billions of
users but with a main audio slider for their device I don't force them to mess
with two volume sliders.

Besides desktops, I think about tablets/mobile phones, how often do you tweak
the volume of the embed itself and not the audio for the entire device?

Bridge: You are spot-on that it should be a crime for auto-start on audio (I
feel like a few jerks who tried the auto-playing "Congratulations, you just
won a free iPod blah blah" will be eliminated quickly) but I think we can kill
off the volume sliders (assuming no auto-start audio, easy pause/mute)

I'm still trying to see if there is a bullet-proof use case out there where it
is _essential_ to have a volume slider on an embedded item itself.

~~~
fluxon
Volume controls are important, and should remain. To detail "d)": I frequently
have 3 video/audio sources pending - a movie (which I'll interrupt), a podcast
(which I'll speed through, and also interrupt), and a web flash video (alerted
via tweet or email). Because their recorded average audio levels are all
(wildly) different, for every type of media and content producer, each
player's audio level is different, but fixed for the current selected media.
So, the embedded web video had _better_ have a volume control, or I'm going to
be annoyed, because I _don't_ want to be continually adjusting the system
master volume control just because I'm pausing, unpausing various media
sources. It's an _action minimization_ thing.

For my smartphone, I'm forced to adjust the main volume control when switching
media, and I dislike having to do that so much that it tends to make me _not
use_ my phone as a media player.

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hobonumber1
I agree, it's not necessary. However, I feel some users are accustomed to it
being there, and so removing it may cause them a moment of confusion.

~~~
valgaze
That's true- I was a bit taken aback by the fact the Embark NYC ad didn't have
one but then it got me thinking why bother with them at al.

There is no consistent volume slider on the web though, everybody and their
grandma seems to have some clever/fancy way of doing it, youtube is different
from vimeo is different from some random fancy embed anyway.

HTML5 standards for video take audio slider as a given so this might be
sticking around for a while at least

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pasbesoin
Maybe they want to have your volume turned down but still hear the "bing" over
another event. Or any number of other scenarios.

Don't assume your video will be the only thing going on or the thing that
determines the master volume setting.

Finally, if the user wants to adjust volume for your embedded object, why
should they have to change the master volume, and then have to remember to
change the master volume back, afterward?

