Ask HN: Do we really need volume controls on embedded videos? | Hacker News Reader

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

6 pointsvalgaze8 comments

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.)

Just my $0.02, but I think on/mute gets the job done.

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

View on HN

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! :)

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.

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.

I also normally have 3-4 sound sources during normal home computer use, all at different volume levels so they self prioritize. I'm not sure what the gain would be for removing the sliders when they serve a perfectly valid function. What benefit do you see from removing volume sliders?

Ok thought of one: main volume sliders are not super granular, usually 1 to 100, a 20 on the main one and a 30 on the embed doesn't necessarily correlate to a 50 on the main...

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.

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

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?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com