Embed video in markdown with relative path

[noahpro99]

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Hi when I try to show a video in my markdown files on github they are not showing. To be clear, the video at ./results/old_episodes/simulation.mp4 is in my git repository as well as the markdown file. This is the syntax I am using:

![](./results/old_episodes/simulation.mp4)
<video src="./results/old_episodes/simulation.mp4" controls preload></video>

This syntax works well on GitLab and in the vscode markdown preview. Any help would be great thanks.

[hamfan524]

GitHub’s markdown rendering does not support embedding videos directly with the video tag or using the image syntax for video files.
This is a limitation of GitHub’s markdown renderer. However, you can include a link to the video file, which users can click to download or open the video in a separate tab. In another way, It works well if you convert the video to a GIF file and upload it.

[KoBeWi]

The markdown does support embedding videos, but only via attachments.
When you drop a video into a markdown field, it will get uploaded and you will get a link like

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/<some_hash>

inserted into your comment. The link will be automatically displayed as a video. This doesn't however work with relative links, or even absolute links in form of https://raw.githubusercontent.com/.

What's the difference between the them? Is there any reason video links (even absolute ones) can't be embedded automatically? This doesn't look like markdown limitation.

[thoughtsunificator]

Doesn't work in the event that you edit an existing message, furthermore reply by mail won't allow it either.

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[KoBeWi]

My comment is still relevant and the reply given to this topic is not satisfactory.

GitHub’s markdown rendering does not support embedding videos directly with the video tag or using the image syntax for video files.

This is technically true, because embedding is done using raw video link from user upload. How to use it with custom links, or why it's not possible?

This is a limitation of GitHub’s markdown renderer.

It's not a renderer limitation.

[weathon]

You can use webp format

[KoBeWi]

I can't. Webp does not support audio. It's just a GIF with better quality, it does not show in video player.
And even ignoring that, I tried converting a video to webp. The resulting file is 15 times bigger, I can't even upload it to repository.

[milahu]

this github bug is so ridiculous...
is github afraid to become "the next youtube"?
or has microsoft frozen github, so nothing will change forever?

gitea at least supports video playback via blob API and raw API

as a compromise solution
the github raw API should return videos with a correct content-type header

currently it returns videos with content-type: application/octet-stream
which makes the browser download the video file

$ curl -sLI https://github.com/milahu/poleshift-simulation-hashzappa/raw/main/img/Earth%20Orbital%20View%200zrb9mx6sQsN7gWa.mp4 | grep -i ^content-type: | tail -n1
content-type: application/octet-stream

if the github raw API would return MP4 videos with content-type: video/mp4
then we could play MP4 videos in the browser

example: the python http server returns the correct content-type header
so i can play the video in a browser

git clone https://github.com/milahu/poleshift-simulation-hashzappa
cd poleshift-simulation-hashzappa
python -m http.server 2935 &
sleep 1
curl -sI http://0.0.0.0:2935/img/Earth%20Orbital%20View%200zrb9mx6sQsN7gWa.mp4 | grep -i ^Content-type:
# Content-type: video/mp4
xdg-open http://0.0.0.0:2935/img/Earth%20Orbital%20View%200zrb9mx6sQsN7gWa.mp4
# -> video plays in the browser

workaround: pass the raw video URL to a video player

mpv https://github.com/milahu/poleshift-simulation-hashzappa/raw/main/img/Earth%20Orbital%20View%200zrb9mx6sQsN7gWa.mp4

other file types

for other file types, the github raw API already returns correct content-type headers
so we can view these files in the browser

example: Earth Orbital View 0zrb9mx6sQsN7gWa.jpg

$ curl -sLI https://github.com/milahu/poleshift-simulation-hashzappa/raw/main/img/Earth%20Orbital%20View%200zrb9mx6sQsN7gWa.jpg | grep -i ^content-type: | tail -n1
content-type: image/jpeg

example: Earth Orbital View 0zrb9mx6sQsN7gWa.info.json

$ curl -sLI https://github.com/milahu/poleshift-simulation-hashzappa/raw/main/img/Earth%20Orbital%20View%200zrb9mx6sQsN7gWa.info.json | grep -i ^content-type: | tail -n1
content-type: text/plain; charset=utf-8