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Features

HLS Streaming via Video.js

The player uses Video.js 8.10.0 loaded from the jsDelivr/zencdn CDN. Video.js provides a consistent, accessible UI across all modern browsers and handles HLS (application/x-mpegURL) playback natively where supported.

HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) is Apple's adaptive streaming protocol. A .m3u8 playlist file references a sequence of short .ts video segments. The browser fetches and plays segments sequentially, allowing the server to adjust quality based on network conditions.

Dual Source Types

Type How it works
External URL The browser fetches the .m3u8 directly from your streaming server or CDN
Uploaded File Moodle stores the .m3u8 and segment files; pluginfile.php serves them with Moodle's access control

When using file upload, the plugin automatically locates the .m3u8 file within the uploaded file set and constructs the correct Moodle file URL.

Progress Tracking

Progress is tracked client-side and saved server-side.

Client-side (JavaScript):

  • The Video.js timeupdate event fires continuously during playback.
  • A variable maxViewedTime records the furthest second the student has reached.
  • maxViewedTime only increases — scrubbing backward does not lower it.
  • The percentage display below the player updates in real time: (maxViewedTime / duration) × 100, capped at 100%.

Server-side (AJAX):

  • Progress is sent to mod_hlsplayer_submit_progress every 10 seconds, on pause, and on ended.
  • The server never overwrites a higher value with a lower one — student progress can only go up.
  • Data stored: maximum seconds watched (progress), maximum percentage (percentage), current playback position (lastposition), timestamp (timemodified).

Resume Playback

On page load, the player reads the stored lastposition value and calls player.currentTime(lastPosition) once the player is ready. Playback resumes from that exact second.

lastposition is updated on every save (even if progress and percentage did not increase), so students always resume from their most recent position.

Seek Restriction

When the teacher disables seeking, the JavaScript module listens to the Video.js seeking event:

  1. If currentTime > maxViewedTime + 1 (seeking more than 1 second ahead of the furthest watched point), the player reverts to lastValidTime.
  2. lastValidTime tracks the last playback position that was at or before maxViewedTime + 2.0 seconds.
  3. A 1-second tolerance prevents false triggers from normal playback buffering.

Students can rewind freely — only forward seeking past the unseen portion is blocked.

Playback Speed Control

When enabled, Video.js is initialised with playbackRates: [0.5, 1, 1.5, 2]. A speed menu appears in the player control bar. When disabled, playbackRates is an empty array and the menu is hidden.

Completion and Grading

Completion is handled by a Moodle custom completion rule (completionminview):

  • On every progress save, the server checks: percentage >= completionminview
  • If true, Moodle's completion API marks the activity COMPLETION_COMPLETE
  • The grade book is updated at the same time: the student receives the full Maximum Grade value
  • Grading is binary — either 0 or the full grade; no partial credit

Grade item is created with GRADE_TYPE_VALUE, ranging from 0 to the configured maximum.

Teacher Progress Report

The report (report.php) requires the mod/hlsplayer:viewreport capability (granted to teachers and above).

It fetches all enrolled users for the course, respects Moodle group settings, and joins against the hlsplayer_progress table. The output is an HTML table with:

  • Student name (linked to profile)
  • Progress formatted as H:MM:SS
  • Percentage as an integer (0–100)
  • Last access as a formatted datetime

Backup and Restore

Full Moodle 2 backup/restore support is implemented via the standard backup/moodle2/ class structure. Activity settings are backed up. Student progress records are not included in the backup by design (they are per-instance user data and would not apply to a restored copy in a new course).