Force download mp4 files

Question

I want to force the user tho download a youtube video. For example this url. I download the video and I can play the original video, but even the length/size of video is the same I cant play it when is force_downloaded.

function force_download($file,$video_url)
{

  $video_data = file_get_contents($video_url);
  file_put_contents($file, $video_data);

  if(isset($file) && file_exists($file))
  {
    header('Content-length: ' .  filesize($file));
    header('Content-type: application/octet-stream');
    header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename= "' . $file . '"');

    readfile($file);
  }
}

force_download('youtube.mp4',$video_url);

score 9 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:27

9

If you can use htaccess...

<FilesMatch "\.(mp4|MP4)">
  ForceType application/octet-stream
  Header set Content-Disposition attachment
</FilesMatch>

I use this to force PDFs to download as well. Works great!

Here is another stack question regarding forcing download with PHP... Does essentially the same thing as the htaccess I have written above. Setting the content-disposition to attachement is key.

How to force file download with PHP

EDIT: hrmm... but you have already done something similar which isn't working... See if you can get the htaccess to work with what you're trying to do I guess.

edited May 23 '17 at 10:27

Community

1
1

answered Jan 16 '13 at 19:42

Eric

907
7
13

1

Maybe the user is not using Apache! – Omid Kamangar Jan 16 '13 at 19:44
hence the preface "If you can use htaccess..." – Eric Jan 16 '13 at 19:45
3

+1 this is waaaay better than running huge video files through the PHP interpreter. – Pekka Jan 16 '13 at 19:47
Sorry @Eric, I was writing the comment before you edited your answer. – Omid Kamangar Jan 16 '13 at 19:50
@Ako hey, no problem, I know the asker was looking for a PHP solution, just thought I would throw htaccess out there and hope it would stick. – Eric Jan 16 '13 at 19:51

Force download mp4 files

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