Issue Summary

Loom videos recorded on the Windows Desktop App using "Camera only" mode (which utilize legacy V5 recording pipeline) may fail to play when embedded or shared, halting after 1 to 5 seconds with a browser media decode error (MEDIA_ERR_DECODE / MediaError code 3). Additionally, external automated systems (such as LMS or membership platforms) fail to download or import these videos for processing or AI transcription.

Steps to Reproduce

1. In Loom Desktop App for Windows, record a video using "Camera only" mode. 
2. Embed the video onto an external webpage, or attempt to import the video link using third-party automated tools/platforms.
3. Play the embedded video in a web browser, or initiate the third-party import.

Expected Results

The video plays continuously without interruption across all browsers, or downloads/imports successfully into external platforms.

Actual Results

• Web viewers experience playback halting permanently after 1 to 5 seconds with a browser decode error.
• External platforms fail to fetch or process the adaptive media stream.

Workaround

• a. Record in "Screen and Camera" or "Screen only" mode: In the Loom desktop app, avoiding "Camera only" mode on Windows prevents the issue entirely for future recordings.

• b. Force progressive MP4 for embeds or direct links: Append ?forceMp4=true (or &forceMp4=true) to the embed or share URL (for example: https://www.loom.com/embed/<VIDEO_ID>?forceMp4=true). Alternatively, download the MP4 directly from Loom (... > Download) and upload the file manually to third-party platforms.

• c. Please contact support so we can change the playback source of your video: We can apply a permanent MP4 override on our backend to individual videos or your workspace library.