Is there a script for plugin & version detection?

Want it to open pop-up window to download...

[akaTigger]

I have streaming video embedded in a page. The viewer chooses either the QuickTime or Windows Media player movie, but both options are version specific. The QuickTime movie requires v.5.0 and the Windows Media requires v.8.0.

If the browser doesn't have the required plugin (& version), I'd like a separate browser window to open to the plugin download. (Don't want the viewer to leave the site, ya know?) I've seen some scripts that detect the plugin, and maybe the version, but don't direct to the download. Any help? Thx.

[tedster]

This might get complicated - because each of the plug-ins seems to have their own preferred and propietary method to detect the plug-in and version.

I did some research and came up with this QuickTime help page [developer.apple.com] Here, Apple gives two versions of detection: one is the standard for Macs and the other a combination of VBscript and Javascript for use on Windows. So it looks like for QuickTime you need to first detect the OS.

However, I believe you could use these sample scripts as a basis to create a pop-up window for your visitor to acquire the upgrade.

Windows Media Player might be a bit harder. I believe Microsoft has embedded version detection into the recent versions of WMP, and it just does its own thing. The MS Media Player website pages didn't give me a clue - but it may be somewhere in their developer downloads.

However, I got to thinking -- after the download, doesn't a plug-in installation ask the user to close their browser? Even with a pop-up window, you would lose them at that point.