Image and Video Results in Google Web Search

Am using WinXPsp3 and IE8.

When conducting a Google Web search in IE8 (as opposed to Image or Video
search) the displayed results will sometimes include Image and/or Video
hits.

The problem is that in these lists the "thumbnail images" or the "thumbnail
video image" do not appear in the description. Rather, there is simply an
empty box where the thumbnail should be.

If I redo the same search in either Google Image or Google Video, then these
same results will display again and the thumbnails will be included.

Is there a setting where I can turn on these thumbnail images in Google Web
search? Perhaps to get images from the website rather than the cache (???)
Maybe enable compatibility view for all websites (???) but I am just
guessing.

My preferred browser Opera, to which I've recently switched, does not have
this problem at all.

Sincerely,
Richard
Surrey, BC, Canada

Hi Richard,

You don't have the latest version of Opera? 10.5?

We have noticed that Google has been playing with new HTML5 features at
google.com.au.... hey... they've turned it off.. (I just tested it again
then), they must know my IP.

but google.ca still has it turned on...

at google.ca type javascript:alert(window.sessionStorage.length);

you will see that they are using a new HTML5 feature...

They are only targeting IE browsers or the Developer version of chrome.... I
just tested O 10.5 and although it does support DOM storage it is not being
used by G in O browsers.

Try google.com instead of google.ca you should get a different behavior
(assuming it is not your IE Accessibility settings).

You can turn off DOM storage in IE at the Advanced tab of Internet Options.

Regards.

"Richard Roseweir" <richrose@telus.net> wrote in message
news:O3dBYlt1KHA.3648@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Am using WinXPsp3 and IE8.
>
> When conducting a Google Web search in IE8 (as opposed to Image or Video
> search) the displayed results will sometimes include Image and/or Video
> hits.
>
> The problem is that in these lists the "thumbnail images" or the
> "thumbnail video image" do not appear in the description. Rather, there
> is simply an empty box where the thumbnail should be.
>
> If I redo the same search in either Google Image or Google Video, then
> these same results will display again and the thumbnails will be included.
>
> Is there a setting where I can turn on these thumbnail images in Google
> Web search? Perhaps to get images from the website rather than the cache
> (???) Maybe enable compatibility view for all websites (???) but I am just
> guessing.
>
> My preferred browser Opera, to which I've recently switched, does not have
> this problem at all.
>
> Sincerely,
> Richard
> Surrey, BC, Canada
>

Hello Rob,

Thanks for all the info which introduced me to many new concepts.

As of this morning, both IE8 and O5.1 do not display the thumbnails in the
Photo and Video lists of a Google Web search. My daughter using her
MacbookPro with Safari does not have this issue at all when searching for
info on "plankton."

I am surprised to discover that I can not access google.com in the IE or O
browser both of which insist on taking me to google.ca. What's with that
hey?

Unchecking "Enable DOM Storage" in IE Options > Advanced tab > Security
makes no difference in this regard.

I'm afraid all this is a little above me now. Why would any Search Engine
provider not want their browser to display all the info, pictures and
thumbnails included.

Cheers,
Richard
Surrey, BC, Canada

"rob^_^" <iecustomizer@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Ou0PrAu1KHA.6108@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Hi Richard,
>
> You don't have the latest version of Opera? 10.5?
>
> We have noticed that Google has been playing with new HTML5 features at
> google.com.au.... hey... they've turned it off.. (I just tested it again
> then), they must know my IP.
>
> but google.ca still has it turned on...
>
> at google.ca type javascript:alert(window.sessionStorage.length);
>
> you will see that they are using a new HTML5 feature...
>
> They are only targeting IE browsers or the Developer version of chrome....
> I just tested O 10.5 and although it does support DOM storage it is not
> being used by G in O browsers.
>
> Try google.com instead of google.ca you should get a different behavior
> (assuming it is not your IE Accessibility settings).
>
> You can turn off DOM storage in IE at the Advanced tab of Internet
> Options.

Correction: My current version of Opera is 10.51 and not 5.1. That's my
"allowable stupid" for today.

"Richard Roseweir" <richrose@telus.net> wrote in message
news:OLOE%23ay1KHA.3652@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Hello Rob,
>
> Thanks for all the info which introduced me to many new concepts.
>
> As of this morning, both IE8 and O5.1 do not display the thumbnails in the
> Photo and Video lists of a Google Web search. My daughter using her
> MacbookPro with Safari does not have this issue at all when searching for
> info on "plankton."
>
> I am surprised to discover that I can not access google.com in the IE or O
> browser both of which insist on taking me to google.ca. What's with that
> hey?
>
> Unchecking "Enable DOM Storage" in IE Options > Advanced tab > Security
> makes no difference in this regard.
>
> I'm afraid all this is a little above me now. Why would any Search Engine
> provider not want their browser to display all the info, pictures and
> thumbnails included.
>
> Cheers,
> Richard
> Surrey, BC, Canada
>
> "rob^_^" <iecustomizer@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:Ou0PrAu1KHA.6108@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Hi Richard,
>>
>> You don't have the latest version of Opera? 10.5?
>>
>> We have noticed that Google has been playing with new HTML5 features at
>> google.com.au.... hey... they've turned it off.. (I just tested it again
>> then), they must know my IP.
>>
>> but google.ca still has it turned on...
>>
>> at google.ca type javascript:alert(window.sessionStorage.length);
>>
>> you will see that they are using a new HTML5 feature...
>>
>> They are only targeting IE browsers or the Developer version of
>> chrome.... I just tested O 10.5 and although it does support DOM storage
>> it is not being used by G in O browsers.
>>
>> Try google.com instead of google.ca you should get a different behavior
>> (assuming it is not your IE Accessibility settings).
>>
>> You can turn off DOM storage in IE at the Advanced tab of Internet
>> Options.
>
>
>

Hi

Google are wearing browser vendor hats now. They have their own web browser
now - chromium. Much of this new stuff they are deploying to some domains is
'cutting edge' and experimental. It will take them time to fine tune things.

Surprising in that Google sites have always been the picture card example of
the successful application of simplicity in web design.

Regards.

"Richard Roseweir" <richrose@telus.net> wrote in message
news:OLOE#ay1KHA.3652@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Hello Rob,
>
> Thanks for all the info which introduced me to many new concepts.
>
> As of this morning, both IE8 and O5.1 do not display the thumbnails in the
> Photo and Video lists of a Google Web search. My daughter using her
> MacbookPro with Safari does not have this issue at all when searching for
> info on "plankton."
>
> I am surprised to discover that I can not access google.com in the IE or O
> browser both of which insist on taking me to google.ca. What's with that
> hey?
>
> Unchecking "Enable DOM Storage" in IE Options > Advanced tab > Security
> makes no difference in this regard.
>
> I'm afraid all this is a little above me now. Why would any Search Engine
> provider not want their browser to display all the info, pictures and
> thumbnails included.
>
> Cheers,
> Richard
> Surrey, BC, Canada
>
> "rob^_^" <iecustomizer@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:Ou0PrAu1KHA.6108@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Hi Richard,
>>
>> You don't have the latest version of Opera? 10.5?
>>
>> We have noticed that Google has been playing with new HTML5 features at
>> google.com.au.... hey... they've turned it off.. (I just tested it again
>> then), they must know my IP.
>>
>> but google.ca still has it turned on...
>>
>> at google.ca type javascript:alert(window.sessionStorage.length);
>>
>> you will see that they are using a new HTML5 feature...
>>
>> They are only targeting IE browsers or the Developer version of
>> chrome.... I just tested O 10.5 and although it does support DOM storage
>> it is not being used by G in O browsers.
>>
>> Try google.com instead of google.ca you should get a different behavior
>> (assuming it is not your IE Accessibility settings).
>>
>> You can turn off DOM storage in IE at the Advanced tab of Internet
>> Options.
>
>
>

"Richard Roseweir" <richrose@telus.net> wrote in message
news:O3dBYlt1KHA.3648@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Am using WinXPsp3 and IE8.
>
> When conducting a Google Web search in IE8 (as opposed to Image or Video
> search) the displayed results will sometimes include Image and/or Video
> hits.
>
> The problem is that in these lists the "thumbnail images" or the
> "thumbnail video image" do not appear in the description. Rather, there
> is simply an empty box where the thumbnail should be.


An example could help. FWIW I'm served by a Canadian ISP so I would
probably see whatever it is that you are referring to. Provided the HTML
is intact and it is just a question of an image not showing my guess would
be that Google now knows that IE8 is more particular about what it will
render. E.g. if by "empty box" you were instead describing a Red-X image
placeholder you could use IE8's Developer Tools Image Report (F12, Alt-I,R)
to see that the Red-X was called by it a "broken image" (with no further
information about what made it "broken".)

In fact, you could also use IE8's Developer Tools Find tool (F12, Ctrl-b) to
see exactly what the HTML being generated is and then find the equivalent
HTML in your other browsers to see if they are all being given the same
specifications. Also, if different browsers are being given different HTML
you could try using the UAPick tool to try spoofing a different browser
connecting when you used IE8. Etc.


>
> If I redo the same search in either Google Image or Google Video, then
> these same results will display again and the thumbnails will be included.
>
> Is there a setting where I can turn on these thumbnail images in Google
> Web search? Perhaps to get images from the website rather than the cache
> (???) Maybe enable compatibility view for all websites (???) but I am just
> guessing.


Exactly. Get some facts and then you/we can analyse them rather than
speculate. ; }


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle
---

Good morning Rob,

I have just seen your reply. Incidentally, I saw it while browsing another
webpage at
http://www.vistaheads.com/forums/mic...plorer-general
and then came back here to find it.

Using Google.ca do a Google "web" search for "dawkins." (He's the recently
retired British scientist who wants to have the Pope arrested.)

Scroll down to the bottom of the results page to Video results for
"dawkins." (inverted commas mine)

See that there are 4 video hits listed at www.youtube.com (x2),
www.google.com and www.ted.com

On my computer in IE8, the video icons associated with these 4 hits show
only a blank empty video player frame alongside the text description. No
image or video thumbnails inside the frame.

Now scroll up to the top of the Results page, click on Images instead of
Web.

Immediately click on Web again and then scroll down to review the previous
hits in Video results for "dawkins."

In my IE8 browser, the 4 video hits will NOW display the image or video
thumbnails inside the 4 video frames alongside the text description.

Why do these thumbnail images (if that is the correct description for them)
not show up when the Video results for "dawkins" is viewed the very first
time while doing a Google.ca web search? Why does it take a Google.ca video
or image search to cause the images to appear in the search results?

Thanks for trying to assist me with this inquiry.

Richard
Surrey, BC, Canada.

"Robert Aldwinckle" <robald@techemail.com> wrote in message
news:%23CHhoM12KHA.5420@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>
> "Richard Roseweir" <richrose@telus.net> wrote in message
> news:O3dBYlt1KHA.3648@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> Am using WinXPsp3 and IE8.
>>
>> When conducting a Google Web search in IE8 (as opposed to Image or Video
>> search) the displayed results will sometimes include Image and/or Video
>> hits.
>>
>> The problem is that in these lists the "thumbnail images" or the
>> "thumbnail video image" do not appear in the description. Rather, there
>> is simply an empty box where the thumbnail should be.
>
> An example could help. FWIW I'm served by a Canadian ISP so I would
> probably see whatever it is that you are referring to. Provided the HTML
> is intact and it is just a question of an image not showing my guess would
> be that Google now knows that IE8 is more particular about what it will
> render. E.g. if by "empty box" you were instead describing a Red-X image
> placeholder you could use IE8's Developer Tools Image Report (F12,
> Alt-I,R) to see that the Red-X was called by it a "broken image" (with no
> further information about what made it "broken".)
>
> In fact, you could also use IE8's Developer Tools Find tool (F12, Ctrl-b)
> to see exactly what the HTML being generated is and then find the
> equivalent HTML in your other browsers to see if they are all being given
> the same specifications. Also, if different browsers are being given
> different HTML you could try using the UAPick tool to try spoofing a
> different browser connecting when you used IE8. Etc.
>
>> If I redo the same search in either Google Image or Google Video, then
>> these same results will display again and the thumbnails will be
>> included.
>>
>> Is there a setting where I can turn on these thumbnail images in Google
>> Web search? Perhaps to get images from the website rather than the cache
>> (???) Maybe enable compatibility view for all websites (???) but I am
>> just guessing.
>
> Exactly. Get some facts and then you/we can analyse them rather than
> speculate. ; }

> Robert Aldwinckle

"Richard Roseweir" <richrose@telus.net> wrote in message
news:eIElVP93KHA.5212@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> Why do these thumbnail images (if that is the correct description for
> them) not show up when the Video results for "dawkins" is viewed the very
> first time while doing a Google.ca web search? Why does it take a
> Google.ca video or image search to cause the images to appear in the
> search results?


Sometimes it's because of your DNS. So instead of the procedure that you
have discovered seems to work you could try going to a cmd window and doing
a ping -n 1 -w 1 for whatever the thumbnail would be served by...

Use Developer Tools, Image Report (F12, Alt-I,R) to find out what those
images URL are. FWIW I am seeing unexpectedly long base64 strings, which
are probably being used to obfuscate whatever they are really doing or even
where they really go. In some cases the Developer Tools doesn't
immediately show the string but it can be seen by highlighting where you
imagine it would be.

Oh. In fact, I think that the base64 probably just encodes the real image,
so then there would be no URL involved. The browser would just have to
render whatever that string represents in binary. I suspect it would still
have to be written to a temporary file though and be rendered from there.
In that case your symptom might represent a problem with that procedure.
E.g. there might be a permissions problem with wherever the file was being
written to or subsequently read from. You could use ProcMon to check on
that idea.


HTH

Robert
---

Robert Aldwinckle <robald@techemail.com> wrote:
>
>
> "Richard Roseweir" <richrose@telus.net> wrote in message
> news:eIElVP93KHA.5212@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
>> Why do these thumbnail images (if that is the correct description for
>> them) not show up when the Video results for "dawkins" is viewed the very
>> first time while doing a Google.ca web search? Why does it take a
>> Google.ca video or image search to cause the images to appear in the
>> search results?
>
>
> Sometimes it's because of your DNS. So instead of the procedure that you
> have discovered seems to work you could try going to a cmd window and doing
> a ping -n 1 -w 1 for whatever the thumbnail would be served by...

Wasn't it already determined that google.ca are testing new HTML features
that do not work correctly in IE but work OK in other browsers?