Until now, there has not been a standard for showing a video/movie on a web page.
Today, most videos
are shown through a plug-in (like flash). However, different browsers may have
different plug-ins.
HTML5 defines a new element which specifies a standard way to embed a video/movie
on a web page:
the <video>
element.
How It Works
To show a video in HTML5, this is all you need:
Example
<video width="320" height="240" controls="controls">
<source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg" />
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>
<source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg" />
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>
The control attribute adds video controls, like play, pause, and volume.
It is also a good idea to always include width and height attributes. If height and width are set, the space required for the video is reserved when the page is loaded. However, without these attributes, the browser does not know the size of the video, and cannot reserve the appropriate space to it. The effect will be that the page layout will change during loading (while the video loads).
You should also insert text content between the <video> and </video> tags for browsers that do not support the <video> element.
The <video> element allows multiple <source> elements. <source> elements can link to different video files. The browser will use the first recognized format.
It is also a good idea to always include width and height attributes. If height and width are set, the space required for the video is reserved when the page is loaded. However, without these attributes, the browser does not know the size of the video, and cannot reserve the appropriate space to it. The effect will be that the page layout will change during loading (while the video loads).
You should also insert text content between the <video> and </video> tags for browsers that do not support the <video> element.
The <video> element allows multiple <source> elements. <source> elements can link to different video files. The browser will use the first recognized format.
Video Formats and Browser Support
Currently, there are 3 supported video formats for the <video> element: MP4, WebM, and Ogg:| Browser | MP4 | WebM | Ogg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet Explorer 9 | YES | NO | NO |
| Firefox 4.0 | NO | YES | YES |
| Google Chrome 6 | YES | YES | YES |
| Apple Safari 5 | YES | NO | NO |
| Opera 10.6 | NO | YES | YES |
- MP4 = MPEG 4 files with H264 video codec and AAC audio codec
- WebM = WebM files with VP8 video codec and Vorbis audio codec
- Ogg = Ogg files with Theora video codec and Vorbis audio codec
HTML5 video Tags
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| <video> | Defines a video or movie |
| <source> | Defines multiple media resources for media elements, such as <video> and <audio> |
| <track> | Defines text tracks in mediaplayers |
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