YouTube HTML5 video player

YouTube is now in field of streaming HTML5 videos on all modern browsers. Supported modern browsers include Google Chrome, Safari 8, Firefox, Opera, and Internet Explorer. Now, in youtube, users are allowed to opt-in to its HTML5 videos. This is possible by using the h.264 video codec and WebM format. WebM format use the VP8 codec. This gives higher quality video at a bandwidth reduction. The new APIs that let YouTube show full screen videos with standard HTML UI.

Supported Browsers:

• Firefox 4, supports WebM

• Google Chrome, supports WebM

• Opera 10.6+, supports WebM

• Apple Safari, supports h.264

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 9, supports h.264, WebM

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8, only with the installation of Google Chrome Frame

The adoption of Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) led to fix on HTML5 standard. YouTube says ABR, which lets the site change resolution for viewers based on network quality. ABR has reduced buffering by higher percentage globally. And, as much as 80 percent on heavily congested networks.  The technology also lets people live stream their play sessions on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and use streaming devices such as Chromecast.

While HTML5’s video support enables to bring most of the content and features of YouTube to devices that don’t support Flash Player. Behind that, below are listed some of the added advantage HTML5 provides.

Benefits of HTML5:

• Content Protection

• Robust video streaming

• Standard format

• Full-screen Video

• Encapsulation + Embedding

• Camera and Microphone access

Limitations of YouTube HTML5 Videos

In case, user is trying to play video on Firefox or Opera web browsers, then it is necessary to have WebM transcodes included in the video in order to play using HTML5. Also, if a user has already opted in to additional YouTube experiments, the HTML5 player may not be provided, and will default to the Flash player.