HTML Video Example. Courtesy of Big Buck Bunny.
Playing Videos in HTML
Before HTML5, a video could only be played in a browser with a plug-in (like flash).
The HTML5 <video> element specifies a standard way to embed a video in a web page.
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the <video> element.
| Element | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <video> | 4.0 | 9.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 10.5 |
The HTML <video> Element
To show a video in HTML, use the <video> element:
Example
<video width="320" height="240" controls>
<source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4">
<source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg">
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>
How it Works
The controls attribute adds video controls, like play, pause, and volume.
It is a good idea to always include width and height attributes. If height and width are not set, the page might flicker while the video loads.
The <source> element allows you to specify alternative video files which the browser may choose from. The browser will use the first recognized format.
The text between the <video> and </video> tags will only be displayed in browsers that do not support the <video> element.
HTML <video> Autoplay
To start a video automatically use the autoplay attribute:
Example
<video width="320" height="240" autoplay>
<source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4">
<source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg">
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>
The autoplay attribute does not work in mobile devices like iPad and iPhone.
HTML Video - Browser Support
In HTML5, there are 3 supported video formats: MP4, WebM, and Ogg.
The browser support for the different formats is:
| Browser | MP4 | WebM | Ogg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet Explorer | YES | NO | NO |
| Chrome | YES | YES | YES |
| Firefox | YES | YES | YES |
| Safari | YES | NO | NO |
| Opera | YES (from Opera 25) | YES | YES |
HTML Video - Media Types
| File Format | Media Type |
|---|---|
| MP4 | video/mp4 |
| WebM | video/webm |
| Ogg | video/ogg |
HTML Video - Methods, Properties, and Events
HTML5 defines DOM methods, properties, and events for the <video> element.
This allows you to load, play, and pause videos, as well as setting duration and volume.
There are also DOM events that can notify you when a video begins to play, is paused, etc.
Example: Using JavaScript
Video courtesy of Big Buck Bunny.
For a full DOM reference, go to our HTML5 Audio/Video DOM Reference.
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 media players |
