Since years videos have been considered to be the best means of communicating with the website visitors. Whether you’ve a business website or run an informative website, placing videos on web pages can act as a convenient tool for gathering the attention of maximum web users residing in different parts of the world.

Nowadays, a majority of customers are unable to explore a website simply because of the inability to view the video placed on the site’s home page. The latest version of HTML i.e. HTML5 has marked a revolution in the video playback standardization domain. This HTML version includes specifications for a video tag, thereby allowing web developers to add video(s) to web pages in the manner similar to adding images.

Why choose HTML5 for playing videos?

Using HTML’s latest version allows web developers to build a Java Script that is capable of fixing cross-browser inconsistencies and adding features such as full-screen, sub-titles and an API for interacting with the video.  In addition to the varied innovative features available with this version, you can experience an improved video performance due to lack of plug-in (Flash player etc.) that’s usually required for playing the video. Creating interaction between video and other elements on the page also becomes possible using this HTML version. You can even combine nested tags as an approach to specify different video formats to the targeted browsers’ requirements.

Step by step procedure of playing videos with HTML5

Unlike other markup languages, HTML5 allows developers to add videos to web pages without the need of any plugins at all. Below, I have mentioned a step-by-step process that is followed for playing videos using this latest version of HTML.

Step1- Opt for a browser you intend to watch the video in. You may use Chrome, Safari or Internet Explorer 9+. It is recommended to avoid Firefox and Opera due to the cross-browser video format issues encountered with them.  Before you begin you’ll need to find a .mp4 file that can be used as a sample video for embedding within the web page. If you’re unable to find one within your repository, access the internet for enormous collection of free mp4 files.

Step2- Once you’re done with selecting the browser and mp4 file, next you need to build the basic framework where you’ll be building the video player.

You need to create a new HTML file in your working directory and name it as index.html. After this, you need to add the below code to this file:

[syntax type=”html”]

HTML5 Video Player

[/syntax]

The inclusion of above code marks the foundation of yet-to-be-created video player.

Step3- This is the fun part of player where you’ll be finally adding a video to the web page under focus. The sole goal in designing HTML5’s video element is to make the process of embedding video within a web page as straightforward and convenient as embedding an image.

Now, simply insert the below code in place of the “<!- The video will appear here->” comment in the code explained under Step2.

[syntax type=”html”]

[/syntax]

For the above code:

• Don’t forget to replace [YOUR VIDEO] with the path to your .mp4 file and refresh the page.
• The “src” attribute is the path and file name of your .mp4 file
• The “controls” attribute indicates your preference for standard controls, to be followed for the embedded video
• The “width” attribute indicates the width of the video player
• The “height” attribute indicates the height of the video player
• The text “Your browser does not support the vide element, please try downloading the video instead” is the back-up text that needs to be displayed in case the video tag isn’t recognized by the browser, currently-in-use.

Here’s how your HTML5 video would look like in Safari:

HTML5- The best language for customer-website interaction

Unlike the past when technology was not as advanced as it is today, playing videos within the web pages was an un-imaginable thing. With the emergence of HTML5 video watching it has become convenient for the gadget owners to watch videos without the need of installing new plug-ins on a repetitive basis. By simply embedding the video code, you can watch the video with ease.

• The device-compatibility feature of HTML’s latest version has made it the number one choice of entrepreneurs, students and other individuals who need to access information while on a move. Whether you own an iPhone, an iPad or any other smartphone, watching your favorite videos is now possible with HTML5. With complete control of manipulating media from within your web application, this latest version of HTML has become an effective tool of transforming plain web pages into video-enabled ones.

HTML5 Videos VS Flash Videos

Outset of HTML5 has become a key buzz in the web design industry. The technology has hyped to become the standards that all the internet browsers adhere to. With just a matter of one line code, it has become convenient to play videos using HTML video player. In contrast to this, the traditional flash video which require downloading plug-ins, have lost their significance.

The transition to HTML’s latest version has been supported by internet users across the globe. Even Apple, world’s second largest Information Technology company has announced that it would no longer be aiming to support Flash on their mobile device browsers. Considering the huge expansion of the mobile market in the coming years, it seems un-wise to go ahead with delivering videos in the Flash video format. Rather, it is highly recommended to start adapting the HTML version for delivering flawless videos for websites.

Nonetheless, even Adobe AIR, the latest platform for developers have shifted its focus on HTML, instead of Flask. Thanks to the sophisticated and data-driven applications of the tool, videos created using HTML’s recent version come with cross-browser and cross-device compatibility. A whole new class of gaming and premium HD video experience has made HTML as one of the most preferred web development tools among professional web developers working for varied business corporations.

With universal website video compatibility feature, HTML5 has been successful in helping business owners build websites that are full of videos, which load faster and have a brilliant resolution. Still in its development stage, this HTML version is yet to offer features that’ll comprehend the existing ones.

Considering the pace at which internet is evolving, it’s high time for all webmasters to combat the challenges that exist in the current web world. Online video is one such scenario that requires immediate attention. A large group of online business websites are finding it hard to create their niche simply due to lack of videos or improper embedment of videos. Customers find it tedious to download the plug-ins which are required for watching the videos placed on the website’s pages. HTML’s recent version 5 appears as a handy solution for this issue. So, whether its your first or your hundredth website, do make it a point to encode HTML5 video element into it. This would not only gather visitors for your website, but even enhance the conversion rate for it.

Summary

Companies operating via the internet have realized the importance of having videos on their website pages. Irrespective of the business you deal in, websites equipped with HTML5 videos tend to feature well as compared to the ones which comprise of flash videos. Customers love to watch videos in order to make a better decision. Hence, having websites with in-built videos can turn out to be the best strategy for attracting the customers’ attention.

Smooth Streaming is a feature that’s being looked into well by developers who’re involved in the process of embedding websites with HTML videos. With the growing success of digital video production services, it has become feasible for the website owners to get higher quality videos for their sites. Irrespective of what goal the video needs to achieve, using smarter software products like HTML would definitely help in developing professional videos.

With different people accessing internet via different gateways, it become important for every enterprise owner to ensure that his/her corporate website appears well on all devices. Professional developers have started embracing open standards such as HTML’s version 5 so as to ensure that the corporate heads focus on professional video editing without worrying much about its distribution. An extra tint of excitement added into corporate videos can play a crucial role in supporting the video advertising campaigns led by business organizations spread all over the world.

So, what’s your take on handling a video? Are you ready to convert your website’s old flash videos into HTML5 videos? If yes, then do drop in your thoughts as well as comments. Likewise, if you still aren’t convinced, update us with the reasons for the same. We’d love to answer your queries (if any) via our comments section.