How to Embed, Load, and Play Video in Html

We will discover how to incorporate video into a Html page in this article.

In the past, inserting video content into a web page was a relatively challenging task due to the absence of a consistent standard for defining embedded media files, such as video, across different web browsers.

This chapter covers several methods for adding videos to web pages, ranging from the latest HTML5 <video> element to popular YouTube videos.

The recently added HTML5 <video> element presents a standardized approach for embedding video content in web pages. Although it is a relatively new addition, it is compatible with the majority of up-to-date web browsers.

The supported video formats by html5 video elements include MP4, WebM, and Ogg. These formats are associated with the media types video/mp4, video/webm, and video/ogg, respectively.

To demonstrate, the following example showcases the straightforward process of inserting a video into an HTML document. The video is seamlessly inserted using the default controls provided by the browser, and its source is specified through the src attribute.

<video width="400" height="400" controls>
  <source src="big_buck_bunny_720p_surround.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
  Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos!
</video>

• Try this code

The video is embedded in the HTML document with the default controls provided by the browser, and it includes multiple alternative sources for playback.

<video width="200" height="200" controls="controls">
        <source src="ElephantsDream/ed_1024_512kb.mp4" type="video/mp4">
  <source src="ElephantsDream/ed_hd.ogg" type="video/ogg">
  Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos!
    </video>

• Try this code

How it works

• Video controls like play, pause, and volume can be added to the video using the controls property.
• It is important to always include the width and height properties in your code. If these dimensions are not specified, the website may experience flickering while the video loads.
• The <source> element can be used to provide additional video files for the browser to choose from. The browser will select the first format it recognizes.
• The text placed between the <video> and </video> tags will only be visible to browsers that do not support the video element.

• controls: Specifies whether or not the video should have controls. The default value is true, which means that the video will have controls by default. If you set the controls attribute to false, the video will not have controls.
• poster: Specifies the URL of an image that should be displayed before the video starts playing. This is useful for providing a preview of the video before it starts playing.
• preload: Specifies how the video should be loaded when the page loads. The possible values are auto, metadata, and none.
  • auto: The video will be loaded and buffered as soon as the page loads.
  • metadata: The video will be loaded, but the video will not be buffered. This means that the video will not start playing until the user clicks on it.
  • none: The video will not be loaded until the user clicks on it.
• muted: Specifies whether or not the video should start muted. The default value is false, which means that the video will start with the sound turned on. If you set the muted attribute to true, the video will start with the sound turned off.
• loop: Specifies whether or not the video should loop after it finishes playing. The default value is false, which means that the video will not loop. If you set the loop attribute to true, the video will loop after it finishes playing.
• src: Specifies the URL of the video file. This is the most important attribute of the HTML5 video element.
• width and height: Specify the width and height of the video element. These attributes are important for ensuring that the video is displayed correctly in the browser.
• type: Specifies the MIME type of the video file. This is important for ensuring that the browser knows how to play the video file.
• track: Can be used to provide subtitles or captions for the video. This is useful for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Let's see an example for each attributes:

To enable automatic video playback, utilize the autoplay attribute. However, note that in most cases, Chromium browsers do not support autoplay. On the contrary, muted autoplay is generally allowed.

To allow the video to play automatically after auto playback, add the muted attribute, which ensures that the video plays without sound.

<video width="400" height="400" controls autoplay muted>
  <source src="ElephantsDream/ed_1024_512kb.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
  Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos!
</video>

• Try this code

If you want to specifies an image (Set poster or cover photo) to be displayed as a placeholder before the video starts playing use poster attribute.

If you want to makes the video replay from the beginning once it reaches the end then use loop attribute.

<video width="620" controls poster="Elephants_Dream_s5_both.jpg" loop>
  <source src="ElephantsDream/ed_1024_512kb.mp4" type="video/mp4">
  Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video tag.
</video>

• Try this code

What is the HTML <video> element?

The HTML <video> element is used to embed video content directly into a web page. It allows you to play video files, providing a built-in video player that supports various video formats. The <video> element can be customized using attributes and JavaScript to control playback, appearance, and interactivity.

How do you embed a video using the <video> element?

To embed a video using the <video> element, you specify the video source(s) within the opening and closing <video> tags using the <source> element. Here's an example:

<video controls>
    <source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4">
    <source src="video.webm" type="video/webm">
    Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>

In this example, the browser will try to play the video in either MP4 or WebM format, depending on compatibility. If none of the provided formats are supported, the fallback content between the <video> tags will be displayed.

What is the purpose of the controls attribute in the <video> element?

The controls attribute in the <video> element adds basic video controls to the player, such as play, pause, volume, and progress bar. When the controls attribute is included, users can interact with the video using these controls, making it easier to play and navigate through the video content.

What are some common video formats supported by the <video> element?

The <video> element supports various video formats to ensure compatibility across different browsers and devices. Commonly supported video formats include:

• MP4 (H.264 video codec, AAC audio codec)
• WebM (VP9 video codec, Vorbis audio codec)
• Ogg (Theora video codec, Vorbis audio codec)

Using multiple source elements within the <video> tag, as shown in the previous example, allows you to provide the video in different formats for broader compatibility.

Can you embed videos from external sources, such as YouTube or Vimeo, using HTML5?

No, you cannot directly embed videos from external sources like YouTube or Vimeo using HTML5. These platforms provide their own embed codes or APIs to embed their videos on web pages. You can use their provided embed codes or APIs to embed videos from these external sources.

How can you customize the appearance and behavior of the <video> element using attributes?

You can customize the appearance and behavior of the <video> element using various attributes. Some notable attributes include:

• controls: Adds video controls.
• autoplay: Specifies that the video should start playing automatically.
• loop: Makes the video replay after it finishes.
• muted: Mutes the video's audio.
• poster: Displays an image as the video's poster frame.
• width and height: Sets the dimensions of the video player.
• preload: Specifies whether and how much of the video should be preloaded.

<video controls autoplay loop poster="thumbnail.jpg" width="640" height="360">

How can you add subtitles or captions to a video using the <video> element?

To add subtitles or captions to a video using the <video> element, you can use the <track> element. The <track> element specifies text tracks for the video, including subtitles, captions, and descriptions in different languages. Here's an example:

<video controls>
    <source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4">
    <track src="subtitles_en.vtt" kind="subtitles" srclang="en" label="English">
</video>

How can you style the <video> element using CSS?

You can style the <video> element using CSS to change its appearance, dimensions, and more. Here are some common CSS properties you can use:

• width and height: Set the dimensions of the video element.
• object-fit: Control how the video fits within its container.
• border: Add a border around the video element.
• border-radius: Apply rounded corners to the video element.

video {
    width: 100%;
    height: auto;
    object-fit: cover;
    border: 2px solid #ccc;
    border-radius: 5px;
}

Can you make a video responsive to different screen sizes?

Yes, you can make a video responsive to different screen sizes by using CSS. To ensure the video adapts to its container's width while maintaining its aspect ratio, you can use the following CSS:

video {
    max-width: 100%;
    height: auto;
}

This will make the video resize based on its parent container's width while keeping the original aspect ratio.

How can you detect if the browser supports the <video> element?

You can detect browser support for the <video> element using JavaScript. Here's a simple example:

if (typeof document.createElement('video').canPlayType !== 'function') {
    console.log('Video is not supported in this browser.');
}

This code checks if the browser supports the canPlayType method on the <video> element, which is used to determine if a specific video format can be played.

Is it possible to preload a video using the <video> element?

Yes, you can preload a video using the preload attribute of the <video> element. The preload attribute specifies how the browser should load the video when the page loads. It can have three values: "auto", "metadata", and "none". For example:

<video controls preload="auto">
    <source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

• "auto": The video is preloaded as much as possible.
• "metadata": Only the video's metadata (e.g., duration, dimensions) is preloaded.
• "none": The video is not preloaded.

Remember that preloading videos can impact page loading times, so choose the appropriate value based on your website's performance requirements.

How can you make a video autoplay and loop continuously without user interaction?

To make a video autoplay and restart without user interaction, you can use the autoplay and loop attributes and on the <video> element. For instance:

<video autoplay loop>
    <source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

However, be mindful of user experience and data usage when using autoplay, as it can be intrusive and consume bandwidth.

What is the difference between the preload attribute and the autoplay attribute?

The preload attribute and the autoplay attribute are used for different purposes:

• preload: The preload attribute specifies how much of the video content should be preloaded when the page loads. It can have values like "auto", "metadata", and "none".
• autoplay: The autoplay attribute makes the video start playing automatically as soon as it's loaded, without any user interaction.

Using preload helps improve the loading performance of the video, while autoplay controls the initial playback behavior.

What is the difference between the poster attribute and the first frame of a video?

The poster attribute in the <video> element specifies an image that is shown as the video's poster frame before the video starts playing or while it's loading. It's a static image that provides a preview or context for the video.

The first frame of a video is the actual content of the video itself at the beginning. It can be displayed as a poster frame by default if the poster attribute is not specified. However, using the poster attribute allows you to customize the poster frame independently from the video's content.

Can you use JavaScript to control the <video> element's playback?

Yes, you can use JavaScript to control the playback of the <video> element. You can access the <video> element using JavaScript and use methods like .play(), .pause(), and properties like .currentTime to manage playback, seek, and other interactions.

const video = document.querySelector('video');
video.play(); // Starts video playback
video.pause(); // Pauses video playback
video.currentTime = 30; // Seeks to 30 seconds into the video

How can you set the default playback volume of a video?

You can set the default playback volume of a video using the volume attribute of the <video> element. The volume attribute accepts values between 0 (muted) and 1 (full volume). For example:

const video = document.querySelector('video');
video.volume = 0.5; // Sets volume to 50%

How can you capture and handle events that occur during video playback using JavaScript?

You can capture and handle events that occur during video playback using JavaScript event listeners. Some common events related to video playback include:

• play: Triggered when the video starts playing.
• pause: Triggered when the video is paused.
• ended: Triggered when the video finishes playing.
• timeupdate: Triggered as the video playback progresses, allowing you to track the current time.

const video = document.querySelector('video-id');

video.addEventListener('play', () => {
    console.log('Video started playing');
});
video.addEventListener('pause', () => {
    console.log('Video paused');
});
video.addEventListener('ended', () => {
    console.log('Video finished playing');
});
video.addEventListener('timeupdate', () => {
    console.log('Current time:', video.currentTime);
});

Can you use JavaScript to dynamically change the source of a video element?

Yes, you can use JavaScript to dynamically change the source of a video element. You can modify the src attribute of the <source> element within the <video> element. Here's an example:

<video controls id="my-video">
    <source src="initial_video.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>

<script>
    const video = document.getElementById('my-video');
    const newSource = 'new_video.mp4';

    // Change the source dynamically
    video.querySelector('source').src = newSource;
    video.load(); // Load the new source
</script>

In this example, when the JavaScript code runs, the video's source is changed to "new_video.mp4," and the load() method is called to reload the video with the new source.

Can you track the progress of a video's buffering?

Yes, you can track the progress of a video's buffering using the buffered property of the <video> element. This property returns a TimeRanges object that represents the parts of the video that have been buffered. You can use this information to display loading indicators or provide feedback to users about the buffering progress.

const video = document.querySelector('video');
video.addEventListener('progress', () => {
    const buffered = video.buffered;
    const bufferedPercent = (buffered.end(0) / video.duration) * 100;
    console.log(`Buffered: ${bufferedPercent.toFixed(2)}%`);
});

Can you use the <video> element for live streaming?

Yes, you can use the <video> element for live streaming by providing a live streaming URL as the video source. Live streaming sources can be in various formats such as HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) or DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP). You can specify these streaming sources in the <source> elements within the <video> tag.

<video controls>
    <source src="live_stream.m3u8" type="application/x-mpegURL">
</video>

Can you use the <video> element to capture video from the user's webcam?

Yes, you can use the <video> element in combination with the navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia() API to capture video from the user's webcam. This allows you to create a video stream from the webcam and display it within the <video> element. Here's a simplified example:

<video id="webcam-video" autoplay></video>

<script>
    const video = document.getElementById('webcam-video');
    navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ video: true })
        .then(stream => {
            video.srcObject = stream;
        })
        .catch(error => {
            console.error('Webcam access error:', error);
        });
</script>

In this example, the getUserMedia() API is used to access the webcam's video stream and assign it to the <video> element's srcObject property.

The HTML5 video element is a powerful tool for incorporating video content into web pages. With its various attributes such as preload, poster, src, height, width, controls, muted, loop, type, and track, web developers can optimize video playback, enhance user experience, and improve search engine visibility.

By leveraging these attributes effectively, web developers can create visually appealing and accessible videos that engage viewers and drive traffic to their websites. Whether it's optimizing video loading, designing attractive posters, incorporating captions, or enhancing interactivity, the HTML5 video element offers a wide range of possibilities to deliver compelling multimedia experiences on the web.