Before HTML5 was launched, videos were played in the browser with the help of Flash like a plug-in. The HTML5 video is exciting for web designers from across the globe.
Dozens of elements and attributes for building the websites are supported by the specifications. Multimedia audio and video format tags are included in these features.
The audio and video elements of HTML5 support playing of media without the need of plug-ins.
The media is handled by video and audio codecs. There are different browsers available and all these do not support media formats of the same type to implement HTML5 on the web.
All new versions of major browsers can display video using HTML5. The media formats supported by HTML5 audio and video elements are the WebM, Ogg Theora Vorbis, MP4 H.264, MP4 Flac, MP3, Flac etc.
Here are few things that developers should know about HTML5 on the Web
• Major video types supported by HTML5 are the MP4, WebM and Ogg/Ogv.
• WebM and Ogg work for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera. MP4 will work for Safari and IE9.
• Since most users are turning to mobile, there is need to adopt HTML5 for the media types.
Let us now know how to play videos in HTML5. The controls attributes of HTML5 video adds controls such as volume, play and pause. Include height and width attributes to prevent flickering while the video is loading.
The autoplay attribute helps the video to start automatically. Three supported video formats are available and these are the MP4, Ogg and WebM. For the video element, HTML5 defines the DOM methods and properties.
This will help the user to set the volume and duration as well as allows loading, playing and pausing the video. Important HTML video tags are <Video> which defines the video, <source> that defines multiple media resources for audio and video elements and <track> that defines text tracks in media players.
Closed captions and subtitles can be added easily to HTML5 in simple steps. HTML5 video display closed captions from WebVTT file. To get the file, submit the video file for transcription and captioning to a professional company.
Upload the caption file you get to the folder as your video. Add track element in the video HTML code. Save changes and update webpage.
HTML5 video is highly searchable, unlike the Flash video. All the modern browsers support that HTML5 video. The advantage of using HTML5 video is that the video will be viewable on mobile devices.
Flash is not supported by most mobile devices and if people do not use HTML5 videos for their websites, they may lose views.
Integrating HTML5 video to the website requires only less code. Loop, autoplay, controls and poster tags can be used.
There is no need to build a video player to add video to the web and it can be done very quickly so that developers can save time.
HTML5 is the latest version for building websites the features are similar to the previous versions but it comes with various new features.
There are built-in video and audio playback and there is no need to use any third party programs.
Another interesting feature is offline caching, Users will not need active internet connection to load elements of the webpage if they have already visited the site earlier.
Another reason to use HTML5 is the mobile optimization for mobile website and application creations.
When it comes to HTML5 video, it is constantly compared with Flash technology. Let us see some differences between them here.
HTML5 video advantage is in mobile space. HTML5 video content offers better battery life than Flash for smartphones, tablets and laptops.
Coming to desktop space, many versions of Flash are available and newly created videos do not play on older versions of Flash. There are also some issues with HTML5 video.
The technology is not yet supported universally. Seventy-five percent of the videos on the web are viewed using Flash. HTML5 video playback was added to YouTube in only 2011.
Eighty-five percent of the most visited websites use flash on their websites in various forms.
Running speed of HTML5 is high on different platforms and slow with Flash. Finally, HTML5 video is definitely the future but the days to abandon Flash are still down the road.
What is HTML5 DRM?
The DRM which is known as Digital rights management standardization in HTML5 has become the hot topic on the web after the W3C conference. Let us discuss with some prior basic information about the Digital Rights Management and the HTML5 as well as about the W3C.
Digital Rights Management (DRM)
The DRM is responsible for the usage, modifications and distribution of the copyrighted works across the web.
However, the DRM usage was not yet accepted universally as their many arguments have raised about the Intellectual property rights which are copying for free. There is also no prior and relevant evidence about the prevention of copyright infringement as it was still going badly for creators across the web.
What is W3C?
W3C is known as a World Wide Web Consortium. It is an international organization for the World Wide Web which developed various protocols to ensure the growth of Web. It has 432 membership organizations under the direction of Mr.Tim Berners Lee.
W3C
HTML 5 is a Markup language that is used in content structuring and presentation on World Wide Web. The current version is published by the W3C which has improved the language for the latest multimedia.
W3C decided to encrypted media extensions which are a form of Digital Rights Management to be included with the HTML 5.1 Version since 2013 which was continued without the DRM enabled proposals.
Now, let’s begin the story point that is trending across the web.
Since from the year, 2013 W3C starts considering including of DRM specific EME to the HTML5 which is under criticizing as it is against the openness and the vendor neutrality.
The World Wide Web Consortium checks the oversee the web and its related technologies and considers the various specifications that enable the DRM protected media in the HTML content. They are working on the Encrypted Media Extensions which runs up against the deadline.
So, a situation raised like the groups working under W3C can only publish the things with an existing charter and though they want to publish the specification of DRM, they must either publish as a standard EME proposal or extend the group charter.
So, the recent discussions revealed that the World Wide Web Consortium where the organization oversees the web-based standards and the specifications and helping the companies for the implementation of the anti-piracy DRM browsers.
About proposal
The proposal on Encrypted Media Extensions allows the HTML5 Video providers that enable the Digital Rights Management on the media that is played within the browser. It will be review by the W3C Advisory Committee. If it is approved, it grants recommendation to W3C to which opens the door to the new web standard.
So what happened?
Discussion about this new web standard was heated up, and even advocates argued one another related to the legal consequences that are expected to rise after the approval. Opponents are fearing towards the encouragement of more protected content which can lead to posing the risk of security with the simplification and the integration of DRM.
Tim Berners-Lee, the director of W3C, had invented several standards on the web and argued that DRM is the existing part of the internet content. and especially when it comes to video and it will be easy to handle the content than to convince the companies who are keeping the content online without any security.
So, companies who get the content via web browsers deal with the different formats of DRM without any recognition of sites like Netflix. Hulu asks the users to update the Silverlight or Adobe Flash players, and they need to implement the DRM on their platforms.
The proposal by these companies like Netflix and Microsoft like to process the things in a much seamless way beyond the standalone applications and the third party DRM that direct the browser automatically.
The EME will make a navigating DRM, which is very convenient to the end-users. However, many oppose the concept of DRM as a medium it means to the content access restriction for the legal process.
How do Web standards can be made?
If companies like Google can be raised in the virtual state, then the standard bodies like W3C can be virtual Meta-organizations. The W3C was setting the best standards like HTML and keeping the things in front of the world. The group has a full time working staff, which is the greatest asset for W3C. They are world-class experts. W3C determines the consensus in reviewing the charter from the advisory committee. At present, the W3C committee presently had 377 representatives.
The DRM inside the HTML was heated up the debates with the D3C proposals and Google, Microsoft is started working on EME that enable the HTML to get compatible with the DRM systems. So, EME might publish as a pre-standard, and W3C added its comment as a supporting the playback k protected content online which must be a web standard.
EFF objection
Previously, EFF had objected the charter basing on the clarification, and now the DRM in HTML must need support and a big YES from the advisory committee to W3C which is a critical one to decide the things between the HTML and DRM.
However, the thing is not just for the stopping of DRM code, but anyone can stop DRM. DRM was already working still on many devices, and Google was shipped the EME to work along with the Google DRM system. EME is not a part of the HTML5 standard, and of course, it’s not a new one for the DRM system. It also allows the HTML to be compatible with the present DRM system.
W3C is now following its consensus process by suggesting the advisory committee review the HTML charter. Moreover, finally, the users and organizations can participate in different ways as W3C run on consensus instead of entirely base on the voting system.
