HTML and CSS Reference
In-Depth Information
Going the extra mile to host your own video is probably not worth it for the vast
majority of applications, especially when you can subscribe to a site such as Vimeo
for a nominal fee and publish videos hosted there without linking back to them.
Q Should I be worried about web browser compatibility and standards compli-
ance when it comes to audio and video?
A
Unfortunately, yes. When it comes to video and audio, it's easy to wind up writing
markup that isn't standards-compliant or to leave out part of your audience by
using markup that won't work with their browser. Fortunately, as long as you use
the techniques listed in this lesson, you can embed video or audio in your pages in
a standards-compliant way that supports all the browsers that are currently in use.
Q What is the difference between H.264 and Ogg Theora?
A
H.264 and Ogg Theora are both video codecs. They are slightly different in terms
of performance, but the main difference is in how they are licensed. Ogg Theora is
an open technology that can be implemented by anyone without restraint. H.264 is
covered by patents that must be licensed. For this reason, some browsers, like
Firefox, do not support H.264 decoding. To use the
<video>
tag and reach the
widest number of users, you should make your videos available in both formats.
Quiz
1.
How do you accommodate users whose browsers do not support the
<video>
tag
and do not have Flash installed?
2.
Why is SWFObject a more robust approach to embedding Flash than just using the
<object>
tag?
3.
Why are two
<object>
tags required to embed Flash movies in pages that work in
most browsers?
4.
Which video format is supported by all web browsers that support the
<video>
tag?
12
Quiz Answers
1.
The key to accommodating users who cannot view your video because of the
browser they're using or because they don't have the proper plug-in installed is to
use alternative content. Content placed inside the
<video>
tag or
<object>
tag will
be ignored by browsers that understand those tags and displayed by those that
don't. You can include a link to the proper plug-in, a new browser, or even a direct
link to the video itself so that the user can download it and play it with an applica-
tion on their computer.
