Comments on: video element support in browsers http://www.broken-links.com/2007/11/13/video-support-in-browsers/ Thoughts on web development and technologies by Peter Gasston Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:33:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Peter http://www.broken-links.com/2007/11/13/video-support-in-browsers/comment-page-1/#comment-3959 Peter Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:36:17 +0000 http://www.broken-links.com/2007/11/13/video-support-in-browsers/#comment-3959 But that's pretty much what happened with Flash; if you didn't have it installed, you were pushed to go away and get it. Now it's more or less the standard for video on the web; the problem, of course, is that it's a proprietary standard. If getting the Theora plugin could be made as easy as getting the Flash plugin, there's no reason that this couldn't take off. It will take a little time for Ogg to become a new standard, but with support from some big players it could get there. But that’s pretty much what happened with Flash; if you didn’t have it installed, you were pushed to go away and get it. Now it’s more or less the standard for video on the web; the problem, of course, is that it’s a proprietary standard.

If getting the Theora plugin could be made as easy as getting the Flash plugin, there’s no reason that this couldn’t take off. It will take a little time for Ogg to become a new standard, but with support from some big players it could get there.

]]> By: Stuart Langridge http://www.broken-links.com/2007/11/13/video-support-in-browsers/comment-page-1/#comment-3958 Stuart Langridge Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:15:09 +0000 http://www.broken-links.com/2007/11/13/video-support-in-browsers/#comment-3958 Since people won't, in general, *have* the QuickTime plugin, it's not clear to me that John Q. Video-Publisher's situation is any better with the element than it was before. If I want to put up a video that'll play on most of my visitor's machines, which format should I choose? Let's imagine that IE also supported this element, but only supported Theora with "a plugin for Windows Media Player" (which, again, people are likely not to have). If I want to publish a video, I can do it in Theora format (so Firefox and Opera users can see it), in QuickTime format (so Safari users can see it), or in Windows Media format (so IE/Win users can see it). That's, frankly, not much better than the situation now... Since people won’t, in general, *have* the QuickTime plugin, it’s not clear to me that John Q. Video-Publisher’s situation is any better with the element than it was before. If I want to put up a video that’ll play on most of my visitor’s machines, which format should I choose? Let’s imagine that IE also supported this element, but only supported Theora with “a plugin for Windows Media Player” (which, again, people are likely not to have). If I want to publish a video, I can do it in Theora format (so Firefox and Opera users can see it), in QuickTime format (so Safari users can see it), or in Windows Media format (so IE/Win users can see it). That’s, frankly, not much better than the situation now…

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