Well as the world of the internet evolves so does the code to run it. Yep thats right, looks like Google have implemented the first major we site to support HTML5. YouTube has just revealed that it is rolling out a new video player that supports HTLM5, one that can be accessed via YouTube’s TestTube idea incubator.
In an announcement earlier today, the Google (Google)-owned online video service stated that an HTML5-compatible player was the #1 request of its users. HTML5 is the upcoming new standard for the markup language behind most web pages, one that supports video, audio, drag-and-drop, canvas drawing, and many other new features and APIs.
Since HTML5 supports video embeds, YouTube has rolled out a version of its player that runs just on it. No browser plugins (e.g. Flash) are required to watch videos that support HTML5.
There are limitations, though. It doesn’t work with videos that have advertising, captions, or annotations. It also only works with HTML5-compatible browsers, meaning Chrome or Safari or Chrome Frame for IE if you so choose not to use a third party browser due to its looks/navigational differences.
You can take a look at a demo of the new HTML5 player here. As you can probably tell, it could use some more work, but YouTube promises to improve the interface over time.
We think this is a step in the right direction. While we don’t think Google should just switch over to HTML5 (Flash just allows for more functionality), we do think user should have the option. This is great to see a big website moving up in the support for new browsers and newly impressed code. I hope this means that someday the guys over at http://www.w3.org do make a HTML string that denied the use of Internet Explorer 6 though! *kneels & prays*
Source: mashable.com
