I've been keeping tabs on HTML5 video for my future transmedia project 3rd Rail, as HTML5 will almost certainly replace Flash video as the primary method of consuming online video... eventually. However, where we are right now is that Adobe is sunsetting Flash video but HTML5 is still in its infancy. Long Tail Video has released a very useful "state of HTML5" report, and it's very enlightening for anyone wondering what you can and can't do with HTML5 video today. Let's also embed some HTML5 videos right here and see if they work correctly in your browser:
Here's an interview with Director Joe Berlinger, whose latest is the excellent doc Paradise Lost 3, which is up for an Oscar this year. I've flagged the YouTube embed with the HTML5 tag, so if your browser supports it, you'll be getting an HTML5 version:
Did that work? To tell whether you got the HTML5 player or the Flash fallback version, right-click on the video. The last entry in the drop-down menu should indicate HTML5 or Adobe Flash.
Here's another test, which is Sintel, the free short film created using the free 3D software Blender. HTML5 full screen controls are still in draft status, so if you'd like to watch a larger version you can also download Sintel.
For the full report on HTML5, hit the link below.
Link: The State of HTML5 Video
