NewsYouTube Switches to HTML5

YouTube Switches to HTML5

Developer.com content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

Google’s YouTube has announced that users with modern browsers who visit the site will see HTML5 videos by default. The announcement is just one more sign that Flash technology, which YouTube previously used for its videos, is on its way out.

The company said that the switch to HTML5 allows it to use Google’s VP9 video codec, which enables faster, smoother video playback. According to YouTube, the new codec allows videos to start playing 15 to 80 percent faster and reduces average bandwidth requirements by 35 percent.

Along with the announcement, Google is deprecating its Flash API and <object> Flash embedded video. Web developers are encouraged to use <iframe> embeds for their sites instead.

View article

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to Developer Insider for top news, trends & analysis

Latest Posts

Related Stories