HTML5 Video Player for Dreamweaver

Internet is changing every day and new technologies grow faster than years ago. HTML5 is being developed as the next version of HTML. It is supported by the modern browsers and widely supported on mobile devices. HTML5 introduced an element named "HTML video" for playing videos without needing external plugins (unlike classic video players), which means that if the browser supports HTML5 video at least one of the video formats should be supported without having to download and install new plugins or video codecs. The standard video format is still under a big discussion and is out of the scope of this review.

html5 video player
Img.1 - Sample HTML5 Video Player.

We will focus this short review in a tool that makes easier the insertion of a video into a web page without requiring knowledge about the HTML5 Video element and its details, keeping the code and technical details far away so we can minimize the time dedicated to the development and get ready better products in less time.

The tool in question is an extension for Dreamweaver (yes, Dreamweaver is still the best tool to keep us developing webs in a visual interface), named "HTML5 Video Player" and through its use we can easily insert an HTML5 video into our webpage and set the main configuration for the video player.

What about older browsers (some of them not so old) that don't support HTML5 yet? Here is one of the main features of this product that makes the difference when compared to similar products: if the browser doesn't support HTML5 the "HTML5 Video Player" will automatically load a Flash Video Player in a transparent way to the end user, this way you won't lose visitors due to failed video contents.

The features that we want to remark about this product are:

  • It's easy to use;
  • It's integrated with Dreamweaver, no hand coding is required;
  • No need to read large tutorials, it's pretty intuitive;
  • If HTML5 Video isn't supported, it automatically launches a Flash-based video player;

Dreamweaver CMS
Img.2 - Inserting HTML5 Video in Dreamweaver.

The product has been designed and developed by a team dedicated to media players for websites, so you can expect a reliable and well designed product with an efficient support service. Several of their products have been reviewed in designer magazines and are one of the most downloaded items at the Adobe Exchange.

Additional note: If you need more control on the look & feel you can opt for a fully Flash-based video player. The use of Flash may be a bit polemic nowadays, but the fact is that Flash is a strongly supported technology and its end is much farther than we can imagine. Despite what Apple says, most of mobile devices are including the Flash player. Some modern browsers like Google Chrome are including a built-in Flash player to avoid the need of external plugins.