1986 - Sony release D1

• First digital video recording format
• Stored 94 minutes
• Uncompressed

1988 - Sony & Ampex release D2

• Offered simultaneous playback
• Stored composite video over component
• Still uncompressed

1988 - H.261 is released

• First member of the H.26x family
• Most all subsequent video coding standards are based on it
• Used compression

Implementation

<video controls>
  <source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4;">
  <source src="video.webm" type="video/webm;">
  <source src="video.ogv" type="video/ogg; codecs=theora, vorbis">
  <a href="video.mp4">Download Video</a>
</video>

Requirements

• Easy to create at scale
• Small file size
• Highest quality possible
• Works on all desktop browsers aswell as mobile devices
• Video must autoplay & loop
• Sound not required

Feature Detection - Codecs

modernizr.com

if( Modernizr.video ) {
  // browser supports video
}

Modernizr.video.h264 // 'probably', 'maybe', ''
Modernizr.video.webm
Modernizr.video.vp9
Modernizr.video.ogg

Feature Detection - Codecs

var video = (function() {
  var elem = document.createElement('video');
  var bool = false;
  try {
    if ( bool = !!elem.canPlayType ) {
      bool = new Boolean(bool);
      bool.ogg = elem.canPlayType('video/ogg; codecs="theora"').replace(/^no$/,'');
      bool.h264 = elem.canPlayType('video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E"').replace(/^no$/,'');
      bool.webm = elem.canPlayType('video/webm; codecs="vp8, vorbis"').replace(/^no$/,'');
      bool.vp9 = elem.canPlayType('video/webm; codecs="vp9"').replace(/^no$/,'');
    }
  } catch(e){}
  return bool;
})();

Feature Detection - Loop

var elem = document.createElement('video');
if( 'loop' in elem ) {
  // browser supports looping
}

Feature Detection - Autoplay

var video = (function() { ... })();
var autoplay;
var timeout;
var waitTime = 300;
var elem = document.createElement('video');
var elemStyle = elem.style;
var testAutoplay = function(called) {
  clearTimeout(timeout);
  elem.removeEventListener('playing', testAutoplay);
  autoplay = called || elem.currentTime !== 0;
  elem.parentNode.removeChild(elem);
};
 
if (!('autoplay' in elem)) {
  autoplay = false;
  return;
}
 
elemStyle.height = 0;
elemStyle.width = 0;
 
try {
  if (video.h264) {
    elem.src = 'data:video/mp4;base64,...';
  }
  else if (video.ogg) {
    elem.src = 'data:video/ogg;base64,...';
  }
  else {
    autoplay = false;
    return;
  }
}
 
catch (e) {
  autoplay = false;
  return;
}

Duck Typing

window.isOld = document.getElementsByTagName('html')[0].className.indexOf('lte-ie9') > -1;
window.isMobile = !!(function(a){return !!(/(android|bb\d+|meego).+mobile|avantgo|bada\/|blackberry|blazer|compal|elaine|fennec|hiptop|iemobile|ip(hone|od)|iris|kindle|lge |maemo|midp|mmp|mobile.+firefox|netfront|opera m(ob|in)i|palm( os)?|phone|p(ixi|re)\/|plucker|pocket|psp|series(4|6)0|symbian|treo|up\.(browser|link)|vodafone|wap|windows (ce|phone)|xda|xiino/i.test(a)||/1207|6310|6590|3gso|4thp|50[1-6]i|770s|802s|a wa|abac|ac(er|oo|s\-)|ai(ko|rn)|al(av|ca|co)|amoi|an(ex|ny|yw)|aptu|ar(ch|go)|as(te|us)|attw|au(di|\-m|r |s )|avan|be(ck|ll|nq)|bi(lb|rd)|bl(ac|az)|br(e|v)w|bumb|bw\-(n|u)|c55\/|capi|ccwa|cdm\-|cell|chtm|cldc|cmd\-|co(mp|nd)|craw|da(it|ll|ng)|dbte|dc\-s|devi|dica|dmob|do(c|p)o|ds(12|\-d)|el(49|ai)|em(l2|ul)|er(ic|k0)|esl8|ez([4-7]0|os|wa|ze)|fetc|fly(\-|_)|g1 u|g560|gene|gf\-5|g\-mo|go(\.w|od)|gr(ad|un)|haie|hcit|hd\-(m|p|t)|hei\-|hi(pt|ta)|hp( i|ip)|hs\-c|ht(c(\-| |_|a|g|p|s|t)|tp)|hu(aw|tc)|i\-(20|go|ma)|i230|iac( |\-|\/)|ibro|idea|ig01|ikom|im1k|inno|ipaq|iris|ja(t|v)a|jbro|jemu|jigs|kddi|keji|kgt( |\/)|klon|kpt |kwc\-|kyo(c|k)|le(no|xi)|lg( g|\/(k|l|u)|50|54|\-[a-w])|libw|lynx|m1\-w|m3ga|m50\/|ma(te|ui|xo)|mc(01|21|ca)|m\-cr|me(rc|ri)|mi(o8|oa|ts)|mmef|mo(01|02|bi|de|do|t(\-| |o|v)|zz)|mt(50|p1|v )|mwbp|mywa|n10[0-2]|n20[2-3]|n30(0|2)|n50(0|2|5)|n7(0(0|1)|10)|ne((c|m)\-|on|tf|wf|wg|wt)|nok(6|i)|nzph|o2im|op(ti|wv)|oran|owg1|p800|pan(a|d|t)|pdxg|pg(13|\-([1-8]|c))|phil|pire|pl(ay|uc)|pn\-2|po(ck|rt|se)|prox|psio|pt\-g|qa\-a|qc(07|12|21|32|60|\-[2-7]|i\-)|qtek|r380|r600|raks|rim9|ro(ve|zo)|s55\/|sa(ge|ma|mm|ms|ny|va)|sc(01|h\-|oo|p\-)|sdk\/|se(c(\-|0|1)|47|mc|nd|ri)|sgh\-|shar|sie(\-|m)|sk\-0|sl(45|id)|sm(al|ar|b3|it|t5)|so(ft|ny)|sp(01|h\-|v\-|v )|sy(01|mb)|t2(18|50)|t6(00|10|18)|ta(gt|lk)|tcl\-|tdg\-|tel(i|m)|tim\-|t\-mo|to(pl|sh)|ts(70|m\-|m3|m5)|tx\-9|up(\.b|g1|si)|utst|v400|v750|veri|vi(rg|te)|vk(40|5[0-3]|\-v)|vm40|voda|vulc|vx(52|53|60|61|70|80|81|83|85|98)|w3c(\-| )|webc|whit|wi(g |nc|nw)|wmlb|wonu|x700|yas\-|your|zeto|zte\-/i.test(a.substr(0,4)))})(navigator.userAgent||navigator.vendor||window.opera);

Thanks!

• Twitter: @darcy

• Github: @darcyclarke

• darcyclarke.me