Facebook videos make switch to HTML5
updated 06:25 pm EDT, Tue April 27, 2010
Allows playback on Apple handhelds, other devices
Social networking website Facebook has begun switching some of its videos over to HTML5, accounts say. Formerly, any videos native to the site were displayed in a Flash player. With the conversion to HTML5, videos should now be compatible with Apple handhelds such as the iPad and the iPhone. By extension they should also playable on other devices that support HTML5, such as Android smartphones.
Not all videos are available in the new format. Some clips, namely older ones, continue to be hosted in Flash, and will generate error messages on incompatible devices. The transition nevertheless undermines Flash creator Adobe, whose platform has been targeted for replacement by Apple, even though the technology is standard for online video and advertising.
Most trafficked site on the web...
04/27, 06:48pm reply
switches away from Flash. If I were at Adobe, I'd start thinking about making some HTML5 authoring tools and less about staying on the sinking ship that is Flash.
QualleyIV
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...
04/27, 07:04pm reply
If I was Adobe I would fix Flash so it was not c*** before they become the next Real Player, a forgotten player at one time was popular and a leader.
Athens
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Finally!!!
04/27, 07:59pm reply
And so it begins...
Arty50
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If only other smartphone platforms
04/27, 08:37pm reply
had given Apple some support to quicken the changeover to HTML5, I'm sure they would also benefit from it. Although I suppose they're not in any position to make waves like Apple is. I don't get it. Apple gets singled out as being the bad guy and the rest of the smartphone industry will benefit from it. Providing Adobe delivers a great Flash experience on other mobile platforms, Apple users, in theory, come up short since they won't have the capability of using Flash and it will take quite a while for more web sites to go to HTML5.
As mobile platforms become more and more dominant, sites are going to have to switch over to something less demanding on mobile devices. I can't believe smartphones would be capable of handling some of these sites I come across that are so Flash-heavy it's unbelievable.
The idea of Adobe making some HTML5 authoring tools sounds like a good idea. I doubt if Flash is going away within the next couple of years unless the iPad becomes some legendary success story. However, I'm dead sure that the more successful Apple mobile product are the faster the transition will take place to HTML5. It'll be where the money is.
iphonerulez
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comment title
04/27, 09:13pm reply
suck it adobe.
appleuzr
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HTML5 video
04/28, 01:10pm reply
Bear in mind that there is no requirement for the video format in HTML5. They could switch it all over to use Ogg video that Firefox uses, but Safari does not.
And I never knew Facebook even had videos...
testudo
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Not HTML
04/30, 11:21am reply
This is not actually HTML5, they are doing transcoding using the H.264 standard. You can find the entire procedure explained here: http://www.thehdstandard.com/social-media/facebook-using-html5-video-on-the-ipad/
Catalin
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