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HTML5 Video:
Get Used to Multiple Formats

Video on the web is a mess. Web standards have never fully embraced video. Until HTML5, there was no video element, so the only way to play video was to depend on platform-specific software. HTML5 provides a video element, but you're going to need to provide video in multiple formats.

Video That Plays Everywhere:
HTML5 (MPEG4 & Ogg) + Flash

At its purest, the HTML5 video tag is a very simple. To deliver video that plays in Firefox and Safari, however, requires two different video formats, and you still need Flash for IE. Here's the code to make it happen.

Using HTML5's New Structural Tags

HTML5 includes a handful of new structural elements that are designed to make markup more meaningful. You can use these elements today; they don't really do much, so browsers don't need to explicitly support them. And it takes only a little trickery to make them work even in IE.

Hybrid Video Players for Video That Plays (Almost) Everywhere

Video is becoming more and more popular as an element of web pages. With the fragmented technology standards, providing video that plays everywhere can be tricky. Fortunately, there's an assortment of solutions available that package up all the complexity and provide a single, integrate solution for video that just works.

HTML5: Over-Hyped
or the Next Big Thing?

HTML5 has been receiving an extraordinary amount of attention, thanks in part to active support and promotion by Google, Apple, and Mozilla, among others. Despite its high profile, however, the HTML5 specification isn't even complete, much less officially blessed or broadly supported by browsers, and there are only a few pieces that are of immediate practical value.

Leading-Edge Training Videos on HTML5, CSS3, and More

You probably know of Carsonified from its Future of Web Apps and Future of Web Design conferences, or perhaps from its ThinkVitamin site. Now it has added Think Vitamin Membership, which offers a series of videos on a variety of leading-edge web topics.

HTML5 vs. Flash: A Complex Political Battle

A few days ago, I wrote about what the iPad means for web design. One of the most controversial issues is the effect Apple's spurning of Flash will have on the future of that technology. This subject has been written about widely; much of the commentary is along the lines of "good riddance to Flash" and "HTML5 can do everything Flash can do", and is emotional and ill-informed.

Recommended Upgrades: Firefox 3.6 and Firebug 1.5

Last week, Mozilla released Firefox 3.6, the lastest version of most web designers' favorite browser. We highly recommend the upgrade. Unlike the more minor releases, it appears that users are not automatically prompted for the upgrade, so you may need to download it manually.

The Future of (X)HTML

Last week, the W3C officially threw in the towel on XHTML 2. This was a Good Thing, as the bulk of the web community has been behind HTML 5 and there was little apparent future for XHTML 2. Eliminating it just cuts out some confusion and largely fruitless effort.