video player Archives - VdoCipher Blog Secure Video Streaming Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:50:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.5 https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/cropped-VdoCipher-logo2-32x32.png video player Archives - VdoCipher Blog 32 32 Top 20 HTML5 Video Player For Your Website in 2024 https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/html5-video-player-for-your-website/ Tue, 23 Jan 2024 10:49:56 +0000 https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/?p=15734 Earlier playback of videos was possible through the use of plugins like Adobe Flash or Silverlight. This was due to no native support for video playback through browsers, thus requiring third-party video and audio plugins. This issue was addressed by a consortium of major browser vendors like Apple, Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft to recommend an […]

The post Top 20 HTML5 Video Player For Your Website in 2024 appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

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Earlier playback of videos was possible through the use of plugins like Adobe Flash or Silverlight. This was due to no native support for video playback through browsers, thus requiring third-party video and audio plugins. This issue was addressed by a consortium of major browser vendors like Apple, Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft to recommend an update to HTML markup. HTML5 was then introduced with the support of < video > and < audio > HTML elements, HTML video controls, and even a HTML5 Video API to enhance their use for complex integrations. This introduction made HTML5 video player a reality and a native addition to most browsers.

What is an HTML5 Video Player?

An HTML5 video player is a software component used to play videos on web pages. It is built using HTML5, the latest version of the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), which is the standard language for creating web pages and applications. On 22 January 2008, HTML5 markup language was first introduced to the public. It was the fifth and final major HTML version update as per World Wide Web Consortium(W3C) recommendation. This markup is used to structure and define rules for displaying content on the Internet as web pages. In this major update support for video elements was introduced to support HTML5 video streaming through HTML video controls and elements, easy readability and backward compatibility.

HTML5 introduces native support for multimedia content, including video, which means that videos can be embedded and played directly in web browsers without the need for external plugins or third-party software like Adobe Flash. To add support for HTML5 video streaming, multimedia elements like < video > and < audio > were introduced. They were introduced with additional features like that of Javascript API to add more interactivity and control over the HTML elements and handle.

Find out how over 3000+ customers in over 40+ countries use Vdocipher’s video player to ensure seamless and secure video streaming!

Benefits of HTML5 Video Player

  • Native Browser Support: It is supported natively by all modern web browsers, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. This means users do not need to install additional software to view videos.
  • Use of the <video> Tag: HTML5 introduces the <video> tag, which simplifies the process of embedding video content into web pages. This tag supports various attributes and API support to control the behavior and appearance of the video player.
  • Format Compatibility: The HTML5 video player supports multiple video formats, though the most commonly used are MP4 (using H.264 video codec and AAC audio codec), WebM, and Ogg. The support for these formats varies across different browsers. Check the below table for more information.
  • Accessibility and Customization: HTML5 video players can be easily customized and controlled using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This allows for the creation of accessible players with custom controls, styles, and behavior.
  • Mobile Compatibility: HTML5 video players are compatible with mobile devices and tablets, providing a seamless video experience across different devices and screen sizes.
  • API and Interactivity: HTML5 provides a rich set of APIs for controlling video playback programmatically, enabling developers to build interactive and dynamic video experiences.
  • Streaming Capabilities: While HTML5 video players support progressive download by default, they can also be used for streaming video content using additional technologies like Media Source Extensions (MSE) and Encrypted Media Extensions (EME).
  • Subtitles and Closed Captions: The player supports subtitles and closed captions, making it accessible to a wider range of audiences, including those with hearing impairments.
  • Cross-platform Compatibility: Ensures a consistent viewing experience across various devices and browsers. Such cross-platform compatibility allows low-end browsers and devices to perform optimally for enhanced user experience.
  • Reduced Dependence on Third-party Plugins: Decreases load times and increases security.
  • Enhanced User Experience: Provides smoother playback and more interactive features without a need of third party installation.
  • SEO Benefits: As part of a website’s content, videos can contribute to search engine optimization by providing relevant content to the visiting user.

HTML5 Player advantage over Flash

Flash-based players have become obsolete now and HTML5 video players have become the new industry standard. An HTML5 video offers several advantages over Flash Player, such as:

Feature HTML5 Video Flash Video
Customizable Player Yes Yes
Platform Native support in browser Plugin
DRM decryption Yes Yes
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Yes Yes
Ad Insertion Yes Yes
Plugin load time N/A (0 m/s) 500ms–2000ms
GPU accelerated decode Yes Yes
Full Screen Viewing Yes Yes
Ad Protocol Support VPAID 2 VPAID 1 and 2
Supported Codecs H.264 (most browsers) VP8/VP9 (Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Opera, Android) VP6, H.264
DRM Support Widevine, Playready, Fairplay PrimeTime (depends upon browser) PrimeTime (formerly Access)
Supported Containers mp4, WebM, m2ts (depends on browser) mp4, flv
Adaptive Bitrate Support MPEG-DASH HLS, HDS

Top 20 HTML5 Video Players

1. VdoCipher

This player is the best having all the advanced features an html5 video player must have. It provides DRM encryption for secure video streaming. It uses Dash as an open-source base to build the DRM-encrypted playback in an online video player.

The player supports functionalities like Multiple quality options, Adaptive playback, Responsive design, Multi-lingual subtitles, Forward/Rewind options, and various player themes in different colors. You can create your custom video player now using Vdocipher player, change the complete appearance, and edit controls as per your need.

2. Plyr

Plyr is a simple, lightweight, and customizable player. It offers support for HTML Vimeo and YouTube players. It is popular in both experts and beginners circles for its lightweight configuration that enables smooth processing for large video files. Plyr intuitively makes things easier with useful elements that help seamless project completion.

Features of Plyr include accessibility (offers full support for VTT captions and screen readers), a lightweight player that does not occupy a lot of space on the server, several customization options, responsiveness to fit any screen size, support for streaming and audio formats.

3. Video.js

A free and open-source player, Video.js offers basic playback options and cross-browser compatibility. VideoJS uses JavaScript to plug cross-browser inconsistencies, ensuring your content appears in the best light. It can also add support for HTML5 tags on older IE versions, and introduce functionalities such as subtitles and full-screen displays.

Other standout features can be introduced in VideoJS with the help of plugins. You can track Google Analytics ever right from the player, add your branding in the player controls, and introduce Chromecast support.

4. Projekktor

A self-hosted, open-source player, Projekktor manages compatibility and cross-browser issues effectively. Projekktor effectively manages all compatibility issues and cross-browser issues while offering a set of powerful features.

The key features of this HTML5 video player are automatic detection of the best way to play your favorite video, its impressive and attractive aesthetics and user-friendly behavior, consistent performance and high reliability.

5. jPlayer

This free, open-source media library is extensible and supports cross-platform video and audio integration.jPlayer allows quick weaving of cross-platform video and audio into your website pages through a jQuery plugin. Its holistic API supports innovative media solutions as the active and engaging open-source community around jPlayer extends support.

You can seamlessly install a package for PHP to download all components and install the required files into the specific path for installation.

6. MediaElement.js

This is a jQuery plugin that enables you to use the video tag with a single H.264 file. If your online media player does not support HTML5, MediaElementJS will replace the online media player with a Flash or Silverlight-based one. Everyone can contribute to improving this product as it’s free and open-source. This player offers a consistent HTML5 API for both Flash and HTML5, making it versatile. It supports audio and video files and can also play YouTube videos.

7. Flowplayer

Known for its ease of use, Flowplayer supports MP4 and FLV formats and offers automated checking of video encoding for logged-in administrators. You can apply branding at the end and the start of the videos. Moreover, users can enjoy unlimited instances on a single page.

A few other features include Google Analytics, Subtitles, Slow motion, Native fullscreen, Keyboard shortcuts, Random seeking, Retina ready, Cuepoints, and so on, without the use of expensive plugins.

8. Kaltura Player

Known for its extensive features, Kaltura Player is suitable for educational and enterprise-level use. It offers analytics, accessibility features, and a wide range of plugins.

Features include multi-platform support, robust performance, and advertising and analytics capabilities (it supports several ad formats such as VAST 3.0 and integrated plugins for video ad networks, such as Tremor Video, AdapTV, Eye Wonder, Ad Tech, DoubleClick DFP, and so on).

9. Elite

Elite Video Player is a fully customizable video player for WordPress that offers advertising support. The responsive HTML5 video player offers playback for platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, Google Drive, and self-hosting videos (only mp4).

A few standout features of Elite Video Player online include YouTube 360 VR and live streaming support, Google Drive and Open load videos, advertising with pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll ads, video ads, popup ads, and so on.

10. Afterglow

A lightweight, easy-to-use HTML5 video player, Afterglow initializes automatically after the page loads and supports responsive design, ensuring compatibility with different device sizes. A few standout features of Afterglow are its cross-browser compatibility (works on all major browsers and devices and supports IE down to IE9), drop-in replacement, full responsiveness (fits into your design perfectly), and resolution switching capabilities (offers an easy way to serve your videos in HD and SD).

11. Ultimate Video Player

Ultimate Video Player is another responsive audio and video player that supports Vimeo and YouTube videos. It needs an mp4 or mp3 format. The video player can work on mobile devices as well as desktop regardless of the browser used.

12. JW Player

JW Player accommodated support for HTML5 video playback. The online media player is fully customizable with a wide range of features that enhance the accessibility of content and responsiveness of HTML5 videos.

JW Player offers a complete suite of HTML5 video controls. It is also compatible as an alternative to YouTube’s video player. JW Player also supports a wide range of user-defined themes. Its plugins are consistent with the more popular CMS system, making it easier and quicker to integrate.

13. Sublime Video

This player is designed to provide a smooth video playback experience with support for high-resolution videos and responsive layout.

14. Clappr

A flexible HTML5 media player that offers support for HLS, DASH, and other media formats. It is customizable with plugins and has a user-friendly interface.

15. Elmedia Player

Elmedia video player can play all kinds of videos. This Mac OS online media player can allow users to showcase videos from popular sites such as Dailymotion, Vimeo, Facebook, and more. Also, you can allow users to download these videos fro your website. Elmedia can play video online in formats such as M4V, MKV, MP3, DAT, MOV, HTML5, and more.

Standout features of Elmedia HTML5 video player include online video showcasing capabilities, support for hardware acceleration, capturing screenshots from the videos, SWF support, video downloading options, and capabilities to extract audio files from the video.

16. Dailymotion Player

This player is known for its robustness and is used widely for embedding Dailymotion videos. It supports various customization options and video analytics.

17. Chameleon HTML5 Video Player

Chameleon HTML5 player comes with a backup for Flash. Internet Explorer does not support the full-screen experience we are so used to. Features include two skins to choose from, a custom right-click menu with an option to add a copyright link, social sharing options, responsiveness, retina display for MacBook Pro, and more.

18. Ziggeo

This is an innovative video player website focused on video recording and playback with robust API features for customization and integration.

19. Video for Everybody

This is one of the earliest solutions for embedding HTML5 and Flash videos and is also simplistic in its feature set and usability. It comprises a fundamental set of markups that use HTML5 and its capability to move to the next supported object if the current one fails. This means it uses the <video> element to enclose each HTML5 video container source.

It falls back to Flash if the browser does not support HTML5. Features include a bunch of custom controls, support for iPhone and iPad, WebM video support, and more. Video for Everybody video player does not support JavaScript or Browser sniffing.

20. THEOplayer

This player is known for its universal compatibility across browsers and devices, offering a consistent viewing experience with adaptive streaming.

Basic HTML5 Video Player Sample Code

This player will include basic controls like play, pause, and volume control, which are provided natively by the browser.

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

    <title>Basic HTML5 Video Player</title>

</head>

<body>

<video width="640" height="360" controls>

    <source src="path_to_your_video.mp4" type="video/mp4">

    <source src="path_to_your_video.ogg" type="video/ogg">

    Your browser does not support the video tag.

</video>

</body>

</html>

video playing using video tag on html5 video player

Basic HTML5 Video Player Controls

Basic controls get initiated by using the controls attributes within the video tag as we used in the previous example. It is a boolean attribute and specifies the display of video controls like play,pause,seek, etc as symbols over the video player. It displays the following controls as per their availability.

  • Play
  • Pause
  • Seek
  • Fullscreen toggle
  • Volume
  • Alternate Audio Track (when available)
  • Captions/Subtitles (when available)

With Vdocipher’s custom video player, you can easily modify your video player according to your needs. You can fully customize the video player using the GUI editor to change the appearance and controls of the player.

Must have Features in HTML5 Video Player

  • Play/Pause Control: This is typically done by accessing the play() and pause() methods of the video element.
  • Volume and Mute Control: Adjusting the volume or muting by modifying the volume property of the video element or using the muted property.
  • Seeking and Time Control: A good player should allow seeking to a specific point in the video or retrieving the current playback position.
  • Playback Speed Adjustment: Users should be able to control the speed of video playback (e.g., faster or slower).
  • Fullscreen Toggle: The ability to switch between fullscreen and normal mode.
  • Loading and Buffering Control: player should be able to handle video loading, buffering events, and error handling, providing feedback to the user or taking specific actions when necessary.
  • Subtitles and Captions Management: Allows users to enable, disable, or switch between different text tracks (subtitles or captions) available in the video element.
  • Adaptive Streaming and Quality Control: The player must be capable enough to switch between different video qualities based on network conditions saving the bandwidth and improving user experience.
  • Integration with External Services and Analytics: a video player must be capable enough to send user based video analytics to the client for data based improvements.
  • Chapters: To split your video in different sections, making it easier for users to jump to a specific part
  • Auto Resume: With auto resume, your videos resume playing from where you left off the playback last time.
  • Offline Download: To download videos on mobile devices to watch offline securely on the app video player.
  • Light-weight: super light so that it loads very fast, improving your SEO.
  • Picture In Picture mode: To watch your videos in a floating window while you access other applications.
  • Keyboard shortcuts: So that users can use keyboard shortcuts with smart video player to pause, play and forward video.
  • Gestures: Use gestures like tap, double tap, and swipe on the mobile app video player.
  • DRM Protection: to protect your video so that no plugin or hack can download your video.
  • Dynamic Watermarking: to discourage any screen capture of your videos.

Free Video Player vs Custom Video Player

Feature Free Video Player Custom HTML5 Video Player
Adaptive Streaming and Quality Control Typically not available. Optimized for various streaming protocols and efficient quality switching.
Integration with External Services and Analytics Limited or no support for external integrations and analytics. Robust integration capabilities with analytics, ad services, etc.
Chapters Typically not available. Support for video chapters for easier navigation.
Auto Resume Rarely available in free versions. Commonly available, enhancing user experience.
Offline Download Typically not available. Available, allowing users to download videos for offline viewing.
Light-weight Generally light-weight but may vary. Optimized performance, maintaining a balance between features and speed.
Picture In Picture mode Typically not available. Usually supported, offering a floating window experience.
Keyboard Shortcuts Basic keyboard controls for play/pause, etc. Extensive keyboard shortcuts for various player functions.
Gestures Typically not available. Advanced gesture controls for a more intuitive mobile experience.
DRM Protection Not available Advanced DRM protection to secure video content.
Dynamic Watermarking Not available Available to prevent unauthorized use or distribution of video content.
Branding Branding of the free player or its provider. Custom branding options, allowing for a white-labeled or branded player.
Play/Pause Control Basic play/pause functionality using play() and pause() methods. Same as free, often with enhanced UI/UX.
Volume and Mute Control Basic volume control and mute functionality. Enhanced controls, possibly with integrated audio enhancements.
Seeking and Time Control Basic seeking functionality using currentTime property. Advanced seeking options, including frame-by-frame navigation.
Playback Speed Adjustment Simple speed control options. More refined speed adjustment options and presets.
Fullscreen Toggle Basic fullscreen toggle. Enhanced fullscreen experience with additional UI elements.
Loading and Buffering Control Standard loading and buffering indicators. Advanced buffering strategies and smoother playback.
Subtitles and Captions Management Basic support for subtitles and captions. Advanced management, multiple subtitle options, possibly with customization.

Protect your Video Content with VdoCipher Secure Video Player

If you have gone through the must have features list and compared that with what you get in a free or open source video player, we believe you won’t be willing to spare any. With VdoCipher’s Hollywood Grade DRM Protected Video Streaming you can protect your videos from hackers and downloaders.

As a video player, we have got a smart video player for all platforms with SDKs for React Native, Android, iOS, Flutter, JS and plugins for moodle and WordPress. It is a fully customizable video player which can be altered by using GUI editor. You can change the appearance of the video player and control every button without a single line of code. In addition, you can search within captions in the custom video player to quickly go to a point in time of video. Use the full VTT spec to style the text to your needs. Also, do not forget that with dynamic watermarking you can put a text overlay on the app video player to display user information such as ip, email address, user id etc on the video.

FAQs

Can you play mp4 using an HTML5 video player?

MP4 file format or MPEG-4 playback is supported by all browsers and is also used in video cameras and other video media Hardware. The HTML5 media player also supports WebM and Ogg formats.

Is it possible to stream audio via an HTML5 player?

Yes, audio can be streamed on an HTML5 video player and can also be separated from the video for handling buffers or adding additional capabilities via JavaScript.

Do HTML5 video players support advanced encryption like DRM?

Yes, these players support dynamic key exchange mechanisms and encryption like DRM for the best video protection. But the player needs customization to handle the encryption and playback.

The post Top 20 HTML5 Video Player For Your Website in 2024 appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

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Top 17 Online Video Player in 2024 For Your Website https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2020/09/online-video-player-html5-website/ https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2020/09/online-video-player-html5-website/#comments Mon, 01 Jan 2024 07:45:48 +0000 https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/?p=4963 When looking for an online video player for your website, you might hear the names of YouTube and Vimeo before anything else. That’s because these are quick, easy, and free options readily available to you. However, if you want more control over your video assets, and how they are displayed and want to learn how […]

The post Top 17 Online Video Player in 2024 For Your Website appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

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When looking for an online video player for your website, you might hear the names of YouTube and Vimeo before anything else. That’s because these are quick, easy, and free options readily available to you. However, if you want more control over your video assets, and how they are displayed and want to learn how users interact with your content and engage with it, you might need a private video player.

Flash-based players have become obsolete now and HTML5 video players have become the new industry standard. For facilitating seamless integration on your website, we suggest the best video players for you in this article. These media players offer an advanced marketing toolkit to you that helps you reach your business goals.

But, before we do that, let’s look at what an HTML5 video player does.

What is an Online Video Player?

HTML5 Video Player is a library of JavaScript that builds HTML controls over the top of the HTML5 video element. This provides a uniform look between different browsers.

HTML5 online video players allow you to play video online directly in a web browser without the use of additional plugins. Some time ago, we installed a Flash media player to stream videos. But, HTML5 video players offer an easy way to integrate native video players on your website. While you can still embed YouTube videos, here’s a more handy way to showcase videos to your visitors, whether you are a personal trainer creating exercise demo videos or an influencer making a funny video.

HTML5 video players only need you to use the video element. Set the width and height for the video size and control attributes to add functions such as play and pause or set up the video to play automatically.

Most sophisticated browsers now support HTML5 videos, so online video playing is now more comfortable both on desktop and mobile screens.

Should you go with a propriety media player or one that’s open-source and free?

Open-Source Online Video Player vs Propriety Media Player

Open source players offer some degree of advantage over those you need to purchase licenses.

Cost

Open-source html5 video players are free for you to use. You can even evaluate and review their source code.

Propriety media players often come at a premium price. But you’d get a lot of options of features and integrations which would otherwise take considerable development cost on your end.

Bugs

Popular open-source solutions tend to have fewer bugs and faster fixes because of the community support they come with.

For propriety solutions, you can reach out to the team concerned and let them fix the problem for you. This is why before choosing a propriety solution you should check if they have good customer support.

Customization

Open-source products have a high potential for customization. Almost everything you see is customizable, so the tool can be tailored to meet your unique needs. You get access to free and instant support from a global community of developers and enthusiasts who are more than happy to assist the users of their solution.

For propriety online media players, you may not get much control over the customization as you’re buying the finished product. But these often come preloaded with features and themes which will make it much easier to tinker with.

Support

With open-source HTML5 video players, you get proper documentation, wikis, newsgroups, and email lists, as well as an option for a live chat whenever you face a glitch.

With propriety online media players, you get the support of the team you bought the services from. They’ll take care of your issues without the hassle of going through multiple documentation, videos, etc. This is ideal for people who are not tech-savvy or have low bandwidth.

Find out how over 3000+ customers in over 40+ countries use Vdocipher’s online video player to ensure seamless and secure video streaming!

Top 17 Online Video Players

Next, let’s look at the top online video players that support HTML5 playback.

1. Video.js

VideoJS is a free and open-source online video player that includes features such as basic playback options such as autoplay and preload. VideoJS uses JavaScript to plug cross-browser inconsistencies, ensuring your content appears in the best light. It can also add support for HTML5 tags on older IE versions, and introduce functionalities such as subtitles and full-screen displays.

Other standout features can be introduced in VideoJS with the help of plugins. You can track Google Analytics ever right from the player, add your branding in the player controls, and introduce Chromecast support.

2. VdoCipher 

Vdocipher provides an HTML5 video player with the added advantage of DRM encryption technology to secure videos and stop video piracy by preventing them from being downloaded/pirated. It uses Dash as an open-source base to build the DRM-encrypted playback in an online video player.

The player supports functionalities like Multiple quality options, Adaptive playback, Responsive design, Multi-lingual subtitles, Forward/Rewind options, and various player themes in different colors. You can create your custom video player now using Vdocipher player, change the complete appearance, and edit controls as per your need.

With some added scripts, you can also add CTAs like buttons/forms, etc over the VdoCipher player. A free 30-day trial is available at vdocipher.com.

Vdocipher also provides you with secure video hosting allowing you to stream your videos most smoothly and securely. It is ideal for anyone looking to build a video platform.

With Vdocipher’s custom video player, you can easily modify your video player according to your needs. You can fully customize the video player using the GUI editor to change the appearance and controls of the player.

3. Flowplayer

Flowplayer is a free and easy-to-use alternative to convert FLV or MP4 videos to pages and posts. Along with MP4 movies, Flowplayer also provides protection on mobile devices. It helps in the automated checking of video encoding for logged-in administrators. You can apply branding at the end and the start of the videos. Moreover, users can enjoy unlimited instances on a single page.

A few other features include Google Analytics, Subtitles, Slow motion, Native fullscreen, Keyboard shortcuts, Random seeking, Retina ready, Cuepoints, and so on, without the use of expensive plugins. It also comes with video intelligence and video ads support, full support for Amazon S3 and other CDNs, Flash fallback, and high efficiency.

4. Projekktor online video player

Projekktor is a self-hosted environment available as an open-source online javascript video player. It was released under GPLv3 and is written using JavaScript. Projekktor effectively manages al compatibility issues and cross-browser issues while offering a set of powerful features.

The key features of this HTML5 video player are automatic detection of the best way to play your favorite video, its impressive and attractive aesthetics and user-friendly behavior, consistent performance and high reliability.

Projekktor library features also include pre-roll and post-roll ads, Flash fallback with RTMP support, playlist building, and true fullscreen.

5. jPlayer

jPlayer is a free and open-source media library written in JavaScript. jPlayer allows quick weaving of cross-platform video and audio into your website pages through a jQuery plugin. Its holistic API supports innovative media solutions as the active and engaging open-source community around jPlayer extends support.

You can seamlessly install a package for PHP to download all components and install the required files into the specific path for installation.

Features of jPlayer include easy installation, comprehensive documentation, extensible architecture and cross-browser support, plugins, custom skin options, and so on.

6. Plyr

Plyr is a lightweight, simple, and customizable online video player. It offers support for HTML Vimeo and YouTube players. It is popular in both experts and beginners circles for its lightweight configuration that enables smooth processing for large video files. Plyr intuitively makes things easier with useful elements that help seamless project completion.

Features of Plyr include accessibility (offers full support for VTT captions and screen readers), a lightweight player that does not occupy a lot of space on the server, several customization options, responsiveness to fit any screen size, support for streaming and audio formats.

7. Afterglow

Afterglow is simple to integrate HTML5 video player with features that can be turned off, so you are not forced to use them. It is a configurable, self-integrating, open-source online video player that can be nicely recorded. 

A few standout features of Afterglow are its cross-browser compatibility (works on all major browsers and devices and supports IE down to IE9), drop-in replacement, full responsiveness (fits into your design perfectly), and resolution switching capabilities (offers an easy way to serve your videos in HD and SD).

Another great thing about this online media player is a nice wizard that helps with direct integration. If you let them know where you want to host your videos, they will give you the steps containing scripts.

8. MediaElement.js

This is a jQuery plugin that enables you to use the video tag with a single H.264 file. If your online video player does not support HTML5, MediaElementJS will replace the online media player with a Fash or Silverlight-based one. Everyone can contribute to improving this product as it’s free and open-source.

It supports the more standard and desirable features such as standard play controls, fullscreen video display, skinning, and also has a plugin architecture to support unique features. These sophisticated features include auto-translation (with Google Translate), jump forward, skip back, looping, post-roll (showcasing custom HTML after a video ends), and virtual backlight that frames the video with matching colors taken from it during playback (a feature available only with HTML5 video player).

9. JW Player

JW Player accommodated support for HTML5 video playback. The online media player is fully customizable with a wide range of features that enhance the accessibility of content and responsiveness of HTML5 videos.

JW Player offers a complete suite of HTML5 video controls. It is also compatible as an alternative to YouTube’s online video player. JW Player also supports a wide range of user-defined themes. Its plugins are consistent with the more popular CMS system, making it easier and quicker to integrate.

This online media player also boasts of sophisticated analytics features that allow users to see how well their video content is performing on the website, enabled password-protected sharing, schedule ads, create video gallery, and more. Other features include add-ons ranging from closed captioning to advertising tie-ups, social sharing options, and so on. 

11. Video for Everybody

This is one of the earliest solutions for embedding HTML5 and Flash videos and is also simplistic in its feature set and usability. It comprises of a fundamental set of markups that use HTML5 and its capability to move to the next supported object if the current one fails. This means it uses the <video> element to enclose each HTML5 video container source.

It falls back to Flash if the browser does not support HTML5. Features include a bunch of custom controls, support for iPhone and iPad, WebM video support, and more. Video for Everybody online video player does not support JavaScript or Browser sniffing.

11. Kaltura player

Kaltura HTML5 video player is a free and open-source online video player. It is used to create multiple customized inter-browser and inter-device skins to match or complement your site. Kaltura online video player also comes with a lot of player templates.

Features include multi-platform support, robust performance, and advertising and analytics capabilities (it supports several ad formats such as VAST 3.0 and integrated plugins for video ad networks, such as Tremor Video, AdapTV, Eye Wonder, Ad Tech, DoubleClick DFP, and so on).

12. Elite

Elite Video Player is a fully customizable online video player for WordPress that offers advertising support. The responsive HTML5 video player offers playback for platforms such as Vimeo, YouTube, Google Drive, and self-hosting videos (only mp4).

A few standout features of Elite Video Player include YouTube 360 VR and live streaming support, Google Drive and Open load videos, advertising with pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll ads, video ads, popup ads, and so on. 

The responsiveness of this online video player makes it an instant choice for users accessing sites through their mobile devices.

13. Ultimate Video Player

Ultimate Video Player is another responsive audio and video player that supports Vimeo and YouTube videos. It needs an mp4 or mp3 format. The online video player can work on mobile devices as well as desktop regardless of the browser used. 

Features of the Ultimate Video Player include encryption capabilities for video source or path to avoid users from seeing the source of the video, optimization for mobile devices and desktop, multiple video quality support and a video quality selector, password-protected videos, live streaming support, support for 360-degree or VR-based videos, subtitles selector, playback speed selector, branding options, and video download options.

As opposed to the other open-source and free HTML5 video players shared in this article, this one comes at a price of $49 for six-months support.

14. Elmedia Player

Elmedia online video player can play all kinds of videos. This Mac OS online media player can allow users to showcase videos from popular sites such as Dailymotion, Vimeo, Facebook, and more. Also, you can allow users to download these videos fro your website. Elmedia can play video online in formats such as M4V, MKV, MP3, DAT, MOV, HTML5, and more.

Standout features of Elmedia HTML5 video player include an online video showcasing capabilities, support for hardware acceleration, capturing screenshots from the videos, SWF support, video downloading options, and capabilities to extract audio files from the video.

15. Chameleon HTML5 Video Player

Chameleon HTML5 player comes with a backup for Flash. Internet Explorer does not support the full-screen experience we are so used to. Also, in order to view HTML5 in IE, you might need to produce extra videos since the browser does not encourage the mp4 file sort.

Chameleon addresses these challenges through its instinctive Flash backup. Features include two skins to choose from, a custom right-click menu with an option to add a copyright link, social sharing options, responsiveness, retina display for MacBook Pro, and more.

16. Cloudinary video player

This HTML5 video player is primarily aimed for use by enterprises and businesses. The web video player is optimized for best-in-class viewer experience and supports high-quality, high-resolution videos and adaptive streaming. 

Cloudinary stands apart from these names for its functionality to offer video encoding, hosting service, and manipulation service for video assets. The transformations to the video that you choose happen at the player level, and on the fly. The web video player contains lightweight, user-friendly embed codes that allow for seamless integration of the HTML video player to an organization’s website.

Furthermore, Cloudinary’s built-in video analytics offer insights and actionable data on viewer engagement and interaction, besides video performance in terms of conversion rates.

17. WordPress Video Gallery 

This is one of the simplest online video players available with the ability to make creative videos on any website page using interactive and intuitive shortcut commands. Users can process their video assets with unique custom post settings and then distributed videos can be brought up at once using shortcut keys.

WordPress Video Gallery is a responsive and customizable tool as it facilitates the screen to shrink to manage mobile device displays. A few of its incredible features include preloading videos, managing the gallery, controlling size variations, and setting initial image or thumbnail.

HTML5 Player advantage over Flash

An HTML5 video offers several advantages over Flash Player, such as:

  • Less Complexity – You can create a single-player solution for desktop and mobile web view.
  • Happier Viewers – Due to the small size of the player code the webpage loads faster and allows a shorter start time of playback.
  • More Power – In comparison to a Flash player, an HTML5 player uses very less CPU and storage resources resulting in reduced battery consumption on laptops with native playback support
  • Lower Costs – When using advanced codecs, an HTML5 player has lower distribution and storage costs.
  • Broad device support – It is supported with billions of endpoints for all the latest devices and browsers
  • DRM Support – HTML5 video is a viable platform for premium content as it offers DRM-encrypted playback.
  • Adaptive streaming – To cater to users with varying bandwidth needs, adaptive bitrate streaming makes data usage economical with a better user experience.
  • Next-Generation Video Compression – HTML5 video supports next-generation video compression like VP9 codec, which can reduce the video bit rates by as much as 45% compared to H.264.
  • Switch has already been made – Major sites (Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, YouTube) have already switched to HTML5 video players for better control and viewing experience.

Key Feature Comparison

Feature HTML5 Video Flash Video
Customizable Player Yes Yes
Platform Native support in browser Plugin
DRM decryption Yes Yes
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Yes Yes
Ad Insertion Yes Yes
Plugin load time N/A (0 m/s) 500ms–2000ms
GPU accelerated decode Yes Yes
Full Screen Viewing Yes Yes
Ad Protocol Support VPAID 2 VPAID 1 and 2

Technology Comparison

Feature HTML5 Technology Flash Technology
Supported Codecs H.264 (most browsers) VP8/VP9 (Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Opera, Android) VP6, H.264
DRM Support Widevine, Playready, Fairplay PrimeTime (depends upon browser) PrimeTime (formerly Access)
Supported Containers mp4, WebM, m2ts (depends on browser) mp4, flv
Adaptive Bitrate Support MPEG-DASH HLS, HDS

What Features Matter the most in an HTML5 Video Player?

When selecting an HTML5 video player, there are a few features that can be vital for your business. Here are the important features you need to look for.

Player Performance 

While choosing an HTML5 video player, you need to look into the fact there aren’t any issues with video playback. There shouldn’t be any buffering issues or other playback-related errors. Also, look into the performance and speed of the video player. Player needs to have a fast loading time and a good user experience.

Customization of Video Player Controls

Branding is very important, choose a player that allows you to customize the player to suit your brand. Customization should include changing the player controls and colors of the player to suit your brand. 

Other features you need to look out for are chapters for navigation, search through the transcription, and much more.

Adaptive Bitrate Streaming

A lot of your users would be from areas with lower internet speeds. This would cause a lot of issues if you were only streaming high-quality videos. To tackle this problem, a lot of online video players provide adaptive bitrate streaming, which ensures your video scales according to the internet bandwidth and there is no buffering. 

DRM Protection

DRM encryption ensures your content is protected and cannot be illegally downloaded. Choose an online video player which provides DRM, to make sure that your content can not be pirated.  Other security features like Dynamic watermarking, Playintegrity integration, and user-based security analytics are also important.

Cross-browser Compatibility

Every browser and device you want to stream might have a different player associated with it. So building a player is not just about a single player but a different player for each of these situations, and making sure that users get the same experience in all of them. Whether the user is streaming on the web, iOS, android, react native, or Flutter, your user’s experience shouldn’t be compromised.

Wrapping It Up

These online HTML5 video players are widely used over the Internet by various companies and individuals to embed videos on their site. 

Integrating videos on your website gives your website and the page a unique appeal, enhances the quality of the content on your page, and offers a visual break from the text. You might want to use videos on your website to add to the content already offered, give your users an introduction about your offerings, or integrate customer feedback and review videos for added credibility.

Therefore, it is time you choose one of these popular HTML5 video payers to show awesome videos on your website and augment the value offered.

Find out more about on how to prevent video download on the blog linked. We’ve also written a blog on how to stream videos on iOS using AVPlayer, do check it out to know more about video streaming in iOS.

FAQs

What are the benefits of using an open video player?

There are several benefits of using an open video player. Firstly, open video players are usually free to download and use. Secondly, they support various video formats, making them versatile and convenient. Also, most open video players offer advanced features, such as the ability to play videos online in full-screen mode or to fast-forward and rewind.

What are some of the benefits of using an HTML5 video player?

Custom HTML5 video players are that they are typically faster and more lightweight than other video players, they can be customized to match the look and feel of your website, and support a variety of video formats.

What is the need for an HTML5 video player?

HTML5 is the newest version of the HTML standard, and it includes new features that allow video to be played natively in web browsers. Video files are typically encoded in the H.264 or WebM format, and HTML5 video players will usually support both of these formats.

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Live Streaming Player : Best Media Features for App & Web https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/live-streaming-player/ Fri, 29 Dec 2023 08:53:06 +0000 https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/?p=15541 Live streaming which used to be limited to TV broadcasters has now prevailed on the internet. It has now become an integral part of video streaming which also includes VOD. For businesses looking to expand into live streaming after being an edTech or media VOD, it becomes important to understand basic concepts. In the following […]

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Live streaming which used to be limited to TV broadcasters has now prevailed on the internet. It has now become an integral part of video streaming which also includes VOD. For businesses looking to expand into live streaming after being an edTech or media VOD, it becomes important to understand basic concepts. In the following sections, we have covered challenges faced with live streaming, codec requirements, and also important features related to live streaming media players. We have also covered the basics of Compression/encoding, Segmentation, Content delivery network (CDN) distribution, CDN caching, and final Decoding and video playback via player including but not limited to ABR and its working in sync with the player.

What are Live streaming Media Players?

Earlier we used to download media files and used local players to playback the same. Then came the era of streaming where the end user does not need to obtain the entire file for watching or listening to the content. Streaming made it possible to playback the received chunks of the media file in a continuous manner from a client, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. Real-time application of streaming came to be known as live streaming where there is a real-time delivery of content straight from production.

VdoCipher empowers course creators, event organizers and broadcasters with expert live video streaming, ensuring smooth playback globally.

Live streaming is the method of real-time delivery and playback. It usually refers to broadcast live streams where one-to-many connections go out to multiple users at once. It requires a source media (audio, video), an encoder, distribution network and live streaming player or app for playback. To enhance the capabilities of live streaming platform, we also need CDN, transcoding, multi bitrate file management, buffer management, server load balancing, and a versatile player to incorporate the same. The player needs to switch between different bit rates depending on the screen size and network bandwidth of the end user. The player also handles buffers and refreshes to ensure smooth playback in case of lag and disconnect between the streams.

Advanced live streaming media players also incorporate chat features to make the learning from a stream multi-directional. In this way the host can modify or add additional content based on end user feedback.

Basic Key Steps Involved in Live Streaming

  1. Video Capture: This can be done via a video camera, an audio interface or screen capture software.
  2. Compression/encoding: Video data undergoes compression by removing redundant visual information, like excluding unchanging backgrounds across frames. This process is similar to rearranging furniture in a room in place of replacing everything with each addition. Similarly, in video streams, only changing elements, like mouth movements, are rendered. “Encoding” compresses data into a different, interpretable digital format for various digital devices. Examples of video encoding standards include H.264, H.265, VP9, and AV1.
  3. Segmentation: This is the process of dividing the complete stream into few-second chunks which are fairly easy to distribute. Also, if an alteration is required, the next chunk of right compatibility will be used.
  4. Content delivery network (CDN) distribution: Your encoded media files are distributed to multiple global locations to reduce the delivery time and latency. When an end-user request is made, the delivery is made from the nearest global location saving time and resources.
  5. CDN caching: A CDN also caches or temporarily saves each chunk of the live stream essentially cutting down round trip time (RTT) from the origin server.
  6. Decoding & Video playback: A live streaming media player with its compatible device finally decompresses and decodes the media file segments and the player interprets the visual data for playback.

History of Streaming Media

Early Development (Mid-20th Century – 1990s)

  • Initial attempts to display media on computers.
  • Commercial Ethernet switch in 1990.

Late 1990s to Early 2000s

  • 1993: Severe Tire Damage band’s live internet performance.
  • 1995: RealNetworks broadcasted a baseball game and a symphonic concert online.
  • On June 24, 1993, the band Severe Tire Damage was the first group to perform live on the Internet.
  • 1996: Marc Scarpa’s large-scale online broadcasts.
  • Emergence of webcasting as a marketing tool.
  • Flash-based video format led to YouTube’s founding in 2005.
  • Live streaming was introduced to YouTube in April 2011.

Challenges Faced with Live Streaming Media Players

  • Device Compatibility: Many times, live streams throw errors on particular devices or a range of devices. For example, it is usual to have buffering issues on Android devices and everything is smooth on Apple devices and browsers. This can happen due to different protocols being used by both Apple and Google browsers and apps.
  • Format Support: since there is a wide range of media formats and codecs for video and audio playback, it is important to handle most of the cases.
  • Network Connectivity: Handling fluctuations in internet speed and maintaining stable streaming without buffering needs to be handled through player shifting between different bit rates depending on network and screen sizes.
  • User Interface and Experience: user-friendly interfaces with essential features to seek, chat, etc need to be available for better viewer experience.
  • Content Licensing and Restrictions: restricting the live feed to specific domains and geography prevents unauthorized usage.

Video and Audio Codecs for Live Streaming

After the video production via camera device or software, a live video needs to be encoded and digitized for efficient transportation across the internet. This process will not only make the data file compatible with devices and will also reduce the size from GBs to MBs via a two part compression tool called codec. Codec also called as coder decoder or compressor decompressor allows shrinking the size and later expands it for playback. Video Codecs take care of the video part and similarly audio codec for audio. H.264, also known as AVC (Advanced Video Coding), is the most common video codec. AAC (Advanced Audio

Coding) is the most common audio codec. Below is a comparison table of Video and Audio codec showing their benefits and limitations.

Video Codecs

Codec Benefits Limitations
H.264/AVC Widely supported. Not the most cutting-edge compression technology.
H.265/HEVC Supports 8K resolution. Takes up to 4x longer to encode than H.264.
AV1 Open-source and very advanced. Not yet supported on a large scale.
VP9 Royalty-free. An earlier version of AV1.
H.265/ VVC Intended to improve upon H.265. Same royalty issues as H.265.

Audio Codecs

Codec Benefits Limitations
AAC Most common audio codec. Higher-quality alternatives exist.
MP3 Also widely supported. Less advanced than AAC.
Opus Highest-quality lossy audio format. Yet to be widely adopted.
Vorbis Non-proprietary alternative to AAC. Less advanced than Opus.
Speex Patent-free speech codec. Also obsoleted by Opus.

Recommended Encoder Configurations

To better tackle buffering and stuttering issues, it is better to keep the live streaming encoding settings to an optimal format in place of focusing highly on quality.

  • Keyframe Interval: 1 second
  • Frame Rate: 29.97/25 fps
  • Audio Bitrate: 128-192 kbps
  • Adaptive Bitrate Streaming: Yes

Live Streaming Media Players and Adaptive Bitrate

Previously, video content delivery networks (CDN) and broadcasters used to stream videos at a constant bit-rate, regardless of network congestion. In the event that a user’s downstream

bandwidth could not stream enough chunks of a video to maintain continuous playback, the video would stop and the user would have to wait while enough chunks of the video to download in order to resume playback, often with a buffering icon. Adaptive bit-rate streaming was developed as a technique to mitigate this issue. The broadcasters started providing several available bitrates for streaming which the client software can switch between seamlessly. Ideally, the difference between streams is gradual. This way, playback can occur without any noticeable interruptions for the consumer.

In 1998, Microsoft’s Smooth Streaming technology was among the earliest implementations of adaptive streaming. With NetShow Services 3.0, Windows Media Player started to detect deteriorating bandwidth and reduce the frame rate of a video stream or, at worst, stream only audio. This is why Adaptive bitrate streaming depends on both, the live stream player and available multi-bitrate streams which are formed after proper encoding and transcoding.

adaptive bitrate streaming explained

Live Streaming Players & App for Web, Android and Mac

VdoCipher Live Stream

  • Single broadcaster streams to many viewers.
  • Live streams can be embedded on the website using the adaptive web player.
  • Chat for Viewers – Enable engagement with your users with chat, these chats can be both anonymous and authenticated.
  • Automatically initiate, end, as well as manage live streams using our APIs. 
  • Live streams are automatically recorded and saved to your VdoCipher dashboard. You can embed these DRM-protected videos on your app or website.
  • Use OBS or any other broadcasting software to stream
  • Run up to 5 live streams in parallel and much more with an Enterprise account.
  • Share multiple screens, and stream through multiple sources via your broadcasting software
  • Built over open source shaka player. 
  • Dash + HLS protocols used for streaming to ensure best-streaming optimizations & experience.
  • Each account has a dedicated streaming server.

 

Stream Your Live Content

 

Periscope Live Streaming Player for Android

  • Map view for location-based video discovery.
  • Integration with Twitter for live notifications.
  • Ability to save and post videos online separately.
  • Chat functions for interaction with viewers.
  • Search functionality.
  • Broadcast from anywhere with a simple interface.
  • Option for private streaming with limited audience access.
  • Videos last for 24 hours, with an option to download.
  • Not designed for monetization.
  • Stream quality can vary based on equipment and setup​

YouTube

  • Live streaming available for users over 13 years old.
  • Monetization options through ads, Superchat, and Super Stickers.
  • High user engagement with long viewing durations.
  • Dominant platform for U.S. viewers aged 18-34.
  • Simple to start streaming from various devices.
  • Features like Super Chat, Super Stickers, YouTube Premieres, and Live Shopping.
  • Live streams saved for later viewing.
  • No minimum subscriber requirements for streaming from a computer; 50 subscribers needed for mobile streaming

Livestream from Vimeo

  • Simple and intuitive functionality.
  • Watermark feature for brand consistency.
  • Good video player and options to sell products without ads.
  • Integration with social media platforms.
  • Customizable graphic templates for live streaming.
  • Option for secure streaming with more privacy controls.
  • Supports a variety of capture hardware and resolutions.
  • Stores events in the cloud based on subscription.
  • Generally easy to use with a stable application.
  • Some challenges with navigating archives and setting up recurring live events

Live Player  – media streaming App for iOS

  •     Supports various streaming protocols and media codecs.
  •     Hardware-accelerated decoding.
  •     Compatible with network storage devices and cloud services.
  •     Picture in Picture (PIP) feature.
  •     Native ChromeCast and AirPlay support.
  •     Subscription plans for ad-free experience and additional features.

VideoJS

  • Open source JavaScript framework for creating custom HTML5 video players.
  • Supports a wide range of video formats, including HLS streams.
  • Compatible with multiple devices.
  • Facilitates stream recording with simple additions to the configuration file.
  • Suitable for a range of free applications.

FlowPlayer

  •     Easy to set up with several configuration options.
  •     Good video quality.
  •     Works on all browsers and mobile devices.
  •     Offers customizable design options.
  •     Seamless website integration.
  •     Can be expensive with monthly payments.
  •     Limited basic plan and higher-tier plans required for additional features.
  •     Some reported bugs in specific functionalities

Theoplayer

  • Video player customization and skinning.
  • Video embeds and widgets that can be custom branded.
  • Dynamic bitrate switching for optimal delivery.
  • Open APIs and tools for developing a 3rd party video experience or application.

Important Live Streaming Industry & Market Growth Statistics

  • The global live-streaming market size was valued at $55.4 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from $71.63 billion in 2023 to $559.62 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 29.30% during 2023-2032.
  • The market grew from $1.24 billion in 2022 to $1.49 billion in 2023, expected to reach $3.21 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 21.2%.
  • Live video streaming revenue is expected to hit $184.27 billion by 2027​
  • Live video viewers in the US are forecasted to reach 163.4 million in 2023.
  • In 2021, around 548 billion hours were spent streaming through mobile devices.
  • Globally, 41% of internet users have watched a live stream​.
  • The number of live streams for the online learning industry increased by 120% from 2021 to 2022.
  • Watch time for the faith and spirituality industry rose by 300% in a year.
  • Average live stream duration increased by 30% in 2021, with total watch time per month at 338K hours.
  • Over 50% of people will leave a live stream in less than 90 seconds if the quality is low.

Popular Live Streaming Categories

  • Gaming and eSports are among the most popular live-streaming industries, with Twitch being the dominant platform.
  • Game live streaming is expected to attract 920 million viewers by 2024.
  • Despite a 9% decline in overall live-streaming hours watched from Q2 2022 to Q2 2023, eSports viewership rose by 4.1% from the previous year.
  • About 20.6% of people are interested in live-streamed theater shows, while 42% want more live sports events and music concerts.
  • In the gaming world, leading platforms amassed around 7.2 billion hours of content watched during the third quarter of 2022.

FAQs

Can I watch Live streaming on my Phone?

Yes, Live video streaming can be easily streamed on both Android and iOS devices through compatible media players and apps. If you have access to the web URL of the live stream, you can also open the same in the mobile browser.

Which encoding settings are good for Live streaming on iOS or Android?

When streaming live from Android, iPhone, and similar devices, ensure your audio and video settings are configured to use the H. 264 video codec and AAC audio codec for optimal results.

References

Live Streaming Market Overview – link

Live Streaming Statistics and Facts – link

Streaming Media Wikipedia – link

Adaptive bitrate streaming – link

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Best Video Player for Android Comparison 2024 https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/top-video-player-for-android/ Tue, 26 Dec 2023 11:28:19 +0000 https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/?p=15497 Media player with multimedia capabilities is one of the important features in today’s smartphones. Most of the video content is consumed on smart devices and viewers continue their tasks like sending emails, surfing apps keeping the video playback on through Picture-in-Picture mode. Playing audio/video on an Android app has become a basic function with android […]

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Media player with multimedia capabilities is one of the important features in today’s smartphones. Most of the video content is consumed on smart devices and viewers continue their tasks like sending emails, surfing apps keeping the video playback on through Picture-in-Picture mode. Playing audio/video on an Android app has become a basic function with android video players becoming more and more customizable. Some of the best video players for Android offer multi format support, easy customizations, hardware acceleration, subtitle support and much more. In this blog, we have compared the best video player for Android based on speed, battery consumption, streaming capabilities, resource usage and more.

Comparing top video player for Android

VLC for Android

VLC media player is a cross-platform open source multi-media player. VLC for Android supports audio and video playback as well as network streams, DVD ISOs, network shares and drivers. It is similar to the desktop version of VLC.

Rating & Reviews – 4.2, 1.7M reviews

“Excellent app but the only thing that I found bugging me is that in some long videos (~2h-3hr) we can not jump to a certain position and the video automatically stops playing. Even if we play video from the beginning and when it reaches this certain point, it stops playing. I even tried to change h/w acceleration options but it didn’t work. Hope this gets fixed asap.”Play Store review

Explore full potential of your videos with ExoPlayer advance features, adaptive streaming, extensive format support, and customizable playback options.

MX Player: Video Player & OTT

MX Player supports all popular video formats and offers MX Silver Ad-Lite subscription. MX Player app supports seamless 8K / 4K Ultra HD / HD video playback. Additionally , you get access to a vast collection of free multilingual movies, TV shows, MX Originals, music videos, and much more.

Rating & Reviews – 4, 12.3M reviews

“Best app, Add 1.25 speed on video player”Play Store review

BSPlayer

BSPlayer is a hardware accelerated video player, suited for older Android devices. It supports multi-core (dual and quad-core) HW decoding and it’s also known for its automatic subtitle finding functionality.

Rating & Reviews – 4, 145K reviews

“Used this app for the past decade but now Too many ads, switched to VLC”Play Store review

Kodi

Kodi is an open-source software media player for digital media for Home Theatre PCs (HTPCs). It’s ideal for users who want to integrate their video, music, and gaming experiences in one platform.

Rating & Reviews – 3.2, 328k reviews

“Powerful app. Has a lot of features and functionalities and still runs smooth. Can not only convert your phone to a server can also act as an intermediate device to boost functionalities of other devices. Like if your router only has ftp or smb can use this phone as a upnp middle man. Lots of other stuff too.”Play Store review

KMPlayer – All Video Player

KMPlayer caters to all forms of HD videos, music and subtitle files. Features include bookmark, quick button, chromecast support, and play speed settings.

Rating & Reviews – 3.6, 388K reviews

“Impressive. First app giving all the desired options after over 10 attempts with other players. Flawless. Good songs management, can play in background without blocking the screen, sound amplifier… even cool options like wifi broadcast. Probably the BEST AND MOST USEFUL app on google play.”Play Store review

XPlayer (Video Player All Format)

XPlayer is a highly popular online video player, supporting all video formats and 4K/Ultra HD video files. The player supports password for your private album and Night Mode, Quick Mute & Playback Speed.

Rating & Reviews – 4.7, 1.56M reviews

“Have been using this video player app for a while now, and it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. On the positive side, all my videos play seamlessly, and the interface is user-friendly. However, I’ve encountered an issue with song detection. Not all my songs are being picked up by the app, which can be frustrating when I want to create playlists including both videos and music. I appreciate the smooth video playback, but I hope the developers can address the song detection issue in future updates.”Play Store review

Feature/Factor VLC for Android MX Player BSPlayer Kodi KMPlayer XPlayer
Speed Fast Very Fast Moderate Variable Fast Very Fast
Resource Usage Moderate Moderate-High Low High Moderate-High Moderate
Battery Consumption Efficient Moderately Efficient Very Efficient Less Efficient Moderately Efficient Efficient
Format Support Extensive Extensive Good Extensive Extensive Extensive
UI/UX User-Friendly Highly Intuitive Basic Customizable User-Friendly Intuitive
Subtitle Support Excellent Advanced Good Excellent Good Excellent
Streaming Capability Good Good Moderate Excellent Good Good
Additional Features Wide Range Gesture Control, Kids Lock Lightweight Media Center Features Cloud Integration Night Mode, Privacy Folders

Must have features in a custom video player for Android App

Multi-Format Support – support for various video formats (FLV, MKV, MP4 and AVI) and codecs. This ensures video availability and playback on a variety of video files on devices.

Adaptive Streaming – adaptive streaming auto adjusts the video quality as per the viewer’s internet speed, thus ensuring smooth playback. The video player has to support adaptive streaming protocols like DASH and HLS.

User-Friendly Interface – The player must have an easy to navigate and intuitive interface. This improves the viewing experience and accessibility for the viewers.

Responsive and Efficient Playback Controls – Various controls like play, pause, seek must be responsive and smooth, giving the viewer complete control over the video playback.

Subtitle Support – subtitle support makes the content accessible to non-native speakers and people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The player should have support for various subtitle formats.

Hardware Acceleration – This involves utilizing the device hardware tor video decoding, which improves the performance. High-resolution videos have a smooth playback and at the same time, battery life is conserved.

Customizable Playback Speed – Without disturbing the audio quality, the player must have the option to alter playback speed. It is highly useful in education videos or watching videos at preferred speeds.

Aspect Ratio and Zoom Controls – changing aspect ratio and zoom in/out allows viewers to adjust the video display as per their preference or screen size.

Error Handling and Reporting – There will be instances of playback errors and a proper clarification and potential solution should be displayed to the viewer.

Security and DRM Support – VdoCipher custom video player for Android offers the highest level of video security i.e, DRM support to protect copyrighted content and ensure compliance.

Analytics and Reporting – Gathering data on viewer’s viewing behavior and preferences make it easy to improve and personalize their viewing experience.

Integrations – with Native, Flutter, React Native SDK

Offline download & playback – Ability to support offline download and secure playback.

Play Integrity Integration – To prevent app cloning and prevent hacking attempts. Check out our play integrity apk documentation to know more.

Picture in Picture Option – multi-window mode to shrink a video to a small player so that you can keep using other apps on your smartphone.

Background playback possibility – play videos in background

Creating custom video player for Android

Most developers, while creating a custom video player for Android, rely on two primary options provided by Google, MediaPlayer and ExoPlayer. MediaPlayer is a customizable open source library, part of android SDK and suited for simple playback video requirements. On the other hand, ExoPlayer offers more features and flexibility. Developers use it for advanced features like adaptive streaming.

MediaPlayer

The framework supports various common media type playbacks, allowing easy integration of images, video and audio into your applications. Audio and video media files stored in application’s resources can be played from standalone files or using MediaPlayer APIs to play from a data stream arriving over a network connection. MediaPlayer is easy to integrate, making it a popular choice for developers who do not need extensive customizations.

With Android Native SDK by VdoCipher, integrate DRM security and watermarking features into your app

Following classes are used to play sound and videos in the Android framework:

  • MediaPlayer – primary API to play sound and video. It supports various media sources such as Local resources, Internal URIs and External URLs (streaming)
  • AudioManager – manages audio sources and audio output on a device

MediaPlayer has limited support for adaptive streaming protocols like HLS or DASH and doesn’t provide as much control over buffering, rendering, and track selection.

Media3 ExoPlayer

Jetpack Media3 has a Player Interface which defines basic functionalities such as pause, play, seek and display track information. The default implementation of this interface in Media3(a powerful media playback library by Google ) is ExoPlayer. Compared to MediaPlayer, it provides support for multi streaming protocols, default media renderers, and components to handle media buffering. ExoPlayer is highly customizable and can be updated via Play Store application updates.

  • Add ExoPlayer as a dependency to your project.
  • Create an ExoPlayer instance.
  • Attach the player to a view (for video output and user input).
  • Prepare the player with a MediaItem to play.
  • Release the player when done.

Comparison between MediaPlayer and ExoPlayer Framework

Feature/Aspect MediaPlayer ExoPlayer
Library Type Part of Android SDK Standalone, open-source library
Ease of Use Simple to use for basic requirements More complex, but offers greater flexibility and control
Supported Formats Standard formats like MP4, MP3, AAC Extensive format support including MP4, MP3, AAC, MKV, FLV, HLS, DASH
Adaptive Streaming Limited support Full support for adaptive streaming protocols like HLS, DASH
Customization Limited customization options Highly customizable with component replacement and extension
Performance Generally good for basic use cases Optimized for both simple and advanced use cases
Resource Usage Lower resource usage Higher resource usage due to advanced features
Device Compatibility Good across different Android versions and devices Consistent performance across different Android versions and devices
Community Support Standard Android SDK support Strong community support and regular updates from Google
Use Case Examples – Playing background music in apps<br>- Simple video playback in apps – Video streaming apps<br>- Apps requiring customized playback control
Development Less development time for standard functionalities More development time but offers advanced features
Updates Dependent on Android SDK updates Regularly updated independently of Android SDK
DRM Support Basic DRM support Robust DRM support and easy integration with DRM solutions
Hardware Acceleration Supported but less configurable Extensive support and configurable hardware acceleration

VdoCipher Security and DRM in video players for Android

VdoCipher has mastered the art of delivering encrypted video content to Android devices, leveraging the power of ExoPlayer/Media3. Let’s dive into the four key components that make this possible:

  • The Client’s Role – At the heart of the process is the client, eagerly attempting to play content. This is where the user’s journey begins.
  • VdoCipher’s License Server – This is the brains of the operation. The license server responds to client requests by generating decryption keys, ensuring that only authorized users can access the content.
  • Provisioning for Unique Credentials – Some scenarios require unique credentials for specific devices. Here, a provisioning server steps in to ensure that each device gets what it needs for a seamless streaming experience.
  • The Content Server – The final piece of the puzzle is the content server, which safely serves the encrypted content to the client.

Now, let’s look at how these components interact at the client-side

  • Playing Protected Content – The client attempts to play protected content from the content server. This is done using a DashMediaSource, paired with a DrmSessionManager.
  • The Role of DRMSessionManager – The DRMSessionManager, a pivotal element, implements the MediaDRMCallback. It’s further enhanced by the HttpMediaDrmCallback, which adds layers of functionality, such as wrapping/unwrapping license requests and responses, and throwing custom exceptions to pinpoint issues.
  • Device Provisioning – If a device needs provisioning, a request is made to the provisioning server. This is seamlessly handled via a callback.
  • License Acquisition and Playback – Once the MediaDRM client secures the license, it’s passed to ExoPlayer, kickstarting media playback. This process is a must for each media playback request, especially for non-persistent licenses.
  • Handling Persistent Licenses – The application smartly saves and reuses persistent licenses until they expire. Plus, persistent license requests are pre-fetched before video playback begins, using OfflineLicenseHelper. This ensures video initialization is smooth, regardless of the success of the license fetch operation.

FAQs

What is the best video player for Android?

Some of the best-rated video player for Android based on customer reviews are MX Player, VLC for Android, and ExoPlayer.

Is MX Player allowed in India?

Yes, MX Player services are accessible in India.

Is VLC better than MX Player?

Each of these Android video players have their own strengths and weaknesses. Some reddit reviews find MX Player having better customizations and preference for pc, laptop unlike VLC which is recommended by many for smartphones.

Can the interface of Android video players be customizable?

Video players for Android like VdoCipher custom video player offer a high level of customizations like theme and layout change.

Do video player for Android have adaptive streaming?

VdoCipher video player supports adaptive bitrate streaming which means the video quality dynamically adjusts based on the viewer’s internet connection and playback device. The feature is highly useful in times of low internet connectivity or for those living in tier 2,3 cities. Learn more about VdoCipher’s Android video SDK  for adaptive streaming

References:

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/media/platform/mediaplayer

https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/media/exoplayer

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