canPlayType method
Returns a string that specifies whether the client can play a given media resource type.
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Syntax
retVal = object.canPlayType(type, canPlay);
Parameters
- type [in]
-
Type: string
The mime type of media that the client is being asked to play.
- canPlay [out, retval]
-
Type: string
Return value
This method does not return a value.
Standards information
- HTML5 A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML, Section 4.8.9.2
Remarks
Positive return values are slightly vague because of the implementation variations in video and audio formats.
Examples
This code segment is from the demo featured in How to use HTML5 to play video files on your webpage and shows how to use canPlayType. Try the example online.
if (myvideo.canPlayType) {
// CanPlayType returns maybe, probably, or an empty string.
var playMsg = myvideo.canPlayType('video/mp4; codecs="avc1.42E01E"');
if ("" != playMsg) {
msg.innerHTML += "mp4/H.264 is " + playMsg + " supported <br/>";
}
playMsg = myvideo.canPlayType('video/ogg; codecs="theora"');
if ("" != playMsg) {
msg.innerHTML += "ogg is " + playMsg + " supported<br/>";
}
playMsg = myvideo.canPlayType('video/webm; codecs="vp8, vorbis"');
if ("" != playMsg) {
msg.innerHTML += "webm is " + playMsg + " supported<br/>";
}
}
else {
msg.innerHTML += "no video support";
}
}
See also
- How to use HTML5 to play video files on your webpage
- How to use HTML5 to Add an Audio Player to your Webpage
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