Vimeo supports HTML5 embeds and Roku channel

Vimeo today gave owners of iPads, iPhones and future Android devices the option of viewing most of its video in an HTML5 embedded player. The new approach automatically switches between Flash and HTML5 and will automatically switch to the appropriate format depending on the device and software. Apple devices will usually play in H.264 where supporting versions of Android and other platforms could play the plugin-free clips in WebM.

The format gives Vimeo a temporary advantage over YouTube. Although clips from Google's site have played in-browser since the iPad launch, the provider only just recently began testing full HTML5 embeds and hasn't said if or when it plans to turn the feature public. The implementation nonetheless wounds Adobe's claim to the ubiquity of Flash as it gives HTML5 a near-complete foothold on a major site.

In sync with the web code is an addition of a Vimeo channel to Roku's Internet Player hub. It gives access to the "most popular" clips and supports a new Vimeo feature, Watch Later, that supports queuing up movies to watch later, such as after work. The addition should be live on Roku's media hub before the end of the day.

By Electronista Staff