Viewing HTML5 audio and video in Firefox
You can play some types of sound and video files on web pages without a plugin. This article explains which formats can play and how to control, save, and open them.
Table of Contents
What is open media?
Because the use of many audio and video file types is restricted by patents, a third-party application called a plugin is required to use them. A plugin (such as Flash) is a small application that runs inside the browser window.
Vorbis audio, Theora video (developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation), Opus Audio (developed by Mozilla and Microsoft and standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force as RFC 6716), and VP8 video (sponsored by Google) are free audio/video compression formats for use without patent restrictions, and can be viewed in Firefox without a plugin.
Ogg (.oga, ogv,.ogx file types) and WebM (.webm file type) are container formats for open media.
Some sample video files are available in the “Video For Everybody” Test Page at camendesign.com.
Audio and video controls
When you visit a website that includes an open media file, you will see controls for managing playback when you hold the mouse pointer over the media on the page.
- Play button:
Starts playback.
- Pause button:
Stops playback once it has started.
- Progress indicator: Indicates how much time has elapsed since the beginning of the file.
- Volume control: Click and drag the slider up or down to adjust the volume.
- At the top of the Firefox window, click on the button and then select At the top of the Firefox window, click on the menu and then select On the menu bar, click on the menu and select At the top of the Firefox window, click on the menu and select
- Select the panel.
- Check Enable JavaScript is selected.
- Click to close the Options windowClick to close the Preferences windowClose the Preferences window
Keyboard controls
After you click on an audio or video file on a web page, you may control the playback with your keyboard.
| Command | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Toggle Play / Pause | Space bar |
| Decrease volume | ↓ |
| Increase volume | ↑ |
| Mute audio | Ctrl + ↓command + ↓ |
| Unmute audio | Ctrl + ↑command + ↑ |
| Seek back 15 seconds | ← |
| Seek back 10 % | Ctrl + ←command + ← |
| Seek forward 15 seconds | → |
| Seek forward 10 % | Ctrl + →command + → |
| Seek to the beginning | Home |
| Seek to the end | End |
Full screen video
To make a video take up the full screen, right-clickhold down the Ctrl key while you click and select .
To end full screen viewing, click the X in the top-rightleft corner of the viewing window.
Saving open media files
To save an audio file from a web page to your computer:
- Right-clickHold down the Ctrl key while you click on the audio controls and select .
- Select a location on your computer to save the file.
To save a video file from a web page to your computer:
- Right-clickHold down the Ctrl key while you click on the video controls and select .
- Select a location on your computer to save the file.
Opening saved files
The open media files you save from web pages may not play in your normal media player. To open these types of files:
- Open Firefox.
- Click Ctrl + Ocommand + O.
- Navigate to the folder that contains the file you want to play and click .
Troubleshooting
If you are having problems with audio or video files, see:
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