Vimeo tries out new HTML 5 player!

One, if not the greatest video sites Vimeo, is trying out the latest HTML 5 video player which requires no flash.

As posted yesterday on the official Vimeo Blog:

We’re rolling out a new beta test today: the HTML5 player!

What’s the HTML5 player, you ask? Simply put, it’s an alternative to our current Flash player that looks and works almost exactly the same way. What are the benefits?

• The player loads right away — no more spinning butterfly thingy
• You can jump anywhere in the video, without having to wait for it to buffer
• Smoother, less jumpy playback (we hope)

That said, there are some drawbacks:

• It’s a beta test — it might be buggy!
• It only works for about 25% of you: you must be running the latest versions of Safari, Chrome, or IE with Chrome Frame installed.
• It cannot go full screen. Unfortunately this is a limitation of the browsers right now. We are working on adding at least full-window support in the next day or so.
• It only works on Vimeo.com right now, embed code will still be Flash.
• “Only” 90% of videos uploaded in the last year will work in the new player. All told, about 35% of all videos will still require the standard Flash player. In this case, Vimeo will automatically switch for you. It should just always work.

To enable the HTML5 player, click the “Switch to HTML5 player” link below any video. Enjoy!!!

This looks super sweet and I love the fact that this company is pushing forward with technology. You Go Vimeo!