HTML Audio/Video DOM canPlayType() Method
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HTML Audio/Video DOM canPlayType() Method

❮ HTML Audio/Video DOM Reference

Example

Check if your browser can play different types of video:

var vid = document.createElement('video');
isSupp = vid.canPlayType(vidType+';codecs="'+codType+'"');
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Definition and Usage

The canPlayType() method checks if the browser can play the specified audio/video type.

The canPlayType() method can return one of the following values:

  • "probably" - the browser most likely supports this audio/video type
  • "maybe" - the browser might support this audio/video type
  • "" - (empty string) the browser does not support this audio/video type

Browser Support

The numbers in the table specify the first browser version that fully supports the method.

Method
canPlayType() Yes 9.0 Yes Yes Yes

Syntax

audio|video.canPlayType(type)

Parameter Values

Value Description
type Specifies the audio/video type (and optional codecs) to test support for.

Common values:

  • video/ogg
  • video/mp4
  • video/webm
  • audio/mpeg
  • audio/ogg
  • audio/mp4

Common values, including codecs:

  • video/ogg; codecs="theora, vorbis"
  • video/mp4; codecs="avc1.4D401E, mp4a.40.2"
  • video/webm; codecs="vp8.0, vorbis"
  • audio/ogg; codecs="vorbis"
  • audio/mp4; codecs="mp4a.40.5"

Note: This method can only return "probably" if codecs are included.

Technical Details

Return Value: A String, representing the level of support. Possible return values:
  • "probably" - most likely support
  • "maybe" - might support
  • "" - (empty string) no support

❮ HTML Audio/Video DOM Reference