HTML5 has certainly made a name for itself and has managed to overshadow the previously ubiquitous technology known as Flash. While you usually hear about HTML5’s impressive capabilities when it comes to video, it has solid audio capabilities as well. To show you how those capabilities have been put to use, this article will list some of the top HTML5 audio players around. As you search on your own, you will likely find more audio players, but this list will give you a sneak peek as to what is out there.
MediaElement.js
MediaElement.js offers both audio and video playing capability via pure HTML and CSS. The player addresses compatibility issues intelligently by employing custom Flash and Silverlight players that emulate the HTML5 MediaElement API on older browsers. This is an essential feature of the player, as it eliminates any worries you may have when it comes to users with different browsing preferences.
Moving on, MediaElement.js offers extensive customization. The player is fully skinnable and supports such useful bells and whistles as Ambilight, the <track> element, and full-screen video to give visitors a more enjoyable audio and video experience. The player can be extended even further with a YouTube API for Flash and HTML5, auto-translation powered by Google Translate, and much more. Simply put, you will be hard-pressed to find a free HTML5 audio and video player that supplies as much functionality in an easy to use format as MediaElement.js does.
jPlayer
Although our primary focus of this list is HTML5 audio players, jPlayer gives you the best of both worlds, as it allows you to integrate both audio and video into your Web pages with ease. Just how easy is it to use? If time is of the essence, you can leverage the power of jPlayer within just minutes. Should you have any questions, the player comes with extensive documentation and a guide to help you get started. There is also a sizeable community that you can rely on for your jPlayer needs.
Constructed with the MooTools JavaScript framework and HTML5, jPlayer’s long list of features should appeal to anyone in need of an HTML5 audio player. Coming in at only 8KB, jPlayer is as lightweight as it is powerful. One of its most impressive features is its platform support across Windows OSX, iOS, Android, and BlackBerry, as well as such browsers as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. jPlayer can be easily extended, works with several plugins across different platforms, and offers no licensing restrictions thanks to its status as a free open source project. You can also customize jPlayer to fit your needs with a little HTML and CSS.
Audio.js is an HTML5 audio player that is very simplistic in nature. Do not let its simplicity fool you, however, as it is highly functional and easy to use. Categorized as a drop-in JavaScript library, Audio.js employs the native HTML5 <audio> tag as its bread and butter. It also transitions to an invisible Flash player to emulate the <audio> tag when necessary.If you are looking for customization, Audio.js offers that through CSS styling. As for compatibility, the player has been tested and verified to work across multiple platforms such as Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari.
Speakker
Described by its creators as a cross-browser audio solution featuring HTML5, Speakker is a wisely named audio player that comes with a boatload of features. The player is very easy to setup via some lines of JavaScript and a bit of CSS. From there, you have plenty of options as how you want to implement Speakker.
Among the characteristics you can tweak with Speakker include the player’s color themes, dimensions, and buttons. You can opt for buttons that match light color schemes, or those that go with dark color schemes. Want to make the player informational in nature? You can do so by including links to artist information, as well as ones that are related to social media. Speakker can use Flash as a fall back and also works across the major browsers to ensure compatibility for different users. As a bonus, the creators of Speakker will supposedly release a new Nano version of the player that packs a ton of functionality and style in a compressed visual package.
HTML5 Audio Player Bookmarklet
This is a very nifty tool that gives you the power to play linked audio files on any Web page. As long as that page has links to downloadable audio files, you can use the HTML5 Audio Player Bookmarklet to play those files with ease. This offers a nice alternative to visitors who want to stream an audio file and saves them the hassle of having to download it to their computer. One example of a site where the bookmarklet would come in handy is with Dropbox.
Zen HTML5 Audio Player
Out of all of the HTML5 audio players in this list, Zen is by far the most basic. Regardless, its style is unique, so it is at least worth a look. Powered by jPlayer and styled with CSS3, Zen gives you a demo of a simple HTML5 audio player that plays a single song.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it. This concludes our list of the top HTML5 audio players. As mentioned earlier, you will definitely find more audio players worth checking out if you peruse the Web on your own. Hopefully, this list served to whet your appetite when it comes to the new and exciting world of HTML5. If you know of any HTML5 audio players worth mentioning, list them in the comments section so that others can take a closer look. Remember to check back with us for additional articles on HTML5 and much more in the future.HTML5 is making waves through the tech world, and this article will detail some of the best HTML5 audio players that are currently available on the Web.
