Usage

Initialize player
Change features or add plugin
Use Renderers
Use stretching modes
Responsive grid
Setting new captions
Destroy player

Initialize player

You can use this as a standalone library if you wish, or just stick with the full MediaElementPlayer.

Standalone

<script>
	// You can use either a string for the player ID (i.e., `player`), 
	// or `document.querySelector()` for any selector
	var player = new MediaElement('player', {
		success: function(mediaElement, originalNode) {
			// do things
		}
	});

</script>

Automatic start

You can avoid running any startup scripts by adding class="mejs__player" to the <video> or <audio> tag. All the player configuration can be added through data-mejsoptions attribute.

<video src="myvideo.mp4" width="320" height="240"
		class="mejs__player"
		data-mejsoptions='{"alwaysShowControls": "true"}'></video>

Vanilla JavaScript

<script>
	// You can use either a string for the player ID (i.e., `player`), 
	// or `document.querySelector()` for any selector
	var player = new MediaElementPlayer('player', {
	// When using `MediaElementPlayer`, an `instance` argument
	// is available in the `success` callback
		success: function(mediaElement, originalNode, instance) {
			// do things
		}
	});
</script>

jQuery

<script>
	$('#mediaplayer').mediaelementplayer({
	// When using jQuery's `mediaelementplayer`, an `instance` argument
	// is available in the `success` callback
		success: function(mediaElement, originalNode, instance) {
			// do things
		}
	});
</script>

npm/Meteor

// To import only MediaElement class
import 'mediaelement/standalone';

// To import all the plugin (you will have access to the MediaElement and MediaElementPlayer classes,
// $.fn.mediaelementplayer plugin, all the native renderers, YouTube)
import 'mediaelement/full';

// To import renderers (i.e., Vimeo)
import 'mediaelement/build/renderers/vimeo';

// To import languages (i.e., Spanish)
import 'mediaelement/build/lang/es';
// Later on the code you need to use mejs.i18n.language('es') to set the language

IMPORTANT: To ensure you can use the $.fn.mediaelementplayer plugin, you will need to import jQuery as well in your bundle like follows:

Create a jquery-global.js file that contains:

'use strict';

import jquery from 'jquery';
window.jQuery = jquery;
window.$ = jquery;

Import the jquery-global.js along with the desired package

'use strict';

import '/path/to/jquery-global';
import 'mediaelement'; // or import `mediaelement/standalone` if you only want the shim but not the full player;

RequireJS

With Require.js, you will need the following setup if you are planning to use HLS, M(PEG)-DASH, given the way the packages are bundled.

To make it work, install via npm any of the external libraries you will need (i.e., HLS.js).

npm install hls.js

In your code, include a shim for the external library and then assign the exported variable to the global scope.

requirejs.config({
	// Other configuration
	shim: {
		// Other shims
		'path/to/hls': {deps: ['require'], exports: "Hls"},
        	// If you only need the shim and not the player, use
        	//'path/to/mediaelement': {deps: ['require'], exports: "MediaElement"}
        	'path/to/mediaelement-and-player': {deps: ['require'], exports: "MediaElementPlayer"}
	}
});

// Later on the code...
require(['path/to/hls'], function (Hls) {
	window.Hls = Hls;
	require(['path/to/mediaelement-and-player'], function (MediaElementPlayer) {
		var player = new MediaElementPlayer('media-id', {
			// Player configuration
		});
	});
});

React

With React.js, you will need to install the external libraries the same way as Require.

Once installed through npm, you will be able to create your component using MediaElement. As an example:

MediaElement.js

import React, { Component } from 'react';
import hlsjs from 'hls.js';
import 'mediaelement';

// Import stylesheet and shims
import 'mediaelement/build/mediaelementplayer.min.css';

export default class MediaElement extends Component {

	state = {}

	success(media, node, instance) {
		// Your action when media was successfully loaded
	}

	error(media) {
		// Your action when media had an error loading
	}

	render() {

		const
			props = this.props,
			sources = JSON.parse(props.sources),
			tracks = JSON.parse(props.tracks),
			sourceTags = [],
			tracksTags = []
		;

		for (let i = 0, total = sources.length; i < total; i++) {
			const source = sources[i];
			sourceTags.push(`<source src="${source.src}" type="${source.type}">`);
		}

		for (let i = 0, total = tracks.length; i < total; i++) {
			const track = tracks[i];
			tracksTags.push(`<track src="${track.src}" kind="${track.kind}" srclang="${track.lang}"${(track.label ? ` label=${track.label}` : '')}>`);
		}

		const
			mediaBody = `${sourceTags.join("\n")}
				${tracksTags.join("\n")}`,
			mediaHtml = props.mediaType === 'video' ?
				`<video id="${props.id}" width="${props.width}" height="${props.height}"${(props.poster ? ` poster=${props.poster}` : '')}
					${(props.controls ? ' controls' : '')}${(props.preload ? ` preload="${props.preload}"` : '')}>
					${mediaBody}
				</video>` :
				`<audio id="${props.id}" width="${props.width}" controls>
					${mediaBody}
				</audio>`
		;

		return (<div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{__html: mediaHtml}}></div>);

	}

	componentDidMount() {

		const {MediaElementPlayer} = global;
		
		if (!MediaElementPlayer) {
			return;
		}

		const options = Object.assign({}, JSON.parse(this.props.options), {
			success: (media, node, instance) => this.success(media, node, instance),
			error: (media, node) => this.error(media, node)
		});
		
		window.Hls = hlsjs;
		this.setState({player: new MediaElementPlayer(this.props.id, options)});
	}

	componentWillUnmount() {
		if (this.state.player) {
			this.state.player.remove();
			this.setState({player: null});
		}
	}
}

So you can use your component like as follows.

App.js

import React, { Component } from 'react';
import './App.css';
import MediaElement from './MediaElement';

export default class App extends Component {

	// Other code

	render() {
		const
			sources = [
				{src: 'http://www.streambox.fr/playlists/test_001/stream.m3u8', type: 'application/x-mpegURL'},
				{src: 'http://clips.vorwaerts-gmbh.de/big_buck_bunny.mp4', type: 'video/mp4'},
				{src: 'rtmp://firehose.cul.columbia.edu:1935/vod/mp4:sample.mp4', type: 'video/rtmp'}
			],
			config = {},
			tracks = {}
		;

		return (
		<MediaElement
		   id="player1"
		   mediaType="video"
		   preload="none"
		   controls
		   width="640"
		   height="360"
		   poster=""
		   sources={JSON.stringify(sources)}
		   options={JSON.stringify(config)}
		   tracks={JSON.stringify(tracks)}
		/>);
	}
}

For other renderers that cannot be installed through npm, such as YouTube, you might need to load their script through componentDidMount method:

componentDidMount() {
	let loaded = false;
	if (!loaded) {
		const tag = document.createElement('script');
		tag.src = '//www.youtube.com/player_api';
		const firstScriptTag = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
		firstScriptTag.parentNode.insertBefore(tag, firstScriptTag);
		loaded = true;
	}
}

Add feature or plugin

If you want to use a specific feature or Plugin, just add it to the features array in the place you want the control for the feature or plugin to show. The array order is important as it's a reflection of the controlbar visualization. If it's a plugin and not a native feature, make sure to load the plugin javascript file too, after the mediaelement-and-player.min.js.

<script src="jquery.js"></script>
<script src="mediaelement-and-player.min.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="mediaelementplayer.css" />
<script src="mejs-feature-[feature_name].js"></script>

<video id="player1" width="320" height="240"></video>

<script>
$(document).ready(function() {
	// create player
	$('#player1').mediaelementplayer({
		// add desired features in order
		features: ['playpause','[feature_name]','current','progress','duration','volume']
	});
});
</script>

Use Renderers

After the MediaElement package has been loaded, include any renderer(s) you are planning to use that not part of the main bundle (mediaelement-and-player.js). For example, to include Vimeo and Twitch support:

<script src="/path/to/mediaelement-and-player.min.js"></script>
<script src="/path/to/renderers/vimeo.min.js"></script>
<script src="/path/to/renderers/twitch.min.js"></script>

By default, all the renderers will be called by their IDs and the plugin will try to detect the best one.

However, if you need to use just a subset of renderers in a specific order, you must list their IDs using renderers option when configuring your player.

// Use globally native M(PEG)-DASH renderer
mejs.Renderers.order = ['native_dash'];

$('video, audio').mediaelementplayer({
	renderers: ['native_dash'], // Use only M(PEG)DASH renderers
	// More configuration
});

MediaElement can invoke methods from the current renderer's API. An example using native HLS:

$('video').mediaelementplayer({
	// All the config related to HLS
	hls: {
		debug: true
	},
	// More configuration parameters...

	success: function(media, node, instance) {
		// Use the conditional to detect if you are using `native_hls` renderer for that given media;
		// otherwise, you don't need it
		if (Hls !== undefined) {
			media.addEventListener(Hls.Events.MEDIA_ATTACHED, function () {
				// All the code when this event is reached...
				console.log('Media attached!');
			});

			// Manifest file was parsed, invoke loading method
			media.addEventListener(Hls.Events.MANIFEST_PARSED, function () {
				// All the code when this event is reached...
				console.log('Manifest parsed!');

			});

			media.addEventListener(Hls.Events.FRAG_PARSING_METADATA, function (event, data) {
				// All the code when this event is reached...
				console.log(data);
			});
		}
	}
});

Below are listed the renderers with their IDs and player instance to execute other methods from APIs.

Renderer	ID	Reference	MIME Type(s)
Native video/audio	`html5`	---	video/mp4, audio/mp4, video/webm, audio/mpeg, audio/mp3, audio/ogg, audio/oga, video/ogg
HLS native	`native_hls`	`hls.js` API	application/x-mpegURL, vnd.apple.mpegURL
M(PEG)-DASH native	`native_dash`	`dash.js` Documentation	application/dash+xml
SoundCloud	`soundcloud_iframe`	SoundCloud Widget API	video/soundcloud, video/x-soundcloud
Facebook	`facebook`	---	video/facebook, video/x-facebook
Vimeo	`vimeo_iframe`	Vimeo Player API	video/vimeo, video/x-vimeo
YouTube	`youtube_iframe`	YouTube IFrame Player API	video/youtube, video/x-youtube
DailyMotion	`dailymotion_iframe`	Dailymotion Player API	video/dailymotion, video/x-dailymotion
Twitch	`twitch_iframe`	Twitch Emded API	video/twitch, video/x-twitch

To know how well-supported are each one of the formats, visit http://caniuse.com/

IMPORTANT NOTES

Only renderers prefixed as native and YouTube are integrated by default on the player. The rest of the renderers are stored in the build/renderers folder.

Notes

Support for wmv and wma has been dropped since most of the major players are not supporting it as well.
ogg formats will not play consistently in all browsers so it is strongly recommended a MP3 fallback for audio, or MP4 for video.
wav and webm formats will only play on Browsers that support it natively.
mpd will not work on iOS since it doesn't support MSE; for mpd use a m3u8 fallback.
opus stream format works without any further configuration.
SoundCloud can play with html5 renderer using the following URL format: https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/XXX/stream?client_id=XXX

Use `stretching` modes

MediaElementPlayer accepts 4 different stretching modes. The following table describes how to set each one of them.

Mode	Setup
auto	Mode by default, this mode checks if there are any elements in the `video`/`audio` tag to turn the responsive mode; if not, will set it up in none mode.
responsive	Can be turned on by setting `max-width: 100%` style (inline, or in the stylesheet), or `width="100%" height="100%"` attributes in the `video`/`audio` tag. In JavaScript, set in the player's configuration `stretching: 'responsive'` (preferred) or `videoWidth: '100%' videoHeight: '100%'`.
fill	This mode will crop the video to adapt it to the dimensions of the parent container by only setting up `stretching: 'fill'`. It is encouraged to set up the parent's `height` to `100%` to make it work as expected.
none	Use `width` and `height` attributes specified in the `video`/`audio` tags and no `max-width: 100%` or `width="100%" height="100%"` attributes; otherwise, use the `stretching: 'none'` configuration element to achieve this.

Responsive grid

Since MediaElement can adapt its size to be responsive, some might be tempted to use CSS or JavaScript to create a responsive grid of videos.

So far, right now the best plugin to be used with MediaElement for this task has been Flexr.

Setting new captions

With MediaElementPlayer, the way to do it is just setting the new values for required attributes (srclang, kind and src) and optionally, label, in the track tags for all browsers EXCEPT Safari Desktop.

With Safari Desktop in its latest version, due to a keyboard trap issue generated when appending the original video tag containing track element during the construction of the player, it is necessary to create track tags with the attributes specified above, and override the trackFiles array.

var player = new MediaElementPlayer('#player');

const track = document.createElement('track');
track.kind = 'subtitles';
track.label = 'English';
track.src = '/path/to/captions.vtt';
track.srclang = 'en';

// In this example, we are assuming there is only one `track` tag;
// if there are more, implement your logic to override the necessary one(s)
if (player.trackFiles !== null) {
	player.trackFiles = [track];
}

Once you set up the new values for the track attributes, or defined the workflow for Safari, it is required to register the new track(s) as follows:

// This way we are ensuring ALL tracks are being loaded, starting from the first one
player.loadTrack(0);
// Set the default language using the ID of the language.
// Check the radio buttons generated by the player to see the ID you want to set, or use `none`
player.setTrack('mep_0_track_0_subtitles_en');

Destroy player

In order to destroy the player, you must pause the player and then invoke the remove() method.

var player = new MediaElementPlayer('#player');

// Using jQuery:
// var playerId = $('#mediaplayer').closest('.mejs__container').attr('id');
// var player = mejs.players[playerId];


if (!player.paused) {
	player.pause();
}

player.remove();

// If you wanna destroy COMPLETELY the player (including also the `video` tag) use the above and also the following:
var videos = document.getElementsByTagName('video');
for( var i = 0, total = videos.length; i < total; i++ ){
	videos[i].parentNode.removeChild(videos[i]);
}

// Using jQuery:
// $('video').each(function() {
// 	$(this).remove();
// });

Same code can be used for <audio> elements.

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usage.md

usage.md

Usage

Initialize player

Standalone

Automatic start

Vanilla JavaScript

jQuery

npm/Meteor

RequireJS

React

Add feature or plugin

Use Renderers

Use `stretching` modes

Responsive grid

Setting new captions

Destroy player

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usage.md

File metadata and controls

Usage

Initialize player

Standalone

Automatic start

Vanilla JavaScript

jQuery

npm/Meteor

RequireJS

React

Add feature or plugin

Use Renderers

Use stretching modes

Responsive grid

Setting new captions

Destroy player

Use `stretching` modes