Embedding YouTube in XHTML?

[volare]

I've been rewriting one of my pages and when I try to put a YouTube video in my page it doesn't display properly in IE, although it looks fine in FireFox. Anyone know what's up with that? The page I'm working on is here:

http://dangerouslyfun.com/index2.html

[brandaggio]

I would suggest using this cross browser code in replace of what you currently have:

<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash"
 data="http://www.youtube.com/v/knKDLhgeOwM" height="350"
 width="425"><param name="movie"
 value="http://www.youtube.com/v/knKDLhgeOwM" /></object>

That should do it.

[volare]

hmm...it still isn't working. This is what it looks like when I open it in IE:

[brandaggio]

Does this also stall for you (it is my suggested code and nothing else)? It shouldn't.

The Flash player for Linux is not so hot and I run IE 6 under WINE. Nonetheless, the video still plays all the way through like a charm.

[volare]

Actually, it does. That's weird. I always use Firefox so I guess I just haven't noticed it until now.

[brandaggio]

Actually, it does. That's weird. I always use Firefox so I guess I just haven't noticed it until now.

It does or doesn't "work" for you in IE (my link)?

BTW - your page (with the new code) works fine in IE 6 under WINE - played all the way through without a hiccup on Linux.

[volare]

It does not work.

[brandaggio]

It does not work.

Well I am at a loss - you have some issue that is unique to your local machine.

Instant message any friend with IE and it will work for them.

[volare]

I guess I'll have to work on fixing IE.

May I ask, if the code you provided is superior, why doesn't YouTube provide it that way? (I'm not suggesting it isn't superior, I'm just curious what YouTube is up to.)

[brandaggio]

I guess I'll have to work on fixing IE.

May I ask, if the code you provided is superior, why doesn't YouTube provide it that way? (I'm not suggesting it isn't superior, I'm just curious what YouTube is up to.)

It superior because it works just as well an involves less redundant non-standard code (which you can plainly see by comparing them side by side and running the each code snippet through a validator). It doesn't really much matter - though I prefer to get more from less. You can embed Google video the same way (using the code I outlined earlier), though Google also suggests less desirable code on their site - Google is not known for their perfect code by any means.

[Dan Schulz]

May I ask, if the code you provided is superior, why doesn't YouTube provide it that way? (I'm not suggesting it isn't superior, I'm just curious what YouTube is up to.)

Because old habits die hard. And bad ones die harder. The worst ones need to die hard with a vengeance.

Not only that, but it's a relatively new technique that most people just either haven't heard of, or don't care about. "But it works for me" tends to be the common excuse. Refusing to upgrade a browser or operating may "work" for some but it doesn't mean it's right either.