The future of Flash video players
I have created a concept for how the features of online Flash video players should evolve. I believe most video players on sites like YouTube, Vimeo etc, are outdated and don’t give users enough control. I will start by explaining why, and at the end of this post I will present my concept.
Background
Lately I have been watching a lot of videos tutorials on YouTube, Vimeo and many other sites. And I realized how limited the controls on most Flash video players are. The interface is quite bulky and inaccurate. It’s time for these players to evolve!
It seems to me that most video Flash players were developed for serving short video sequences. However today these players also serve longer videos. Many TV stations are offering video content online, and most of them provide their users with limited “YouTube style players”. Longer videos requires more control, my old VHS player had more features than most Flash video players out there… Well, in some areas at least ;)
Examples of video players:
I’ll give you an example, lets say you are watching your favourite TV show, which is 40 minutes, and you want to skip ahead to 25:33. This seems like a simple task. But it’s almost impossible to move the play back head to the position you want, since the time line is compressed. The longer the video is, the harder it is becomes.
I would like to have more control, especially when looking at video tutorials since you want to see certain steps several times. I would also be able to play a video in double speed, and perhaps even higher speeds. To be able to bookmark a certain frame would also be nice.
My concept
The images below are a proposal for a video player UI which offers more control. I don’t know if all features are possible from a technical point of view, this concept is seen from a user perspective.
Player features
1. Manual frame stepping
Ability to manually step back and forward, frame by frame.
2. Playback speed
The ability to look at the video in higher speed (up to four times the normal speed).
A “slow motion” feature could also be useful.
3. Position play head position with numeric input
Input the time you want the playback head to go to by numbers, instead of scrubbing the time line.
4. Switch between advanced and standard UI
This icon switches between advanced and standard UI. It’s important not to scare users who are not willing to use the advanced controls. And you want to be able to see the video once you made your input, right? =)
5. Bookmark frame (Video bookmarks)
The possibility to bookmark certain frames of a video. Of course this requires the user to be logged in to the site that serves the video.
Conclusion
I have to stress that the UI I have created is just a draft concept. There are several things that I have not taken into consideration, for example what happens if the user adds 30 bookmarks? Well, some kind of scrollbar has to be implemented… and so on.
With these features you will have more control over video playback. It’s about time for the major players like YouTube and Vimeo to start to consider an update of their Flash video players.
Do you agree, or perhaps disagree? Have you got any other ideas? Start commenting! ;)
EDIT: There is something I forgot to mention. Instead of starting from scratch and figuring out a totally new player/skin/ui I based this concept on the classic JW player skin. The purpose of this concept is to discuss possibilities to improve Flash video players, not the actual design.
Hey,
One of my favorites - Joost - have redone their video interface. But back when they launched it a couple of years back - It Rocked!
Personally I think http://www.vimeo.com combined with http://www.viddler.com/ got the ultimate solution. Vimeo’s player is one of the few that makes the video bar disappear once you start playing that video. Viddler on the other hand has got some great functionality that solves the chapters and also visitor interaction in a great way.
One thing I like with yours is playback speed. From one perspective it might seem stupid since the functionality was once invented cause you wanted to fast forward…I mean you couldn’t move to a specific frame without doing that. But on the other hand I find myself interested in videos every now and then that are too long and I want to skim through them. This would be good. I would however use standard buttons, the ones we have on remote controls.
Your own suggestion contains lots of great functionality but I do think you are covering up to much of the actual video content. Viddlers functionality seems smarter in that way.
Go to frame might seem good, but how many people do actually know which frame to go to?
(I worked out the strategy for the new Kanal5Play (and it’s not that player above) and also Art Directed and designed it. And we looked a lot at Vimeo since that one works great from a usability point of view…after all, the less buttons visible the more people understand how to interact once they look for it)
Kind of a blurry comment. I do like the initiative and the problem you state is absolutely something to solve! Not quite there yet though?
Comment by Johan Ronnestam — 03/12/2009 @ 9:48 pm
Cool! I want this. However I think that the codec in Flash has its downfalls of keyframes and skipping frames and time. But I can be wrong. If you use On2 VP6 or H.264 it will be a different equation and limitations.
However, start the development. I really would like to see it and use it!
/Christian Pellving
Comment by Christian Pellving — 03/12/2009 @ 10:00 pm
Hey Johan, thanks for your comment! Yep, the I agree that a lot of space is covered with my solution. Some kind of floating menu, like the “+” icon on viddler.com might be better.
Initially I was thinking of having traditional remote control “playback speed buttons” next to the start & stop buttons, but I chose to go with this xbox-style speed selector. I will play around with it.
I think the “Go To Frame” feature comes in handy once you have seen the video, or while you are looking at it, and you want to go back to a certain point in time. At least I often have the need for this…
Ah, that’s the “TV3 Play” player I have up there. I will correct that… Working with Kanal 5 Play sounds like a great project!
No, problem not solved! This thing definately needs more time :) My main goal with the post was to get at discussion started. And I’m glad you took your time to comment.
Comment by Anders — 03/12/2009 @ 10:20 pm
@Christian
Yep, I also worry about codec issues. Yes, maybe I should start to develop a new player? That was not my plan actually - perhaps there is someone out the who want to join me in this crazy project? Haha.
Comment by Anders — 03/12/2009 @ 10:27 pm
[...] of the features that are revealed when flipping the menu are explained in my “The future of Flash video players”. I believe that video players need give the user more control over video playback, than the most [...]
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