About
Kaltura's v7 player is an HTML5 player for video, audio, and live content. It supports features such as multiple video and audio streams, captions, playback controls, casting, playlists, related content, and interactive video.
Administrators can configure the player's behavior, appearance, and integrations in Player Studio. See Introduction to the player studio and Player setup & configuration for instructions.
Key features
Player controls
The player includes controls for playing and pausing media, skipping forward or backward, adjusting volume, and navigating the timeline.
For on-demand content, the player displays the current playback position and total duration. Live streams can include a catch-up buffer that lets viewers rewind while the live stream continues.
Quality and playback speed
Viewers can adjust the video quality and playback speed when these options are available. Video quality can be selected automatically or manually.
Safari can use native HLS playback, which manages video quality automatically. When native HLS is used, manual quality selection isn't available.
Administrators can control native playback behavior through the player's advanced settings. See Advanced settings in player for more information.
Picture-in-Picture
Picture-in-Picture (PiP) lets viewers continue watching video in a floating window while using another tab, window, or supported app.
On supported mobile devices, the player uses the device's native Picture-in-Picture functionality.
The player also supports viewability settings that control playback based on how much of the player is visible on the page. Depending on the configuration, the player can float, pause, or start playback as its visibility changes.
Timeline and preview thumbnails
The timeline lets viewers navigate through content and can display preview thumbnails while seeking.
Markers can also be used on the timeline for features such as chapters, ads, and highlights.
When using Interactive Video Paths, elapsed and remaining time aren't displayed because the video path changes according to viewer selections and doesn't have a single continuous timeline.
Branding
Administrators can customize the appearance of the player, including colors, logo, watermark, background, and other visual elements.
UI customization - Use player settings and external CSS to customize the player interface.
Localization - Player menus, tooltips, and screen reader labels support multiple languages.
Logo - Add a clickable logo to the player.
See Visual settings in player for configuration options.
Accessibility
The v7 player includes accessibility features that support different viewing needs:
- Keyboard navigation - Navigate and control supported player functions using the keyboard.
- Screen reader support - Player controls include accessible labels for screen readers.
- Customizable captions - Viewers can adjust supported caption display settings for readability.
- Color contrast - Player controls are designed to support accessible color contrast.
Section 508 compliance
Studio players are Section 508 compliant and include:
- Support for caption files in timed text or SRT formats
- Support for audio descriptions in a standardized format
- Accessible text for non-text elements to support screen readers
- Tooltips
- Keyboard navigation and controls
CVAA compliance
Studio players are CVAA compliant and include:
- Support for XML, SRT/DFXP, and VTT caption formats
- Support for caption font and color customization
- Controls for caption character opacity
- Controls for caption background color
- Controls for character edge styles, including raised, depressed, uniform, and drop shadow
- Controls for caption window color and opacity
- Support for multiple language tracks and simplified or reduced captions
- Support for saving caption display settings between viewing sessions
- Controls for turning captions on and off
- Support for caption display formats such as pop-on, roll-up, and paint-on
When embedding a player on a website, additional configuration can be needed to provide screen reader users with context about the video. See Make video embeds accessible to screen readers.
Audio language and captions
Viewers can select available audio and caption languages. The player can remember these selections for future playback.
Captions support customization such as styling and positioning. See Captions and audio tracks for more information.
Responsive playback
The player adjusts to different screen sizes for playback on supported desktop and mobile devices.
Screen orientation
On supported mobile browsers, the player can use screen orientation controls when switching to full screen.
Content discovery and sharing
The player includes features that help viewers continue watching, discover related content, and share media.
Playlist - Play videos in sequence, display an Up Next indicator, and loop content.
Related content - Display related videos based on configured content.
Social share - Let viewers share media using available sharing options, including social platforms, email, and embed code.
Additional capabilities
Casting
The player supports casting media to compatible devices and displays.
- AirPlay - Cast from supported Apple devices and browsers.
- Chromecast - Cast from supported devices and browsers.
See Cast for more information.
Monetization
The player supports client-side and server-side advertising.
- Client-side ads - Ads are requested and played by the player.
- Server-side ads - Ads are included in the video stream.
Supported ad experiences can include pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads. See Player - Integration and Interactive Media Ads (IMA) Plugin - WEB for configuration information.
Analytics
The player tracks playback events that can be used for analytics and reporting. Depending on the player configuration, analytics data can be sent to Kaltura and supported third-party analytics services.
Player integrations include analytics options such as Kaltura analytics, Youbora, Google Tag Manager, and Google Analytics. See Integration settings in player for the available configuration options.
