Google has recently launched a beta feature for users of YouTube to allow them to view videos on YouTube directly using  HTML5 without the need to have the Flash Player installed. The feature is still in beta and will not work with monetized videos or videos with annotation. It is also not supported by all browsers yet.

If YouTube was to rely primarily on HTML5 instead of Flash then this would be a major loss for Flash technology as YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the Internet and one which has helped promote the use of Flash as the optimum method for delivering video on the Internet.

The movement towards HTML5 instead of Flash for delivered video is motivated by the will to rely on open web standards instead of relying on a proprietary 3rd party technology such as Flash. It also makes more sense to implement a video directly, the same way an image is embedded, instead of relying on a plug-in to do the job.

However, playing a video is a more interactive experience that needs additional navigation tools and may not be placed and played the same way an image is showed. This of course can still be achieved by using AJAX instead of Flash, but it will take a lot of time before such technologies can replace Flash video because the support of HTML5 is still buggy across different browsers. The consistency that the Flash Player provides is also a big advantage that will be very hard to duplicate using HTML5 and AJAX.

You can read more about this on TechCrunch. You can also try out the new HTML5 playback feature on YouTube through its TestTube page.

A company called Innovid has introduced a new service for advertisers to integrate content into Flash videos using alpha video channels and 3D objects to create an unbelievable interactive experience. Their service is not targeted towards the visitors of this website, but their Flash implementation is worth seeing by all Flash designers and developers. Watching the video above is not enough to appreciate the technology, you have to check out the real-time version at Innovid.com.

[via TechCrunch]

Electric Rain (ERain) recently released Swift 3D version 5 for Windows. Swift3D v5 for Mac is coming out this year and it is going to be a big hit. Swift3D is the only 3D program that can be directly integrated with Adobe Flash and provides fast high quality vector rendering.

“When it comes to creating 3D vector animations, Swift3D doesn’t have any competition. For its ease-of-use and rapid development of 3D Flash, it really can’t be beat.” says MacReview.

Of course, you don’t have to export 3D animations as vector, you can also export as video which gives you all the capabilities of motion graphic design.

For more information, go to the Swift 3D page.

Microsoft released yesterday Silverlight, its plug-in for delivering rich interactive multimedia over the web. The Silverlight environment directly competes with Adobe’s Flash for deploying video and Rich Internet Applications (RIA) for consumption across various browsers and platforms. The first edition of Silverlight will not serve any interactive content and will be mainly used for the delivery of high definition video for which it has partnered with several major websites to the exclusively deliver their videos through it.

It is also interesting to note that Electric Rain has also announced the support of Silverlight in its most recent release of Swift3D, the acclaimed 3D solution for producing web friendly 3d models and animations widely used by Flash developers. Swift3D will now come with built-in support for authoring Silverlight content which users could use to show their created content using the Silverlight plug-in over the Internet.

The race between Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight has now officially started. Adobe already has a head start with its domination of the web as the standard for delivering video, but it has already responded to the Silverlight threat by announcing a new update for the Flash Player to support high-definition video in hope to remain the primary format for the delivery of online video.

Silverlight is available for download for the Windows and Mac platforms for Internet Explorer and Firefox. Linux support will soon follow through the Moonlight project carried in cooperation with Novell. Visit Silverlight’s official website to learn more about it.