The HTML 5 <audio> Element and You
Since HTML 5 started to emerge, modern web browsers have gradually been adopting its features. One of HTML 5’s cornerstones is Open Web technology. Arguably the most apparent improvement is that you no longer need a plug-in to watch a video clip: the <video> element lets you play a Theora clip on any page, and treat it like any other element. Along with <video> comes the highly similar <audio> element, which this site has now embraced. What that means for your weekend, after the break!
The idea here is to gradually move away from Last.fm. Currently, all DJ CT songs are hosted there. Yeah, you can listen to them and all, but the fact of the matter is, their MP3 encoder really does a number on the audio quality—especially in the highs. Hence, eventually, I’m going to be hosting all of my songs right here on pwnt.be, in everybody’s favorite open format, Ogg Vorbis. I’ve already re-encoded all of them using oggenc’s default quality setting, which is a vast improvement over Last.fm’s MP3s, at roughly the same size. The files can be found right here.
Of course, a boring old directory listing isn’t the best way to deliver my music. That’s where HTML 5 comes in. Using a bit of MooTools-based JavaScript, I’ve developed a minimalist audio player for modern web browsers. That is to say, it’s only compatible with Firefox 3.5 and development builds of Google Chrome for now, but I’m working on that. If your browser is supported, you’ll see my elitist player pop up at my Oscillation page; if not, you’ll be directed to the downloadable file.
That’s about it. Incidentally, if you like what you hear, don’t forget to become a DJ CT fan on Facebook. You know you want to.