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Scott Cook
16,877 PointsIs it bad practice to embed videos into a website using free video hosts like YouTube, Vimeo, etc?
I'm currently taking the HTML Audio and Video course and It seems like this is a lot of work for something that video sites like YouTube already do for you.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to learn how to do it on my own and to "host" the videos but I'm just trying to understand the "whys"
3 Answers
Jason Anders
Treehouse Moderator 145,858 PointsHey Scott, No, I personally don't think it's bad at all. In fact, I'm sure it was in one of the courses/workshops here on Treehouse, that they talk about more and more developers putting the videos on YouTube and embedding them into the site instead of hosting the videos. This proves many benefits: everything from space on your sever being saved to browser compatibility.
So, in my opinion, it is actually better to have your videos hosted on 3rd party sites and just embed them in your site. If I can remember the course/lecture I watched on why it is so much better to use YouTube, I will let you know.
Keep Coding! :)
Jeff Lemay
14,268 PointsIt is GOOD practice to use YouTube or Vimeo to host your videos. Better browser support than HTML5 videos and they host the videos and handle the traffic for you (saves you bandwidth and $).
Scott Cook
16,877 PointsThat's what I was thinking but I felt confused to why I'd be taking HTML Video and Audio course. Thanks for the input Jeff.
Kevin Jenkins
12,630 PointsAt the same time, you probably want to avoid ads, recommended Next videos, etc...
Plus YouTube quality can be pretty poor at times.
Scott Cook
16,877 PointsScott Cook
16,877 PointsI'd be interested in that, let me know if you find it, I'll also look for it too. I don't want to knock Treehouse but if the practice is good to embed videos instead of hosting is there a point to having the HTML Video and Audio course on the Front End Developer track?
Kevin Korte
28,148 PointsKevin Korte
28,148 PointsFor most of us, using Youtube or Vimeo is a great option. But learning how to not use those services is also valuable. Imagine you're building a paid subscription website with videos, you wouldn't want those videos hosted, and thus open to free viewing on Youtube or Vimeo?
You might get hired by a company that already has an existing HTML5 video player set up, you'd have to adapt to that vs saying you're going to move all of their videos to a 3rd party. It's a valuable set of knowledge to still have.
Scott Cook
16,877 PointsScott Cook
16,877 PointsKevin, I didn't even think of that. The more you know!
Kevin Korte
28,148 PointsKevin Korte
28,148 PointsWell, ya know. We're all here for the same goal. :)