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web api instance method

HTMLMediaElement: canPlayType() method

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The HTMLMediaElement method canPlayType() reports how likely it is that the current browser will be able to play media of a given MIME type.

Syntax

canPlayType(type)

Parameters

  • type
    • : A string specifying the MIME type of the media and (optionally) a codecs parameter containing a comma-separated list of the supported codecs.

Return value

A string indicating how likely it is that the media can be played. The string will be one of the following values:

  • "" (empty string)
    • : The media cannot be played on the current device.
  • probably
    • : The media is probably playable on this device.
  • maybe
    • : There is not enough information to determine whether the media can play (until playback is actually attempted).

Examples

let obj = document.createElement("video");
console.log(obj.canPlayType("video/mp4")); // "maybe"

Specifications

SpecificationsStandards references are available on the canonical MDN page.

Browser compatibility

Browser compatibilityCompatibility data is available on the canonical MDN page.

See also