YouTube Video and Website Media Players

YouTube is by far the most popular video sharing site on the web. Many people have asked me how to embed YouTube videos into their website and with innovations such as the YouTube API there are a wealth of options to help the website owner integrate YouTube videos.

The following represents the tip of the iceberg as far as Drupal modules are concerned as there are new projects popping up on a regular basis with goal of providing the best Drupal media module to handle the administration of uploading, linking and integrating YouTube videos for both Drupal CMS.

Drupal Video Modules

The simple approach - use the YouTube embed code directly within nodes. This is the easiest method to get YouTube videos on your site, simply copy and paste the embed code provided by YouTube and make sure to set the input format to 'Full HTML' before saving the post. This will allow Drupal to correctly output the YouTube embed code, otherwise you may end up with a broken web page.
A module based approach - The video filter module. The video filter module allows you to embed YouTube video by adding some code to the post using the following filter/mark up: [video:video-url].
Another module based approach - The embedded media field module. The Embedded media field module is a multipurpose embedding module that supports video, audio and images. The video part of the module provides access to YouTube and a variety of video hosting websites. The module allows you to create a field using CCK that will accept the link to a YouTube video and automatically convert that link to an embedded video player in the node.

Players and Interfaces

Having tested a range of video players and video display interfaces for the web, I recommend the following players and display styles:

Multipurpose Media Player

JW Player

The JW Player has evolved steadily over the past five years and has found a new home at Long Tail Video. The beauty of the JW Player is that it is capable of playing a variety of media types and is a very useful all-in-one presentation solution for your website.

Lightbox Style Video Overlays

High Slide Website Overlay

I have used the High Slide JavaScript image, media and gallery viewer a number of times and I'm always amazed by its small file size and fast loading times. The High Slide viewer can be used with Flash videos and the JW Player so makes the ideal implementation for your screen casts and other media assets hosted on YouTube. The only downside to the High Slide viewer is that it has not been written within a JavaScript framework so will add a little weight to overall size of your Drupal (JQuery) or Magento (Prototype JS/Scriptaculous) website, but the file size is so small that you will barely notice.

I have successfully deployed High Slide JS on Magento websites and it really is a breeze to use once the initial set up has been achieved.

Shadow Box JS

Shadow Box JS is another widely used JavaScript overlay for playing Flash video content and has a fairly small file size in its basic form, however be careful as this can become bloated due the plethora of features and settings within the Shadow Box JS. Shadow Box JS can be used with the JW Player, thus providing a seamless fit between media player and display.

About Me

I am a freelance website developer and designer based in Bristol (UK). I work as a remote Drupal developer, WordPress developer and Front-end developer for a variety of startups, charities and international businesses in Bristol, Bath, London and Europe. You can learn more about me by visiting my resume page.

Get in touch for a free quote on your next project and if you want to connect me with then check out my LinkedIn profile.

Testimonials

Justin led Fast Car Magazine's move and tricky migration from a complicated bespoke website to our current WordPress website / CMS. We found him articulate, highly-skilled and a great communicator. He delivered the project on time and fully fulfilled our expectations and more.
Glenn Rowsell | Fast Car Online Editor at Future Publishing
Justin led the migration of the Startups.co.uk portfolio from a custom CMS onto a more easily scaleable Wordpress platform, ably assisting us on the strategy for doing so and providing valuable insight on how to structure the new technical set-up.

More recently, as the portfolio has scaled, Justin has been adept at turning his hand to the many and varied web development queries that have been directed at him, taking our (often very!) rough ideas, recommending approaches and converting them into a well-thought out solution. Added to that, his quick response and quick turnaround are always greatly appreciated.
Jonathan Young | Senior SEO Strategist at MVF
As a new enterprise operating in the competitive international education sector, we wanted to add specific technical direction and consultancy services from an experienced web designer / developer who had knowledge of online marketing and SEO.
Justin helped us plan and develop the portfolio of websites and associated digital products that form the core of our online service offering. He used his expert WordPress knowledge to great effect by building a range of complex/responsive search engine-optimised websites - not least our main student website - now used (and we hear appreciated!) on a daily basis by clients and customers alike.
With time in short supply and with relationships being key to supplier success, Justin wins by offering great objective advice and by being a pleasure to work with - not least because he's quick to respond to queries - not always the case with suppliers!
I'd be very happy to recommend Justin to anyone looking for a Rapid Response Team to add value to their web development resources.
Steve Green | Director at Study Bridge Group
What more can I say apart from Justin is the best in the business, bar none. Having worked with a number of web developers in my time, it's the attention to detail that sets him apart from all others.
His approach is both clinical and creative. He will listen to all requests, make suggestions where relevant, and - more importantly - never shy away from a challenge when others would. From the over-coded mess that was to be our new website, Justin helped us unravel and develop an ecommerce Magento store that was ready for launch in less than half the time we’d already accrued with our previous developer.
Put simply, to choose anyone else over Justin would be a bad business move. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Kev Bailey | Marketing Manager and Designer at APC Workwear
Justin is a wonderful web developer, and more importantly, a flexible one. As with lots of the best agencies, we need to continually shift and adapt with technology and the changing face of client needs. Justin has continually been a valued member of the team and his ability to shift with those requirements, be they industry, or client based, is testament to his ability and passion for producing great work.

Highly recommended.
Paul Goodenough | CEO Aerian Studios
Justin is a diligent, creative and professional digital designer and web developer who can quickly master any technology or platform. He has particular strengths in PHP, WordPress, Drupal and complex ecommerce platforms such as Magento Commerce. In short, Justin is very good at understanding the commercial implications of design and translating that into distinctive and effective solutions.
David Ralston | Head of Online Marketing and European Operations at Champs-Elysées Audio Magazines
We employed Justin's highly accomplished Drupal skills for a few initiatives during 2014 and 2015. He is highly-professional at handling issues and developing websites in tandem with our in-house design and development teams. What really stood out was his conscientiousness and eye for detail, I can strongly recommend him.
Ian Howlett | Head of Digital at Conran Design Group
Justin initially worked for me on a re-design of parts of our magic5 web application. I was very impressed with his work and subsequently engaged him to work on a full re-design. When it came to creating a new product web site, Justin was the obvious person to turn to. He has good technical knowledge and is particularly skilled in the business and commercial aspects of web technologies.
Andrew Sinclair | Director at Magic5 Software
Justin worked on the web development of Future Publishing's internal training site during 2011. During the process Justin was instrumental in making the website work, designing the key stages and layout, and ensuring that when delivered to me, the customer, that it functioned properly and was easy to update. Justin has been the most brilliant support to me during the time he has been working on the site and I am extremely grateful. Justin made something very complicated seem easy. He is a true asset and I have no hesitation in recommending Justin.
Simon Hares | Head of Training at Future Publishing
Having worked with Justin on a number of projects his work has always been of the highest standard. His skills are versatile and flexible, and his consistent understanding of the details as well as the bigger picture really makes him a valuable addition to the team. From a technical and creative perspective I would gladly recommend him to anyone.
Jake Manion | Creative Producer at Aardman Animations
Justin Norton made an important contribution to Space Signpost, a science communication project I developed in collaboration with Futurelab. He created a sophisticated interface that incorporated all the learning from user research we had conducted. The project was under time pressure when Justin came onboard and Justin's role carried a lot of responsibility, but this did not prevent him approaching the job creatively. He worked well with the whole team and was an asset to the project as much for his imagination as for his technical skills.
Adam Nieman | Creative Director at GovEd Communications
The quality of Justin's work has always been exceptional, exceeding every brief given to him. His knowledge of a wide variety of platforms and programming languages makes him one of the most versatile web designers / developers I know and an incredible asset to any organisation.
James Morell | Head of Search at Future Publishing
There are few better web developers or IT problem solvers than Justin, he is also a skilled creative designer. He took a failing project over and turned it into a successful one within three months. The previous developers had taken six months to create a poorly developed mess. Justin had to unravel it all and find fixes for so many things. He has good knowledge of business and will provide you with a solution that fits your needs. Once he knows where you want to go and what you want to achieve he will find you the best path forward.
Robin Chater | Secretary-General at The Federation of International Employers (FedEE)

YouTube Video and Website Media Players

Drupal Video Modules

Players and Interfaces

Multipurpose Media Player

Lightbox Style Video Overlays

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