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HTML <video> poster Attribute

HTML video Tag Reference HTML <video> tag

Example

A video player with a poster image:

<video controls poster="/images/w3html5.gif">
<source src="movie.mp4" type="video/mp4">
<source src="movie.ogg" type="video/ogg">
Your browser does not support the video tag.
</video>

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Browser Support

The poster attribute is supported in all major browsers.

Note: Internet Explorer 8 and earlier versions, do not support the <video> tag.

Definition and Usage

The poster attribute specifies an image to be shown while the video is downloading, or until the user hits the play button. If this is not included, the first frame of the video will be used instead.

Differences Between HTML 4.01 and HTML5

The <video> tag is new in HTML5.

Syntax

Attribute Values

Value	Description
URL	Specifies the URL of the image file. Possible values: An absolute URL - points to another web site (like href="http://www.example.com/poster.jpg") A relative URL - points to a file within a web site (like href="poster.jpg")

Value

Description

URL

Specifies the URL of the image file.

Possible values:

An absolute URL - points to another web site (like href="http://www.example.com/poster.jpg")
A relative URL - points to a file within a web site (like href="poster.jpg")

HTML <video> tag