Vimeo streams HTML5 video to Apple mobile devices

Vimeo is launching a universal player that allows owners of Apple mobile devices – such as the iPhone or iPad – to watch embedded videos in HTML5 format.

The company has also integrated a “watch later” feature into all versions of its media player which enables users to mark a video for future viewing.

“With the latest generation of browsers and devices, we’ve had huge demand for an embeddable player that works with HTML5 and on devices like iPad and iPhone,” explained Vimeo VP Andrew Pile.

“[Our] new player detects the capabilities of the browser and will deliver the optimum player version (Flash, HTML5, or native) with the appropriate video definition (HD, SD, mobile) and playback codec (h.264, webm) – all while maintaining set customization and privacy features.”

According to Pile, the embeddable code, which is “highly scalable,” will allow Vimeo to easily add support for new browsers and devices.

“[For example, this includes] serving HTML5 to IE9 and our Flash mobile player to Android phones running Flash 10.1,” he added.