Encoding videos in HTML4

Question

I'm developing a webapp for a client that requires compatibility across most modern browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox), plus IE 7 and up. Thus HTML5 is not an option. The webapp needs to display videos at times, and the videos must be embedded (the user cannot download them and use an external player). We can ask the client to provide these videos in whatever format is best. Regarding access, the videos may be local files or they may be hosted on a server somewhere; we're not sure yet.

With HTML5 gaining support, I haven't been able to find much information about the best way to embed videos in HTML4. Is there a particular encoding format that is best? I've seen some information about using FLV, but is that the only (or best) option? I'd prefer to stick to 1 format that works for all browsers if possible.

Answer 1

the <video> tag was introduced in HTML5. If you are looking for the best compatibility with older browsers, you are probably best off just using flash/flv.