Kaltura, an open source video platform vendor, has launched a new version of the Kaltura Video Player, as well as the launch of the Player Factory, a new player-focused site that makes it easier for users and developers to extend and customise the Kaltura video player. Kaltura’s market-leading video player is in use by some of the world’s largest organisations and websites, including ABC News, Wikipedia and Harvard.

The latest version of the Kaltura Video Player enables delivery of HTML5 with chromeless components for Flash, iOS and Android. This finally enables users to lead with HTML5 and provide the fastest viewing experience on any device, while maintaining all the same features and a consistent CSS/HTML player design.

The new video player also includes robust Section 508 compliance and support for w3c’s Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) standard, which defines a way to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities. The player has been comprehensively tested with screen readers and by the disabled community and accessibility experts. The fact that Kaltura’s player leads with HTML5 makes it much easier to adopt accessibility features, when compared to most Flash UI-based players. For example, Kaltura’s new player delivers a great keyboard input experience for users unable to use a mouse and a seamless browser-managed experience for better integration with web accessibility tools. The player also has keyboard shortcuts for all main player functions and player plug-ins.

“As we continue to expand our platform, together with our global developer community, there is a clear focus on both performance and functionality,” said Kaltura Chairman and CEO, Ron Yekutiel. “The winning combination of our new, enhanced player, our MPEG-DASH plans and the new Player Factory site will ensure that our customers can enjoy all the great bells and whistles without compromising on performance both now and in the future.”

Categories: Articles, Video