Better HTML5 YouTube

By DaVince Last update Jul 28, 2011 — Installed 3,851 times.


Script Summary: Enhances YouTube's HTML5 player. Some features: additional keyboard shortcuts (including navigation); fix player bugs; control autoplay and auto fullscreen; informational text overlay on video. Customizable (except for the key shortcuts).

Version: 2011-07-28

Note: I have stopped working on this user script, and it is partally broken with any current versions of YouTube. See this thread for details. The video overlay does still work, which is a useful part of the script.

This script adds a few improvements to the YouTube HTML5 player, like the addition of many shortcut keys, bug fixes and an informational text overlay.

Screenshots.

Features

  • Many new useful keybindings (see below).
  • Neat overlay that displays the video time, speed or other status when you press the appropriate keys. Useful in fullscreen mode.
  • Clicking on times in comments (like "6:04 Haha look at that") will make the player navigate the video to that point (except in Firefox, planning to fix).
  • Pause videos on page load if you desire so.
  • A configuration panel that lets you change some of the settings to your tastes.
  • Automatic full-screen option when the video loads.

Key bindings

Note: for these keys to work, the video player needs to have focus. Click anywhere on the video player to give it focus.
  • Space bar pauses and resumes video, even in Firefox.
  • (BROKEN ATM) Left and right keys to seek in steps of 3 seconds.
  • (BROKEN ATM)Shift+left and shift+right seeks in steps of 15 seconds.
  • F and Esc toggle the video fullscreen mode.
  • - and [ keys slow down the video in increments of 0.2 times (customizable).
  • + and ] keys speed up the video in increments of 0.2 times (customizable).
  • Keys = and \ reset the video speed to 1x.
  • Keys 0 to 9 navigate through the video (from 0 to ~90%).
  • . will reset the video to 0 and pause it.
  • Key M mutes/unmutes the sound.
  • Key T shows the video's current and maximum time (if overlay is enabled).

Browser Compatibility

Works (verified by author):
Chrome (with Blank Canvas or Tampermonkey)
Firefox 4

Untested in latest version:

Apple Safari
Opera

Not compatible:
Mozilla Firefox 3.6 - Works theoretically, but FF 3.6 only supports Theora video and YouTube never uses that codec.

Latest changes

Show full changelog