Smart Youtube is a WordPress Youtube plugin that allows you to easily insert Youtube videos/playlists into your post, comments and in your RSS feed. The plugin is designed to be small and fast and not use any external resources.
From version 2.0 Smart youtube also supports playback of high quality videos, works on iPhone, produces xHTML valid code (unlike YouTube embed code), allows you to view videos in fullscreen and most recently has support for YouTube playlists.
The videos will be embedded in your RSS feed as well, and if this is not support by the reader you can choose to have video link and/or video preview screenshot displayed instead.
Main Features
- Embed YouTube videos with ease
- Embed YouTube playlists
- Supports latest high quality video protocols (360p and HD quality 720p)
- Allows full YouTube customization (colors, border, full screen...)
- Supports video deep linking (starting at desired point with &start=time parameter, use &start=num parameter)
- Works on iPod and iPhone
- Provides a sidebar widget for videos as well
- Produces xHTML valid code
- Very fast and light, no extra scripts needed
Example
You can discuss all plugin related issues in the wordpress plugin forums.
Screenshot
Download
Installation & Usage
- Upload the whole plugin folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ folder.
- Go to the Plugins page and activate the plugin.
- Use the Options page to change RSS feed options
- When you want to display Youtube video in your post, paste the video link with httpv:// (notice the 'v')
Example: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00000000
0000000 part is your video REF#
The video will be automatically embedded to your post in the proper way.
If you want want to display a high quality video then just use httpvh:// instead.
If you want to post a HD (DVD quality, 720p) quality video you would use httpvhd:// ('vhd' for video high definition)
To embed a playlist use extension 'vp' (eg. httpvp://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=528026B4F7B34094)
To use video deep linking just add &start=time parameter at the end of url. For example httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWfksMD4PAg&start=30 will start the video 30 seconds in.
Additionally, you can set how do you want the video to be displayed in your RSS feed. Smart Youtube can show the preview image of the video (automatically grabbed from Youtube), the link to the video, or both. I recommend enabling only the preview image.
Changelog
v3.2
- Added title to widget, fixed HTML code issue with widget
v3.1.1
- param closed properly for HTML validation (thanks Jan Eberl)
v3.1
- wmode transparent parameter updated to better handle transparancy
V3.0
- Added video template, option to set sidebar video size, fixed sidebar widget code, fixed video syntax issue
v2.8
- Supports Playlists
v2.7
- Added support for sidebar widget videos
v2.6:
- Added option to disable search box
v2.5:
- Support for 720p HD (DVD quality) YouTube videos. Use httpvhd://
v2.4:
- Supports video deep linking. Just add &start=time parameter at the end of url. For example httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWfksMD4PAg&start=30 will start the video 30 seconds in
v2.3:
- xHTML valid code is now an option because it breaks videos in some browsers and feeds
v2.1:
- Smart Youtube videos are compatible with iPhone.
- Fullscreen enabled
v2.0:
Suport for high quality videos from youtube
v1.91:
Rewritten old parts of plugin and general tweaks.
v1.9:
Added video autoplay option.
v1.8:
Solved problem with HTML validation, added full video in RSS feed.
v1.6:
Solved problem with WordPress handling special characters.
Extra
- Visit my other interesting Wordpress Plugins.
- Looking for a WordPress Expert ?
Hi! My name is Vladimir Prelovac. I am a computer engineer by profession and an adventurer by state of mind.
503 Comments
Any chance you will be including support for YouTube XL style viewer in next or future release? Or is the support there already and I'm missing it?
Your plugins rock, Vlad. I couldn't live without Plugin Central!
Hello,
is there any way to make Smart Youtube work on a custom field? In some articles, I use a custom field for the YouTube-URL.
Bye,
Oliver
Hi
How to have multiple instances of smart-youtube widgets. Right now there is only one and it has been used as a widget in one sidebar. Since I have multiple widgeted areas, I want to use different videos in different widgets.
Please help.
Thanks
S.K
Congrats on 500-th comment on Smart Youtube plugin :)
It doesn't support multi widgets yet, but you can post several videos one after the other in the same widget (even insert html in between)
Hi Vlad,
How do I set it so that when I play the video I remain on my site as opposed to automatically being taken to the video's original location on YouTube.
Cheers,
Julian
Hi, how do I do in order to implement directly in a wordpress template with code and not by using widgets?
Thanks in advance
DP
Hi, Im having problems with the plugin and iPhone - it just wont work. Is there something I have overlooked?
Nice plugin. Is there any way to extract thumbnails for posts from youtube with this or any additional plugin?
Great plugin, just used it to solve problems on Steve Show Posse.
Is this plugin likely to be very future proof? I have no idea about how plugins work, but would hate WP ver. 10 to break it. How likely is it do you think that the plugin will always work?
Cheers,
Jon.
I'd say 0.1% chance of WordPress breaking it, and about 15% chance youtube breaking it (by changing embed rules in the future)
I think I can live with that. Are you likely to be maintain it for a few years yet?
I can't guarantee you for tomorrow let alone five years my friend :) I'd like to be able to.
Great plugin!
Just wondering: Is there any way to SUPPRESS THE THUMBNAILS OF RELATED VIDEOS that appear after an embedded video has finished playing?
Thanks in advance!
There is an option in the plugin to remove them, just look at the setup screen.
Ah! You're referring to the "Include Related Videos" radio button? I didn't connect that with the thumbnails at the end! Sorry to be slow on the uptake. And thanks!
How would I go about using this in any old web page with regular youtube links (without the httpv needed)?
Possible?
I've been attempting to learn preg_match and preg_replace but I can't get anything to work. It has become obvious I kinda suck. :P
Can you please make the plugin automaticly choose HD/HQ/SD? I mean, if the clip is available in HD, of course I want to embed it in HD, and second best is HQ :) Love the plugin by the way! Thank you!
I can't as I don't know the quality of video based only the URL of the video.
Hi, I have today used this great widget in Wordpress, however I am trying to make it centre justify, does anyone know the coding to make it do this? And where would I put it? Also the background box would look much better if it extended to cover the complete previews. See where I have put the widget at http://www.motoringtoday.co.uk. Hope someone can help. Thanks
Paul
You can put html code into the widget as well something like
;)
hey guys i am making a tutorial site that i can store the videos on youtube privately and use what you have to put those movies from youtube on my website but this isnt working for me because i dont want them to be able to see this for the whole world because i am trying to make it a pay site is there any way around this now when you go to click the video it says this is a private video if you have been sent this video make sure you accept the senders friend request ????????? help please
very helpful plug-in for my wordpress page, thank you VERY much Vladimir !
Vladmir
Could I imbed this with your plugin...
Its a good talk
http://community.microsoftadvertising.com/blogs/analytics/archive/2009/10/23/bill-buxton-video-by-popular-demand.asp
Hi ^-^
I just installed this plugin...
very very very nice, thank you very much ^__^
i was wandering if there is a way to set per-video width and height...
i can't find any info about it..
so, i'd like to suggest an idea...
as you used &start=30 to set the start time of the video...
can't you use something like &width=xxx and &height=xxx to set width and height on a per-video basis?
(i just tried &start=10 on a casual youtube video (on youtube.com).. and it does nothing.. so i think that it's your plugin that parse that "&start" parameter...)
thank you and greetings :-)
(uh.. i was forgetting.. ehm... if there is way to put an option in the config page.. to disable the on-video-playing-click-link to the youtube page of that video.. i'd be very glad to have it :p =^-^=)