We’ve had the HTML <video> element for over a decade. Yet, everyone still defaults to embedding YouTube frames instead of hosting their own videos. The underlying problem is that the <video> element isn’t suitable for embedding short video files on webpages. Sure, the <video> element works great for large streaming platforms and tube sites. However, video is nowhere near as simple to use as other adaptive embedded media, such as responsive images. You need half an hour of learning to get started with responsive images. All you need for responsive images is to include a specially formatted list of an image in different sizes and file formats in your HTML document. The web browser uses the list to pick a format it supports at the right dimensions for the visitor’s device. Here’s a slightly simplified example: < picture > < source type = "image/avif"