Ustream Embed API

Enables sites using the Ustream embed iframe to build and adapt on the embed live player.

The Ustream Embed API provides basic methods to control the live stream or recorded video playback, and enables the user to access essential events of the live stream or the played video.

The Ustream Embed API requires postMessage DOM API, it won't work in browsers that does not support the postMessage API.

Usage

Create an instance of the Embed API by providing the ID of the iframe, or the iframe DOM object itself:

<iframe id="UstreamIframe" src="//ustream.tv/embed/1524" width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen></iframe>

var viewer = UstreamEmbed('UstreamIframe');

The Ustream Embed API provides the following methods:

• callMethod
• getProperty
• addListener
• removeListener

URL parameters

The default behaviour of the player can be modified by extending the src URL with any of the following parameters:

Parameter	Effect	Values	Default
allowfullscreen	Disables fullscreen and remove the button.	true/false	true
autoplay	Starts video playback automatically.	true/false	false
controls	Hides all UI elements.	true/false	true
offaircontent	Disables displaying offair content.	true/false	true
quality	Overrides the automatic quality selection.	low, med, high, auto	auto
showtitle	Hides title and viewer count.	true/false	true
volume	Overrides the default volume. 0 is mute, 1 is max volume.	0.0-1.0	user setting

callMethod

Calls a command method of the embed player, passing in any arguments.

Available commands through callMethod:

play

Starts playing the currently loaded channel or video.

Example:

viewer.callMethod('play');

pause

Pauses the live stream, or the playback of a video.

Example:

viewer.callMethod('pause');

stop

Pauses the live stream, or stops the video and jumps back to the start.

Example:

viewer.callMethod('stop');

load

Loads a channel or a video in the player. Requires two additional arguments:

• type - the loaded content type (channel | video)
• id - the loaded content id

Example:

viewer.callMethod('load', 'video', 5903947);
viewer.callMethod('load', 'channel', 1524);

seek

Jumps to given position in played recorded video.

Requires one argument:

• position in seconds

Example:

viewer.callMethod('seek', 180);

volume

Sets the playback sound volume

Requires one argument:

• volume percent between 0-100

Example:

viewer.callMethod('volume', 0); // mute

quality

Sets the stream quality, if available.

Requires one argument:

• a qualityID key from received quality options in quality event

Example:

viewer.callMethod('quality', 16); // set to high

---

getProperty

Read a property of the embed player.

This method is asynchronous, the data will be passed to a callback function, given as argument.

Accessible properties by getProperty:

duration

Get the video duration in seconds.

Example:

viewer.getProperty('duration', function (duration) {
    ...
});

viewers

Get the current viewer count for the loaded live stream.

Example:

viewer.getProperty('viewers', function (viewerNumber) {
    ...
});

progress

Get the current progress for recorded video playback, in seconds.

Example:

viewer.getProperty('progress', function (progress) {
    ...
});

content

Get the loaded content type and id as an array.

Example:

viewer.getProperty('content', function (content) {
    // content == ['channel', 1524]
    // or
    // content == ['recorded', 123456]
    ...
});

playingContent

Get the actual content type and id as an array. This will return the currently played offair video's id if the loaded content is an offair channel or with the channel id if the channel is live.

Example:

viewer.callMethod('load', 'channel', 1524);
 
// ...
 
viewer.getProperty('playingContent', function (content) {
    // content == ['channel', 1524]
    //  - if it's live, or
    // content == ['recorded', 123456]
    //  - if it's offair and has offair video content, or
    // content == []
    //  - if it's offair and doesn't have offair video content
});

---

addListener & removeListener

The embed player dispatches several events during playback. This method adds or removes event handlers to these events.

The event handler callback receives two arguments:

• type the type of the event
• data optional data sent along the event

Available events for addListener and removeListener:

live

Called when the currently loaded offline channel becomes live.

Example:

viewer.addListener('live', callBack);

offline

Called when the currently loaded live channel goes offline.

Example:

viewer.addListener('offline', callBack);

finished

Called when the currently loaded and played recorded video reaches its end.

Example:

viewer.addListener('finished', callBack);

playing

Called when the currently loaded content playback is started or stopped

Sends data along the event:

• playing (boolean)

Example:

viewer.addListener('playing', callBack);

size

Called when the stream size is available, or changed (changes reported only in flash mode)

Sent data is the size of the calculated embed iframe according to the player width, and the stream aspect ratio. The player bar height is included, if the controls are visible.

Sends data along the event:

• size (array) as [width, height] in pixels

Example:

viewer.addListener('size', callBack);

quality

Fired when the stream quality options are available.

Receives an object, with the qualityID as keys, and an object with two properties as values:

• label (string) label to show to users on control UI, eg.: "480p"
• active (booelan) if this quality is used or set

Example:

viewer.addListener('quality', callBack);

// example quality object
{
    "0":{"label":"240p","active":false},
    "1":{"label":"360p","active":false},
    "2":{"label":"480p","active":false},
    "16":{"label":"BEST","active":true}
}

syncedmeta

Called when a synced metadata has arrived on the stream/recorded. Used for keep presentations in sync with the live stream / recorded.

Received arguments: data (object)

Example:

viewer.addListener('syncedmeta', callBack);

content

Called when a the player content changes for some reason. Same data as received in getProperty('content')

Received arguments: data (array)

Example:

viewer.addListener('content', callBack);