Custom player templates are available only for Brightcove Pro and Enterprise customers. If you are interested in upgrading your Brightcove account, please contact Brightcove for more information.
A Brightcove player is specified by an XML document called a player template. Brightcove includes a number of standard player templates, but also gives you the ability to create custom player templates. Once you have created the XML document that specifies your custom player template, you can easily add it to your Brightcove account using the Publishing module. Once you have added a custom player template to your Brightcove account, you can use the Publishing module to create as many players as you want using the same template.
The XML you use in a player template is defined by the document type definition (DTD) for the Brightcove Experience Markup Language (BEML). Each element in a player template defines some visual or non-visual aspect of a player. An element can represent a UI element, like a text label, a banner, or a video player, or a layout element, that defines how the UI elements are arranged in relation to each other and the overall player layout. The attributes of player elements define such things as the elements' location (in terms of x, y coordinates), the style, and the source of the data to display (video name, image location, etc.).
The following documents are available to help you learn how to use BEML to create and modify player templates. These documents explore the elements that make up a player template, with examples of how to use them:
BEML DTD Reference
Describes all of the XML elements and attributes that you can use in a BEML player template.
Developing player templates
Summarizes the main elements that make up a BEML player template.
Data binding in player templates
Using simple bindings to make playlist and video data available to player components.
Themes and styles in player templates
Using Theme and Style elements to customize the look and feel of a player and its individual components.
Custom Skins for Player Components
Setting custom skins for individual elements of player components.
Custom Skin Player Example
A detailed look at how we customized a player with skins.
Custom Skin Component Reference
Detailed reference information about elements of BEML components that can be customized with skins.
Player fonts
Customizing the fonts used in a player's label texts, using either system fonts or embedded fonts.
Layout elements in player templates
Using Layout and layout box elements to arrange the size and positioning of components in a player.
Components in player templates
Using and configuring UI components in a player.
Creating custom components
Developing your own custom visual and non-visual components that you can import into a player.
Adding a custom component to a player template
Using the Module and SWFLoader elements to incorporate custom components into a player.
Localizing players
Using label elements to customize texts in players.
Player label reference
A reference to label keys and texts in players.
Localizing player error messages
Customizing the error messages that are displayed when Brightcove players are unable to load.
Examples: Developing Player Templates
Examples of player templates with a discussion of how the elements work together.
Examples: Standard Player Templates (.zip)
BEML files for the standard player templates that are available in the Publishing module out of the box.