Category: HTML

The HTMLMediaElement (

The HTMLMediaElement (Mainly <video> and <audio>) contains a “volume” property.
This property is set by the browser and seems to have a default value of max (1.0).
This “volume” property can be modified via JavaScript, by simply set a valid value between 0 and 1.
It seems that it is sometimes altered on videos such as in YouTube adverts.
The reason for this is described in the AI conversation I shared below. To summarize, advert owners seem to have the ability to change the volume.

The following is an AI chat conversation regarding the topic stated in the title.
Depending on the quality of the conversation, modifications may have been made. Modifications may or may not be stated in this page.

There is a “volume” property on HTMLMediaElement elements. It can be modified. When playing a YouTube video, I checked the value, and it was 0.4415704270182424. Is this value the default value? Can this value be changed at a browser or browser extension level? Can this value be changed at an OS level? Why is this valued used, and not a max value of 1?

No, the value you observed (0.4415704270182424) is not the default value for the volume property on HTMLMediaElement elements. The default value is 1.0, which represents the maximum volume.

Here’s a breakdown of your questions:

Can this value be changed at a browser or browser extension level?

  • Yes, the volume property can be changed through both browser settings and browser extensions. Browsers usually have volume controls built-in, and many extensions offer additional functionalities like volume normalization or specific volume adjustments for certain websites.

Can this value be changed at an OS level?

  • Yes, most operating systems have system-wide volume controls that apply to all applications, including web browsers. Adjusting the system volume will also affect the volume of HTML media elements.

Why is this value used, and not a max value of 1?

There are a few reasons why the specific value you encountered might not be 1.0:

  • Initial volume setting: Some websites or video players might have a different initial volume setting than the browser default.
  • User interaction: The user might have previously adjusted the volume using the browser controls, an extension, or the system volume, resulting in the value you observed.
  • Automatic volume adjustments: Certain browser extensions or system settings might automatically adjust the volume based on various factors like ambient noise level or user preferences.

It’s important to note that while the volume property technically allows values between 0 (muted) and 1 (maximum), some browsers or extensions might use a different scale or apply additional logic, potentially leading to non-intuitive values like the one you observed.

The value was that when viewing an advert on YouTube. Was the value that because of being on YouTube, or the advert?

The observed value (0.4415704270182424) for the volume property in your case is likely not directly caused by being on YouTube itself, but rather due to the specific advertisement you were watching or previous user interaction. Here’s why:

  1. YouTube doesn’t automatically adjust volume: While some websites might have their own initial volume settings, YouTube itself doesn’t have a known feature that automatically adjusts the volume for specific content like advertisements.

  2. Advertisers control their content: Advertisements on YouTube are uploaded by individual companies or agencies. These entities have control over the audio levels within their ads, which could explain the specific volume level you observed.

  3. Past user interaction: As mentioned earlier, the volume property could have been previously adjusted through browser controls, extensions, or system settings, impacting the value you saw even during the ad.

Therefore, the specific value you encountered is more likely a combination of:

  • The volume level set within the advertisement itself.
  • Any previous volume adjustments you or your system made.

It’s important to note that while there are no regulations directly mandating specific volume levels for online advertisements, many users find sudden changes in volume disruptive. YouTube itself offers a feature called “Stable volume” that aims to reduce volume fluctuations between videos and ads. However, it’s ultimately left to individual advertisers to be mindful of their ad’s audio levels to create a positive user experience.

When the URL of an iframe is changed within the iframe, the iframe element’s “src” attribute does not change. What is the reasoning for this?

I asked Bard AI about why iframes don’t update the src attribute when the content changes, and got a very logical response.

Thinking about it, one obvious point is that the content within the iframe should not leak any data in the page. This is because in the iframe, the content may include something like an OAuth login, or query state. It is possible that the query parameters could contain something like an OAuth code or sensitive search queries, which should definitely not be shared with the parent DOM.

The full response is below.
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There are a few reasons why the iframe element’s src attribute does not change when the URL of an iframe is changed within the iframe.

First, it is important to remember that an iframe is a separate document from the parent document. When you change the URL of an iframe within the iframe, you are actually changing the URL of the embedded document, not the iframe element itself.

Second, the src attribute of an iframe element is read-only. This means that once the src attribute is set, it cannot be changed.

Finally, there is a security risk associated with allowing iframes to change their own src attribute. If an iframe were able to change its own src attribute, it could potentially load malicious content from a different domain.

To avoid these problems, if you need to change the URL of an iframe, you must do so from the parent document. You can do this using JavaScript to set the src attribute of the iframe element.

Here is an example of how to change the URL of an iframe using JavaScript:

JavaScript
// Get the iframe element
var iframe = document.getElementById('myIframe');

// Set the src attribute of the iframe element
iframe.src = 'https://new-url.com';

When you set the src attribute of an iframe element using JavaScript, the iframe will be reloaded with the new URL.

It is important to note that you can only change the URL of an iframe if the iframe is from the same domain as the parent document. If the iframe is from a different domain, you will need to use a cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) request to change the URL of the iframe.