Guest doctor Mark Boas returns with a follow up to his 2009 article Native Audio in the Browser, which covers the basics of HTML5 audio. Read the original if you want to get a feel for the <audio> element and associated API. If not, get comfortable and dive deep to learn about the current state of play for HTML5 audio.

We’re back with another round of patient questions about HTML5. In this article, we’ll discuss using multiple <h1>s, audio codecs, microformats, post bylines, and the <time> element.

After a while on the fringes of our collective consciousness, HTML5 is finally getting the attention it deserves. The development community (as typified by the SuperFriends) has come together to debate practical elements of the spec, argue over the inclusion of controversial elements, and assess the timeframe over which we can unleash HTML5 in the wild.

Until very recently the ability to play any type of audio within a browser involved using Adobe Flash or other browser plugins. Although Adobe's Flash player is without doubt the most ubiquitous of these, most developers and designers would agree it is better not to rely on a plugin at all. Now thanks to HTML 5 and the browsers that implement its audio tag we can play audio natively within the browser.