The HTMLMediaElement
interface's
currentTime
property specifies the current playback time
in seconds. Changing the value of currentTime
seeks the media to
the new time.
Syntax
var currentTime = htmlMediaElement.currentTime;
htmlMediaElement.currentTime = 35;
Value
A double-precision floating-point value indicating the current playback time in seconds.
If the media is not yet playing, the value of currentTime
indicates the
time position within the media at which playback will begin once the
play()
method is called.
Setting currentTime
to a new value seeks the media to the given time, if
the media is available.
For media without a known duration—such as media being streamed live—it's possible that the browser may not be able to obtain parts of the media that have expired from the media buffer. Also, media whose timeline doesn't begin at 0 seconds cannot be seeked to a time before its timeline's earliest time.
The length of the media in seconds can be determined using the
duration
property.
Example
var video = document.createElement('video');
console.log(video.currentTime);
Usage notes
Reduced time precision
To offer protection against timing attacks and fingerprinting, browsers may round or
otherwise adjust the value returned by currentTime
.
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
HTML Living Standard The definition of 'HTMLMediaElement.currentTime' in that specification. |
Living Standard | No change from HTML5 |
HTML5 The definition of 'HTMLMediaElement.currentTime' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Initial definition. |
Browser compatibility
BCD tables only load in the browser
See also
- The interface defining it,
HTMLMediaElement
. HTMLMediaElement.fastSeek()
: Another way to set the timeHTMLMediaElement.duration
: The duration of the media in seconds