Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

There is conflicting documentation inline as to whether the embed element requires an end tag. Some sources say an end tag is required, as shown here:

<embed src="url"type="content-type" height="n-pixels" width="n-pixels"></embed>

Microsoft documentation shows embed as an empty element and modern browsers seem to support the empty embed syntax, shown here:

<embed src="url" type="contenttype" height="n-pixels" width="n-pixels" />

The src attribute is required to tell the browser the location of the media file to be played. The type attribute specifies the content type of the embedded media. The browser uses the content-type information (or the suffix of the media file) to find the appropriate plug-in to render or play the file. Many media types require that width and height values (the dimensions of the plug-in element in pixels) be specified in order for the plug-in to function.

The optional pluginspage attribute provides the URL of a page where the user can download information for the required plug-in should it not be found on the client machine. Netscape 4.0 introduced the pluginurl attribute, which specifies a link to a function that installs the plug-in automatically. To hide the media file or object from view, use the hidden attribute with a value of yes.

The embed element uses special attributes and their values for additional runtime settings (the same settings provided with param elements in the object element). These attributes are specific to the media type and the plug-in. ...