Flexible video and audio playback for WordPress
Lean Player Pro provides a lightweight way to publish video, audio, and playlists across a WordPress site. It supports YouTube, YouTube Shorts, Vimeo, HTML5 video, audio files, and live audio streams, giving content teams one player system for different media types.
The player is designed to work with any theme and can be embedded with a shortcode or the Elementor widget. It also works with Elementor, the Block Editor, and the Classic Editor, so you can place media in pages, posts, landing pages, articles, and other content areas without changing your existing editing workflow.
Media sources and formats
- Video: YouTube, YouTube Shorts, Vimeo, and HTML5 video.
- HTML5 video: MP4, WebM, and OGG from an upload, direct URL, or CDN.
- Audio: MP3, OGG, WAV, M4A, AAC, and FLAC from an upload, direct URL, or CDN.
- Live audio: Icecast, Shoutcast, and other radio streams.
- Playlists: Create video playlists and audio playlists for grouped content.
YouTube Shorts and other vertical video can fit the screen automatically without stretching or distortion. Brand color matching helps the player look more consistent with the surrounding site design.
Player management and publishing
Lean Player Pro includes an administration workflow for creating and managing players and playlists. Global player settings let you define default behavior once, while per-player configuration allows individual players to override those defaults. Player categories help organize larger collections of media.
The admin columns provide an overview of player type, source type, source, autoplay status, and the copy-ready shortcode. You can preview a player from the players list or its edit screen. The live preview reflects configuration changes immediately while you edit, without requiring a save before reviewing the result.
Once a player or playlist is ready, the publishing process is straightforward: create it in the admin area, copy its shortcode, and paste that shortcode into your content. You can also use the Elementor widget, Block Editor, or Classic Editor.
Preload and timestamp controls
Media Preload gives you control over how video and audio load. You can load only basic information, wait until the visitor clicks play, or begin loading immediately. These choices are useful on pages containing several players or playlists.
Timestamp Links let you link directly to a moment in a video or podcast. Add the timestamp shortcode to post content, such as [lean_timestamp time=”1:30″]Jump to intro[/lean_timestamp]. When a visitor selects the link, the player seeks to that time and starts playback without a page reload. This can help structure podcast show notes, course sections, and video reviews.
Installation and setup
Install Lean Player Pro in WordPress, then create a player or playlist from the admin area. Configure its source, playback options, and appearance while using the live preview. Copy the generated shortcode and paste it into a post or page, or place the player with the Elementor widget. For timestamp navigation, add the timestamp shortcode where the link should appear.
