what does mode:shim
do?
i searched this site for a method of forcing flash. the code developer wrote this answer to a question from someone having the exact problem i am facing:
MediaElement.js - force Chrome to use flash player?
my observation is that modern browsers load an html5 component, then switch to flash, but very confusing on its actual behavior.
As you said, it will force the flash fallback. in case of modern browsers, the init of html5 video will be overruled by the flash fallback.
// allows testing on HTML5, flash, silverlight
// auto: attempts to detect what the browser can do
// auto_plugin: prefer plugins and then attempt native HTML5
// native: forces HTML5 playback
// shim: disallows HTML5, will attempt either Flash or Silverlight
// none: forces fallback view