VOD Video Content Requirements (Video On Demand)

The player in Virtual Venue automatically transcodes virtually any video file that you upload. There is a 25GB file size limit.

If you have control over the video format to upload, this article provides some tips for getting the best results.

Video Format
You can upload most media asset formats to Virtual Venue. The following is a list of media asset formats that are commonly uploaded.

.3gp
.avi
.mov
.mp4
.flv
.wmv

If you are in control of the format (e.g. when exporting the video from your editor), we advise you to always upload videos using:

- MP4 container format
- H.264 video codec
- AAC audio codec

MP4 with H.264/AAC is an ubiquitous format these days. All widely used editing, compositing, screencasting and transcoding tools support it.

Dimensions and Bitrates
In terms of dimensions, bigger is better. Video in 720p is today's standard and a great option. We also see an increase in 1080p uploads. If your original video is full HD, we suggest you upload 1080p too.

Since H.264 and AAC are excellent codecs, the upload bitrates do not have to be extremely high. They should be sufficiently high to not introduce any data loss though. Remember that the player in Virtual Venue creates the final encodes to be streamed. If the input format already has compression artifacts, the final transcodes may look quite bad.

Here is an overview that includes the preferred format, dimensions and audio/video bitrates to use. If you upload video in these formats, the player in Virtual Venue will be able to build high quality transcodes and deliver smooth playback across devices.

RESOLUTION

DIMENSIONS

VIDEO BITRATE

AUDIO BITRATE

1080p

1920x1080

15,000 kbps

256 kbps

720p

1280x720

10,000 kbps

256 kbps

360p

640x360

5,000 kbps

256 kbps

Note that our built-in transcoding will generate smaller versions of your uploaded video. If you upload video in 1080p, only viewers whose device and connection support 1080p playback will see that resolution. Other viewers (e.g. on older computers or phones) will see lower resolution transcodes (e.g. 360p or 180p).

Note also that if your upload contains 5.1 audio tracks, we will retain the 5.1 audio for 720p, 1080p and higher.  At lower resolutions, the 5.1 audio will be down-mixed to stereo. This provides a better playback experience for your audiences on networks where bandwidth is limited.

WARNING
It is highly recommended that you prepare your uploads using a constant, non-fractional frame rate. This will avoid timing issues and other glitches during transcoding. For example, instead of encoding your videos at a variable 29.97 frames-per-second (fps), use a constant 30 fps.

ADDITIONAL SETTINGS
There are many more settings associated with video encoding. Here are some additional suggestions to follow when exporting your video for upload:

Use progressive frames (e.g. 720p) instead of interlacing (e.g. 720i). Interlacing does not apply to online video and will introduce artifacts when attempting to filter it away.
Use a screen aspect ratio of 16:9. This will fill the screen of many monitors, laptops, tablets and phones with your footage.
Use a pixel aspect ratio of 1:1. Older broadcast formats (like PAL or NTSC) use non-square pixels, but online video pixels are always square. The player in Virtual Venue may have troubles converting non-square pixel aspect ratios, resulting in a stretched image.
Export the to-be-uploaded videos in MP4 format and not in MOV. The latter contains additional features like Edit Lists that often result in audio-video sync issues.
If available, select the Main or High profile for the H.264 video. These profiles support features like B-frames and CABAC, resulting in higher quality at the same bitrate.