Professional video hosting also allows you to track views and engagement to gauge the success of your video content. The early 2000s saw the launch of several other video hosting sites, including Google Video and Yahoo! Video. In 2005, YouTube was launched and quickly became the most popular video hosting site on the web. YouTube allowed users to upload, view, and share videos and embed them on their websites. Today, there are a number of different video-hosting sites available, each with its own features and benefits.

Introduction to Video Hosting

Video hosting is a process where video files are stored on a server. Also, video hosting is a service that allows users to upload, view, and share videos. They store and distribute videos to users. Videos can be public or private and are often uploaded to sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo. A good video hosting provider manages video data, storage servers and processing servers. This helps ensure that the videos are played smoothly and without any buffering issues. Videos can be played from the server using various protocols such as HTTP and RTSP. Businesses and organizations often use video hosting to store and share videos with their employees or customers. Individuals can also use it to store and share personal videos.

Many video hosting platforms are available, each with its own set of features and capabilities. Some video hosting platforms are free to use, while others require a subscription. Many business video hosting platforms offer both free and paid plans.

Each video hosting platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, so choosing the right one for your needs is important. For example, YouTube is the largest video hosting platform globally and offers a wide variety of features, but it doesn’t provide the same level of privacy, branding and security as other platforms.

Vdocipher, a secure video hosting provider, is an excellent option for businesses and individuals that need to host and share premium video content. VdoCipher offers Hollywood-grade DRM encryption to secure your videos from piracy and illegal downloads. When choosing a simple video hosting platform, it’s important to consider your needs and budget. If you’re just starting out, you may want to choose a free platform like YouTube. If you’re looking for more features and secure hosting, you may want to consider a paid platform like VdoCipher.

Is Video Hosting Pro Service better than hosting on Website server?

There are several factors to consider when deciding whether to host your videos or use a video hosting site. The most important factor is the amount of traffic your website receives. If you have a high-traffic website, it is essential to use a easy video hosting site to handle the traffic. Otherwise, your website may crash, or your videos may take a long to load.

Another factor to consider is the cost of hosting your videos. If you have a limited budget, using a video hosting site may be more cost-effective. However, if you have the budget to host your videos, it can be more convenient, quick, simple and offer more control over your videos via features and API support.

Finally, consider the level of customization and branding you want for your videos. If you want complete control over the look and feel of your videos, you may want to host them yourself. However, if you are more concerned with convenience and cost, a video hosting site may be better.

Why use Professional Video Hosting

Professional video hosting is a service that provides businesses and organizations with a secure and reliable platform for hosting and streaming their video content. Professional video hosting services offer a variety of features and tools to help businesses deliver their video content to their audience most efficiently and effectively as possible.

There are a number of reasons to host the video on a dedicated professional video hosting platform rather than uploading the video on a website or blog.

First and foremost, video hosting platforms are designed specifically for hosting and streaming video content. This means they can offer several features and options that are not available when hosting videos on a website or blog. For example, most video hosting platforms provide HD streaming, the ability to customize the player and tools for managing and promoting videos.

Another advantage of professional video hosting platforms is that they can take care of all the behind-the-scenes work involved in streaming video content. This includes encoding the video for different devices and browsers and delivering the video content to viewers. It frees up website and blog owners to focus on creating and promoting their content rather than worrying about the technical details of video streaming.

Finally, video hosting platforms often offer attractive pricing plans for businesses and individuals. This can be a great way to save money, especially if you plan to host a large number of videos.

Benefits of Professional Video Hosting

There are many benefits to professional video hosting, including the ability to stream videos at a higher quality, the ability to offer videos in multiple formats, and the ability to offer videos in multiple languages. Additionally, professional video hosting providers typically offer more storage space and bandwidth than a free video-hosting provider.

• Improved search engine optimization – Videos hosted on professional platforms are more likely to be discovered by search engines, resulting in increased traffic to your website.
• Increased engagement – Pro platforms offer features that encourage viewers to interact with your videos, such as comments, ratings, and social sharing.
• Improved branding – A professional video hosting platform gives your videos a polished, professional look that helps build trust and credibility with your audience.
• More control – With professional video hosting, you have more control over your videos, including privacy settings, player customization, and ad placements.
• Increased ROI – Professional and simple hosting platforms offer easy analytics and other tools to help you track your video views and measure your return on investment.

Must-have features in Professional Video Hosting

There are a lot of video-hosting providers out there, so how do you choose the right one? Here are some must-have features to look for:

1. High-quality video streaming – your videos need to look great when they are streamed online. Look for a video hosting provider that offers high-quality video streaming.

2. Expandable storage space – as your video library grows, you will need more storage space.

3. Easy video sharing – you should be able to share your videos easily with others.

4. Affordable pricing – You don’t want to break the budget to host your videos. Look for a video hosting provider that offers affordable pricing.

5. Excellent customer support – If you have any questions or problems, you should be able to get help from a customer support team.

Other features include:

• ability to customize and brand the player
• Availability of the video content in multiple formats.
• robust security features
• analytics tools to track viewer engagement
• support for live streaming

Free Hosting vs Professional Video Hosting

There are a few popular video hosting websites that will allow you to host your videos for free. The most popular ones are YouTube and Vimeo. There are a few different types of free video hosting.

One type is where the video hosting company provides the user with a certain amount of storage space for their videos. The user can then access their videos from any computer with an internet connection.

Another type of free video hosting is where the user is allowed to host their videos on the video hosting company’s servers, but they are not given any storage space. The user must then provide a link to their video or embed it on their own website or blog in order to allow others to view it.

There are a few key differences between free and professional video hosting services. The most important difference is the quality of service you can expect to receive. With a free video hosting service, you are generally limited in terms of customer support and service reliability. Paid video hosting services, on the other hand, offer a higher level of customer support and reliable servers.

Another key difference is the amount of storage space and bandwidth you can expect to receive. Free video hosting services often have very limited storage space and bandwidth, which can be a problem if you want to host high-quality video files. Paid video hosting services usually offer much more generous storage quotas and bandwidth allowances.

Finally, free video hosting services typically have very limited features compared to paid services. For example, you might not be able to customize the player or use certain advanced features. Paid video hosting services usually offer a much more comprehensive set of features, making them a better choice for serious video bloggers.

Best Quick and Professional Video Hosting Providers

VdoCipher – Secure, Easy Embed with API

Each professional video hosting platform has its own set of features and options. They provide a quick video hosting solution with integrated CDN for faster delivery and all embed/API options for you. If you are hosting premium or confidential video content, make sure the platform you choose offers the level of security you need.

DRM, or digital rights management, is a secure system that controls access to digital content. Content providers often use it, such as video streaming website, to control how users can access and use their content. DRM can help content providers protect their content from unauthorized copying and distribution. It can also help content providers control how their content is used, such as preventing users from viewing content on unauthorized devices or making unauthorized copies of the content.

VdoCipher, a secure video streaming platform, offers Hollywood Grade DRM protection to secure videos with Google Widevine and Apple FairPlay DRM encryption. Videos streamed via VdoCipher cannot be downloaded by any internet plugin or software. VdoCipher APIs and WordPress video hosting plugin are easy to integrate and use. To play videos, VdoCipher uses a unique embed code per session. The embed code uses a short-lived access token, OTP. The OTP-based Playback in every session ensures that only logged-in paying users get to watch your premium video content.

Other Features:

• DRM Based Video Encryption
• Ready-to-Use Plugins for popular Content Management Systems (CMS)
• AWS CDN infrastructure for quick global delivery
• VdoCipher WordPress video hosting plugin
• Customizable smart HTML5 video player
• Dynamic watermarking
• Domain Whitelisting
• IP and Geo Restriction
• Secure Offline Downloads on Android
• Secure decryption process in addition to AES-128 encryption
• Free 30-day trial

Amazon Web Services – S3

There are many benefits to hosting videos on Amazon Web Services (AWS). First, AWS provides a highly scalable and reliable platform for video hosting. Second, AWS offers a wide variety of storage and streaming options for videos, making it easy to find the right solution for your needs. And third, AWS’s pay-as-you-go pricing model means you only pay for the resources you use, making it cost-effective for video hosting. There are a number of ways to host a video on AWS, and the best option for you will depend on your specific needs and workloads.

The AWS Elemental Media Services suite provides a number of services for processing, storing, and delivering video content. AWS Elemental MediaConvert is a file-based video transcoding service that can be used to convert video files into various formats for delivery to different devices. Finally, AWS Elemental MediaStore is a storage service optimized for video content that can be used to store and serve video files.

Other Features:

• Comprehensive video standards support
• Broadcast capabilities for live video streams
• Automated resource provisioning
• Flexible video content protection

Google Cloud Platform – Storage

Google Cloud Platform offers a variety of video-hosting options to its users. Whether you’re looking to host a small, personal video or a large, commercial production, Google Cloud Platform has a solution to fit your needs. For small videos, Google Cloud Platform offers a simple, easy-to-use video hosting solution that is perfect for sharing with family and friends. For larger videos, Google Cloud Platform offers a variety of options for hosting, including a managed streaming service and a self-service option.

The platform provides a number of features and tools to help users manage their video content, including the ability to create and manage playlists, share videos with others, and embed videos on websites and blogs. Google Cloud Platform also offers a number of security and privacy features, such as the ability to password-protect videos and set expiration dates. No matter what your video hosting needs are, Google Cloud Platform has a solution to fit your needs.

Other Features:

• Highly scalable
• Variety of video codecs and formats to optimize your video content for different devices and networks
• Cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes

Microsoft OneDrive

OneDrive is a cloud-based storage service from Microsoft, and it offers a number of features that make it ideal for video hosting. First, OneDrive supports video streaming, so your viewers can watch your videos without downloading them first. And Second, OneDrive is integrated with Microsoft’s other services, so you can easily share your videos with your friends and colleagues. The service is accessible via the web, mobile apps, and desktop apps. OneDrive offers 5 GB of storage for free. Paid plans start at $1.99/month for 100 GB of storage. OneDrive videos can be shared with others via email, social media, or embedding. The service also offers video playback and editing capabilities.

Other Features:

• Upload videos of any file type and size
• Embed videos directly into your website or blog
• Stream videos in HD quality
• Share videos with anyone, even if they don’t have a OneDrive account
• Protect videos with privacy settings
• View videos on any device, including smartphones, tablets, and computers

Dropbox

Dropbox is a great option for hosting videos because it is so easy to use. It offers a free video hosting service that allows you to upload and share your videos with others. You can simply upload your video file to your Dropbox account and share the link with others. You can also embed your videos on your website or blog, making it easy for others to view and share your content. There are no complicated settings to worry about and no need to install any special software. Plus, Dropbox is a very reliable service with a good reputation for uptime.

Other Features:

• Embed videos on your website or blog
• Access videos from anywhere
• Share videos with people who don’t have a Dropbox account
• Send Long Videos Without a Video Compressor
• Watch videos instantly without downloading them

FAQs

What are the benefits of video hosting?

Video hosting can be used to share videos with a wide audience or to provide video content for educational or business purposes. Hosted videos are typically available in high-quality formats and can be played on a variety of devices.

Can I host Videos on Google Drive for my Website?

You will not be able to embed the video for quick playback on your website. However, you can publicly share the link of the Video on Google Drive for further download or stream.

How does video hosting work?

Video hosting services store videos on their servers and provide users with access to the videos through a web-based interface. Users can upload videos to the hosting service, or embed videos from the service onto their own website or blog.

Why would I need professional video hosting?

If you run a business that relies heavily on online video hosting, then you’ll need a hosting service that can handle a large amount of traffic and offer reliable uptime. You’ll also need a service that can provide you with features like DRM encryption, video analytics and password protection.

Vishal Sharma

My expertise focuses on DRM encryption, CDN technologies, and streamlining marketing campaigns to drive engagement and growth. At VdoCipher, I’ve significantly enhanced digital experiences and contributed to in-depth technical discussions in the eLearning, Media, and Security sectors, showcasing a commitment to innovation and excellence in the digital landscape.

The post Quick and Professional Video Hosting with Easy Embed and Simple API appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

We see that in many cases, the first idea that comes to the video creator is to self-host videos. This means having an in-house team to handle video streaming & hosting technology. However, handling the video hosting on their own end is often not technically and economically feasible. A lot of businesses realize this only after spending valuable time and resources into developing an inefficient video hosting infrastructure. Many IT service companies that do not have video as a primary offering also come to this realization at some point.

Here we list the primary reasons as to why you should not self host videos.  Most of these recommendations apply to both high-budget and economy users, as both the service offerings and price points of premium online video platforms (OVPs) deliver better returns on investment than could be obtained from self-hosting videos.

What is Self Hosted Video?

In the context of video distribution, self-hosting video is the process of uploading and storing video files to your website or some other rented webspace.

Also, there are different ways to host videos on your website or blog. The most popular method is to use a video hosting service like YouTube or VdoCipher. These video hosting platforms allow you to upload your videos and embed them directly on your site. 

Self hosting videos is another way to host the videos on your own server. But it requires more technical work on your part but also gives you more control over the videos. You can choose how the videos are displayed. Finally, to host your videos, you can also use services like Amazon S3. It is a more expensive option but offers more flexibility and control.

Reasons Why Self Hosted Videos are Not a Good Choice

There are several reasons why self-hosted videos are not a good idea.

• One of the biggest reasons is that they are not as reliable as hosted videos on a trustworthy video hosting provider. If your video hosting goes down, so do your videos. This can be a major problem if you rely on your videos for your business and marketing.
• Another issue with self-hosted videos is that they can be costly. Hosting videos can be expensive, and if you’re not careful, you may spend more than you would on a professional video hosting provider. When you are self hosting video content, you will have to pay for the bandwidth (data transfer), which could be significant.
• Finally, self-hosted videos are prone to security risks. If your video is hacked, it could be illegally downloaded or may be used to spread malware or viruses. It could hamper your reputation and revenue generation and lead to low customer retention.

Server and CDN setup, Scaling, Automation for streaming

When hosting videos on static web pages, each time the webpage loads the video is loaded as well. Handling 100s of users loading your video player each minute would require multiple cores of servers and Content Delivery Network implementation. The video hosting infrastructure should have the capacity to serve users at peak times, when there are maximum users on the page.
It is a lot different doing these for static sites & video stuff. Handling multiple cores of servers, implementing CDN, ensuring it goes well during peaks and scales well, is a tough job. Here is an example to explain better.

Consider a webpage that hosts a 5-minute video, getting 100 pageviews in a minute. These 100 users who came within a minute on the web page were in real time loading the page and requesting objects from server. These server requests were being generated at different milliseconds – there were never 100 simultaneous users, they had loaded the page at different milliseconds. While all the other page elements are loaded at different times within the one minute window, in the case of video every user is simultaneously fetching content. For a 5 minute video all the users will be fetching content at same millisecond level from servers, overloading the server hosting your website. This can therefore overload the server, and lead to your website crashing. For this reason optimization of hosting infrastructure requires that your video hosting and website hosting be on separate servers. Setting up a separate server for handling videos would again require a whole new server setup process, adding to your responsibilities considerably.

Protecting Videos from Download and Piracy

If you choose to self host videos , you would most likely be providing a direct video video URL from your video hosting server to the site. This can make your video vulnerably to download from a lot of free downloaders and plugins such as IDM and Download Helper. These plugins are widely available on the web, which leads to loss of revenue from content owing to video piracy. Secure Online Video Platforms would safeguard your content from online video piracy.

Encoding for multiple devices & Bitrates

Currently the video codecs segment is highly fragmented. Apart from Chrome, which supports almost all the popularly used codecs (H.264, WebM, Ogg), none of the web browsers supports all the major codecs. For instance, Safari and Internet Explorer support only H.264 encoding and not WebM or Ogg, whereas Firefox, the next most popular browser after Chrome, does not support H.264 codecs. When self-hosting videos, you would need to transcode specifically in each of the codecs. Encoding is again a server + CPU intensive process. A different file is needed when viewing a video on a phone and when viewing the video on your PC or HD television. You would need to transcode videos for desktop, iOS and android separately. Also encoding is required for different bitrates, so that your viewers can watch your videos across all devices smoothly and seamlessly.

Video Player – Controls, Adaptive, Customization

Video.js is a JavaScript and CSS library that is used as an HTML5 video player. Using the Video.js library requires a great level of coding. For this reason it is recommended that you opt for a secure online video platform (OVP) over coding from scratch. Apart from the initial setup, additional customizations required are adding desired colors, themes, bitrates, sizes and adaptation to aspect ratio. This customization is required to allow video playback across multiple devices and browsers.

Costs of Large development team & Time to launch Video business

If you are willing to setup your own video infrastructure in-house, it is important that you look at the bottomline of costs and time of development. This includes spending on the development team, at which point you would need to understand salary costs of developers. Besides, in-house development would take months to launch, in which period you would need to bring together a team for setting up the video infrastructure and understanding the hosting requirements. Besides the one-time setup costs, you would need a dedicated team to troubleshoot problems. VdoCipher online video platform has the necessary video infrastructure, and our support ensures that your videos faces minimal downtime. You can get started with using VdoCipher in just about 10 minutes, and can integrate your website with our hosting service in 3 days, with full support from our customer experience team. VdoCipher uses AWS & Akamai at backend to ensure great cloud availability.

Still not convinced? Shawn Hesketh at WP101 has written a comprehensive post on why you should never host your own videos.

For a full version 30-day free trial of our secure and reliable streaming solution, register for a free demo at www.vdocipher.com

FAQs

What is the difference between self-video hosting and professional video hosting services?

Professional video hosting services usually offer more storage space and bandwidth, as well as better security and video player with added functionalities. They may also offer more advanced features, such as the ability to stream live videos or directly embed videos on your website.

On what factors does a video’s bandwidth consumption depend?

For a specific video, calculating the bandwidth usage mainly depends on the video’s resolution, bitrate, and length.

Why are self-hosted videos insecure compared to videos hosted on commercial hosting platforms?

Self-hosted videos may be more susceptible to unauthorized access and malware attacks, as they are often not as well-protected as those hosted by a third-party provider. They are highly prone to video piracy or illegal distribution as they are not securely encrypted. In case of the hosting server crashes, the self hosted videos are likely to be deleted or lost.

Siddhant Jain

CEO, VdoCipher. Writes about video tech, ed tech and media tech.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post Why Not to Host Your Own Videos? Challenges in Self-hosting videos appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.