With so many streaming platforms available, users often prefer to pirate content rather than pay for a particular platform. In this current scenario, if you don’t focus much on video protection, chances are that your videos will be downloaded and freely available for users. This in turn hurts your revenue by a lot, as users would rather prefer to watch your content for free. The movie industry alone suffers an annual loss of revenue of about 40 and $97.1 billion. If you account for eLearning, personal wellness, and other online platforms, this number can rise even more.

You don’t necessarily have to lose your revenue due to piracy. DRM solutions or Digital Rights Management, solely exist for this purpose- to save your videos from any illegal access.

But then, you might be wondering, what exactly is a DRM Solution? How can it help you? And many more questions. But you don’t have to worry about it, as you’ll get an answer to these questions and more. So, fasten your seat belts and bring out your notepads. Cause this is going to be a ride and not that one filled with just joy and excitement. Which only riddles you with guilt afterward. You’re only going to come out of this journey wiser (hopefully!?)

What is a DRM Solution?

DRM Solution is essentially a Digital Rights Management software package, which ensures that your content is only accessible by anyone you authorize. You can use Video DRM software to make sure that your content is only accessible by the user you authorize and you can even manage the browser or devices they consume your content on. 

In a lot of cases even though the videos are encrypted, the key used to decrypt the video is often easily accessible. Any hacker with some knowledge can then easily get access to the encryption key and then access your content. Once he’s downloaded the video it’s then easy to spread it to other pirates

With a DRM server and DRM protected key exchange mechanism, your encryption keys are hidden and aren’t accessible to anyone. This way you protect your videos from any potential hacker or download tools. This makes sure that your content is not pirated and you don’t lose any revenue due to piracy. 

In fact, with DRM services or solutions, video platforms tend to see a rise in their revenue. Read this case study by Vdocipher on how users end up raising their revenues up to 990% with the help of a DRM Solution.

DRM services or solutions caters to different forms of content, they can be -video, audio, video games, comics, ebooks, etc. In this blog, I’ll focus on DRM solutions for video and audio streaming.

But before that, let’s have a look at what DRM protected content exactly means.

What Does “DRM-Protected” Mean?

The phrase “DRM protected” means that the digital content it is being applied to is restricted in how it can be used. “Digital rights management” is the term that describes a systematic authorization for the use of copyrighted material. DRM protection is applied by using DRM encryption, access control methodologies, a proprietary hardware-controlled environment, a software-enabled black box, and a dynamic key exchange management system. The complete infrastructure regulates copyrighted digital works’ use, modification, and distribution.

A DRM protected content is nothing but the digital content on which DRM protection is applied. Basically, any piece of digital content you protect with a DRM solution would be considered as DRM protected content.

As mentioned in the above section, content becomes DRM protected when you apply a certain set of rules on your copyrighted content to restrict any unauthorized access. 

These DRM restrictions are usually against downloading or making a copy of your video. Also, the number of times your videos are being accessed and even the devices on which the video is being viewed. These DRM restrictions can be as simple or complex according to your requirements.

What Steps are required to become a DRM Solution

• Acquiring DRM license permissions
• Setting up storage infrastructure
• Encoding
• Transcoding
• Using the license encryption keys to encrypt the digital content
• Storing the encrypted file
• CDN setup
• Authorized access management
• Request processing via license server
• Decrypt the requested resources via the license server
• Allow playback or opening of a file through a DRM player or viewer

Who provides a DRM license to a DRM Solution?

Since the whole digital ecosystem is dependent on Google and Apple either for devices (hardware) or OS, browsers (software), they are the major DRM license providers. Google provides a license of Google Widevine DRM and Apple provides it for Apple FairPlay DRM. Obtaining a license from them means that you get protection across,

• Desktop/Laptop – Windows, Mac, Linux.
• Browsers – Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Android Chrome, Edge, Mac Safari, iOS Safari.
• OS – Android, iOS, Android TV, Android TV, Chromecast, IOS App

Understanding DRM requirements for your business

When choosing a DRM service for your business, there are some key aspects to understand.

Accessing content security requirements – While choosing a DRM solution, it is important to evaluate the level of protection your business requires. The various considering factors include the value of your content, the potential risk of piracy and unauthorized access as well as compliance and regulators requirements.

Identifying target platforms and devices – The chosen DRM solution needs to be compatible with the devices and platforms your audience uses to access your content. This includes web browsers, media players, and device types. Identifying this requirement beforehand will ensure seamless delivery for your users.

Analyzing your content distribution strategies – The DRM system should be compatible with the streaming protocol you use such as HLS or MPED-DASH. It should offer features like offline playback, geographic restrictions, and IP/Domain restrictions.

What makes DRM Software so essential?

When content is easily accessible with a single click, protecting intellectual property has become important. Digital Rights Management (DRM) software plays a crucial role in this protection mechanism.

Universal Application – DRM isn’t just for videos. From e-books to software applications, DRM ensures that digital content is only accessible by authorized users. This wide-ranging application makes it a versatile tool in the digital content protection arsenal.

Adaptable Restrictions – One of the standout features of DRM software is its adaptability. Depending on the content creator’s needs, restrictions can be tailored. Whether it’s limiting the number of devices on which content can be viewed or setting a specific geographic boundary, DRM software can handle it.

Combating Piracy – Piracy has become a concerning factor in the media industry. With DRM software, content creators have a robust tool to prevent unauthorized distribution of their content. By encrypting content and ensuring that only authorized users have the decryption key, DRM software effectively combats piracy.

Boosting Revenue Streams – For businesses, especially those in the entertainment and e-learning sectors, DRM software can be a game-changer. By ensuring that content isn’t freely distributed, businesses can maintain their revenue streams, ensuring sustainability and growth.

User Experience – While DRM software is primarily about protection, it’s also about user experience. By ensuring that only legitimate users access the content, businesses can offer a more personalized and seamless experience, enhancing user satisfaction.

How does DRM Software ensure protection for your Videos?

Before I take a deep dive into how DRM solutions work, you’ll first need to understand what video encryption is. Then later I’ll show you how a Video DRM solution makes encryption even better to ensure that your videos are protected.

Video Encryption

Video encryption is basically the process of encoding your videos to a non-video secure format. This ensures that no one can’t access your raw video files. When anyone wants to access the file, they’ll only get access to an encrypted file which is just random gibberish.

Encryption can not be broken and the encrypted files can only be accessed with the help of an encryption key. But then the encryption key exchange is where the weakness lies for any standard video encryption technology such as HLS, RTMP or AES-128. Due to the weak key exchange, encryption keys can be accessed by hackers to decrypt and then access the video. This ultimately defeats the initial purpose of video encryption. Although it would hinder anyone with no technical knowledge, anyone with some understanding of how to access the keys can easily work it out and share the video file with others. 

DRM-based encryption to protect your videos

DRM takes care of this exact weakness in video encryption and makes sure that the encryption key is not accessible by anyone unless authorized. A video DRM software encrypts the video and even protects the encryption key behind a BlackBox or CDM, which cannot be accessed by anyone. Before going into what a CDM is, you’ll need to know that there are different DRM solutions, which are used together to protect your content.

A typical video DRM service consists of multi DRM, these different DRMS caters to different devices and browsers. These different DRM solutions are:

• Google Widevine DRM solution: It supports Desktop/Laptop (Windows, Mac, Linux) Chrome, Firefox, Edge. Android Chrome, Edge, Android TV, Android TV, Chromecast.
• Apple Fairplay DRM Solution: It supports Mac Safari, IOS Safari, IOS App
• Microsoft Playready DRM solution: It supports Edge in Windows. Windows Edge is also supported by Google Widevine, so Playready is not an absolute necessity.

DRM solution BlackBox the encryption keys in CDM or Content Decryption Module. This CDM, even though on your device, can not be accessed by you. This protects the key as it is kept in the CDM and it can’t be accessed by you or anyone. The only way to access the videos is through Encrypted Media Extensions (EMEs), which are sent via the respective Video DRM System.

As Google and Apple have some control over your browser, OS, hardware or all of these. They can exercise more control and security for DRM encrypted streaming.

Choosing a DRM service provider: what features to look for?

When choosing  DRM tools, there are certain features that can make your content even more protected. One of these can be dynamic watermarking, which inhibits users from screen grab video. These are the features that you need to look out for in a DRM Solution:

Encrypted DRM Streaming to Prevent Download

First and foremost is obviously the Video DRM protection. You need to make sure that the DRM service provider supports both Widevine DRM as well as Fairplay DRM. Having the two DRM is an absolute necessity as they pretty much guarantee DRM support on all the major devices.

Screen Capture Blocking 

Another major feature you would require is a screen capture block. Even though the video downloads are blocked, users still can record your screen to capture videos. You need to make sure that the DRM Solution you go for stops any type of screen capture. 

Dynamic Watermarking with moving user details

Dynamic watermarking helps to discourage any screen capture. You can add the IP address, User-Id, and Email-Id to the screen. Using these, you can identify the point of origin of video piracy. 

IP, Geo & Time Based Restriction

Sometimes you need to restrict video playback in certain locations or devices. A Video DRM provider can help you restrict access to a particular Geo/IP. Also, you can put restrictions on total user video playtime.

What are the User Authentication and Acess Control in DRM Services?

In Digital Rights Management (DRM) services, user authentication and access control are pivotal for safeguarding digital content and ensuring that only authorized users can access or interact with protected materials. These DRM features play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and value of digital assets across various platforms.

User Authentication in DRM Services

User authentication is a foundational component of DRM services, designed to verify the identity of a user before granting access to DRM-protected content. This process typically involves credentials such as usernames and passwords, biometric data, or multi-factor authentication methods. For DRM services, ensuring robust user authentication is critical for preventing unauthorized access and distribution of copyrighted digital content.

Access Control Mechanisms

Access control in DRM services goes hand-in-hand with user authentication. Once a user’s identity is verified, access control mechanisms determine the level of access or the specific actions that the user is permitted to perform with the DRM-protected content. This might include viewing, copying, editing, or sharing digital files. Effective access control is essential for DRM services to enforce content usage policies and comply with copyright laws.

Implementing DRM Services for Secure Content Management

Incorporating user authentication and access control within DRM services involves several steps:

1. Designing a Secure Authentication Process: This involves creating a user verification system that can effectively thwart unauthorized access while not detracting from the user experience. DRM services often utilize advanced authentication technologies such as OAuth, token-based authentication, or even blockchain-based identity verification.
2. Developing Dynamic Access Control Policies: DRM services must be equipped with flexible yet secure access control policies that can adapt to different user roles, content types, and distribution channels. These policies should be rigorously tested and updated regularly to address emerging security threats and changes in legal requirements.
3. Integrating with Existing Systems: For many organizations, integrating DRM services with existing content management systems (CMS) or customer relationship management (CRM) systems is crucial. This integration allows for seamless user authentication and access control across all platforms where DRM-protected content is available.
4. Continuous Monitoring and Reporting: DRM services should include mechanisms for monitoring user interactions with protected content and generating reports on access patterns. This data is invaluable for auditing, compliance, and improving the DRM strategies.

Benefits of Advanced DRM Services

Implementing sophisticated user authentication and access control within DRM services provides several benefits:

• Enhanced Security: Reduces the risk of unauthorized content access and piracy.
• Compliance Assurance: Helps organizations comply with digital copyright laws and regulations.
• Improved User Management: Facilitates better management of user rights and access permissions.
• Data Insights: Offers valuable insights into how content is being used, aiding in future content strategy and rights management.

FAQs

What are the challenges of DRM?

One of the main challenges of DRM is that it can be difficult to implement DRM in a way that is both effective and user-friendly.

What type of DRM Solutions are available?

There are a variety of DRM solutions available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The best solution includes VdoCipher which has a complete implementation, best infra and accessible support.

What is the result of a lack of video protection?

Ultimately it hurts your revenue by a lot. This revenue loss can be instant or in the future.

Is DRM a solution to Video Piracy?

DRM prevents anyone who does not have the dynamic key from being able to view or use the content. The downside to this solution is that it can be difficult to implement. A solution to implementation is DRM Encrypted Video Hosting providers like VdoCipher.

Rahul Rana

Head of Digital Marketing at Vdocipher. I love the art of connecting the right product to their users. When i’m not doing that i love getting lost in books.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post The Right DRM Solution For Your Business appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

What is Video Metadata?

Video metadata is text inside the video file that references the video. Search engines use video metadata to understand the video context relate it to particular search queries and show video results. Viewers too get the proper video context and relevant information through video metadata.

Metadata can be directly embedded in the video or included as a separate file YouTube combines video metadata with other video viewership data to determine when to show videos among its top results. Likewise, Content recommendation systems, such as Netflix’s famous machine learning algorithms, also use video metadata to accurately personalize videos.

• Provides descriptive information about a video file such as title, description, video tags, and creation date
• Helps organize and search video files
• Helps search engines better analyze, categorize, and relate the video to relevant search queries
• Video metadata can include bitrate, codec, and frame rate which ensures video correctly plays on various devices and browsers
• Often metadata is required for compliance purposes

Types of Video Metadata

What is the Importance of Metadata for SEO?

Metadata is a critical component in enhancing the search engine optimization (SEO) of video content. Properly utilized metadata not only helps search engines understand and index your videos but also improves the discoverability and accessibility of your content to a broader audience. Here’s an in-depth look at how metadata improves search engine visibility and best practices for optimizing video metadata for SEO.

How Metadata Improves Search Engine Visibility?

1. Enhanced Indexing:
   • Search engines use metadata to index video content accurately. Metadata provides essential information about the video’s content, making it easier for search engines to categorize and rank it appropriately. For instance, descriptive metadata such as titles, descriptions, and tags help search engines understand the context and relevance of the video.
2. Improved Click-Through Rates (CTR):
   • Well-crafted metadata can increase the likelihood of users clicking on your video. A compelling title and description can attract more clicks, which signals to search engines that your content is valuable and relevant, potentially boosting your ranking.
3. Better User Experience:
   • Metadata improves the user experience by providing clear and concise information about the video. This includes details like video length, resolution, and content summary. A better user experience leads to longer watch times and lower bounce rates, both of which positively impact SEO.
4. Increased Video Discoverability:
   • Using relevant tags and keywords within your metadata enhances the discoverability of your videos. Tags help connect your video with related content, making it more likely to appear in related searches or recommended video sections.
5. Enhanced Rich Snippets:
   • Metadata contributes to the creation of rich snippets in search results. Rich snippets provide additional information, such as video thumbnails, duration, and publication date, directly in the search results. These enhanced listings are more attractive to users and can improve click-through rates.

Best Practices for Optimizing Video Metadata for SEO

1. Craft Descriptive and Keyword-Rich Titles:
   • Ensure your video titles are descriptive and include relevant keywords. A good title should clearly convey the content of the video and attract potential viewers. Keywords should be naturally integrated to avoid keyword stuffing.
2. Write Detailed and Engaging Descriptions:
   • Provide a comprehensive and engaging description for each video. Descriptions should summarize the content, include relevant keywords, and offer additional context that can help users understand what to expect. Aim for at least 250 words to give search engines enough information to index your content effectively.
3. Utilize Relevant Tags and Keywords:
   • Use a variety of relevant tags and keywords that describe your video. Tags should cover the main topics, themes, and any relevant subtopics. This helps search engines associate your video with related content and improve its visibility in search results.
4. Optimize Thumbnails:
   • Create eye-catching and relevant thumbnails for your videos. Thumbnails are often the first thing users see, so they should be visually appealing and accurately represent the video content. A good thumbnail can significantly increase click-through rates.
5. Include Transcripts and Closed Captions:
   • Adding transcripts and closed captions not only makes your video accessible to a wider audience but also improves SEO. Search engines can index the text from transcripts and captions, providing more context and increasing the chances of your video appearing in relevant search queries.
6. Implement Structured Data Markup:
   • Use structured data markup (schema.org) to provide additional information about your video to search engines. This can include details like video title, description, duration, upload date, and thumbnail URL. Structured data helps search engines display rich snippets and improves the overall SEO of your video.
7. Monitor and Update Metadata Regularly:
   • Regularly review and update your video metadata to ensure it remains relevant and effective. Trends and keywords can change over time, so it’s important to keep your metadata up-to-date to maintain and improve your search engine rankings.

By following these best practices and understanding the importance of metadata for SEO, you can significantly enhance the visibility and performance of your video content in search engine results. Properly optimized metadata not only helps search engines understand and index your videos but also ensures that your content reaches and engages the right audience.

How is Video Search different from Web Page Search?

The beasts of burden of the internet are the web bots that crawl every single page there is. Web crawlers determine the suitability of a page for search results on two inputs:

• Text content
• Backlinks to the web page.

Search Engines cannot however automatically crawl videos. Likewise, backlinks are not relevant for video search.

For this reason, search engines have to rely on text data associated with the video. This text data, in the form of video title, video description, and video tags, is what search engines use to determine which videos form the best results for a search query.

Optimizing Video Metadata

Optimizing search results is very important for video creators. Being on the first page of a Google search query is a guarantee that your video is going to be viewed many times. The elements of video metadata that can be optimized to make videos more search-engine friendly are:

Video Title

Video Title should be accurate, and should also reflect what your viewers would want to watch. You should look up Google’s Keyword Planner to find out the most popular keywords. Keyword research would help evaluate which is better – to attempt to rank high for a competitive video category, or to rank top for long-tail search terms.

Video Description

Video descriptions are an introduction to viewers and to search bots alike. An accurate and detailed video description could reassure potential viewers that your video is worth watching.

Video Tags

Video tags are the categories that your video falls into. In YouTube’s autoplay feature the succeeding video has to share at least one video tag with the current video being played.

Aggressive metadata optimization is discouraged. Besides being a bad user experience, misleading video metadata can cause your videos to be blacklisted on YouTube and other video platforms.

Is search really all that important?

Search Engines are the backbone of the internet. By creating a set of rules according to which web pages rank for keywords, Google has created the entire field of search engine optimization. For online businesses, there is a world of difference between ranking 1st on the first page and ranking at the bottom of the first page.

An effective search engine ensures that your users find what they are looking for. With a small collection of videos, you can put them all up for users to choose for themselves. That’s where dashboards work best. However, search becomes increasingly important as the library of content increases.

Is Search the only way my users can get new content?

Video platforms such as Netflix have tried to move beyond search results to show new videos. The reasoning goes that time spent searching for content is also the time when users are likely to leave the video platform. To minimize this time, Netflix has created its content recommendation system.

Netflix’s recommendation systems use metadata at their core. Netflix currently has over 25,000 genres into which it classifies its film collection. TV and film analysts tag films and series into genres. Each film can belong to multiple genres at the same time. These genres (such as here), are metadata that Netflix uses to train its machine learning algorithms.

Autoplay, content recommendation systems, and playlists all rely on metadata. Although machine learning technologies being applied to further improve user experience, video metadata still forms the base over which these systems work.

Is there other video metadata?

The prefix meta is applied whenever something refers to itself. This sentence is meta because it refers to itself. As is this XKCD comic.

Video files also carry information about themselves beyond the title, description, and tags. This metadata refers to the v ideo file itself. Data about the video file include video codec, video resolution, video encoding (constant bit rate or variable bitrate), links to the content decryption key, among others. This metadata is only useful to the video player playing back the video.

For video creators, video metadata also comprises of information about the video production process. This includes:

• Camera information
• Kind of camera & Lens
• Aperture Size
• Video frame rate
• Shutter-speed
• Clapperboard Information such as:
  • Scene
  • Take number
  • Camera angle

Find more details about VdoCipher’s DRM infrastructure and our integration of Widevine DRM for Hollywood-grade security, which helps us protect your premium content.

Role of Video Metadata in Video SEO

Video metadata is the essence of video SEO. It is the information that surrounds your video – the title, description, tags, categories, thumbnail, and closed captions or transcripts, among other elements. Metadata is a pivotal tool that allows search engines to understand the content of your video, which in turn determines its relevance to users’ search queries.

Video metadata and video SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are closely related concepts that pertain to optimizing video content for better visibility and discoverability in search engines.

Video metadata refers to the information and data associated with a video file. It includes various elements such as the title, description, tags, category, duration, language, captions, and thumbnail image. These metadata elements provide valuable context and information about the video, helping search engines and platforms understand its content.

Video SEO, on the other hand, involves optimizing video content to improve its search engine rankings and increase organic visibility. It encompasses a range of techniques and best practices aimed at making videos more discoverable by search engines and improving their chances of appearing in relevant search results. Video SEO may include optimizing video titles and descriptions with relevant keywords, adding appropriate tags, providing accurate and informative captions, creating engaging thumbnails, and implementing structured data markup to provide additional context to search engines.

The video metadata plays a crucial role in video SEO because search engines rely on this information to understand the content of the video and determine its relevance to user queries. By optimizing video metadata according to SEO principles, you can enhance the chances of your videos being surfaced in search results and attracting more viewers.

Furthermore, video platforms like YouTube often use metadata to recommend related videos or display video suggestions to users based on their viewing history and preferences. Therefore, having well-optimized video metadata can also improve the chances of your videos being recommended to a wider audience on these platforms.

In summary, video metadata and video SEO go hand in hand, as the metadata provides essential information about the video’s content, while video SEO techniques help optimize that metadata for improved search engine visibility and discoverability.

Importance of various aspects of video metadata and their influence on Video SEO

Title: Your video’s title should be concise, enticing, and, most importantly, infused with relevant keywords. This not only attracts users but also helps search engines categorize your content. The popular outdoor brand, Patagonia, excels in this, with video titles such as “The Fight for Europe’s Last Wild Rivers” that balance storytelling and keyword optimization.

Description: The description is another place to integrate your keywords and long-tail phrases. It provides additional context to both users and search engines about your video content. Including a summary of the video, key points, and a call to action can significantly improve your video’s searchability. TED Talks, for instance, does a fantastic job at creating descriptive summaries that offer valuable insights about their video content.

Tags: Tags allow you to include additional keywords related to your video. Use a mix of specific (long-tail) and general (short-tail) keywords to broaden your reach. YouTube, for example, encourages creators to use tags to improve the discoverability of their content.

Categories: Choosing the right category helps position your video among similar content, which aids in attracting a targeted audience and improves your SEO ranking.

Thumbnail: While not typically thought of as metadata, a compelling thumbnail can drastically increase your video’s click-through-rate (CTR). A higher CTR signals to search engines that your content is relevant, thereby boosting your SEO ranking. Companies like Netflix have mastered this, customizing thumbnails to ensure maximum viewer engagement.

Closed Captions and Transcripts: These are critical for two reasons. Firstly, they make your videos accessible to a broader audience, including those with hearing impairments or non-native language speakers. Secondly, they provide textual content for search engines to crawl. A study by Discovery Digital Networks found a 13.48% increase in view count in the first 14 days after adding captions.

While this offers a glimpse into the potential of video metadata, it is vital to consider a holistic SEO approach. For instance, in addition to metadata, ensuring a responsive website design and mobile video optimization, given that more than half of video content is consumed on mobile, can contribute significantly to your SEO success.

Further, the importance of engaging, high-quality content cannot be overstressed. Algorithms are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can gauge signals like viewer engagement, watch time, likes, shares, and comments, to rank videos.

Also, take advantage of Video Object Schema, a form of structured data that helps search engines understand more about your video content, enhancing the chances of appearing in rich snippets and boosting SEO.

It’s important to measure and analyze your results using tools like Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics, or SEO-specific tools like SEMrush or Moz. This data can help you refine your SEO strategy and make data-driven decisions to maximize your visibility and reach. Leveraging video metadata is a powerful strategy in boosting video SEO and enhancing online visibility.

FAQs

What is the importance of video metadata?

It helps search and organize video files, provide all the relevant information to viewers, boost SEO, and ensure compliance and other regulations.

How to add metadata to video files?

There are a number of software tools such as metadata editors to add and edit video metadata. Also platforms like YouTube allow add and edit of metadata while uploading a video file.

Siddhant Jain

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

www.vdocipher.com/

The post Video Metadata – Optimize to Increase Your Viewers appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

• What is the size of a video for a certain pixel quality? (Say 1 hour 1080p video)
• What does kbps mean? How much video bandwidth will 1 hour 1000 kbps video consume?
• I want my videos in 1080/720/480/360 p like Youtube. How does VdoCipher enable that?
• How many video quality options I need to have to ensure smooth playback across the world?
• Why does VdoCipher provide video bitrate (kbps) as quality options and not pixels (p)?

Here are some key definitions and concepts to help everybody better understand video quality parameters.

What is Video Quality?

Video quality is how good a video and its individual frame look on your screen. It basically means the level of accuracy of the images and detail that a video displays.

Video quality is influenced by different parameters such as:

Video Pixels: Video pixels define the resolution of a video, telling us how many pixels are in the video both horizontally and vertically. For eg, a Full HD video will have the resolution- 1920×1080, which indicates the pixels present. Higher pixel counts generally mean a clearer and sharper image, as there is more detail present.

Video Bitrate: Bitrate is the amount of data processed in a unit of time, typically measured in kilobits per second (Kbps) or megabits per second (Mbps). A higher bitrate usually translates to higher video quality, as more data is used to represent each second of video. However, it also means larger file sizes and may require more bandwidth for streaming.

Frame Rate: Measured in frames per second (fps), it determines how many individual frames are displayed per second. A higher video frame rate generally results in smoother motion in the video.

Compression: Video compression reduces file size, which can be crucial for storage and streaming. However, excessive compression can degrade video quality, causing artifacts and loss of detail.

Color Depth: Color Depth is the number of bits used to represent the color of each pixel. Higher color depth allows for a broader range of colors and more detailed color gradation.

Aspect Ratio: The ratio of width to height (e.g., 16:9). It doesn’t directly affect quality but choosing the wrong aspect ratio can result in a stretched or compressed image.

Codec: Video Codecs are used to compress and decompress video files. Different codecs may handle colors, motion, and detail differently, impacting the final quality.

Noise: Unwanted random variations in brightness or color information in images, which can degrade video quality.

Balancing these parameters is crucial to achieving optimal video quality while managing file sizes and streaming requirements.

What are Pixels (p) – 1080 / 720 / 480 / 360 / 240 p

Pixels as a quality index essentially mean the height of the video in the number of pixels. Thus, a video quality of 1080p means – the height of the video is 1080 pixels. Now the next question is what is the width of the video? There is no exact technically right answer but in common convention, the video is 16:9 for online playback. Thus the width of the video becomes 1080*16/9 – 1920 pixels.

So, in common convention 1080p means 1080 pixels as the height of the video and 1920 as the width of the video. Similarly, 480 p will mean 480 pixels in height and 480*16/9 -853 pixels as the width of the video. However this may vary if the aspect ratio of video is different (like 4:3). So, until you know the video aspect ratio, you can’t determine the exact number of pixels in a video.

Does pixel directly correspond to a size? What will be the size of 1 hour,1080 p video?

Surprisingly there is no fixed answer to that. If pixel quality is fixed, then the number of pixels in a video is fixed. E.g a 1080 p will have 1080*1920 = 2073600 pixels. But how much data is captured in the video, is not determined by number of pixels exactly. Thus, Youtube , Vimeo and Vdocipher can provide different size of videos for the same length and same pixel quality. It is even possible that say 1 hour, 1080p video of vdocipher is of lower size than 720 p of Vimeo.

So, the next obvious question is what exactly determines the video size? It is video bitrate (generally represented by kbps like 1500 kbps etc). Please read the next section to understand bitrate as a quality index.

What is Video Bitrate (kbps) – 1500/ 1000/ 600 /300 kbps

Video bitrate is the video data transferred at a particular time. A high video bitrate is one of the most vital factors in the quality of a video. A good looking video consists of a high video bitrate along with a high video resolution and frame rate. So, I hope that answers what is bitrate in the video. For a particular video, you can use constant bitrate or variable bitrate, find out more about CBR vs VBR in the article linked.

How is video bitrate linked to the size of the video?

Bitrate is generally represented by kbps which essentially means kb (kilobits) of data per second. So, the size of a 1hour 1500 kbps video will be – 1500*60*60 -kilobits= 1500*60*60/8000 MBs of data = 675 MB per hour of video data.

Similarly, a 1000 kbps 1 hour video will be 450 MB in size , 600 kbps will be 270 MB in size.

What is the Relation between video pixels(p) and video bitrate (kbps)?

There is no precise technical relation between pixels and bitrate. For the same streaming provider; the higher the pixels, the higher the bitrate, and vice-versa. Though as I already mentioned different service providers can offer different pixels even at the same video bitrate. Pixels define the resolution of the video, while bitrate is average data size for a video file expressed per second of video. There can be high-resolution videos with low bitrate and low resolution videos at very high video bitrate . This imbalance is because of some complicated maths that is used to express what to display on a video with least amount of file size. These maths can force the bitrate for a video at any arbitrary small value while compromising on the quality.

What bitrate/pixels does VdoCipher use for HD streaming?

VdoCipher has a wide range for 1080p HD in terms of video bitrate. It depends on what size the customer uploads and what is type of content – Media, E-learning (In e-learning, if it is screen capture, animation or class recording etc.) Video bitrate for 1080p is at maximum kept at 2000 kbps for video course content , for certain high motion movies video bitrate for 1080p is kept at 2500 to 5000 kbps range. For certain cases, low motion lectures, video bitrate for 1080p can be as low as 600 kbps. You can read more about SD vs HD in this blog.

How does Video Bitrate affect Video quality?

Video quality is directly related to the video bitrate, generally, a higher video bitrate would mean higher quality, and a lower bitrate would mean lower quality. 

Although it might not be the case always, an unreasonable high bitrate can cause buffering issues or glitches, as the user’s computer and data bandwidth might not be able to process the file. This is why it is quite important to find out the optimum bitrate for your videos. 

Even with the same resolution, your optimum bitrate might vary depending on the video frame rate required for the video. For video lectures with about 30fps it can go up to 2000kbps, while with video content with a higher framerate like 60fps or more it can go up to 5000kbps.

Other factors that affect Video Quality

Apart from video bitrate, there are other parameters that affect the quality of the video. Generally, there is a direct correlation between the size and the quality of the video. Video frame rate and video resolution also have a good impact on video quality. 

• Video frame rate is basically the number of different frames or images used to play the video. It is measured in fps or frames per second, which defines how many frames or images there would be in the video. So a 30 fps video would have 30 different frames in a second, as the number of frames increases, you can show much more details in that video. Sports, animation, and gaming videos would generally have a higher frame rate. 
• Video resolution is the number of pixels in the frames of video. A video with more pixels would have better video quality. This is the most common term used in order to define video quality. In most video platforms, you can see the option to choose different resolutions. Mostly used video resolutions are 480p, 720p,1080p, and 4k.

Why does YouTube use pixels as a quality parameter, while VdoCipher uses video bitrate?

There are two primary reasons –

1. Video Bitrate directly corresponds to size and hence bandwidth consumption & costs. 1000 kbps video will consume double bandwidth as compared to 500 kbps video. Pixels don’t have such direct co-relation.
2. VdoCipher can provide higher pixel quality even at low bitrates. So, for many cases , VdoCipher can provide 1080p or 720 p HD even at 500-900 kbps range. Thus, there is no need for a lower pixel parameter.

How many video quality options I need to have to ensure smooth playback across the world?

From VdoCipher experience –

1. For Movies/Serials with a lot of motion – 3 or maximum 4 qualities. We typically do  4000/5000 kbps, 2000 kbps ,800 kbps, 600 kbps
2. For Educational content – 3 in most cases. 2000, 800, 400 kbps Or sometimes – 1500, 800, 300 kbps.

VdoCipher has customers across all 6 continents. (Sorry, we don’t have a customer in Antarctica yet :D) . The bitrate and quality optimizations are made keeping in mind slow connections of Asia & African users. Over the time, they have worked well for all geographical distributions ensuring a great viewing experience.

Video Bitrate and Data usage for HD (720p), FHD (1080p) and UHD (2160p) video streaming

Video bitrate for HD, FHD (Full HD), and UHD (Ultra HD) video content streaming depends on various factors. It includes codec (e.g., H.264, H.265, VP9), frame rate, and compression efficiency. However, the below figures are often cited for video streaming services.

Note: The above figures can vary. For example, H.265 (HEVC) is more efficient than H.264. It can deliver similar video quality at about half the bitrate. Moreover, the actual bitrate can change dynamically based on your network conditions if you use adaptive bitrate streaming.

Video Enhancement: Uplifting the Viewing Experience

Video quality plays a vital role when it comes to the viewing experience. But what to do when the he raw footage isn’t up to par?  This is where video enhancement comes to the rescue. 

Video enhancement means improving and optimizing the quality of video through various means. It can varu from making colors pop to smoothing out shaky footage, enhancement techniques can turn subpar footage into professional-grade content.

Here you’ll find some steps on how you can use video enhancement to improve the quality of video/ Thus ultimately uplifting your users’ video experience.

Video Enhancement Techniques

Several different video enhancement techniques can be employed to enhance video quality:

Upscaling:

Upscaling involves increasing the resolution of a video, making it more clear and detailed. Although it doesn’t add more detail than was in the original video, it does make the video more compatible with higher resolution displays. Major difference you’ll notice before and after upscaling is you can see a low res video on a high res display.

You can Increase your video’s resolution to make it sharper and more detailed using software like Adobe Premiere Pro or PowerDirector. These applications have built-in upscaling features. Remember, while upscaling won’t add more detail than was present in the original footage, it will improve compatibility with higher-resolution displays.

Noise Reduction: 

Digital noise, such as grain or specks that distort the video, can often occur during video recording, particularly in low-light situations. Noise reduction tools can minimize this noise, leading to a smoother, cleaner video. 

In such cases Video is processed frame-by-frame using three video frames (previous, current and next) as input. An enhanced frame is produced via inference using a pre-trained neural network model

You can clean up digital noise such as grain or specks with noise reduction features found in video editing software. For instance, you can do noise reduction in Adobe Premiere Pro, you can find this under the ‘Effects’ tab, labeled as ‘Denoise’.

Stabilization:

Shaky footage can often be an issue with handheld recordings. Stabilization helps to smooth out these shakes, creating a more pleasing and professional-looking video.

Make shaky footage steadier with stabilization options in your editing software. In iMovie, for example, this option is found under the ‘Stabilization’ tab after you’ve selected a clip in your timeline.

You can also user adobe premier pro for stabilization, Warp Stabilizer effect smooths out unwanted camera shake in just a few clicks, with precision fine-tuning so you can get exactly the look and feel you want.

Color Correction: 

This involves adjusting the colors in your video to make them appear more natural or to achieve a specific visual aesthetic. Color correction can make your videos more visually pleasing and engaging.

Adjust the colors in your video for a more natural or aesthetically pleasing look. Tools like Final Cut Pro and PowerDirector have robust color correction features.

Video Enhancement Tools and Software

There are numerous video enhancement software options available, from professional-grade software like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, to more user-friendly options like iMovie or PowerDirector. These tools offer a range of enhancement features, allowing you to adjust various aspects of your video to improve its overall quality.

Impact of Video Enhancement

Improving video quality through enhancement can greatly impact viewer engagement. A high-quality video keeps the audience’s attention, reducing bounce rates and improving overall satisfaction. In an era where viewer expectations are higher than ever, delivering high-quality video content is crucial.

By addressing these facets of video enhancement, you’ll be better equipped to optimize your video content, delivering a viewing experience that resonates with audiences and meets today’s high standards of video quality.

How To Enhance Video Quality?

Enhancing video quality involves several techniques that can improve the visual experience for viewers. Here are some effective methods:

1. Increase Bitrate

• Definition: Bitrate refers to the amount of data processed per unit of time in a video file.
• Implementation: Higher bitrates can lead to better quality because more data is available to create each frame. However, it also results in larger file sizes.
• Recommendation: Aim for a bitrate that balances quality and file size. For example, a 1080p video typically requires a bitrate between 8,000 and 12,000 kbps.

2. Use High-Resolution Source Files

• Definition: Resolution is the number of pixels in each dimension that a video displays.
• Implementation: Start with high-resolution footage, such as 4K or at least 1080p. Higher resolutions provide more detail and clarity.
• Recommendation: Always capture and edit in the highest resolution possible, then downscale if necessary.

3. Optimize Encoding Settings

• Definition: Encoding is the process of converting video files into a digital format.
• Implementation: Use modern codecs like H.264 or H.265, which offer high quality at lower bitrates.
• Recommendation: Adjust settings like profile, level, and compression rate for optimal quality. Tools like HandBrake can help optimize these settings.

4. Apply Filters and Enhancements

• Definition: Filters and enhancements can improve video clarity, brightness, and color accuracy.
• Implementation: Use video editing software to apply sharpening, noise reduction, color correction, and contrast enhancement.
• Recommendation: Tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve offer advanced features for video enhancement.

5. Ensure Good Lighting and Equipment

• Definition: Proper lighting and quality equipment significantly affect video quality.
• Implementation: Use adequate lighting to avoid shadows and grainy footage. High-quality cameras and lenses capture better details and colors.
• Recommendation: Invest in good lighting setups and use cameras capable of recording at high resolutions and bitrates.

6. Improve Internet Bandwidth

• Definition: For streaming videos, internet bandwidth affects the quality viewers experience.
• Implementation: Ensure a stable and high-speed internet connection to stream videos at higher resolutions without buffering.
• Recommendation: For HD streaming, a minimum upload speed of 5 Mbps is recommended, while 4K streaming may require 25 Mbps or higher.

How To Change Video Quality?

Changing video quality allows viewers to adjust the resolution and bitrate based on their internet speed and device capabilities. Here’s how to do it:

1. In Video Players

• Implementation: Most video players (like YouTube, VLC, etc.) offer quality settings within their interface.
• Steps:
  1. Click on the settings icon (usually a gear symbol).
  2. Select the ‘Quality’ option.
  3. Choose the desired resolution (e.g., 144p, 360p, 720p, 1080p).
• Recommendation: Allow automatic quality adjustment based on the viewer’s internet speed for the best experience.

2. Through Video Editing Software

• Implementation: Use editing software to export videos at different quality settings.
• Steps:
  1. Import the video into the software (e.g., Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro).
  2. Choose ‘Export’ and select the desired resolution and bitrate.
  3. Save the new file with the adjusted quality.
• Recommendation: Create multiple versions of your video to cater to different audience needs.

3. Using Online Converters

• Implementation: Online tools like HandBrake, Clipchamp, and Online-Convert allow for easy quality adjustments.
• Steps:
  1. Upload the video to the converter.
  2. Select the desired output resolution and bitrate.
  3. Download the converted video.
• Recommendation: Ensure the chosen converter maintains the video’s original aspect ratio and quality as much as possible.

By following these guidelines, you can significantly enhance and manage video quality, providing a better viewing experience for your audience.

Video Quality FAQ Summary 

Siddhant Jain

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

www.vdocipher.com/

The post What is Video Bitrate, and How Does it Affect Video Quality? appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

These platforms offer various ways for creators to make money, like showing ads, offering subscriptions, or getting direct payments from fans. This has turned into a big business, not just for the creators but for the platforms themselves. Today, anyone with a good idea and a camera can try to make a living by sharing their content online. This has led to a new kind of economy called the “content creator economy”

But making money from online content isn’t just about earning an income, it also brings up important questions about the rules and rights on these platforms. For example, what can be shared or sold, and who gets to decide? These are big questions that affect not only the people making the content but everyone who uses the internet.

Online Content Business Model Opportunities

The online content business offers several ways for digital publishers to generate revenue by strategically offering their content. Here’s a simple breakdown of these models:

Implement a Paywall – Publishers can limit access to their content to paying customers only. They might allow free access to some content, like the first few articles, before charging.

Tiered Access Offerings – This model allows users to start with free or limited content access through registration or a trial. Paying more unlocks higher levels of access, offering more content and features.

Subscriptions and Micropayments – Many content creators and platforms are shifting towards subscription models where users pay a recurring fee for access to content. This model is popular among streaming services like Netflix and Spotify, as well as among individual creators on platforms like Patreon.

Regular subscriptions provide a consistent revenue stream and usually involve a commitment from the subscribers. On the other hand, micropayments allow consumers to pay for individual items. Both models can be used together to cater to different consumer preferences.

“35% of beginner creators have monetized but earned below what can be considered as a ‘livable income’”

Premium Content – Occasionally, publishers might offer exclusive content that can be purchased as single items or collections. This approach has been especially successful with digital magazine subscriptions on devices like iPads.

Tools and APIs – Publishers can make their content available through APIs, maintaining control over their distribution. This method lets them monetize both new and archived content.

Archive Access – Access to older or archived content might be included as a free perk with a subscription.

Multi-platform Access – It’s important for publishers to ensure that their content is accessible and provides a seamless experience across all devices and platforms, as technology and user habits evolve.

“Failing to disclose sponsored content can lead to legal issues and loss of trust among followers. Always adhere to advertising standards and guidelines”

Advertising-Based Revenue – Despite the growth in subscription services, advertising remains a significant source of revenue for many content platforms. This includes traditional display ads, sponsored content, and native advertising. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook heavily rely on ad revenues.

E-commerce and Affiliate Marketing – Influencers and content creators are increasingly leveraging their platforms to promote products and earn commissions through affiliate marketing. This includes direct product placements, reviews, and dedicated e-commerce stores linked to social media platforms.

Microtransactions and Pay-Per-View – This model is particularly popular in gaming and live streaming, where users can pay small amounts for specific content pieces, like special in-game items or access to a particular live event. Platforms like Twitch and YouTube enable such transactions.

Licensing and Syndication – Content, especially professional and high-quality content like that produced by major media houses, can be licensed to other platforms or syndicated to reach a broader audience, thereby generating additional revenue.

Crowdfunding – Platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo allow creators to fund their projects directly through audience contributions. This has been particularly successful for niche and independent projects.

Digital Products and Online Courses – Many content creators, especially in educational and professional fields, are creating their own digital products, such as e-books, online courses, and webinars. These products provide high value and can be sold to audiences at a premium.

Content monetization policies

Direct /Indirect content monetization

Direct content monetization refers to strategies where content creators earn revenue directly from their content itself, rather than through associated or secondary sources. This approach involves charging users directly for access to the content or receiving payments based on the content’s consumption. Here are some of the most prevalent forms of direct content monetization:

Subscriptions – Users pay a recurring fee to access content. This model is widely used by streaming platforms like Netflix and Spotify, as well as online publications and specialized content platforms like Patreon, where subscribers receive exclusive access to content.

Pay-Per-View or Pay-Per-Access – Users pay a one-time fee to access a specific piece of content, such as a movie, article, or live event. This model is common in digital media distribution platforms like iTunes or Google Play Movies and live streaming of special events.

Sales – Selling digital content outright, such as eBooks, music files, digital art, software, or games. This can occur on personal websites, digital storefronts, or platforms like Amazon and Steam.

Freemium with Paid Upgrades – Offering basic content for free while charging for premium features or content. This model is common in software and apps, including mobile games and productivity tools, where users can pay for additional features, functionality, or content.

Micropayments – Charging very small amounts for content access or per use, often used for online articles or services. This allows users to pay small, manageable amounts for content they consume rather than committing to a subscription.

Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD) – Similar to pay-per-view, this model involves users paying for each piece of video content they wish to watch. Platforms like Vudu and Google Play operate on this model, offering movies and TV shows that users can rent or buy.

E-learning Courses and Webinars – Charging fees for educational content, courses, or live webinar access. This can be a significant source of revenue for experts and educators in various fields.

Direct monetization provides content creators with a clear link between content creation and revenue, potentially leading to a more predictable and sustainable income stream, depending on the audience’s willingness to pay for content.

“57% of beginner creators haven’t monetized yet”

Indirect content monetization refers to earning revenue through methods that are not directly tied to the sale of the content itself. Unlike direct monetization, where creators earn money by selling access to their content (like pay-per-view or subscriptions), indirect monetization involves strategies that generate income from related activities or secondary sources. Here are some common forms of indirect content monetization:

Advertising – This is one of the most common methods. Content creators earn money by allowing ads to be displayed alongside their content. This can be through display ads on a website, sponsored content, or advertisements during videos and podcasts.

“Overdependence on ad revenue can be risky as platforms frequently change their monetization criteria and algorithms, impacting earnings significantly”

Affiliate Marketing – Creators promote products or services and earn commissions for every sale that is made through their referral. This is common among bloggers, YouTubers, and social media influencers who link to products in their content.

Merchandising – Selling branded merchandise such as t-shirts, hats, or other physical goods that relate to their brand or content but aren’t the content itself.

Licensing – Creators might license their content to other platforms or services for use. This can include syndicating a popular blog post or selling a high-quality photo for use in publications or other media.

Sponsorships and Partnerships – Engaging in partnerships with brands that pay to be associated with the creator’s content, often through integrations or mentions that aren’t direct advertisements.

Donations and Crowdfunding – Gaining support from the audience through donations or crowdfunding platforms like Patreon, where fans can contribute financially to support the creator’s ongoing work.

Events and Appearances – Earning income by hosting events, workshops, or speaking at conferences which are promoted through their content channels.

Indirect monetization is particularly attractive because it allows creators to make money from their content while often keeping it free for consumers, broadening their audience reach and engagement.

Digital content monetization strategy

Content monetization involves several key steps and considerations that can greatly influence the effectiveness and profitability of your efforts. Whether you’re monetizing a blog, a YouTube channel, a podcast, or any other digital content, here’s a general outline of the steps and considerations to keep in mind:

Content Quality and Consistency

Ensure your content is high-quality, engaging, and delivers value to your audience. High-quality content is more likely to attract and retain a loyal audience. Also, regularly Regular posting schedules help build an audience and maintain engagement. Consistent content creation also supports SEO efforts and audience expectations.

Understand Your Audience

Knowing who your audience is and what they care about can help you tailor your content and monetization strategies effectively. Keep track of how your audience interacts with your content. This can guide you in optimizing your content strategy and improving engagement.

Compliance and Legal Considerations

Each platform has its own set of rules regarding monetization. Understanding these is crucial to avoid penalties or bans. For content monetization, make sure all content is original or properly licensed. Copyright infringement can lead to demonetization and legal issues. Monetizing content often counts as income, so it’s important to understand the tax implications in your jurisdiction.

Monitor Analytics

Use analytics to track how your content performs. This includes views, engagement rates, click-through rates on ads, and more. Based on analytics, adjust your content and monetization strategies to optimize revenue and audience satisfaction.

Expand and Diversify

Don’t rely on a single monetization method or platform. Diversifying can provide more stable income streams and reduce risk. As your platform grows, look into more sophisticated monetization strategies like partnerships with bigger brands, merchandising, or creating your own digital products.

Marketing and Promotion

Use social media platforms to promote your content and interact with your audience. Implement search engine optimization techniques to improve visibility and attract more traffic to your content. Connect with other creators and professionals in your field to leverage cross-promotion and collaboration opportunities.

Feedback and Adaptation

Regularly seek and listen to feedback from your audience to improve your content and adapt your monetization strategies. Stay updated on trends within your niche and platform changes that could affect your monetization capabilities.

By systematically following these steps and regularly reviewing each aspect, you can effectively monetize your content and create a sustainable revenue stream from your digital assets.

Content monetization platform guidelines for various platforms

DRM in content monetization

DRM is a set of access control technologies used by publishers, copyright holders, and distributors to enforce their policies on the use of digital content. This technology plays a critical role in content monetization strategies by helping to ensure that only legitimate, paying customers can access and use digital media, such as music, films, software, and ebooks.

Protection of Intellectual Property – DRM protects copyright by preventing unauthorized distribution and copying of digital content. This helps maintain the value of the content and ensures that creators and rights holders are compensated for their work.

Revenue Generation – By controlling access to content, DRM helps create scarcity in the digital environment where copying is otherwise easy and nearly cost-free. This controlled access allows publishers and content creators to monetize their products through various models, such as sales, rentals, and subscriptions.

Consumer Experience and Market Impact – While DRM helps in monetizing content, it can also affect consumer experience and market perception. Overly restrictive DRM can lead to consumer frustration, driving some to seek out non-DRM alternatives, which might be illegal copies. Balancing protection with a positive consumer experience is critical for successful content monetization.

Data Analytics – Modern DRM systems can collect data on how and when content is being accessed, which can be invaluable for marketing and customer insight. This data helps content providers tailor their offerings to better match consumer demand, potentially leading to increased revenue.

How VdoCipher is helping creators in monetization

VdoCipher is a video streaming service specifically designed to provide a secure platform for video content monetization. It is tailored for businesses and content creators who want to distribute and monetize their video content without the risk of piracy. VdoCipher achieves this through a robust implementation of DRM (Digital Rights Management) and other security features. Here’s how VdoCipher works for content monetization:

DRM Protection – VdoCipher employs strict DRM policies to ensure that video content is securely encrypted. This prevents unauthorized downloading and sharing of the video content. The Multi-DRM solution is integrated with industry standards like Google Widevine and Apple FairPlay, covering a wide range of devices and ensuring compatibility and security.

Dynamic Watermarking – In addition to DRM, VdoCipher offers dynamic watermarking capabilities. This means that personal information (like the user’s email or IP address) can be overlaid on the video during playback. This acts as a deterrent against screen capture and redistribution, as the watermark can help trace the source of a leak.

Secure Video Hosting and Delivery – VdoCipher provides secure video hosting and delivers content over a content delivery network (CDN). This ensures that videos load quickly and efficiently from anywhere in the world, providing a smooth viewing experience that is essential for retaining paying customers.

Analytics and Reporting – VdoCipher offers comprehensive user-based Video Analytics for Piracy Tracking and Hacker Identification that help content owners understand viewer behavior, such as watch time, geographical distribution, and device usage. This data is crucial for making informed decisions about content strategy, marketing, and customer engagement.

API and Customization – The service provides a robust API that allows businesses to integrate VdoCipher seamlessly with their existing platforms and customize the player to match their branding and user experience requirements. This flexibility is essential for businesses that need to provide a consistent brand experience across all touchpoints.

“VdoCipher caters to over 3000 businesses and content creators across 120+ countries who are serious about protecting their video content from piracy while monetizing it through secure streaming. By combining DRM, watermarking, secure delivery, and live streaming , VdoCipher offers a comprehensive solution for content monetization in a digital age where content security is paramount.”

FAQs

Does monetize mean to make money?

Yes, to monetize something means to convert it into or establish something as a source of income. This typically involves finding ways to earn money from a product, service, or content that was previously non-revenue generating.

What are examples of monetization?

Examples of monetization include advertising, affiliate marketing, selling services/products, licensing content, subscription models are more.

How to monetize video content?

To monetize video content, you can ad platforms, sponsorships, fan funding, merchandise sell, offering exclusive content, paywall or membership models

Can I earn without monetization?

Yes, you can earn without traditional monetization methods through donations, crowdfunding, exchanging skills.

Jyoti

Jyoti began her career as a software engineer in HCL with UNHCR as a client. She started evolving her technical and documentation writing skills to become a full-time Content Marketer at VdoCipher.

The post Content Monetization Policies for Global Creators in 2024 appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

A brief categorization is listed at the start and then we dwell on each tool individually. There is no ranking, it is a compiled list of useful popular tools. Let’s dive right in!

Steps in Creating and Selling Online Courses

1. Commit to Creating Your Course – Decide today that you will create an online course. Don’t worry about being an expert; focus instead on committing to the process.
2. Identify a Profitable Course Idea – Explore ideas that align with your interests or existing skills. Consider what problems people face that you could help solve. Check if similar courses exist, which is a good indication that there is a demand.
3. Validate Your Idea – Before investing too much time and resources, test the market’s interest in your course. You could create a mini email-course or pre-sell the course to gauge potential customer interest.
4. Outline Your Course – Develop a clear structure for your course by breaking down the overall problem it solves into manageable steps or lessons. This will help you organize your content effectively.
5. Create Course Content – Focus on delivering valuable content. Use simple tools to create videos or write content. Remember, initial production quality does not have to be perfect; focus on the quality of the information.
6. Set Up Your Course Online – Choose a platform that allows you to easily upload your content, manage customers, and handle transactions. Tools like Zippy Courses can simplify this process.
7. Pricing Your Course – Set a price that reflects the value of the outcomes your course delivers. Consider the costs of alternative solutions and the unique benefits your course offers.
8. Attract and Enrol Students – Build an email list to market your course. Utilize effective marketing strategies to attract students, such as offering free content, using social media, and engaging in online communities.
9. Launch Your Course – Choose between an evergreen model, where your course is always available, or periodic launches, which can create urgency. Use email campaigns and other marketing tactics to reach potential students.

Content Creation Tips

Elearning Video Creation/Production Tools

Elearning video creation tools mainly vary on the basis of what kind of video you want to build. It can be through slides with audio, screencasting, and at times with animations as well. Depending on your needs, you can find the relevant tools for your needs.

Three major methods of eLearning video creation are:

-Narrated Slides
-ScreenCasting
-Animations

Here are some tools, which will help you get the work done.

Camtasia

This screencasting + editor tool offers high flexibility to create long videos and add overlays. Get powerful editing, animation, and interactive features with special effects. You can even upload your videos straight to Vimeo, Facebook, YouTube, and Screencast. I have also used the paid version of this for creating tutorials.

• Pros – Intuitive User Interface, High-Quality Output
• Cons – Higher price point compared to some competitors
• User reviews – “As a long-time user of Camtasia, I can confidently say it’s one of the most user-friendly video editing tools I’ve ever used. It’s fantastic for creating professional-looking tutorials and presentations without needing a degree in video production.”

Powtoon 

Powtoon can help you create animated videos and presentations. Use Powtoon to create engaging online lessons for in-classroom and remote learning. Leverage ready-made templates to drag and drop elements. Powtoon is a user-friendly video creation tool for the less technical video content creator. Customize available templates or design your own with voiceovers, images, and music.

• Pros – User-friendly with drag-and-drop functionality.
• Cons – Limited customization options
• User reviews – “The range of templates makes it easy to get started, even for those of us without a background in animation. However, sometimes I wish there were more customization options to really make our videos unique.”

Animoto

Turn photos and short video clips into full-fledged videos and slideshows. Online course creators can use Animoto to create ads, social posts, tutorials, and newsletters. Choose from a wide variety of ready-made styles and add text or music to your material to convert it into a video.

• Pros – Easy to use, great templates
• Cons – Limited advanced editing features
• User reviews – “I love the drag-and-drop interface and the variety of templates. It’s perfect for quick, professional-looking videos for social media.”

SharpeyeAnimation

SharpeyeAnimation provides custom animated video production for e-learning and marketing businesses on service model. The key features include handmade videos and unlimited revision policy.

Flixtime

Flixtime is a free site you can use to create production-quality, custom videos with text, images, and videos. The tool allows you to create, download, ad share a 1-minute video for free. Flixtime also offers selected award-winning soundtracks and stock music to enhance video appeal.

• Pros – Simple interface
• Cons – Limited functionality
• User reviews – “Flixtime offers a straightforward platform for creating short video clips, but the features are quite basic, which limits creative freedom.”

Screencast-o-Matic

Get fast and free screen recording for material that’s not solely in a browser window. Use options to record screencasts, webcam recordings, or both. With the added ability to record your voice and use a microphone. The Pro Recorder offers editing effects such as drawing on the screen, zooming in, creating options, and sharing tools.

• Pros – Simple interface
• Cons – Limited functionality
• User reviews – “A go-to for screen recording and basic editing. It is affordable and functional, though it lacks some of the advanced features of its competitors.”

                                                              Procedure of developing an E-learning course

Magisto

Turn photos and videos into edited movies. Magisto allows you to capture video from within the app or upload one. Then, select an editing style, soundtrack, and title your video. The app automatically adds special effects and filters to it. Magisto Shot turns photos and text snippets into micro-movies.

• Pros – AI-driven, quick edits
• Cons – Limited user control
• User reviews – “It’s good for quick edits and social media content but doesn’t offer much control.”

ScreenFlow

This intuitive, Mac-only video recording software allows you to screen-record iOS devices. Get access to a stock media library of 0.5+ million media clips to use in videos. The app boasts of several standard video recording features such as GIF creation and annotation capabilities.

• Pros – Comprehensive features, high-quality output
• Cons – Primarily for Mac users, can be pricey
• User reviews – “More than a screen recorder; it’s a powerful editing tool. Ideal for Mac users looking to produce high-quality videos and tutorials.”

VideoScribe

VideoScribe automatically animates anything you position on its canvas. The tool comes with a large library of selected graphics. Other appealing features include voiceover recording, calls to action, soundtracks, and text-adding capabilities. Publish the created video on your website or share it on social or in emails.

• Pros – Unique whiteboard animation, intuitive
• Cons – Niche application
• User reviews – “Perfect for creating whiteboard animations. It’s intuitive and offers a unique way to present information engagingly.”

Wirecast

Use this live streaming video software for conferences, live tutoring, etc. The tool can capture feeds from multiple devices, such as web feeds, microphones, and live camera feeds. Also, get live production software and encoding capabilities.

• Pros – Professional live streaming, high-quality production
• Cons – Steep learning curve
• User reviews – “Wirecast is my go-to for live streaming with professional-grade production. It has a steep learning curve but offers incredible control and quality.”

Screenr

This web-based recorder allows you to seamlessly capture your screen without having to install it. Record a maximum of 5-minute long videos using Screenr. Videos created can be embedded in websites or shared across social media. Screenr works with MAC and PC, and even with an iPhone.

• Pros – Was easy to use
• Cons – No longer available
• User reviews – “Straightforward web-based screen recorder but is no longer available. It was great for quick captures.”

GoPlay

This Windows video recording software lets you create high-definition videos quickly and edit them. A standout feature of GoPlay is the picture-in-picture option. It lets you record both your PC screen and yourself via webcam simultaneously. Editing options include trimming, filters, cropping, and captioning.

• Pros – Easy for beginners, basic screen recording
• Cons – Lacks advanced features
• User reviews – “Decent for beginners with its simple editing tools and screen recording capabilities, but it lacks advanced features for more serious video editors.”

eLearning Video Tools for Editing

Elearning video tools for editing help you fine-tune your videos. You can use these eLearning video tools to trim down your videos and edit all the irrelevant parts. You can add features, overlays, and more.

Camtasia

This screencasting + editor tool offers high flexibility to create long videos and add overlays. Get powerful editing, animation, and interactive features with special effects. You can even upload your videos straight to Vimeo, Facebook, YouTube, and Screencast. I have also used the paid version of this for creating tutorials.

InVideo

InVideo is a versatile video editor with a focus on video marketing. The tool comes with thousands of stickers, images, and text boxes to create engaging video content. The free option includes the entire feature set with 1 GB storage and 720p video resolution.

• Pros – Wide template selection, rich stock media
• Cons – Can be overwhelming for new users
• User reviews – “Offers a lot of creative flexibility with its wide range of templates and stock media, great for creating videos quickly and efficiently.”

Adobe Premiere Pro

This one’s highly popular with professional video editors and post-production professionals. The non-linear editing tool enables direct access through a video acquisition source. It’s stable, responsive, and has all professional features you might need in creating the best online courses.

• Pros – Extensive features, professional-grade
• Cons – High cost, steep learning curve
• User reviews – “Industry standard for video editing. Its vast range of features and integrations makes it the top choice for professionals like us”

iMovie

iMovie is an iOS-based video editing software. Start editing on an iPhone and finish up on a Mac machine. Add beautiful titles and credits. Use picture-in-picture and split-screen effects. And, pick from 10 creative video filters for that cinematic touch.

• Pros – Free for Mac users, user-friendly
• Cons – Limited advanced features
• User reviews – “iMovie is fantastic for quick edits and personal projects. It’s free for Mac users and offers enough features for basic video editing.”

Filmora

Filmora works on Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS. Get up to 100 layers of media, YouTube and Vimeo export, precision speed control. Use creative filters and split-screen effects, besides several other attractive features.

• Pros – Balanced functionality, easy to learn
• Cons – Watermark in the free version
• User reviews – “For me, it strikes a good balance between functionality and ease of use, offering a range of effects and tools for creators of all levels.”

Blender

Blender is an open-source video editing software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. The editor comes with video cutting and splicing features, besides more sophisticated ones such as video masking, audio mixing, waveform visualization, and histogram displays. Blender works for both beginners and advanced video editors.

• Pros – Powerful 3D and video editing, free
• Cons – Complex for beginners
• User reviews – “It is not just for 3D modeling but also has impressive video editing capabilities. It’s free and open-source, though it has a steep learning curve”

Lightworks

Lightworks is for Linux, Mac, and Windows. The free version offers multicam support, high-precision video trimming, a wide range of video formats, and exporting to 720p for YouTube uploading. The tool is best for holistic desktop video editing.

• Pros – Professional features, free version available
• Cons – Challenging for newcomers
• User reviews – “Lightworks is a professional video editing tool that’s free to use. It offers comprehensive features but looks challenging to master.”

Shotcut

Shotcut is another open-source software available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. It supports a variety of video formats and boasts a collection of tutorial videos. The most striking features include 4k HD resolution support and timeline editing.

• Pros – Open-source, feature-rich
• Cons – Interface can be clunky
• User reviews – “Great open-source video editor with a range of features. It’s a bit clunky at times but offers good flexibility and no cost.”

Pinnacle Studio

Pinnacle Studio is a great video editing software for beginners with rich features. The tool is intuitive and accessible with simple drag-and-drop features. Capture and import material from various sources and include unique effects such as stop-motion and 360-degree editing.

• Pros – Powerful tools and effects
• Cons – Can be complex for simple edits
• User reviews – “Pinnacle Studio provides powerful editing tools and effects which make it ideal for more complex projects, though it may be overkill for simple tasks.”

Splice

This video editing software for mobile is free and fully featured for the iPhone and iPad. Features include trimming, speed control, and custom audio narration.

• Pros – Mobile-friendly, intuitive
• Cons – Limited compared to desktop editors
• User reviews – “Great for mobile editing, with an intuitive interface and decent features for quick, on-the-go video edits.”

FilmoraGo

FilmoraGo is a free mobile alternative of the Filmora software, available on both Android and iOS. Users can create videos without watermarks and time limits and share them directly across social media.

• Pros – User-friendly, good selection of effects and templates
• Cons – Some advanced features are paid
• User reviews – “I’ve been using FilmoraGo for quick mobile edits, and it’s fantastic for that purpose. Easy to use with plenty of effects and templates, it makes video editing on the phone a breeze.”

OpenShot

This is a cross-platform, open-source video editor for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Top features include title editor with templates, trimming and slicing, unlimited tracks and layers, background removal, Slow-mo, and 3D animations.

• Pros – Free and open-source, simple to use
• Cons – Can be unstable or buggy
• User reviews – “No-cost editing tool with enough features to satisfy most of my video editing needs. It’s open-source and straightforward but can be buggy at times.”

Elearning Quiz Creation Tools

Any eLearning experience wouldn’t be complete without testing the student on how much they’ve learned. Quizzes help students to remain sharp and work as a great tool to enhance learning. This is why every great platform opts for a good eLearning quiz tool.

Edpuzzle

Check if remote learners are watching your content. Know how many times a student is looking at a specific video, and assess if they’re understanding the content. Use videos from Khan Academy, YouTube, Crash Course and more, or upload your own video to add interactiveness.

• Pros – Enhances video interactivity, tracks engagement
• Cons – Limited question type variety
• User reviews – “Edpuzzle has transformed how I create interactive video lessons. It’s easy to integrate questions and track student engagement, although I wish there were more question types.”

PlayPosit

Allow learners to explore and interact with online course material at their pace and interest. Enrich video content with PlayPosit using graded fill-in-the-blanks, multi-choice questions, and quizzes. Accelerate learning through interactive videos.

• Pros – Comprehensive analytics, interactive features
• Cons – Time-consuming lesson creation
• User reviews – “Invaluable tool for building interactive video lessons. The analytics are insightful, but creating bulbs (lessons) can be time-consuming.”

Vizia

Engage viewers into your online course by integrating polls, quizzes, and CTAs into videos through Vizia. Ask questions and multiple-choice quizzes and collect feedback through your online videos.

• Pros – Easy to add interactivity to videos
• Cons – Basic features, limited customization
• User reviews – “It’s quite basic but does the job for creating engaging video content with quizzes and calls to action”

QuizBean

QuizBean is an effective online video quizzing tool that allows embedding videos into quiz questions. Quickly send quizzes to your learners and track student progress with real-time analytics.

• Pros – Quick and easy quiz creation
• Cons – Limited analytics and design options
• User reviews – “An okay platform for quick quizzes. It’s fairly simple and good for rapid quiz creation, but it lacks depth in analytics and design flexibility”

iSpring QuizMaker

iSpring QuizMaker comes with an easy-to-use interface and several quiz design options. It allows you to embed images, audio, and video files within questions, enhancing the learning and assessment effectiveness.

• Pros – Wide range of question types, detailed reporting
• Cons – Learning curve for new users
• User reviews – “The variety of question types and detailed reporting are excellent, though it can be quite complex for beginners.”

Kaltura

Evaluate video engagement and content comprehension by using Kaltura. Include questions and solutions in the video experience. Online video quizzing improves active learning, measurement, and brings a new way to improve learning outcomes.

• Pros – Comprehensive video platform, feature-rich
• Cons – Complex, requires training
• User reviews – “It’s versatile but can be overwhelming without proper training”

EduClipper/Participate

EduClipper is now Participate. The tool is available on web and as an iOS app. It allows creating lesson boards with videos and other multimedia content. Integrate various assessments, including quizzes to track learning.

• Pros – Good for resource curation and collaboration
• Cons – Shifted focus from content curation to professional development
• User reviews – “It’s great for curating educational content and resources. It’s more of a collaborative platform now, focusing on teacher professional development.”

Seesaw

Seesaw offers various options for assessment. The tool works on the web and is also available as an app. It allows teachers to create interactive video lessons to keep a tab on student progress. Ideal for classrooms and remote teaching.

• Pros – Enhances student engagement, easy to use
• Cons – Limited features in the free version
• User reviews – “Seesaw has been a game-changer in student engagement and portfolio management. It’s intuitive for both teachers and students, though I find the free version quite limited.”

Buncee

Buncee is a video creation and communication tool for educators. Create interactive videos and allow students to visualize concepts and learn creatively. It has an interactive drag-and-drop interface to aid in creating multimedia content. Embed quizzes and other forms of assessments with ease.

• Pros – Creative and interactive, user-friendly
• Cons – Costly subscription for full features
• User reviews – “Creative platform for making interactive lessons and presentations. It’s user-friendly and versatile, though the subscription can be pricey for the full suite of features.”

Online Teaching platforms

As an educator, you might not want to go through the hassle of building your own website and video infrastructure. It’s always better to play with your strength. While you focus on creating quality content, you can let these teaching platforms take care of the rest.

Teachable

Create and market your course with custom branding and control over your content/pricing. Build a website. Create a sales page to launch your course. Use coupon codes to accelerate subscriptions. Avail international payment options, affiliate programs, email marketing, and more. Here’s a short comparison of Teachable with other popular video platforms like Teachable vs Thinkific

• Pros – User-friendly interface, comprehensive course-building tools
• Cons – Higher transaction fees on basic plans
• User reviews – “Its user interface is intuitive, making course creation and management straightforward. However, I find the transaction fees a bit steep on the lower-tier plans”

Podia

Create and sell videos online and digital downloads using Podia. You get a separate landing page for your course. Podia lets you immediately publish your course or pre-launch it to build your mailing list. Bundle audios, checklists, and other assets along with video content.

• Pros – All-in-one platform for courses, digital products, and memberships
• Cons – Limited advanced marketing tools
• User reviews – “Podia is a gem for selling digital products and memberships along with courses. It’s all-in-one, so I don’t need separate tools. Yet, I wish it had more advanced marketing features.”

Thinkific

Use a ready-made course structure out-of-the-box. Create your first video course without feeling overwhelmed. Choose from templates such as a flagship course, mini-course, webinar replay, etc. Other features include course bundles, marketing, coupons, promotions, and integrations. You can also do a Thinkific vs Kajabi before getting started as both are equally good and close competitors.

• Pros – Extensive customization options, strong community support
• Cons – Free plan is limited, paid plans required for advanced features
• User reviews – “This robust platform allows me to customize courses extensively. The free plan is great to start with, but moving to a paid plan was necessary for more advanced options”

Teachery

This one comes with zero transaction fees. Best suited for beginners, Teachery lets you access many features without upgrades and commissions. A dedicated support team assists you with taking your online course off the ground.

• Pros – Affordable, straightforward course creation
• Cons – Lacks some advanced features and customization options
• User reviews – “No-frills option for course creation. It’s simple and effective, though it lacks some of the bells and whistles of more expensive platforms.”

Ruzuku

Ruzuku allows you to start and sell online courses fast. Besides, it encourages students to communicate and collaborate, having to track their progress throughout. Seamlessly set up your course with minimal technical know-how. Use features such as support options, daily backups, and teleconferencing.

• Pros – Easy setup, good student engagement features
• Cons – Limited design customization
• User reviews – “I love the direct student engagement features. However, the design options are somewhat limited, which can affect the overall course aesthetic.”

Kajabi

Kajabi takes video course creation to the next level. It also allows you to automate the marketing of your video course. Connect landing pages with checkout pages for exclusive offers and course launches. Upsell and cross-sell existing buyers seamlessly. If you’re looking to compare Kajabi with other LMS platforms, we’ve got you covered with a Kajabi vs Thinkific here.

• Pros – Comprehensive all-in-one solution for course creation, marketing, and sales.
• Cons – Higher cost, may be complex for beginners
• User reviews – “It offers extensive tools for course creation, marketing, and sales. It’s an investment, but for a full-service platform, it’s worth it.”

WizIQ

Sell video courses and mock tests. Besides, WizIQ allows you to hold live classes. Virtual classrooms in this tool are full of features such as YouTube video streaming, screen sharing, live chat, polling and surveying, along with whiteboards, circuit diagrams, shapes, graphs, and maps.

• Pros – Excellent for live training and webinars, good virtual classroom features
• Cons – Steep learning curve, somewhat dated interface
• User reviews – “WizIQ’s virtual classroom environment is excellent for live training sessions. The learning curve is a bit steep, but it’s a solid choice for real-time teaching and training.”

Learnworlds

Set up your own online school with multiple teachers, websites, and a course catalog. Add instructors and their corresponding courses. Learnworlds allows you to become an admin and offer as many online video courses as you’d like. Get features such as custom domain names, coupons, and payment gateway.

• Pros – Strong interactive and social learning features, high customization
• Cons – overwhelming due to feature richness, higher price point
• User reviews – “Fantastic for creating interactive and social learning experiences”

Academy of Mine

Get a full website to launch your online video course. Choose from a fully hosted template that offers landing pages, galleries, and course offering pages. Generate chapters and units, embed quizzes, assignments, and give out badges and certificates.

• Pros – Highly customizable, great for enterprise-level training
• Cons – Expensive, more suitable for established businesses or professionals
• User reviews – “Comprehensive, customizable platform suited for high-end course creators. It’s expensive, but you get what you pay for in terms of capabilities and support.”

Udemy

With over 20000subject matter experts, Udemy has disrupted the educational ecosystem. The e-learning platform comes with tools to create PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and videos to curate the perfect course.

• Pros – Large audience reach, no upfront costs for course hosting
• Cons – High competition, limited control over pricing and student data
• User reviews – “Great for reaching a broad audience, but the competition is fierce, and revenue share can be disappointing. It’s perfect for starting out and testing the waters in online teaching.”

Educadium

Through its EasyCampus platform, Educadium allows entrepreneurs and organizations to create, manage, and earn from online video courses. Use a plethora of features for course designing and publishing.

• Pros – Simple, budget-friendly platform
• Cons – Basic functionality, limited scalability
• User reviews – “Straightforward, budget-friendly platform for hosting online courses. It doesn’t have all the advanced features, but it’s reliable and easy to use”

Skillshare

Almost all courses on Skillshare have two key components- video and class projects. Earn through Skillshare’s Partner Program by enrolling 25 learners per class, and a few other pre-requisites. Top teachers on this platform make nearly $40000 annually.

• Pros – Community-focused, good for creative content
• Cons – Pay based on student engagement, limited control over course pricing
• User reviews – “Earning potential is based on engagement, which is a double-edged sword but motivates creating compelling content”

CourseCraft

Turn your blog into a course. The editor of CourseCraft is simple and powerful to create various kinds of courses. It’s integrated with PayPal and Stripe. Run discounts and offers. Students can collaborate with peers and instructors to create a knowledge ecosystem.

• Pros – Easy to use, good for small-scale course creators
• Cons – Lacks advanced analytics, limited customization options.
• User reviews – “Simple and effective for launching courses quickly. While it lacks some advanced analytics and customization, its ease of use makes it a good option for beginners.”

Here’s a comparison of 3 of the most commonly used Online Teaching Platforms i.e. Teachable vs Thinkific vs Kajabi

WordPress LMS Plugins

If you don’t want to opt for an eLearning teaching platform, you can always go for WordPress and use an LMS plugin, and voila, you get your own platform.

WordPress LMS Plugins allow you to create classes, share assignments, and resources with your students. They are quintessential when it comes to a WordPress-based teaching platform.

LifterLMS

This one is a powerful WordPress plugin that makes it easier for you to create and sell online video courses on your site. LifterLMS focuses on engagement with features such as achievement badges, social learning, 1:1 private coaching, and certificates. Monetize the LMS platform by selling site-wide membership, bundling courses, and selling individual courses.

• Pros – Comprehensive with deep integration options.
• Cons – Can be costly with advanced add-ons.
• User reviews – “LifterLMS offers a wide range of features that cater to all my e-learning needs. It’s a bit pricey when you start adding multiple extensions, but the functionality is top-notch.”

LearnDash

LearnDash is a superior LMS plugin that makes it a breeze to create and sell courses, quizzes, award certificates, etc. Support gamification, micro-content, and social learning through your online video courses with this cutting-edge plugin. Encourage students to earn points by completing courses to unlock new courses, facilitating engagement.

• Pros – Feature-rich, highly flexible.
• Cons – Steeper learning curve.
• User reviews – “LearnDash has transformed how we deliver online courses. The learning curve was a bit challenging at first, but it’s incredibly powerful once you get the hang of it.”

WooCommerce Sensei

Sensei comes with an extension for WooCommerce. Add it to an e-commerce store that sells online video courses. The basics of Sensei are simple- create courses, write lessons, and add quizzes. The standout factor of Sensei is its seamless integration with WooCommerce. Leverage course analytics, quizzes, automated quiz grading, WordPress-like user registration, and easy pricing/charging.

• Pros – Seamlessly integrates with WooCommerce.
• Cons –  Limited features compared to standalone LMS solutions.
• User reviews – “Integrating Sensei with my WooCommerce store was straightforward, making it easy to sell courses. However, I find it lacking in advanced LMS features that other platforms offer.”

LearnPress

The cleanest and simplest choice for a WordPress LMS plugin is LearnPress. One downside here is the customer support that’s not as robust as with other premium plugins. Activate a few add-ons to make your online course website as advanced as you’d like. Use add-ons for course reviews, wishlists, pre-requisites, and importing or exporting capabilities.

• Pros – Free with optional premium add-ons.
• Cons – Support can be inconsistent.
• User reviews – “LearnPress is a cost-effective solution for my online courses. While it’s great for a tight budget, getting timely support can sometimes be a hassle.”

CoursePress Pro

CoursePress Pro retired in May 2019 and is no longer supported by WPMUDev. The code is available on GitHub if you want to fork and maintain it. Use CoursePress Pro if you need several learning websites. Connect with over 13 payment gateways, upload quizzes, automate instructor feedback, and upload audio, video, text, and course files.

• Pros – Offers a wide range of e-learning features.
• Cons – Has been discontinued in favor of other solutions.
• User reviews – “CoursePress Pro was a comprehensive tool for creating and managing online courses. It’s a shame it has been phased out for newer platforms.”

WP Courseware

Use WP Courseware for less complicated pricing. It’s used by the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin Madison. Speak with active tutors on the member portal, use the seamless drag-and-drop designer, integrate with your preferred e-commerce plugin, or run a multi-instructor system by assigning each teacher a specific role.

• Pros – Drag-and-drop course creation, user-friendly.
• Cons – Lacks some advanced features.
• User reviews – “WP Courseware made it easy for me to create courses. While it’s fantastic for getting up and running quickly, I wish it had more depth in some areas.”

Good LMS

Create courses like you would a WordPress blog post with this one. Build quizzes, certificates, and courses right from the WP Dashboard. Features include coupon codes, real-time countdowns, process lines, and student backends where learners can see their scores, badges, progress, and retake quizzes.

• Pros – Cost-effective with essential LMS features.
• Cons – Not as feature-rich as other LMS options.
• User reviews – “Good LMS is a budget-friendly option for setting up courses. It covers the basics well, though it doesn’t have the advanced features of more expensive LMS platforms.”

MasterStudy LMS

Easily customize, create, and manage online video lessons with MasterStudy LMS. Use variety in lessons with slideshows, videos, and text. Display correct and incorrect answers in quiz results. Leverage a messaging and announcement system and seamless certificate creation. While offering all core features, MasterStudy LMS lags in allowing gamification of the learning experience.

• Pros – Integrated with a powerful theme, visually appealing.
• Cons – Can be a bit cumbersome to customize.
• User reviews – “MasterStudy LMS looks great and offers a good user experience. Customizing it to fit my exact needs can be tricky, but overall, it’s a solid choice.”

Membership 2

This membership WP plugin comes as a free software with a paid pro version. It’s designed for ease-of-use for the beginner course creator. Use the how-to guide to kickstart your online video course creation journey. Grant content access for lessons and courses to various membership levels.

• Pros – Integrates with WordPress for membership-based sites.
• Cons – Development and updates are limited.
• User reviews – “Membership 2 was easy to integrate with my WordPress site for managing memberships, though it seems to lack regular updates and new features.”

WP eMember

This one offers a robust plugin with bot content protection and features such as Drip content capabilities. Create multiple membership levels, grant differential access to content, and use in-page partial protection with shortcodes. Effectively minimize content piracy risk in your online video courses.

• Pros – Simple membership management, integrates well with WordPress.
• Cons – Basic functionality, lacks some advanced features.
• User reviews – “Straightforward for managing site memberships. It’s pretty basic but does the job effectively for a simple membership setup.”

Namaste! LMS

This free LMS plugin allows you to create different rules to access courses after completing pre-requisite courses. Features include grading system, certificates, badges, and a progress bar that shows students how far they’ve come in a course. It’s a simplistic LMS plugin for the beginner course creator.

• Pros – Free and straightforward LMS plugin.
• Cons – More suitable for basic e-learning setups.
• User reviews – “Decent start for someone new to online course delivery. It’s quite basic, but for a free tool, it provides good value.” 

Payment gateways

After you’ve done setting up your website, a payment gateway is the next big step. After all, you can create the best platform for your users. If you are not able to monetize it, or users are not able to pay due to several reasons. It can be pretty counterproductive for you as an eLearning platform.

Pricing Strategy

PayPal

PayPal is one of the most trusted payment gateway, ideal for your online course website. It charges a monthly fee for Advanced and Pro users. The customer support and ease of use make it an appealing option. While it has higher transaction fees, flexibility, and ease of integration make it worthwhile.

• Pros – Widely accepted, easy to use.
• Cons – Fees can be high, account freezes reported.
• User reviews – “PayPal is incredibly convenient and trusted worldwide. However, I’ve had issues with unexpected account limitations, which can be a hassle.”

Stripe

Stripe is customizable, quick, secure, and easy to set up. Allow customers to buy your course directly from a tweet or save card information for one-click checkouts. Stripe can help you accept alternative forms of currency, such as ACH and Bitcoins.

• Pros – Excellent API, seamless integration.
• Cons – Not available in all countries.
• User reviews – “Stripe’s integration into my platform was smooth, and their developer tools are top-notch. Just wish they were available in more countries.”

RazorPay

Offer your course buyers net banking, wallets, and all card options to pay for your content. RazorPay is one of the faster-growing payment gateways. Easily integrate with your online video course website. Primarily an Indian company but supports international payment way.

• Pros – Tailored for Indian market, feature-rich.
• Cons – Limited global reach.
• User reviews – “Razorpay has been a game-changer for my India-based business, offering many localized payment options. However, its services are limited outside India.”

CCAvenue

One of the longest-service gateways, CCAvenue, is considered highly reliable and trusted. Customer trust is critical in the payment processor industry and CCAvenue banks on that. Integrate it with your site for secure payments.

• Pros – Wide range of payment options, strong in Indian market.
• Cons – User interface can be clunky.
• User reviews – “CCAvenue supports an extensive array of payment methods, which is great for my customers in India, but the user interface feels outdated.”

WePay

WePay can handle complex payment requests such as crowdfunding campaigns and multiple payers. The payment gateway is tailored for both international as well as domestic markets. WePay even offers modern payment options, such as Apple Pay and Android Pay. It conforms to your unique needs, setting itself apart from other platforms.

• Pros – Good for platform businesses, integrated payments.
• Cons – Limited to US and some other countries.
• User reviews – “WePay offers great solutions for platform-based businesses like mine, but its geographic availability is too restricted.”

Authorize.net

Use a host of flexible and trusted payment options designed for small and medium businesses. Besides payment options such as checks and mobile payments, Authorize.net also caters to recurring and subscription billing. Use in-site ordering, simplified PCI compliance, custom checkout pages, and an Advanced Fraud Detection Suite.

• Pros – Reliable and secure, wide acceptance.
• Cons – Setup can be complex, fees.
• User reviews – “Authorize.net is a stalwart in online payments, known for reliability. Setting it up was a bit complex, and there are various fees to consider.”

2Checkout

2Checkout offers heavily customizable hosted checkouts and seamless integrations, leaving the checkout experience on brand. Set up your business globally with 15 different languages and 87 currencies. Use an easy-to-incorporate payment API to embed credit card processing on your site.

• Pros – Global payment acceptance, multiple currency options.
• Cons – Higher fees and complex fee structure.
• User reviews – “2Checkout expands my market reach globally and handles multiple currencies”

PayUBiz

PayUBiz offers a wide variety of customizations for both small and mid-sized businesses. With a fast merchant onboarding process, get your gateway setup instantly. PayUBiz focuses on user experience, and so do you as an online video course creator.

• Pros – Tailored for the Indian market, comprehensive features.
• Cons – Can be complex to integrate.
• User reviews – “PayUBiz provides a robust payment solution for my business in India, but integration was more complicated than I expected.”

InstaMojo

This is one of the cheaper options for a payment gateway. No installation costs, and highly recommended for businesses offering physical goods. However, for digital goods, their transaction discount rate is five percent. Setup your website with InstaMojo and integrate seamless payment processes for success.

• Pros – Simple setup, instant payment collection.
• Cons – Primarily for the Indian market.
• User reviews – “InstaMojo made it really easy to start collecting payments for my small business, though it’s mainly suitable for Indian users.”

Worldpay

This is a UK-based (global) service offering omnichannel payment solutions for businesses of all sizes. Pay as you go or pick a monthly payment option as per your needs. Leverage automated billing, customizable loyalty cards, card updates, card-on-file support, and simplified backend payment settlement.

• Pros – Global reach, wide range of payment options.
• Cons – Customer service can be slow, complex fee structure.
• User reviews – “Worldpay’s global payment capabilities are impressive, but I’ve experienced slow customer service responses and the fees can be confusing.”

GoEmerchant

Don’t want a contract-based solution? GoEmerchant is a monthly service offering simple and straightforward features with a pre-configured web store design. Set up an eCommerce platform from scratch with a web storefront, payment gateway, and a customer account management platform. Configure your gateway and set up a merchant account, hassle-free.

• Pros – Integrated solutions for online and physical stores.
• Cons – Pricing can be opaque.
• User reviews – “GoEmerchant offers a good range of services for both my online and offline sales, though getting clear pricing information was challenging.”

Merchant One

Competitive rates with this payment gateway can allow online teachers with the slimmest margins to earn good revenue. Easily set up a merchant account and start accepting credit card payments quickly. The only downside is that you need to sign a contract that comes with cancellation charges.

• Pros – Offers solutions for high-risk merchants.
• Cons – Reports of aggressive sales tactics and hidden fees.
• User reviews – “Merchant One was one of the few processors willing to take on my high-risk business, but be wary of aggressive sales tactics and unclear fees.”

MerchantPlus

This one is a great e-learning course payment gateway if you need competitive rates, advanced customer support choices, and shopping cart features. This is an ideal choice for a reliable, easy, and simple solution for e-learning professionals. The credit card processing system easily integrates with most shopping cart software, accounting software, and web stores.

• Pros – Competitive rates, good for small to medium-sized businesses.
• Cons – Customer support issues reported.
• User reviews – “MerchantPlus offered competitive rates for my business, but I’ve found their customer support could be more responsive.”

Video Hosting & Player Options

Opting for video hosting is the best option for anyone with their own website. It is always recommended to keep your website’s hosting and video hosting to be separate. As in case of using the same for both can put a heavy load on your website and in turn disrupt user experience. These video hosting services not only cater to the hosting part, but also gives you an access to complete video infrastructure required to stream your videos online.

VdoCipher

VdoCipher.com provides video hosting for online course businesses to help them stream content on their site/app in a most secure and smooth manner. The key features are the highest security from video piracy through Hollywood Grade DRM encryption & watermarking technologies; and smoothest streaming at slow connections due to optimized encoding at lower sizes. Packaged offerings include Amazon AWS server + CDN integration, Transcoding,  API & Plugin integration, Custom Player, Offline app playback & Per video analytics. VdoCipher already serves e-learning and media businesses from 40+ countries with its offerings.

Brightcove

Brightcove encourages its users to leverage videos to move their business in critical ways. This could be in distributing, communicating, showcasing, or venture exchanges. This is a great video hosting platform if you are looking for high speed and more power over your video content.

Wistia

This one is a popular old tool for video hosting for entrepreneurs. Pay based on the number of recordings, and get the first three for free. Use more detailed analytical capabilities, adjust display dimensions, password-protect videos, add CTA links and lead capture forms, and include SEO keyword phrases in your video description and title.

Vimeo

Get an attractive interface to distribute your online video content. While the transferring space is limited, the incredible examination framework compensates for it. Get several customization options, powerful analytics capabilities, higher quality video display than YouTube, no ads and popups, and a strong network.

Kaltura

Flip traditional teaching with Kaltura as your online video hosting platform. Get gamification features, intuitive UX, and leverage the current trends in video creation with this leading video hosting platform for online course creators. Use excellent support and improve learning outcomes for your students.

Panopto

This is an ideal platform for online course hosting for colleges and businesses alike. Use features such as live streaming, recording, and sharing video content. With little to no technical know-how, Panopto allows you to host videos seamlessly for better learner engagement.

YouTube

Use YouTube and create a full-time career as an online course tutor. The SEO value of optimized video makes this platform attractive. Embed YouTube videos on your site or landing pages, enable video sharing, encourage subscriptions, and earn through the ads platform.

Video Hosting/Website Server options

In case you are looking to host the content of your courses including the videos on your own (instead of going for a 3rd party video hosting platform), then below are the popular cloud options.

Amazon AWS Cloud

Use Amazon AWS Cloud for two streaming services- on-demand video streaming and live video streaming. Use flexible pricing with the pay-as-you-go model, leverage 99.99 percent content availability, support data security, and features such as storage optimization.

Google Cloud Platform

With the Google Cloud Platform, render huge workloads at peak hours, live stream video to masses, and launch new applications. Use Google’s Anvato for video broadcasting and OTT content delivery. Generate closed captions in over 80 languages and rest assured about your video content’s security, reach, and availability.

Microsoft Azure Cloud

Decrease the complexity and cost of cross-platform content. Use streaming services for local, low-scale streaming. Leverage DVR workflow capabilities and prepare video assets with required quality resolutions and levels for any device. Get flexible pricing and inexpensive video hosting.

Akamai

This video hosting server can eliminate challenges concerning the preparation, delivery, and monetization of online video content. Minimize complexity with a managed service for streaming with a video hosting server monitored 24/7 by specialists. Provide a premium viewing experience to your viewers by extending video libraries and streaming videos to any device seamlessly.

Domain name providers

Godaddy

One of the oldest players in this industry, GoDaddy offers a wide variety of popular domain extensions to choose from. Get a huge discount on your first year of domain registration on GoDaddy. The powerful domain management interface makes it a breeze to transfer your domain name or change its settings.

Bluehost

This one is one of the largest hosting companies, also an official WordPress hosting partner. Get started for $2.75 per month and get reliable support and customer service as part of your domain registration.

HostGator

A one-stop-shop for domain names and shared site hosting. They also offer domain privacy, extensions, and easy DNS management tools. Quickly find a suitable domain name and manage domain names seamlessly within the domain management area.

Namecheap

The powerful domain search tool helps you find the right domain name. Also, use add-on services such as premium DNS and domain privacy. A standout feature si that they offer free domain privacy with all domain names. The domain management tool might not be the ideal one out of all options here.

DreamHost

DreamHost is another known name in the market for domain names registration. Get 400+ TLDs and all domain management tools you can expect from a large service provider. Register a domain without hosting or get both services under one umbrella.

Shopify

Start an e-commerce store to sell your online courses without any technical proficiency with Shopify. Quickly set up your store using a custom domain name. Also, get the option to move your domain name to another service when need be. One downside is that Shopify doesn’t offer email addresses along with the domain names.

Domain.com

This provider specializes in domain names, VPS hosting, web hosting, SSL certificates, email, and online marketing services. No matter which hosting plan you choose, get at least one free domain name with SSL certificate, unlimited disk space, e-commerce solutions, and marketing tools- everything you might need for your online course website.

Moodle LMS

Moodle LMS is a world-leading online learning management system with hundreds of millions of users around the globe. Exploring the essentials of Moodle Video Hosting can also enhance your educational content. Kickstart your Moodle online course with ready-made templates, use analytics and reporting to increase student engagement, and earn better learning outcomes through your online video courses.

Online resources to learn how to set up an online course

How to Create an Awesome Online Course on UdemyIn this Udemy course, learn about the opportunities for monetizing your online courses. Validate the course idea, promote your course, and monetize. Also, get more information on the hardware and software needs of setting up a course.
How to Create, Sell, and Profit from an Online Course from PodiaWatch the one-hour video or read the 12,000-words guide. This resource breaks down creating an online course into easy parts such as deciding if it is right for you, finding your course idea, creating an outline, building the course content, setting a price on it, choosing a launch model, selling the course through email marketing, and so on.
Create and Sell Your Own Online Course from TeachableRegister for an online webinar by Teachable to learn how to create an online course on the platform. The webinar promises you to create your first course on the platform without any technical headaches. You will need to submit your email address to register for the webinar.
10 Steps to Creating a Wildly Successful Online Course on ThinkificThis 16-minute read breaks down the gigantic rock of creating and selling an online course on the web. Discover the ten major phases of creating an online course. Pick the perfect topic, ensure there is demand, create better learning outcomes, select and curate course content, and more with this guide that makes course creation sound like a child’s play.
How to Create an Online Course- a Step-by-Step Guide on LearnworldsThis is a massive guide to help you learn how much money you can make with an online course, the types of courses you can choose from, how you can bypass any mental blocks, create an online course step-by-step, and more. This is a different kind of content to help you get to creating and not think more about it.
How to Make Money with an Awesome Online Course: Social TriggerThis is a complete guide again. Right from committing to create a course, choosing a profitable idea, testing your idea, to getting students registered and launching your course. This guide also includes further resources in each of the steps, like a course idea worksheet to help you make decisions faster.

Elearning field famous blogs

Elearningindustry.com

This one is a top resource for everyone working or getting into the e-learning industry. Get hundreds of free resources, including webinars, ebooks, and articles about the left and right in the eLearning industry. The website also allows you to guest post articles to earn backlinks to your website.

Edtechreview.in

Get infographics, case reports, videos, books and documents, webinars, and courses all in one place. This blog is a comprehensive compilation of everything that’s new and hot in the e-learning industry. Publish a guest post and backlink to your website.

Coursera

Coursera has partnered with universities to offer students and learners free information on a wide variety of topics. The blog updates with three blog posts per week.

TeacherTube

This is a free community for sharing educational and instructional videos and content for teachers and students alike.

Swift E-learning and Training Blog

Swift E-learning is a top service provider in India, offering custom e-learning and software solutions to companies around the globe. Get in the know of the latest happenings, trends, and software freebies in the e-learning industry.

Online platforms to sell courses directly

Coursera

Some of the world’s best companies and universities such as the University of Stanford, Michigan, and Duke use Coursera to publish online video courses.

Lynda

Now LinkedIn Learning, this online course marketplace caters to business professionals. Add certifications and publish an online course seamlessly. 

Presentation & Infographic creation

Visme

While videos and text are the common teaching medium; adding detailed creative presentations and infographic gives the additional attractivity to your courses. Visme.co is one such popular tool that helps you add powerful visual stories in the form of engaging presentations, infographics, and other visual content.

FAQs

What are online course creation tools?

Online course creation tools are software applications that help educators and trainers design, develop, and deliver e-learning content. These tools can range from video production and editing software to learning management systems (LMS) and quiz creation applications, supporting various aspects of course development and delivery.

Are there free online course creation tools available?

Yes, there are free tools available, though they may offer limited features compared to paid versions. Tools like Moodle or Google Classroom can be used to create and deliver courses without a financial investment.

How can I evaluate the effectiveness of my online course?

Utilize analytics and feedback tools within the course creation platform to track engagement, completion rates, and learner feedback, which can help in evaluating and improving the course content.

Planning your online video course? Use resources mentioned above to create the best one yet. Did we forget to include your favorite solution or tool? Let us know in the comments below.

References:

https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2016/11/wordpress-plugins-for-elearning/
https://www.wildapricot.com/articles/online-payment-services#best
https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/10-online-payment-gateways-compared/
https://www.learningrevolution.net/sell-online-courses/
https://www.getcloudapp.com/blog/best-video-recording-software
https://filmora.wondershare.com/screen-recorder/best-free-video-captures.html
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/15-04-2018-top-10-video-editing-tools-for-small-business
https://learn.g2.com/11-best-free-video-editor-tools-beginners/
https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2017/02/6-excellent-tools-for-creating.html
https://americantesol.com/blogger/videoquizsites/
https://www.isitwp.com/best-wordpress-lms-plugins-compared/
https://medium.com/@didolores/8-online-teaching-platforms-that-will-make-you-want-to-teach-online-1b9b23dc2503
https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/6-free-platforms-teaching-online/
https://www.vdocipher.com/blog/2019/08/video-hosting-platform-online-courses/

Planning your online video course? Use resources mentioned abover to create the best one yet. Did we forget to include your favorite solution or tool? Let us know in the comments below.

Siddhant Jain

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

www.vdocipher.com/

The post 101 Online Course Creation Tools appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

The global mobile learning market is expected to witness significant growth, with a forecast reaching around $156 billion by 2026, demonstrating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.12% during 2022-2026. This growth underscores the increasing demand for digital education and the role of mobile devices in facilitating learning.

An online learning platform brings numerous benefits, such as :

• Cost-efficient learning
• Easy and round-the-clock accessibility
• Flexibility of education
• Options for every learning preference – one-to-one online classes, group-based.
• Seamless use on the smaller screen- a factor that has significantly contributed to the growth in the eLearning market.
• A diverse range of subjects
• Interactive learning experience

What are online learning platforms?

Online learning platforms are websites or applications that provide educational content of all sorts, be it tutorials, courses, training, or study materials. Individuals can learn and acquire new skills and opt for free or paid learning platforms. Each platform comes with its own features, some are generic learning platforms while some are dedicated to a single learning stream. For example, a learning platform may be solely dedicated to train K-12 students and others may cater to courses for learning foreign languages.

Compared to traditional classroom learning, online learning platforms are more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective and are today’s tool for learning and acquiring knowledge. There is a range of subjects to choose from, nearly everything is available on a learning platform, and benefits like accessibility, interactive learning, self-paced learning, and even certifications to improve career growth.

Types of online learning platforms

Learning Destination Sites – On these sites, a number of course creators offer various sorts of learning materials. Based on your course preference, you choose a topic and instructor. One such popular platform is Udemy which has over 210K video-based lessons.

LMS – Learning Management Systems or LMS is a software application to manage and deliver educational courses and training programs. The key features include course content management, mobile access, collaboration, assessments, student tracking, reporting, and grading.

Massive Open Online Course – MOOCs are online free courses at reasonably cheaper pricing that are open to anyone, irrespective of their location or background. MOOCs accommodate a number of learners and usually, students learn diverse skills for career upliftment.

Custom-built learning platform – These platforms are designed specifically for an organization or institute like Harvard. The platform is suited to the needs and particular requirements within the organization. They have tailored features and restricted access to the students or team employees.

“Among learners, 95% stated that they are able to retain information better with the help of video-based educational materials. This points towards the effectiveness of multimedia in enhancing learning experiences.”

How to create an online learning platform?

The various steps involved in creating an online learning platform are as follows

• Set your goals and target audience.
• Choose a platform to like an LMS, CMS, or custom-built online learning platform. You can create your own website for your audience.
• Design an intuitive and user-friendly website with a good layout, navigation, and search.
• Create courses. The format may include pre-recorded and live videos, written material, and quizzes.
• Choose a video hosting platform like VdoCipher where your videos are protected from piracy using Hollywood-Grade DRM encryption and other interesting features
• Test before launching and market your online platform through social media, email marketing or advertisements

But, when planning to launch your online course, you might wonder which online learning platform will help you create and sell video courses with ease.

Best online learning platforms in India and Worldwide

Teachable

Teachable is one of the best online learning platforms for marketing your course. The platform offers options to customize the look and feel of your online course. To do so, you can
1. build a website to reflect your brand,
2. create a sales page for launching your course,
3. or use the Power Editor to tweak the underlying code.

Teachable’s course builder accepts documents from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and so on. You can choose to sell them as a standalone product or in bundles. You can also choose how you want to get paid- establish a payment plan, charge a one-time fee, or allow your audience to subscribe to the course.

Before launching the course, you can use coupon codes to accelerate sales. Teachable also offers multi-language support, which is a plus when you want to cater to a global audience. The platform also provides solutions such as international payments, affiliate programs, email marketing, and more to maximize your outreach.

Teachable is priced from $39 a month to $499 a month.

VdoCipher DRM encrypted video streaming & watermarking security integration is possible with the Teachable and similar portals and is explained here in another blog.

Podia

Podia allows you to create an online store for your digital content. You can create and sell video courses, digital downloads, and membership sites using this online learning platform. All storefronts built on Podia have a similar template. Each store’s landing page includes details such as an overview, a ‘what’s included’ section, a content section, FAQs, and creator bio.  

All courses, digital downloads, and memberships created using Podia have their separate landing pages. When you create an online video course, Podia lets you publish it immediately or pre-launch it to collect email addresses. 

The platforms also allow you to bundle assets such as videos, audios, texts, checklists along with the course. Podia is priced starting at $33 a month for the Mover plan, which includes online courses, digital downloads, email marketing, and no transactional fees.

Thinkific

If you are still in doubt regarding the structure and content of your online course, this online learning platform lets you create and sell a video course from scratch. It can be daunting for a first-time video course creator to chalk out a plan and a strategy to develop and sell the course.

Thinkific makes it a bit easier for you. Use the simple and readymade templates to create and launch your video course in two parts: creating the course material, and building the landing page. 

Users get to choose from a template such as a flagship course, mini-course, membership bundle, digital download, and webinar replay. Thinkific is free for unlimited courses and students, payment gateway integration, course upsells, and so on with a 10% transaction fee. The online learning platform starts at $36 a month for other features such as course bundles, marketing, email integrations, coupons, and promotions.

Teachery

Teachery is a popular online learning platform for having no transaction fees at all whatsoever. At first glance, it seems other platforms offer good-enough features at no cost. However, experienced course creators realize that sooner or later, they have to upgrade and buy a premium version to access the more advanced tools and functions.

Teachery is an ideal platform for experienced online tutors who are tired of upgrades and commissions.

Teachery lets you access a wide array of functions. It also offers a dedicated team to support your journey. Teachery is priced at $49 a month or $470 per annum.

Learnworlds

This online learning platform facilitates you to set up a school of your own with multiple websites, teachers, and a course catalog. You can add instructors and select the courses you want them to teach.

When you add an instructor, they can author course,s but not publish a new course or change general settings. As the school admin, you are free to offer as many courses for a fee you deem fit.

Learnworlds starting price is $24 per month for the Starter plan for unlimited paid courses, custom domain, coupons, and payment gateway.
VdoCipher DRM encrypted video streaming & watermarking security integration is possible with Learnworlds and similar portals and is explained here in another blog.

Ruzuku

Ruzuku is another feature-rich online learning platform. To start and sell video courses on Ruzuku is fast and seamless and you can upload just about any media file to sell your course. Ruzuku encourages you to prompt students to collaborate and communicate with their peers and allows you to track their achievements throughout.

When integrated with MailChimp, Ruzuku can automate emails to go out to notify people of upcoming courses. Besides these, Ruzuku has functions such as teleconferencing, support options, daily backups, and so on.

Ruzuku might be an ideal solution for those with limited knowledge of technology which only wants their course up and running in no time. Ruzuku is priced between $99 a month to $199 a month.

VdoCipher DRM encrypted video streaming & watermarking security integration is possible with the Teachable and similar portals and is explained here in another blog.

WizIQ

This online learning platform helps you sell video courses and mock tests, but its flagship feature is to hold live classes. A virtual classroom on the platform can accommodate over 200 students. Features such as multiple whiteboards, circuit diagrams, maps, and shapes and graphs facilitate learning on the platform. The tutor is also free to share resources such as files, videos, and presentations from their library.

WizIQ LMS pricing starts from $1/user/month while Virtual Classroom pricing starts from $18/teacher/month.

TREEHOUSE

Treehouse is an online platform that offers a broad range of development courses covering topics such as HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, and Python. It provides learners with access to a vast library of content, including workshops, bonus content, and conferences. Treehouse aims to help students learn coding skills to land their dream jobs, offering a 7-day free trial for new students to explore thousands of hours of learning content​.

Engoo Tutor

Engoo is a platform offering private online English lessons, accessible anytime and anywhere. It features 1-on-1 sessions lasting 25 minutes each, with a pool of 9,319 tutors from 116 countries. Engoo caters to various learning needs with over 11,000 lesson materials, including daily news to keep learners informed. The platform makes learning convenient with no downloads required and starts at $42.70/month

Udemy

Udemy is an online learning platform emphasizing 130,000+ video courses taught by expert teachers. Students can take courses in anything from programming languages like Python, and Java to personal advancement classes like design, drawing, writing, and yoga. Tutors can use this platform for free. However, Udemy makes big money by taking 50% per transaction of your course. Udemy has more than 12 million students.

Proctur (Indian)

Proctur is an online learning platform that provides end to end digitization solutions to enable tutors and coaching institutes to sell courses online, teach live online, conduct exams online, and manage the coaching institutes. They offer important features like inquiry management, fees management, admission management, tools to conduct online tests, etc.

ProProfs Training Maker

ProProfs Training Maker is an online learning platform. The tool makes it easy to create, design, share and track online courses, lessons, and tests. Being cloud-based, it enables users to deliver anytime, anywhere learning to anyone, on any device. The LMS system provides a premium library of 100+ professionally designed and ready-to-courses and default templates. These resources are fully editable with a logo, theme, colours, and branding.

To help you get online learning up and running in no time, the learning management system (LMS) provides a premium library of 100+ professionally designed and ready-to-courses and default templates. These resources are fully editable with a logo, theme, colours, and branding.

ProProfs starts at $2/learner/month. No per-user fee. No hidden cost. There is also a 15-day free trial on all plans.

Fatbit Online Learning MarketPlace

Fatbit Online Learning MarketPlace (formely Yo!Coach), offered by FATbit Technologies, is a customizable online tutoring and consultation marketplace platform. It’s designed for entrepreneurs and trainers aiming to launch businesses centered around online learning and coaching. Yo!Coach facilitates the creation of an online learning platform, offering features like live video interaction, pre-recorded courses, multi-language support, and more, making it a versatile solution for different online learning business models. For more details, you can explore the platform here:

TalentLMS

TalentLMS is an online learning platform where you can build courses by re-using presentations or videos you already have or by consuming content from web-sources. They provide support for multiple types of questions and a variety of test types. You can also collect and analyze survey responses.

BrightSpace

BrightSpace is an online learning platform that creates personalized learning paths for each student that is neatly presented on a Progress Dashboard. Teachers can map, foretell, even reroute individual student learning outcomes as well as create rubrics to evaluate quizzes, assignments, discussions, and more. Brightspace is loaded with an arsenal of tools that educators can use to fine-tune their teaching styles

Uteach

Uteach is a different path to the online teaching system. This isn’t just an online learning platform where you may upload your online courses. Uteach presents a chance to create your own portal-website that becomes your personal brand with your imagined domain name and design. Once you registered to the platform, you can include your video courses of quality knowledge.

TutorHub

This online learning platform is easy to use. Tutor Hub is a secure website, which is useful for students and teachers. It is comfortable for teachers to arrange lessons and use an online tutoring classroom. Students also like Tutor Hub because they instantly find a teacher online and start training. This platform is right for learners both inside and outside formal education.

Educadium

Educadium is the complete online learning platform for nonprofits, educators, and trainers. With Educadium, you can set up your online school and create an online course that looks professional, and that meets the most poignant learning fundamentals. It’s safer and more convenient than free dilemmas.

Complete package platforms-

Kajabi

Kajabi is the best course creation software for automating the marketing of an online video course. Busy course creators get marketing automation from Kajabi. It helps you connect landing pages for exclusive offers, course launches, and more to checkout pages within a few clicks.

For instance, the promotional offer pipeline comprises of three steps- first, you collect email addresses of attendees by offering them an ebook or cheatsheet. When a visitor enters their email address, they are directed to a sales page where they are offered a discount on a product.

You choose what you want to do with the email addresses collected- send them a thank you, upsell them, or follow up on their purchase.

Kajabi is priced from $129 per month for the Basic plan, which contains one site, five products, 25 pipelines, and 25,000 marketing emails.
VdoCipher DRM encrypted video streaming & watermarking security integration is possible with Kajabi and similar portals and is explained here in another blog.

Academy of Mine

This could quickly become one of your preferred online learning platforms to sell video courses online. Academy of Mine offers a full website for you to launch your online course. You get to choose from a fully hosted template that offers galleries, landing pages, and course offering pages.

Academy of Mine is a perfect choice for its holistic course creation and management functions. Generate chapters or units in your course, give out certificates, carry out timed quizzes, assignments, and badges.

Academy of Mine begins at $499 a month.

Video Plugin compatible with multiple Platforms-

VdoCipher

VdoCipher is targetted for the course creators who are hell concerned about security from piracy of videos. VdoCipher provides Hollywood Grade DRM encryption & dynamic viewer specific watermarking to prevent download and screen capture.

This product integrates well with WordPress, moodle, and multiple LMS platforms. You can choose any of the platforms and use this plugin to provide your videos with the highest possible security.

VdoCipher pricing starts from $129 and the pricing model is based on bandwidth and storage.

WordPress Plugins-

AccessAlly

AccessAlly isn’t just a WordPress plugin – it also handles payments, membership management, and integration with your email marketing CRM. That means you don’t need to cobble together a bunch of different tools or custom code to have a first-class LMS system on WordPress.

Each member or student has their own login on your membership site, and from there you can design courses that include everything from quizzes, video, and audio, downloads, and so much more.

This platform has features like drag-and-drop course builder, progress tracking, video and audio bookmark, different types of quizzes, and auto-generated certificates.

Course Cats

Course Cats help you to build a website, grow your email list, and sell your courses online. They also you in dealing with tech stuff like how to point your domain to your WebHost. If you need they will help you in installing the WordPress plugin and selecting the themes as well.

With Course Cats, you’ll have just the right amount of options to customize the look and feel of your site without getting into that overwhelming, way-too-many-options mess. Regardless if you’re ready to sell your courses now or if you’re still working on the content – with Course Cats, you can build a blog, grow your email list with our gorgeous landing pages, and when you’re ready, sell your online courses.

Course Cats starting prices are $59/month or $497/year.

LifterLMS

LifterLMS is a powerful WordPress plugin that makes it easy to create, sell, and protect engaging online courses and training based membership websites. LifterLMS helps you build online courses from one screen with the intuitive multi-tier drag and drop course builder. You can also create dynamic multimedia quizzes to reinforce learning.

It strikes a beautiful balance in being an all-in-one solution while also integrating with other best of breed technologies relevant to course creators and membership site owners. LifterLMS has a flourishing well supported user community through, active listening, and strong documentation.

Besides trial for 30 days in $1, the starting price for LifterLMS is $99 for one year.

Content Marketplace cum Course Platforms-

OpenSesame

OpenSesame provides an online marketplace for buying and selling e-learning courses.

OpenSesame doesn’t only work as an online course selling platform but also works as course vendors who curate the right courses for your training program as well as guide you through improving e-learning utilization and employee engagement. If your Learning Management System works with SCORM or AICC compliant courses, then working with OpenSesame courses will be simple for your LMS administrator.  Its platform allows companies to buy courses created by industry experts instead of having to create their own.

Skillshare

Skillshare is an American online learning community for people who want to learn from educational videos. Skillshare operates on a membership model, so your class will have a built-in audience from the start. They also help you to grow your community and promote your classes. Skillshare classes include a combination of video lessons and a class project. They also provide resources like teachers’ handbooks. They also help you improve your classes with features like ‘Teach Challenge’.

Skillshare operates under a subscription model, which means that students pay a monthly or annual fee for a premium membership. They pay teachers for every minute watched by premium students in their classes. Also, they compensate teachers for every student they bring to Skillshare through their referral link.

Moodle Plugins-

CourseMerchant

If Moodle is your choice for your online learning platform then you should try CourseMerchent. CourseMerchent provides you a complete package from course creation to selling and even how to market your course. Some of their features are instant student enrollment into the LMS with single sign-on and sell multiple seats and allow purchasers to allocate seats to users with ‘Manage Licenses’ admin capability.

You can integrate CourseMerchant with Brightspace, Totara, Kallidus LMS, etc.

LMS Checkout

LMS checkout fits perfectly with your moodle course. All you have to do is create an account on the LMS Checheckout website and download the plugin to install it into your Moodle account. You can connect it with payment gateways like Paypal and authorize.net. If you want some other gateway they are open to your request as well.

FAQs

How do I choose the right online learning platform?

Selecting the right online learning platform involves considering factors such as the variety and quality of courses offered, the credentials of the instructors, the platform’s interface and user experience, the cost, and any additional features like certifications or interactive tools. It’s also important to think about your learning goals, preferred learning style, and the specific skills you wish to develop.

Are there free online learning platforms?

Yes, there are numerous online learning platforms that offer free courses or have a freemium model where basic content is free, and advanced features or courses require payment. Free platforms often provide a wide range of courses but may limit access to certifications or personalized feedback.

Are online courses as effective as in-person classes?

Online courses can be just as effective as in-person classes, depending on the course’s quality, the learner’s motivation, and the presence of interactive and engaging materials. Many platforms incorporate various teaching methods, including videos, quizzes, and peer interactions, to enhance learning outcomes.

What technical requirements do I need to fulfill to learn online?

To learn online effectively, you’ll need a reliable internet connection, a computer or mobile device capable of running the platform’s software, and any necessary software or tools specified by the course (e.g., programming environments for coding courses). It’s also helpful to have a quiet, comfortable space dedicated to learning.

Smita Singh

Digital Marketing | Writing

I read therefore I write.

The post 31 Online Learning Platforms in India & Worldwide (2024) appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

What is Encrypted Media Extension (EME)

DRM playback is based on the Encrypted Media Extension Technology, which is the standard of W3C to provide DRM playback support in web browsers.

EME can be majorly divided into two parts:

EME API:

These APIs are the part of the browser API as the standard of W3C to securely communicate between the Video Element and CDM (Content Decryption Module) where actual decoding of media happens

Content Decryption Module:

CDM is a proprietary software/hardware of DRM service provider that can be bundled in the browser/OS or added as hardware in the client machine, it’s the main purpose is to decode the video in a secure executing environment without exposing it to the user and rendering media directly on the video element.

Here’s a brief block diagram of EME Tech in Vdophiper Player and Playback.

Both DRM service providers, Apple Fairplay DRM and Google Widevine DRM provide CDM in Safari and Chrome browsers respectively.

For video playback, Apple expects developers to consume EME API and provide playback on the video element, but google Widevine goes one step ahead and also provides JS video Player name Shaka Player that provides full basic playback using EME API and Video Element.

About Vdocipher Player:

Vdocipher Player is a plug-n -play video player, that expects the VideoID and OTP and handles everything under the hood, like choosing the DRM service based on the user device and provide basic playback,

Also, this player is loaded with tons of features like playlist, video analytics, captions and many more.

What is Shaka Player?

Shaka Player is an open-source js video player mainly used for DRM service maintained by google. Under the hood for DRM service, it actuals bind the Video Element and Widevine CDM by consuming the EME API

Features: 

• Supports the Adaptive Bitrate Streaming, which means the quality of media adapts to the bandwidth of the user.
• Can also support offline storage and playback using IndexDB
• Also, provide option UI Lib for player
• Easy integration with Chromecast and also supports the Apple Fairplay.
• Open-source

Steps to implement Shaka Player for Widevine

• Setup the basic video player

• Add the DRM configuration
• Handle License Server Authentication & delivers licenses

Setup The Basic video player

In this setup, we will add the video without DRM using shaka player lib.

<html>
<head>
<!-- Shaka Player compiled library: -->
<script src="dist/shaka-player.compiled.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<video
id="video"
width="640"
poster="example.com/poster.jpg"
controls
autoplay
></video>
</body>
<script>
// Video Manifest URL
const manifestUri =
"https://storage.googleapis.com/shaka-demo-assets/angel-one/dash.mpd";

// Install all the required Polyfill
shaka.polyfill.installAll();
if (shaka.Player.isBrowserSupported()){
throw new Error("Browser not supported !")
};
const video = document.getElementById("video");
//Shaka Player Reference provides all methods and properties.
const player = new shaka.Player(video);
player.addEventListener("error", onErrorEvent);
player
.load(manifestUri)
.then(() => console.log("Video Load successful"))
.catch((error) =>
console.error("Error code", error.code, "object", error)
);
</script>
</html>

Add the DRM configuration.

For DRM playback we need to add the DRM configuration to the player instance we created above ( in between the script tags )

player.configure({
DRM: {
servers: {
'com.widevine.alpha': 'https://YOUR.AUTHENTICATION.SERVER',
}
}
})

Shaka player will request https://your.authentication.server/,to get the License Certificate, 
Shaka Player is a key-system-agnostic, it uses EME to ask the browser what its key-system is supported, and make no assumptions. If your browser supports multiple key systems, the first supported key system in the manifest is used

Handling License Server Authentication

Your application’s license server may require some form of authentication so that it only delivers licenses to paying users, 

but for that you need to add header/token/parameter with each request to identify the user, you can do so by interrupting the request for  License Certificate, and send them the License Certificate only if it passed the authorization criteria. 

To interrupt the License Certificate request we will use the `getNetworkEngine` Method

player
.getNetworkingEngine()
.registerRequestFilter(function (type, request) {
// Only add headers to license requests:
if (type == shaka.net.NetworkingEngine.RequestType.LICENSE) {
// This is the specific header name and value the server wants:
request.headers["user-identify-token"] = "VGhpc0lzQVRlc3QK";
}
});

In the above, we add the parameter in the request header, although there are two more options like Cookie Authentication, Parameter Authentication. To identify the right user on License Server.

Steps to implement Shaka Player for FairPlay

Shaka players also support Apple FairPlay DRM, Implementing the FairPlay the follow same above three-step paradigm as implementing the Widevine.

First step remains the same in both, it just the DRM configuration and handling the request changes while implementing the FairPlay

player.configure({
DRM: {
servers: {
"com.apple.fps.1_0": licenseUri,
},
advanced: {
"com.apple.fps.1_0": {
serverCertificate: fairplayCert,
},
},
initDataTransform: function (initData) {
const skdUri = shaka.util.StringUtils.fromBytesAutoDetect(initData);
console.log("skdUri : " + skdUri);
const contentId = skdUri.substring(skdUri.indexOf("skd://") + 6);
console.log("contentId : ", contentId);
const cert = player.drmInfo().serverCertificate;
return shaka.util.FairPlayUtils.initDataTransform(
initData,
contentId,
cert
);
},
},
});

player.getNetworkingEngine().registerRequestFilter(function (type, request) {
if (type == shaka.net.NetworkingEngine.RequestType.LICENSE) {
const originalPayload = new Uint8Array(request.body);
const base64Payload = shaka.util.Uint8ArrayUtils.toBase64(originalPayload);
const params = "spc=" + encodeURIComponent(base64Payload);

request.body = shaka.util.StringUtils.toUTF8(params);
request.headers["user-identify-token"] = authToken; // Token to identify the user.
}
});

player.getNetworkingEngine().registerResponseFilter(function (type, response) {
// Alias some utilities provided by the library.
if (type == shaka.net.NetworkingEngine.RequestType.LICENSE) {
const responseText = shaka.util.StringUtils.fromUTF8(response.data).trim();
response.data = shaka.util.Uint8ArrayUtils.fromBase64(responseText).buffer;
parsingResponse(response);
}
});

Shaka Player UI

Shaka player also ships the UI controls for the video element, to implement UI, use the shaka-player.ui.js build and add the attribute of data-shaka-player-container of parent div of the video element. It will add the controls in that div.

<div data-shaka-player-container>
<video autoplay data-shaka-player id="video"></video>
</div>

And to access the Player instance and Controls instance 

const video = document.getElementById("video");
const ui = video["ui"];
const controls = ui.getControls();
const player = controls.getPlayer();
player.addEventListener("error", console.error);
controls.addEventListener("error", console.error);

To configure the UI of Player we can use   UI. configure(configure)  method.

const config = {
addSeekBar: false,
controlPanelElements: ["rewind", "fast_forward"],
seekBarColors: {
base: "rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.3)",
buffered: "rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.54)",
played: "rgb(255, 255, 255)",
},
};
ui.configure(config);

Offline Storage and Playback

Shaka player also provides the offline playback of video with DRM solution, it uses the index DB to store the video and Service worker to map the license request.

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you on how to ensure Shaka Player implementation for DRM playback. In this article, I’ve gone through what Shaka player and EME are. Also, how you can set up the player, add DRM configuration, and more.

At Vdocipher, we implement Shaka player for DRM playback on our own. When you use our platform, you won’t have to worry about implementing Shaka player or DRM. We take care of all of it, all you have to do is simply upload your video to our platform and embed it on your website.

Purushottam

Javascript Developer, open-source enthusiast, keep things simple and sweet.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post How To Implement Shaka Player For DRM playback appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

The terms video encoding and video transcoding are sometimes used interchangeably, in spite of the use-case difference between the two.

What is Transcoding?

Transcoding is the process of converting a video from one format to another. In video transcoding,  a video file is decoded from its original format to an uncompressed format and then it is encoded into the desired format. Videos is transcoded to make sure that video file can be played on various devices, like smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and on different web browsers and media players. Also, video transcoding can reduce the file size, making it easier and faster to download or stream videos online, to ensure that video can be played seamlessly on lower internet bandwidth.

How Does Video Transcoding Differ From Encoding?

Encoding:

In encoding raw video is converted into a compressed, digital format.

The main goal of encoding is to compress raw video or audio content to make it easier to store and stream. It involves compressing large raw files (like those from a video camera) into a format that’s more manageable and suitable for streaming or storing, like MP4 or MP3.

During encoding, the original file is compressed to reduce its size. This involves removing some data, ideally in a way that doesn’t noticeably reduce quality. Encoding is typically the first step in preparing raw media content for broadcast, streaming, or storage.

Transcoding:

In Transcoding, the video file is converted from one format to another.

The main purpose of transcoding is to make media files compatible with different devices and bandwidths. It’s about changing the format to suit different needs, like playing on a smartphone versus a TV.

In transcoding, the file is first decoded (uncompressed), and then re-encoded into the new format. This process can also involve changing other properties of the file, like its resolution or bit rate.

Transcoding is used when there’s a need to distribute the same content in different formats for different platforms or devices.

In simpler terms, think of encoding as translating a story from your thoughts into a written book, while transcoding is like taking that book and translating it into different languages for different readers. Encoding is about initial creation, and transcoding is about adapting to different needs after the fact.

Generally speaking, encoding refers to the process of converting uncompressed data to the desired format. This is understood to be a lossy process. On the other hand, video transcoding is the process of decoding a video file from one format to an uncompressed format and then encoding the uncompressed data to the desired format. Video transcoding is commonly used when the video file is being moved from a source to a different destination, and when the two support different file formats.

One of the most important uses of video transcoding is in uploading video from one source – a desktop, to an online video hosting site, so that the format is supported by the video hosting site.

Some other terminologies in use regarding video transcoding and encoding are:

• Transmuxing – Conversion to a different container format without changing the file itself
• Transrating – Conversion to a different video bitrate using the same file format

What are the Different Types of  Video Transcoding?

1. From Not-So-Good Quality to Even Lower Quality (Lossy to Lossy)

Imagine you have a video that’s already not the best quality because it’s been squeezed to make it smaller. This type of transcoding takes that not-so-great video and squeezes it even more. The quality drops further, but the video becomes really small, which is handy if you want to watch it on your phone or tablet without using much space.

2. From Good Quality to Same Good Quality (Lossless to Lossless)

Now, think about a video that’s been made smaller without losing any of its goodness. When you transcode this type, the quality stays great. The catch? The video files are still pretty big, so they might not be the best for watching on smaller devices. You’ll also need a pretty good computer to handle this kind of transcoding.

3. From Good Quality to Not-So-Good Quality (Lossless to Lossy)

This is a middle ground. You start with a high-quality video and make it smaller, so the quality drops a bit, but not as much as the first type. The files are small enough to be convenient for your phone or tablet. Remember, once you lose some of that quality, you can’t get it back – it’s like throwing away parts of a picture, you can’t just stick them back on later.

What are the Benefits of Transcoding Your Videos?

With a plethora of devices and browsers at the disposal of users, it becomes quite important you transcode your videos to different formats and qualities to ensure seamless playback of video.

Here are a few important reasons you need to transcode your videos. 

Compatibility:  In order to ensure that your videos are compatible with all the different browsers and devices, videos are transcoded into different formats associated with them

Optimization: Videos are transcoded into different resolutions and bitrates to ensure seamless streaming regardless of the internet bandwidth. Lower qualities are created so that videos can be streamed seamlessly for lower intent bandwidth. Also, it is optimized to ensure better video quality at a lower resolution.

File size reduction: With transcoding you can reduce the size of a video, to make it easy to share, upload, and stream videos, especially for larger videos.

Accessibility: You can add closed captions and subtitles during the transcoding process, enabling users with hearing impairments to understand the content of the video. Videos can also be transcoded to include different audio languages to cater to a wider audiences

What is a Video Codec?

A video codec is any device/software that compresses a video file. A device/software that only compresses an analog file is called an encoder, whereas a device/software that only decompresses a compressed digital file to analog is a decoder. The term ‘codec’ comes out of the concatenation of the two terms encoding and decoding.

How do Video Codecs work?

For any video codec to work it needs to compress the frames. There are two types of frame compressions – inter-frame and intra-frame compression. An intra-frame compression, each frame is compressed independently of the adjacent frames. It is therefore essentially image-compression applied to video.

Inter-frame compression on the other hand identifies redundancies across frames to compress videos. This includes any elements of the moving image that may be static – say a static background in a talking head video. Inter-frame compression is much more efficient than intra-frame compression, and so most codecs are optimized to identify redundancies across frames.

What are some of the most prominent video codecs?

MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) is the most common family of video codecs. International Standards Organization (ISO), whose standards impact the computer and consumer electronics markets has had at the following list of codecs as its standards:

• MPEG-1 in 1993
• MPEG-2 in 1994
• MPEG-4 in 1999
• AVC/H.264 in 2002

H.264 is the most prevalent compression standard in use currently. For a period in the late 90s and early 2000s, the rivalry between RealNetworks and Microsoft was around creating their own proprietary formats as the standards for codecs. RealNetwork’s RealVideo, Microsoft’s Windows Media Video, ON2’s VP6 and Sorenson Video 3 were the dominant proprietary codecs. The H.264 codec was added to Apple’s QuickTime 7 in 2005, and in 2007 added H.264 support for Flash.

VP9 is the proprietary video compression format and codec developed by ON2 Technologies, which were acquired by Google in 2010. VP9 is available under new BSD License by Google with source code available as libvpx VP9 codec SDK. 

Theora is a free lossy video compression format, distributed without licensing fees. Theora is derived from VP3 codec, which has been released into the public domain. Ogg Video Container format uses Theora as its compression format.

How is a media file format distinct from a video codec?

A file format is a container, inside which is the data that has been compressed by a video codec. A single file format may support multiple video codecs. For example the Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) file format contains data that compressed from any of a range of codecs.

What are some of the most prominent video containers?

QuickTime File Format is a multimedia container format used by Apple’s multimedia framework.

MP4 is the most popular container format used for storing digital audio and video. Both QuickTime and MP4 file formats use the same MPEG-4 format.

FLV is the file container format used for video content using Adobe Flash Player. Flash video content can be embedded within SWF files.

WebM is the royalty-free container format, sponsored by Google. WebM uses the VP8 and VP9 codecs as compression formats.

Ogg container format is maintained by Xiph.Org foundation, and is not restricted by software patents used in H.264. Ogg is supported by the Wikipedia community.

Advanced Systems Format (ASF) is Microsoft’s proprietary video container format designed for streaming media.

Reference

“What is a Codec?” Jan Ozer, StreamingMedia.com

FAQs

What is required for a raw file to be stored and accessed across different devices?

A RAW file needs to be compressed in a particular digital format compatible across the device.

What are the benefits of  Video transcoding?

There are a number of benefits to video transcoding a video file. For example, video transcoding can improve compatibility, reduce file size, and improve playback quality.

Why might you need Video transcoding?

There are a number of reasons why you might need to do video transcoding. For example, you might want to convert a file from one format to another in order to make it compatible with a particular piece of software or hardware. Alternatively, you might want to reduce the file size of a video in order to save storage space.

What is Transcoding?

Transcoding is the process of decoding files from one format to an uncompressed format and then encoding the uncompressed data to the desired format.

Siddhant Jain

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

www.vdocipher.com/

The post What is Transcoding & Why It is Important For Video Streaming? appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Content creators spend a substantial amount of time creating their content. A lot of TV series you might see on Netflix take months to produce and a lot of money too. It is a bummer to put in all this effort and then your content gets downloaded for free. In some cases, users share their credentials with others and a single account is used for multiple access.

How Does Video Piracy Happen?

In essence, video piracy happens in two ways. That is through credential sharing and video downloading. Piracy of any kind, whether it is movie piracy or piracy of eLearning content hurts revenue. Don’t you think users would rather access the content for free if they had that option?

Here are a few ways by which you might be losing new potential customers and revenues.

Credentials Sharing

Given a choice, anyone would choose not to pay for something which they get for free. But as a content creator, it’s your bread and butter. You might as well take extra effort to curb with this.

Credential sharing happens with streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Hotstar. Users often buy a single account, share it with friends and family without paying for extra bandwidth or users.  Also, at times with strangers to swap the different subscribed services.

There are different other ways video content is pirated by getting access to the credentials.

• Password Theft – When account credentials are hacked and stolen from the users. These accounts can be further sold by Pirates.
• Endless trials – This one is quite popular among users, as they’d often create fake accounts. Even using different credit cards, to access the content for free and even resold at times
• Bypass of concurrency controls – Pirates hack in the video platform server to tinker with the restriction of the number of devices. This way a single account can be used by multiple users without any restrictions.
• Token theft – Streaming apps or web browsers use tokens to identify the user. Pirates can copy these tokens to other devices and use them again to access the content.

Video Downloading

There are several tools available online, which makes it easy for users to download a video.  By just entering the URL in the tool, they can easily download your video. And from there on it can easily get into all the popular pirate resources.

Video streaming platforms use encryption to protect their videos, but a lot of times they don’t focus too much on key protection. Pirates take advantage of this fact, they put in efforts to find the encryption key. With the key, pirates can easily convert encrypted file back to raw file. Pirates at times also target the storage platform used by the platform to get access to the content before it is even released.

Simulcast Of Live Streaming & TV channels

Capturing and redistribution of live streaming and tv channels has been one of the major forms of video piracy. Live sports are one of the live events which have been pirated massively. According to a study done by sportspromedia, about 51% of sports fans opt for watching pirated video streams.

Pirates use various methods to capture live streaming

• Tampering with video playback software or Android OS
• Recording screens during playback or capturing during a screen-share session
• Using credential stuffing attacks to access and use legitimate viewer details
• Tampering with video to defeat watermarking, such as re-quantization
• Using VPN to access content not available in the geographical region,

The Extent of the problem

You might find a lot of studies on the internet regarding video piracy, but the truth is it’s still difficult to predict the real extent of piracy around the globe. And the sole reason for the same is we haven’t been able to stick with a consistent method to track this problem.

There are many datasets provided by huge commercial companies but they aren’t completely useful and can often be at odds with one another based on methodology.

• A study was conducted by “The European Intellectual Property Office(EUIPO)” regarding the impact of piracy across member states. The numbers showed that approx 13.7 million users are accessing illegal pirate services around the European countries.
• The study also showed that the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain constituted the highest percentages of offending viewers within their populations, with 8.9%, 8.5%, and 6.9% respectively(the EU average is 3.6%).
• The United Kingdom(2.4 million), France(2.3 million), and Spain(2.2 million) have the largest populations when it comes to using illegal services on a regular basis.
• The picture is yet to be clear in North America. A study by Sandvine showed that around 6.5% of households were regularly communicating with pirate sites. Meanwhile, a report by  Park Associates identified that more than 14.1 million U.S. households accessed pirated videos in 2019, which is approximately 16% of the total pay TV market.
• A study conducted by the University of Amsterdam in 2017 showed the piracy habits across Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand. Both the Indonesian and Thai populations showed a very high usage of pirated content, with the study estimating between 65% and 54% of their internet populations. Hong Kong registered 27% of their internet population while Japan registered 12% of their internet population (11% of the total population).
• The results were confirmed by the Asia Video Industry Association in 2019 based on the consumer survey report and it was identified that 24% of consumers in Hong kong use internet streaming devices for accessing pirated channels. This number increased to 28% of consumers in the Philippines, 34% in Taiwan, and 45% in Thailand.

From the above-mentioned studies and reports, it can be clearly seen and concluded that video piracy and in particular, TV or Movie piracy, still remains a serious issue globally.

What is the Impact of piracy? 

Various studies have shown that by 2022 the estimated losses to the industry would be as high as $52 billion globally (Digital TV Research 2017) along with massive GDP losses. Talking about The United States only, the GDP losses due to piracy have been estimated between $47 billion and $115 billion (Blackburn et al, 2019).

With a lot of research and studies now available, we are getting to understand the wider impact of this video piracy problem. The American movie and TV production and distribution industry support over 2.6 million jobs, and in 2017 alone, it generated $229 billion in revenue. A report by Blackburn, Eisenach, and Harrison on the impact of movie piracy on the U.S. economy, estimated that in 2017 between 230,000 and 560,000 jobs were lost in the U.S. as a direct result of pirating activity.

Not only economy and employment, now we’re beginning to see how video piracy has started impacting licensing too, which stands as the backbone of the digital industry, and is arguably a more damaging strategic issue than any other. Say simply, why would the potential distributors invest a high amount of money for rights when content is readily available for free on pirate sites? Why would rights owners sell to a distributor who has the potential of damaging their international sales?

A recent study from the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center identified that movie piracy costs the US TV and film industry at least an estimated $29.2 billion dollars and as much as $71 billion annually.

Pirated videos now get more than 230 billion views every year, with the majority coming outside from the US. The highest demand is for pirated TV episodes with over 12.8 billion views in the U.S. and 170.6 billion views outside. There are 26.6 billion illegal online viewings of U.S. produced movies and 126.7 billion viewings of American TV shows annually.

Torrent search engines like PirateBay have a wide portfolio of pirated content from Netflix and other streaming platforms and then serves it to approx 59 million pirates online. Similarly, there are numerous other illegal video streaming sites continuously contributing to OTT video piracy, every single day.

An “OTT streaming revenue insights”  estimated that video piracy is expected to hit $9.1 billion of revenue in 2019 with the loss set to grow by 38% to $12.5 billion by 2022.

Parks Associates estimated that revenue lost to video pirate operations could exceed $61 billion in 2020 and $67 billion worldwide by 2023. The report says that if 10% of paid TV subscribers canceled pay-TV services due to video delivered by pirates, the loss could reach up to $6 billion by 2023 for those operators. A Parks survey of U.S. broadband households also showed that 5% of people used someone else’s credentials to get access to paid TV service, and 6% did so to access an online video service.

How To Stop Video Piracy?

Data has regularly shown that users who often pirate content are often the biggest buyer of legit content. There is a strong correlation between providing viewers with content that they want to watch (with a good streaming experience at a reasonable price) and a reduction in piracy.

Another way to curb video piracy is to make it much easier for users to access the content on their SVOD, TVOD, or AVOD platform.  A lot of users might opt for a better user experience even though they have to pay a premium price for it. Platforms like Netflix personalized content suggestions based on their choices and makes it simple for users to find shows they might like.

Let’s just explore a few more action you can take in order to stop video piracy on your website:

Block Credential Sharing

As discussed before credential sharing is one of the major causes of video piracy, users often share passwords to their accounts with each other. This results in several simultaneous logins from an account, leading to consumption of the same premium content several times which leads to a loss in revenue that you could have gained from those views

-For CMS like WordPress Websites

If your website is based on WordPress you can easily stop credential sharing by using several plugins available. Using this you can restrict the number of users accessing an account at a time. You can use the word press plugin to block simultaneous logins.

By using this plugin, you can ensure that at a time users can only log in from a single device, ultimately stopping the account from being accessed by multiple users at the same time. Also, make sure you have best managed WordPress hosting to avoid any other obstacles in ensuring security.

-For Non-WordPress Websites

In case your website is not based on WordPress you can still restrict concurrent logins. This can be done by allocating a unique ID which is allocated every time a user logs in. Every time a unique ID is active for an account, no other ID is generated and the previous ID cannot be used to log in to the platform.

Using SSO for login

Using a Single sign-on for login to the user account has proven to be effective to stop credential sharing. A user can log in to the platform using social logins such as Google, Facebook, etc.

Even though a user might share their login for the video platform easily but a Facebook or Google password is more personal and the user would refrain from sharing it with their friends. Also, since its SSO is user-friendly and it saves trouble such as remembering passwords and login is much simpler with just a click it makes sense to promote this feature to the user.

Restrict Video Playback

Another way to make sure that the account is not shared by the users is to restrict total watch time for a user. Typically a user won’t watch a lecture twice or thrice, depending on your user’s behavior you can keep a total playback time for a video restricted.

This way you can ensure that your video is not being watched multiple times by several users. For a more technical explanation on this, you can refer to the video linked to restricting watch time, also, in case you need code for this you can get it here.

Using Video Encryption

Video encryption is used to secure your videos by encrypting or hiding them from anyone you haven’t given access to. Basically, it stops anyone from viewing the video without your permission(the encryption key).

At present there are two major popular and easy to use encrypted video streaming protocols:

• AES 128 Encryption (Normal or Sample AES 128 protocol)
• HLS Encryption with AES-128

The flaw in common video encryption technologies – Even though these encryption by themselves are decently strong and cannot be cracked by brute force but they have a major flaw, that is the fact that their keys are exposed and can be accessed by any hacker or a tool/extension with some effort. Hackers can use the key to easily decrypt and download the video

Since the major flaw in the encryption technology is the open key exchange, it makes sense only to use a technology that can fix this. This is where DRM comes in.

Using DRM Encryption Technology

DRM(Digital Rights Management) works alongside the HLS, DASH, and RTMP encryption to make the video more secure by making it impossible to find the encryption key. DRM effectively removes any flaws in the video encryption to ensure that the video is not downloadable.

Major DRM being used in the market to stop video piracy are:

1. Google’s Widevine DRM
2. Apple’s Fairplay DRM

In order to ensure video protection, DRM is often used along with Watermarking to track any pirated content.

Using Watermarking

Watermarking involves embedding digital information in a video signal to identify its source of origin. It aims to identify the redistribution source of illegal streaming services. All content is marked, or tattooed, with a unique identifier that can be extracted in case of piracy in order to find the original source.

Domain Restrictions

Another way to ensure video protection is to make sure that your videos are domain restriction. This enables you to limit your video embed codes to play and load only on your domain. This prevents copying of embed code and its use by hackers to view the video on their domain

Choosing A Secure Video Hosting Service

In case you don’t have much idea using the above-mentioned video protection technology, you can always fall back on a 3rd party secure video hosting service.

These hosting platforms take care of all the tech parts related to secure video and stream seamlessly on the client-side. All you need to do is upload the video on the platform, and use the embed code on your website.

A good video hosting platform has a few prerequisites that you need to check while choosing any such service.

• Security– A DRM based encryption to protect your content
• Video API– to manage videos, to enable automatic video upload, and get OTP for playback
• CDN-to ensure speedy content delivery to the user regardless of their geographic location
• Video Analytics – Insights into how your content is consumed by your users and also help you flag any unlikely events.

How VdoCipher Helps In Stopping Video Piracy?

At present, there are several platforms that provide video protection. But their offering is limited to video encryption without any video DRM technology. This exposes the key, which an informed user can easily identify and use to access the video. A lot of our current customers have faced such issues before finally sticking to our video security solution. This is where Vdocipher comes in, we ensure the highest security for our clients from video piracy. We do this by providing Hollywood grade DRM encryption and our dynamic watermarking technology. Find out more about on how to prevent video download on the blog linked.

• Encrypted DRM Video Streaming – With Vdocipher’s Hollywood grade DRM technology, no one can download your videos using a plugin or any hacks.
• Dynamic Watermarking – You can watermark the Ip address, user id, email id, phone no, logo, text overlay to identify the source of the piracy. You can even customize the watermark in terms of its opacity, color, speed, and size as well.
• Server To Player Package – With Vdocipher you not only get video protection but we also provide -Amazon AWS for Servers, CDN, Transcoding, Analytics, API, Dashboard, Plugins, Custom workflows. All these features further add to the security and make it easy to control your videos.
• Smart Online Video Player – With our customizable online video player, you can give access to popular features such as subtitles, speed change, forward rewind options to your users. In case you provide an android app, you can also give an option to keep those videos for offline use without worrying about piracy.
• Screen Capture Blocking in  Mobile Apps – VdoCipher mobile SDK integration default includes screen capture protection in both Android & IOS Apps. Screen capture protection in common browsers like Chrome, and Firefox on the desktop is not possible.

How Netflix is Tackling Piracy related to Account Sharing?

Last year, Netflix announced that they would start making users pay an extra fee to share their Netflix account with someone living outside the household. This account-sharing crackdown is supposed to be rolled out globally by the end of March. 

According to Netflix, about 100 million households use shared accounts. Cracking down on password sharing might prove to be a good opportunity for their revenue growth. 

How will Netflix stop you from sharing your password?

Going forward, Netfile will ask their users to verify their identity through a code sent to the account holder’s email or text message, or by logging in with a recognized device. If a user is unable to verify their identity, they will have to either create a new sub-account by paying a small fee to add users. 

In order to use a device not part of the account owner’s household a user will need to enter a verification code, sent to the primary email or phone number linked to the account. You’ll have to enter the code within 15 minutes in order to gain access to the account. Netflix will use, the IP address, and device ID in order to determine if the device is part of the household.

FAQs

How software piracy can be controlled?

The strategies to mitigate software piracy include, Use of multi-DRM download system, Employing Antipiracy Software, Implementing Obfuscation, Tamper-Proof Software, Software Watermarking, Copyrights, Patents, and End User Agreements, Providing Demo or Trial Versions, Promoting Antipiracy Incentives.

How can piracy be prevented in regard to data and information?

Here are some of the key approaches identified from different sources, Affordable Access to Content, Public Relations and Education, Barriers to Entry for Pirates, Active Monitoring and Legal Action, Consumer Responsibility, Industry Cooperation, Innovative Use of Technology.

How does piracy affect the film industry?

The financial toll of piracy on the U.S. economy is nearly $30 billion annually, with pirated videos viewed over 200 billion times in 2018 alone. This loss translates into up to 560,000 industry job losses each year, affecting not just direct stakeholders like filmmakers and distributors but also ancillary businesses and services associated with film production​​. The ripple effects of piracy extend beyond immediate financial damage, posing a threat to creativity by reducing investment in new and innovative projects. Independent films and smaller projects, which often rely on box office returns and legitimate sales for success, are disproportionately affected.

Data sources:

https://www.akamai.com/us/en/multimedia/documents/white-paper/inside-the-world-of-video-pirates.pdf 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2019/06/26/pirated-video-gets-viewed-over-200-billion-times-a-year-infographic/#75f4b25a2bcf

https://www.ncta.com/whats-new/how-much-is-digital-video-piracy-costing-the-us-economy

https://www.theglobalipcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Digital-Video-Piracy.pdf

Subodh

Product Marketing Specialist, VdoCipher.

www.vdocipher.com

The post 12 Video Piracy Statistics, 6 Prevention Methods (2023) appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Talk to Video Hosting Experts!

If you have business inquiries or other related questions, our sales experts are available on email, call, whatsapp or demo call. If you have any specific questions, you can also send them in advance to support@vdocipher.com so that our team can be prepared.

Schedule a Call

Rahul Rana

Head of Digital Marketing at Vdocipher. I love the art of connecting the right product to their users. When i’m not doing that i love getting lost in books.

www.vdocipher.com/

The post Google Widevine DRM: Simple Guide to Security & Integration appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.