As AWS S3 uses object storage instead of block storage, it can transfer bundled data with unique identifiers and customizable metadata tags to form complete objects. Object storage infrastructure also has reduced latency when storage is remote. This leads to faster delivery or performance of the overall application, dependent on storage.

What is Amazon S3 Video Hosting?

Amazon S3 or AWS S3 or Amazon Simple Storage Service is a service offered by AWS or Amazon Web Services. It provides object storage through Amazon S3 REST API and web service interface. AWS S3 uses the scalable storage infrastructure used by large networks like Netflix and eCommerce giants like Amazon.

AWS S3 object storage can store any object like file storage for Internet applications, Videos, data backups, recovery, archives, data analytics, and even hybrid cloud storage. However, there are some limits to the uploaded object file size. An AWS S3 object can have a file size between 1 byte and 5TB. If an object exceeds 5TB, it must be divided into maximum chunks of 5TB before uploading. Also, during the upload, a maximum stream of 5GB can be uploaded in a single upload operation. For uploading objects larger than 5GB, a user must use the S3 multipart upload API.

AWS S3 History and Infrastructure Design

Amazon Web Services started offering S3 services to businesses as web services in the United States on March 14, 2006. It further spread to Europe in November 2007 and is now present in 190 countries worldwide. AWS started with 10 billion objects in October 2007 and grew by 10 times to 102 billion objects in March 2010. Amazon reported that it stores more than 100 trillion objects in S3 servers as of March 2021.

It proved to be a success as it provided small, medium, and large-scale businesses an opportunity to replace the upfront capital investment. Earlier, with limited options, they had to bear the large capital cost of setting up servers, and it was still cumbersome to maintain them in multiple locations. Now, users can create hundreds or thousands of S3 servers in minutes and deliver globally via Video CDN distribution.

Infrastructure Design

Objects are the basic storage units of AWS S3, and they are organized into containers called buckets. Each object is identified by a unique user-assigned key in relation to the bucket. Buckets and objects within them can be managed manually using the web interface through the console and programmatically with the Amazon S3 REST API, AWS Command Line Interface (CLI), or AWS SDK.

Every request for an object gets authorized using an access control list (ACL) associated with each object or bucket. Object and Bucket ACLs are independent, meaning that an object does not necessarily inherit the permissions from its bucket. Permission to other AWS account users can also be granted for object access. A bucket can also be configured to log HTTP information to a sibling bucket for data mining operations.

Can Amazon S3 handle HTML5 Video Streaming?

AWS S3 easily handles HTML5 video streaming through basic upload and HTML embed code. You can use any HTML5 open-source video player or browser’s default video playback capabilities with videos hosted on S3. Your HTML code looks like this,

<video controls preload=”auto”
poster=”http://mys3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/videoImage.jpg”>
<source src=”http://mys3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/myvideofile.mp4″ type=’video/mp4′ />
</video>

The poster attribute here defines a thumbnail image before the playback.

Customizations during playback or to the player are made via the player frontend, not via AWS. Customizations to the player can be made using a secure video player like that of VdoCipher or java scripts and styling elements for your open-source player.

In the later part, we will also discuss How you can configure an S3 bucket to host your videos. We will do this via uploading video to the bucket, applying global distribution through CloudFront CDN, security, and playback. Using Amazon S3 video hosting with AWS CloudFront to host videos for OTT, on-demand viewing is highly scalable and a faster delivery approach.

Live Video Streaming with AWS S3

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) offers the necessary scalability, data availability, security, and performance required for live video streaming workflows. This service can act as a low-cost origin for live streams, replacing AWS Elemental MediaStore for basic live video origination. Implementing a redundant architecture with AWS Elemental Live and MediaLive ensures a resilient streaming setup. Using a MediaLive standard channel, HLS outputs are generated and directed to two separate Amazon S3 bucket locations, ensuring redundancy. In case of an encoder failure, this setup allows for seamless failover by managing stale manifests and forcing 404 HTTP error codes to trigger redundancy failover as per HLS specifications.

For optimal performance, use adaptive bitrate (ABR) media streaming, organizing media using slash (/) delimiters for each live channel format. Amazon S3 can handle high request rates, achieving up to 3,500 PUT/COPY/POST/DELETE or 5,500 GET/HEAD requests per second per partitioned prefix. Strong read-after-write consistency across all AWS regions ensures that subsequent read requests immediately receive the latest version of an object, maintaining smooth live streaming.

Security features include encryption and access management, with compliance to PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and other regulatory standards. Additionally, content security can be enhanced with access tokenization and Secure Media Delivery at the Edge, while full Digital Rights Management (DRM) can be achieved using DRM + AWS Infrastructure providers like VdoCipher.

Planning an AWS-based Video Infrastructure

The basic objective for planning an AWS S3 Video Streaming Infrastructure is to provide scalable, secure, and faster video delivery for authorized playback or download. AWS S3 provides a scalable infrastructure for video object storage, but further additions are required to enhance the delivery. These additional features include global distribution via AWS CloudFront CDN, transcoding, and encryption. To list down, here are the following necessary components needed to be set up.

• Setting up an S3 bucket
• Upload a video to the S3 bucket
• Transcoding to support Adaptive Bitrate Streaming
• Encrypting the Files before storage
• Create a CloudFront origin access identity and CloudFront distribution
• Configure your CloudFront distribution for your custom domain name
• Dynamic key exchange playback for Encrypted video chunks

All these components are required as basic features to handle different devices and across globe secure delivery. If adaptive bitrate streaming is not set up, it will lead to playback disruption for low-bandwidth network users. Similarly, CDN provides faster delivery across the globe. Finally, setting up a DRM layer of security will protect your videos from illegal downloads and screen capture. Also, setting up all these components requires your familiarity with coding. Using a secure video hosting solution provider with AWS infrastructure is better if that is your weak or capital-intensive area.

S3 bucket creation and upload process for streaming video

Obviously, there are different methods using the web interface through the console and programmatically with the Amazon S3 REST API, AWS Command Line Interface (CLI), or AWS SDK. For simplicity, we will be discussing the steps via AWS Management Console.

1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console & select the Amazon S3 console by searching S3.
2. In the left navigation pane, choose Buckets.
3. Click on Create bucket.
4. Enter a bucket name in the next create bucket page.
5. Choose a preferred region. Keep it closest to your application server, but if only for playback, then closest to the majority audience. When having global viewership, implement CDN.
6. For Unrestricted Public Access, Disable the “Block all public access,” which is by default. The default setting of “Block all public access” is good if you use Cloudfront CDN with S3. This setting doesn’t block viewers from accessing via Cloudfront CDN.
7. You can keep other settings as default and click on Create bucket. This will create your bucket and will be ready to host your videos.
8. In the Objects tab of your new bucket, choose Upload.
9. On the Upload page, choose Add files under Files and folders.
10. Choose a video file to upload from your local system and then choose Open.

Finally, Choose Upload, and the console will start showing a progress bar to display the uploading.

Note: If you’re uploading large video files to S3, file size restriction can disrupt your upload. For such use cases, use Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration or batch processing. Transfer Acceleration can upload a video over long distances at a faster rate.

Why Avoid Using S3 Buckets alone for Serving Video?

Using Amazon S3 alone for serving video can present several challenges, particularly concerning cost and performance. S3 is designed for storage, not for high-performance media delivery. High traffic can overwhelm S3, as it has a limit of 5000 GET requests per second per partition. This can be problematic for high-demand video services. Additionally, egress data costs from S3 can be high.

For a better experience, using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Amazon CloudFront is recommended. CloudFront caches content at edge locations, reducing load times and bandwidth costs. It also supports high request rates better than S3 alone. By integrating CloudFront with S3, you get the benefits of distributed content delivery, optimized performance, and reduced costs. For small videos (like 50MB), this setup can significantly enhance delivery speed and reliability.

To implement this, upload your videos to an S3 bucket and configure CloudFront to use this bucket as the origin. Ensure proper cache control headers for efficient caching. While S3 handles storage, CloudFront manages delivery, providing a seamless and efficient video streaming experience.

Create AWS CloudFront Distribution for CDN support

For optimal video streaming, integrating Amazon S3 with a CDN such as CloudFront is advisable. CloudFront improves performance by caching video content at edge locations closer to users, reducing latency and load times. This setup leverages S3 for storage while utilizing CloudFront’s caching capabilities for delivery, mitigating the limitations of S3 alone. CloudFront also offers cost benefits, with cheaper egress rates compared to direct S3 delivery.

Creating an AWS CloudFront distribution is fairly simple, but it may require additional steps like securing your S3 access by providing access to a special CloudFront user only. We have listed the basic steps of creating a CDN distribution and accessing S3 videos via the distribution URL. Setting up a custom domain for your CloudFront distribution requires further steps and AWS Route 53 service usage.

1. Sign in to the Console and open the CloudFront console by searching for CloudFront and selecting it.
2. Choose Distributions in the left navigation pane.
3. Choose to Create distribution.
4. In the Origin section, choose the domain name of your S3 origin named after the bucket name you created in S3.
5. In the Default cache behavior, choose Redirect HTTP to HTTPS.
6. Keep the default values for other features unless explicitly required and click on Create distribution.

Now, AWS will create a subdomain for your CloudFront distribution, and the S3 video files can be accessed by suffixing the object name at the end of this subdomain. As soon as a request is made via distribution, it will start creating copies of the video file as per the price class of locations chosen.

Batch Transcoding for Adaptive bitrate streaming

Consumers of any small, medium, or large-scale video providers use devices of all sizes and shapes for video playback. Such a large list of screen sizes and network capacity poses a challenge to cater to them more effectively and enhance their user experience. That is why no single object can cater to all of them instead of a range of video objects. These objects are actually copies in different formats, sizes and bitrates. AWS provides a scalable feature to accomplish this task which is called transcoding. There are following major steps included in the process.

1. Upload input videos
2. Start processing the video file for different playback options
3. Storing the transcoded video files within folders under the S3 bucket
4. Delivering the output video files as per users compatibility

You need to set up S3 Batch Operations, invoke a Lambda function, and call MediaConvert to batch-transcode media objects in an S3 bucket. The outputs are finally moved into the S3 source bucket as separate objects, like,

• An HLS adaptive bitrate stream for multi-size and bandwidth playback
• A .mp4 video file
• Thumbnail images from regular intervals during playback

We will now highlight the categories of steps you need to take to set up batch transcoding for adaptive bitrate streaming. Please refer to the AWS documentation of the steps mentioned below for detailed singular steps.

1. Create an IAM role for MediaConvert, S3 Batch Operations, and Lambda function
2. Start a Lambda function for video transcoding
3. Configure Amazon S3 Inventory as a source bucket
4. Run an S3 Batch Operations job to process the output media files from and to the S3 bucket

Applying Encryption for security from illegal downloads

AWS itself provides a security mechanism under three server-side encryption mechanisms. They are mutually exclusive options and depend upon how you decide to manage the encryption keys.

1. Amazon S3-Managed Keys (SSE-S3)
2. KMS keys Stored in AWS Key Management Service (SSE-KMS)
3. Customer-Provided Keys (SSE-C)

But many tools can break these key management systems and require some strong protection technology like DRM. It becomes secure majorly due to two reasons, control over devices and browsers by license providers and secondly due to dynamic and updated key exchange system. Again, setting up DRM is fairly technical, and thus, we are listing the basic steps required on your side to be processed technically.

1. You must acquire a DRM license through providers like Google Widevine and Apple Fairplay. They let you use their system to generate and store your DRM content keys and authenticate the media request during storage and playback.
2. Set up an AWS server to batch-process the media files for encryption and store your encrypted video files in an S3 bucket.
3. You will also have to create a live application that authenticates and authorizes your playback users using the licensee dynamic key management system.

Finally, you will need an online media player capable of handling DRM-protected video file playback. This mechanism protects your videos from being illegally downloaded using any tools. On Android and Apple devices, it also protects screen capture, but obviously, it can be video recorded, and it is thus advised to enable a dynamic watermark.

How to playback AWS S3-hosted videos

Playback of AWS S3-hosted video files is fairly simple. You need an open-source video player that supports HTML5 playback. You also get additional features if you use any secure AWS hosting provider like VdoCipher with DRM protection. Otherwise, the playback on any HTML page is similar to what was explained for the HTML5 video earlier.

The video from AWS S3 will play automatically through the browser player configuration.
The code required is simple and can be integrated manually as an iframe or via plugins, API, etc.

<video controls>
<source src=”http://mys3bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/myvideofile.mp4″>
</video>

Challenges in setting up AWS S3 Video Streaming

Even for a DevOps engineer, all the setup tasks mentioned above are moderately cumbersome. Even if we ignore the bug fixes and exception handling, there is a lot to do from starting the upload to storage and final playback. Also, if you plan to integrate security into your video infrastructure, it requires getting licenses and their integrations. To summarize the challenges, let us list down four major stages required in setting up AWS S3 Video Streaming and their difficulty levels.

1. S3 bucket creation and upload – Easy
2. AWS CloudFront set up – Easy
3. Batch Transcoding for adaptive playback – Moderate
4. Applying DRM Encryption – Difficult

Small, medium and large-scale video streaming providers mainly use a solution provider with a history of providing the best in class service and features. They can help you evade the challenges in the implementation part and the challenges in creating dashboards, APIs, etc., for easy integration.

Secure Video hosting solution on AWS Infrastructure – VdoCipher

As a secure video hosting solution provider on AWS Infrastructure, the best one based on global reviews is likely VdoCipher. It not only provides AWS S3-hosted videos but provides a ton of other features, like,

Google and Apple FairPlay DRM Encryption – protect videos from unauthorized access and downloads via Widevine and FairPlay DRM.

Dynamic watermarking – to discourage screen capture, details like user ID, email, etc., can be dynamically watermarked over the video.

Secure offline downloads in apps – VdoCipher iOS native SDK securely enables video download on the device.

Google SafetyNet for app-based security – SafetyNet to block playback on duplicate apps.

Plugins – The video plugin by VdoCipher supports WordPress, Moodle, and other CMSs and LMSs.

Geo-Restrictions – For blacklisting or whitelisting specific countries

Smart HTML5 Video Player – dynamic controls with multi-lingual subtitle support, change playback speed, theme options, and API to add overlay buttons for tracking viewer interactions with video.

Adaptive Video Quality with CloudFront CDN – VdoCipher uses Global AWS Cloud Infrastructure. Storage on AWS S3, batch Transcoding via VdoCipher algorithms on AWS EC2, Streaming of content via Cloudfront CDN, and Encryption by integrating Google and Apple DRM. If you want to know more about, what is transcoding, you can visit the blog linked.

FAQs

Does AWS provide DRM protection for video streaming?

AWS has no DRM protection service of its own, which is why it needed to be integrated with Google Widevine and Apple Fairplay DRM for illegal download protection.

Can we load an AWS S3 hosted into an Iframe?

Yes, it requires just placing your video tags under iframe tags in HTML and has compatibility support in every browser.

Is AWS S3 storage expensive for video streaming?

AWS S3 storage is the most affordable storage if you are looking forward to scaling and adding additional features like adaptive bitrate streaming, CDN, and encryption. Also, due to AWS’s affordable pricing, DRM technology integration still makes it highly affordable.

Vishal Sharma

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

The post AWS S3 Video Streaming & Video Hosting with Amazon CDN and Multi-DRM appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

According to WordStream, readers retain only 10% of a message while reading as compared to 95% while watching a video. Combine that with a dependable and fast internet connection and you have a plethora of content flowing in your direction! This gives content creators a golden opportunity to showcase their knowledge and creativity to viewers from all over the world.

Now we know that YouTube has got it all in terms of information and entertainment. But it’s not the only video sharing platform worth mentioning. YouTube alternative sites are just as good!

I’m going to list the top 16 video sharing sites that offer impeccable streaming and uploading capabilities. They’re beneficial for both viewers and creators. In other words, they’re also great video upload sites. But before diving into the details, I’ll highlight some key benefits a video sharing platform offers. Let’s dig in.

What Benefits Does a Video Sharing Platform Offer?

The biggest benefit of video sharing websites for viewers is that they can gain access to broad categories of videos within seconds. On the other hand, content creators can unleash their creativity on various video upload sites.

Uploading a video to a video platform enables easy embedding on a website such as Wix, Squarespace, Hubspot or Elementor. Videos provide businesses with additional exposure, thus, boosting sales, conversions, and ROI. Video content is by far, the best way to engage with your audience and give a compelling message.

Top 16 Video Sharing Sites

1. Vimeo

Vimeo is the most popular video sharing platform after YouTube. It is also the most common YouTube vs. Wistia alternative out there. Most viewers have been complaining about ads popping up at random times while they are watching a video on YouTube. This problem doesn’t arise on Vimeo. This way, viewers can focus on the content as there are no distractions.

The video sharing platform has a free basic version that offers 500MB per week as the maximum upload limit. Premium users can easily upgrade the limit to 5 GB. Even though the free version has a restriction on the amount of data users can upload, it doesn’t cap the video length.

Unlike YouTube, it doesn’t offer any monetization to creators. However, the tip jar button shows that earnings are based on a model of video on demand. The supported video formats on this YouTube alternative include MOV, WebM, MP4, AVI, MPEG4, WMV, FLV, MPEG PS, and 3GPP. Doesn’t that make Vimeo one of the best video upload sites? The best part is that users can browse for high video quality content for free!

2. Utreon

Utreon appeals to a wide array of users, thanks to the diverse content and easy navigation. Even though the video sharing platform is not as popular as YouTube, it’s definitely less distracting. Another good reason why it’s an effective YouTube alternative is that Utreon doesn’t limit or promote channel discovery, thanks to transparent algorithms.

Currently, it’s one of those video upload sites that offer a subscription system with the help of which users can support the creators whose content they like. Some other innovative features include the ability to create their own series or shows. That includes a table of contents, episodes season, cover art for every video.

3. Dailymotion

The primary reason behind the popularity of Dailymotion as a YouTube alternative is the flexibility in various revenue sharing models. However, the video sharing platform caps file size at 2GB and limits the length of each video to 60 minutes. Just like YouTube, it’s also one of the best video upload sites where creators can upload videos and view can browse content.

The user base is approximately 300 million per month. Thanks to its easy monetization program, users can easily earn decent revenue on the basis of views on their videos. Creators can upload 2 hours of a video each day with a restriction of 10 videos. But on the upside, the platform doesn’t charge content creators to upload.

If you are a pro user, you can easily upload high-quality videos with a 1080p resolution limit. As long as you follow the guidelines, there is no reason you can’t add Dailymotion to your video upload sites list.

4. Metacafe

If short-form content is something that sparks your interest, this video sharing platform is a simple platform facilitating both the browsing and uploading of such content. It’s absolutely free to join Metacafe. It’s a small scale YouTube alternative in which the length of the videos is 90-180 seconds. With 100 MB of the file size limit, users can create short duration videos as long as they follow the guidelines of the platform.

A better explanation for the service type on Metacafe is that it’s similar to Instagram Stories and Snapchat (you can add fun stickers, filters and icons). The only difference is that it’s older and the videos don’t disappear after 24 hours. The target audience for this video sharing platform is people looking for quick tutorials, product reviews, and funny videos.

Creators can’t automatically add videos to Metacafe. After they have uploaded a video, a big community comprising around 80000 volunteers decides whether they should add it to the public channels.

5. TikTok

TikTok is a short-form video platform that has rapidly gained popularity due to its easy-to-use editing tools and algorithm-driven content discovery. Videos on TikTok are typically 15 to 60 seconds long, featuring music, dance, comedy, and various trends. The platform’s “For You” page curates content based on user interests, leading to high engagement. TikTok monetizes through in-app purchases like virtual gifts, brand partnerships, and ads.

TikTok has been the hub for short-form content creators since it came out. This video sharing platform is not only popular among the common masses but among celebrities as well. The best part is that you don’t have to be extraordinarily talented to use it as a YouTube alternative. As long as you can entertain, inform or lip-sync, you’re good to go on video upload sites like this one!

Plenty of creators have been using TikTok for showcasing comedy, sports content, DIY videos, gaming stuff, and so on. Popular content creators often get to earn handsome amounts with brand endorsements, sponsorships, and influencer marketing. There are plenty of free sounds and music at the users’ disposal. This offers the freedom of crafting clips according to your taste.

If you wish to add an X-factor to your videos, the real-time effects and attractive filters facilitate the same. The size limit for content is 72 MB for Android users and 280 7.6 MB for iOS. The app is easily available for download for smartphones and tablets. This makes it one of the most convenient video sharing sites ever!

6.  Facebook Watch

Facebook offers extensive video sharing capabilities, supporting both pre-recorded and live videos. Facebook Watch is a dedicated video platform where users can discover videos based on their interests, including original shows and content from creators. Facebook Live allows real-time interaction through live streaming, which has become popular for events, Q&A sessions, and community engagement. Facebook monetizes videos through ad breaks, fan subscriptions, and branded content.

The fact that Facebook has crossed the billion mark in its user base adds to its ever-increasing popularity. Creators, brand pages, and users can easily add their content to a diverse video content catalog.

The feature that makes Facebook watch a great YouTube alternative is the ability to watch videos with friends at the same time. The feed is highly personalized which allows users to easily scroll through their favorite uploads. Apart from the management of subscriptions, creators can access the Facebook creator studio for publishing and moderating video content.

The on-demand content feature is also active in some countries. Not only can the creators insert mid-roll ads in between videos, but they can also take an ad break in the middle of a live video and earn even more revenue. But to fulfill the monetization condition, it’s important to have 1 minute each of 30,000 views in total and a minimum of 10,000 followers. Facebook keeps 45% of the cut for itself and offers creators 55% of the revenue.

7. Twitch

Twitch is a live streaming platform predominantly used by gamers but has expanded to include various types of content, such as music, talk shows, and creative arts. It provides interactive features like live chat and subscriber badges, fostering a strong community vibe. Twitch monetizes through subscriptions, Bits (a virtual good that viewers can purchase to cheer on their favorite streamers), and ads. It’s particularly known for its supportive community and high engagement levels.

Twitch is the humble abode for all gaming freaks across the globe. It streams gaming videos on the web as players get 3500 as the maximum video bitrate. If you are an advanced gamer looking for an opportunity to cash in on its revenue-sharing model, you’re in luck! While the payout isn’t as high as YouTube, you can definitely extra bucks some extra bucks with previously recorded videos.

To be an affiliate for this video sharing platform, you should have a total of 500 minutes of live broadcast counted for the last 30 days. Other conditions include a minimum of three viewers and 7 unique broadcasts along with a minimum of 50 followers.

On the upside, it doesn’t cost a dime to become a Twitch affiliate. This YouTube alternative has 11,000+ content creators partnering with the network. The video formats it supports include MP4, AVI, MOV, FLV, H.264 codec, and AAC audio.

8. TED

The sole objective of TED is to help people learn something new. It’s a great YouTube alternative to educate the audience on any niche. From famous speakers to professionals and the common masses, this nonprofit organization features them all. The talks are usually in the form of podcasts or videos which Spark the audience’s interest almost instantly!

9.  Instagram

Just take a stroll down the street and you won’t be able to find many people not scrolling through their Instagram news feed. If I had a nickel for every time someone sent me an interesting Instagram reel, I’d be Filthy rich! Targeted towards smartphone users, this video sharing platform offers entertaining and informative content within the Instagram app.

Instagram, owned by Meta (formerly Facebook), offers several video sharing options. Instagram Stories allow users to post short videos that disappear after 24 hours.Reels, a feature inspired by TikTok, enables users to create and share short, engaging videos. Instagram Live allows real-time broadcasting, often used for interactive sessions and influencer marketing. Instagram monetizes through ads and shopping features integrated into videos.

10. DTube

DTube is a video sharing platform that holds many similarities with Dailymotion and YouTube. It relies on blockchain technology for storing videos, unlike YouTube’s centralized server. This makes the data safe from hackers. Thus, DTube is a great YouTube alternative. Instead of displaying ads, DTube is one of those video sharing websites that offer cryptocurrency revenue to the content creators.

11. PeerTube

Just like its name suggests, PeerTube is among those video sharing sites that offer a peer-to-peer video sharing platform. This means that it doesn’t use a single server like most other video sharing websites. Users can easily host their own servers known as instance. You don’t have to worry about censorship on this platform as creators are free to upload all kinds of videos. But the video library of this video sharing platform is a little scarce due to PeerTube being relatively new.

12. LiveLeak

Unlike video sharing websites, the mainstream news doesn’t cover everything in an event. That’s when video upload sites like LiveLeak come into the picture. In the past, many video creators have posted graphic or controversial content on this video sharing platform which provides complete insight on an incident. The restrictions on video sharing sites like LiveLeak are minimal.

13. 9GAG TV

This video sharing platform enables users to upload pictures, GIFs, and videos. The Hong Kong-based social media site also allows users to upload videos from other social media platforms. Launched in 2008, it has made its way through the top video sharing sites in the world. It offers engaging informational, and entertaining content without any limits which makes it a leading YouTube alternative.

14. Webdew

According to WordStream, readers retain only 10% of a message while reading as compared to 95% while watching a video. Combine that with a dependable and fast internet connection and you have a plethora of content flowing in your direction! This gives content creators a golden opportunity to showcase their knowledge and creativity to viewers from all over the world. To express ideas into visuals, organizations hire the best video production company that produces powerful animated videos. 

Now we know that YouTube has got it all in terms of information and entertainment. But it’s not the only video sharing platform worth mentioning. YouTube alternative sites are just as good!

15. YouTube

YouTube, owned by Google, is the largest video sharing platform globally, with over 2 billion logged-in monthly users. It offers a diverse range of content, from educational videos and music videos to vlogs and live streams. Users can upload videos, create playlists, and interact with their audience through comments and live chat features. YouTube monetizes through ads, channel memberships, and Super Chat for live streams, making it a primary income source for many content creators.

16. LinkedIn

LinkedIn, primarily known as a professional networking site, has integrated video content into its platform to enhance user engagement. Users can upload videos directly or share video links from other platforms. LinkedIn video content typically includes educational material, industry insights, product demos, and professional updates. LinkedIn Live, a live streaming feature, allows users to broadcast events, interviews, and webinars to their professional network in real time.

What Factors to Consider While Choosing a Video-Sharing Platform?

Choosing the right video-sharing platform is crucial for maximizing your content’s reach and engagement. Here are key factors to consider when selecting a platform:

1. Audience Demographics:

• Who is your target audience? Different platforms attract different demographics. For instance, TikTok appeals to a younger audience, while LinkedIn is geared towards professionals.
• Geographical reach: Consider the global reach of the platform and where your target audience is primarily located.

2. Content Type and Format:

• Video Length and Format: Platforms like TikTok are ideal for short, catchy videos, whereas YouTube supports long-form content.
• Content Style: Each platform has its own content style and user expectations. Instagram favors visually appealing, creative content, while LinkedIn is more suitable for professional, informative videos.

3. Engagement Features:

• Interaction Tools: Look for features like comments, likes, shares, and live chat that allow audience interaction.
• Community Building: Some platforms, such as Twitch, are excellent for building a strong, interactive community around your content.

4. Monetization Options:

• Revenue Streams: Evaluate the monetization opportunities provided by the platform, such as ad revenue, sponsorships, subscriptions, and fan donations.
• Monetization Policies: Understand the platform’s policies on monetization to ensure they align with your goals and content strategy.

5. Analytics and Insights:

• Performance Metrics: Access to detailed analytics is crucial for understanding how your content is performing and how you can improve.
• Audience Insights: Platforms that provide demographic and engagement insights can help you tailor your content more effectively.

6. Platform Policies and Guidelines:

• Content Policies: Each platform has specific content guidelines and policies that you must adhere to avoid penalties or content removal.
• Community Standards: Ensure the platform’s community standards align with your brand values and content style.

7. Technical Capabilities:

• Upload and Streaming Quality: Check the platform’s support for video quality, upload speeds, and streaming capabilities.
• Compatibility: Consider the platform’s compatibility with various devices and browsers to ensure your content is accessible to a wider audience.

8. Ease of Use:

• User Interface: A user-friendly interface can make content uploading, editing, and management more efficient.
• Support and Resources: Platforms with robust support and resources, such as tutorials and customer service, can help you resolve issues quickly.

9. Integration with Other Tools:

• Marketing and Analytics Tools: Look for platforms that integrate seamlessly with your existing marketing and analytics tools.
• Social Media Integration: Platforms that allow easy sharing across other social media can enhance your content’s reach.

10. Community and Networking Opportunities:

• Collaboration Features: Some platforms offer collaboration features that can help you partner with other creators and expand your audience.
• Networking Potential: Consider the platform’s potential for networking within your industry or niche.

11. Cost:

• Subscription Fees: Some platforms may have subscription fees for premium features.
• Ad Costs: If you plan to use paid advertising, evaluate the cost-effectiveness of ad placements on the platform.

By considering these factors, you can select a video-sharing platform that best suits your content strategy, audience, and business goals.

How to Make Your Videos Perform Better on Video Sharing Platforms?

With millions of videos uploaded daily, standing out on video-sharing sites requires strategy, creativity, and consistency. Here are some tips to help your videos capture attention and engage your audience:

1. Create Compelling Content:

• Unique Value Proposition: Offer content that is unique and provides value to your audience. Whether it’s educational, entertaining, or inspirational, your videos should serve a clear purpose.
• Engaging Storytelling: Use storytelling techniques to make your videos more engaging. A well-structured narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end can captivate viewers.

2. Optimize Your Titles and Descriptions:

• Catchy Titles: Use attention-grabbing titles that clearly convey the content of your video. Include keywords that your target audience is likely to search for.
• Detailed Descriptions: Write detailed descriptions that provide context and additional information about your video. Include relevant keywords to improve searchability.

3. Use Eye-Catching Thumbnails:

• Custom Thumbnails: Create custom thumbnails that are visually appealing and relevant to your video content. Use high-quality images, bold text, and contrasting colors to attract clicks.
• Consistency: Maintain a consistent style for your thumbnails to create a recognizable brand image.

4. Leverage SEO Techniques:

• Keywords: Research and use relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags to improve visibility in search results.
• Hashtags: Utilize hashtags to categorize your content and make it discoverable to a wider audience.

5. Engage with Your Audience:

• Respond to Comments: Engage with viewers by responding to comments and encouraging discussions. This interaction can help build a loyal community.
• Call to Action: Include clear calls to action in your videos, such as subscribing, liking, sharing, or visiting your website.

6. Collaborate with Other Creators:

• Cross-Promotions: Partner with other creators in your niche to reach a broader audience. Collaborations can introduce your content to new viewers and add variety to your channel.
• Guest Appearances: Feature guest appearances to provide fresh perspectives and increase viewer interest.

7. Consistency is Key:

• Regular Uploads: Maintain a consistent upload schedule to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
• Brand Consistency: Ensure that your video content aligns with your brand’s voice, style, and messaging.

8. Utilize Video Analytics:

• Performance Tracking: Use the analytics tools provided by the platform to track your video performance. Pay attention to metrics like watch time, audience retention, and engagement rates.
• Content Adjustment: Use insights from analytics to refine your content strategy and create videos that resonate more with your audience.

9. High-Quality Production:

• Good Lighting and Sound: Ensure your videos have good lighting and clear audio. Poor production quality can distract viewers and reduce engagement.
• Editing: Edit your videos to remove unnecessary parts and add elements like music, text, and effects to enhance viewer experience.

10. Promote Your Videos:

• Social Media Sharing: Share your videos across various social media platforms to increase visibility and drive traffic to your channel.
• Email Marketing: Use email marketing to notify your subscribers about new videos and encourage them to watch and share.

11. Participate in Trends and Challenges:

• Stay Current: Participate in popular trends and challenges relevant to your niche. This can increase your content’s visibility and attract new viewers.
• Creative Twist: Add your unique twist to trends to make your content stand out while still being relevant.

12. Build a Community:

• Interactive Content: Create interactive content like live streams, Q&A sessions, and polls to engage with your audience in real-time.
• Feedback: Encourage viewers to give feedback and suggestions for future content. This involvement can help you better understand their preferences and create more appealing videos.

Showcase Your Creativity Across Video Upload Sites

Webinars, tutorials, product reviews, interviews, vlogs, movies, series, animations, explainers, and so on! According to Marketing Charts, the average user spends 100 minutes watching videos online in a day. Doesn’t that automatically make video sharing websites evergreen?

It’s understandable that rolling out unique and fresh video content can be daunting. That’s the reason why despite so many video sharing sites, creators still sit on the sidelines. But once you are familiar with the wants of your audience, a good video sharing platform makes the process a breeze.

However, a major problem for creators sharing videos is piracy. Don’t sweat it. All you need is secure video hosting that prevents unsolicited downloads and captures. It doesn’t matter which software or internet plugins someone uses. So, what are you waiting for? Quench viewers’ thirst for information and accomplish your video goals with the best video sharing sites.

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 Top 16 Video Sharing Platform To Consider In 2024 (UPDATED) appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

And which is the most popular platform when it comes to online video streaming sites?

Undoubtedly, YouTube.

Since its launch in 2004, YouTube has been one of the best video sharing platforms in the world. It has over 1.8 billion active users. This video sharing platform is the second most popular video site after Google.

And what is the reason why YouTube is still growing its global audience base?

The first reason will be the ease of use. It is so user-friendly that anyone, even with no little technical knowledge can, upload, share, view, comment on the videos.

The next reason is that you need only minimal video equipment to use this online video platform. You don’t have to spend too much money or time to post videos on YouTube.

Also, YouTube is mobile-friendly. And 75% of all video plays are on mobile devices, which in turn increases the popularity of this video platform. The pandemic situation also played a role in this.

However, as the number of users increased, there is also an increase in complaints too. Also some users are looking to explore other video sites similar to YouTube for different reasons and even creating a Video Streaming platform like YouTube.

One of the main issues raised is that YouTube keeps revising its guidelines with no prior indication. Another problem is with the ads. Nowadays, it’s like the YouTube ads have gotten out of control in both length and content.

So, today unhappy users are looking for video sites other than YouTube.

Best 12 Online Video Platforms Like YouTube to Look for

There are a lot of features you might want to learn about other websites like YouTube. Here is a list of 12 top video platforms like YouTube that offer free video hosting with some quality content. We hope you find this list helpful.

1. Vimeo

Vimeo is one of the most famous video sites other than YouTube right now. Streaming videos for a vast user base with over 175 million users worldwide, Vimeo is in action in 150 countries.

It is one of the preferred websites when comparing YouTube vs Vimeo and provides a safe interface for users. Users can upload, host, and customize videos. The platform offers various features such as password-protect videos, bulk changes to embed settings, domain and geo-restrictions. This is one of the best YouTube alternative sites and has a video upload limit of 500 MB.

The ad-free streaming providence of Vimeo has been its most appreciable feature. Since its launch, it is known to have balanced privacy and security settings.

Vimeo offers solutions to professionals, media houses and businesses. You can choose various options which are available from Plus to Enterprise range plan and avail 7TB of data storage depending on the nature of your usage.

2. Dailymotion

Launched in 2005, Dailymotion is an entertaining and second-largest video streaming platform in the world. As of recent data, this video platform has around 300 million unique monthly users.

Dailymotion limits daily video upload to 2 hours with a maximum of 96 video upload allowances for a day.

The layout and the navigation panel of the Dailymotion site are very similar to YouTube which makes it one of the best streaming video websites like YouTube.

Dailymotion provides similar features compared to other video websites like YouTube where users can watch and upload videos. It offers an age-gate feature that protects children from sensitive content.

When it comes to privacy it provides Public, Private, and Password Protected videos.

A video uploaded on daily motion by your favorite artist cannot be directly downloaded however, a simple browser extension can do the same. This is one of the most popular video platforms like YouTube.

3. Flickr

Want to share videos and images both? Flickr is for you!

Flickr has been in action since 2004. As per a report it has over 60 million monthly users. This YouTube alternative site is a free platform for video and image sharing. The users can stream a million videos on it without any cost.

It limits uploading a video to 1GB with a maximum 90 minutes tile slot. Also, Flickr provides authority to creators to customize download access to their Flickr fans.

With Flickr Pro subscription you can avail Unlimited Storage, experience Ad-Free Browsing and Advanced Stats of photos/videos.

Flickr is still struggling to get real exposure in the market due to Instagram has been its major hurdle.

4. Utreon

Ultron is another online video platform like YouTube. This also allows users to follow their favorite influencers with a subscription system. It was founded in 2009.

What makes them appealing is the fact that there are no hidden algorithms to promote or limit the channels and videos. Especially at a time when the creators are questioning the unfair demonetization by YouTube.

Just like any popular video platform Utreon also allows you to create your own innovative videos. From normal blogs to multi-episode series.

5. Rumble

Rumble is a video-sharing platform founded in 2013 by Chris Pavlovski. It focuses on providing a space for free speech and content monetization, making it an attractive alternative to YouTube.

Rumble’s monetization options include ad revenue sharing, exclusive rights management, and more, allowing creators to earn significantly from their content.

The platform is known for its user-friendly interface and a wide variety of content categories, including news, vlogs, and educational videos.

Rumble has gained popularity among creators who seek to avoid the censorship policies of larger platforms like YouTube.

6. Dtube

Decentralized tube, in short Dtube is a video sharing and streaming platform powered by communities. It has been active since 2016.

Users can vote for videos they like and the creators can get rewards in the form of cryptocurrency. A win-win situation for all.

Its ad-free user experience gives it an upper hand against competitors.

Unlike other video streaming platforms, D-tube never counts views and instead counts votes on videos. It also doesn’t allow users to delete videos once uploaded due to voting features incorporated.

It is relatively a small player compared to video sites like Youtube, it has a bunch of online content creators trying to innovate new approaches.

DTube can be an alternative platform to YouTube.

7. PeerTube

Available in 28 languages, Peer Tube was actively launched in Jan 2021. It is powered by Activity Pub and Web Torrent.

This online video platform like YouTube works as an open-source and free platform with peer to peer model.

Its framework peer-to-peer model reduces the load on servers and provides a seamless video streaming experience to users.

PeerTube like its competitors is still establishing its identity in the video-sharing platform’s array.

The platform comes with an ad-free experience and doesn’t track your activities which is an added advantage compared to other video sites like YouTube. It allows you to connect with other viewers who are watching the same video.

8. Veoh

Veoh is an online video platform founded in California. It was developed by Dmitry Shapiro and launched in 2004. It provides video streaming customization for its users.

It streams unique studio content and content from independent video production houses. It can also supply user-generated videos to customers on the platform.

This platform gives an option to upload videos of any length which is rare to find in any other YouTube alternative sites.

Recently, when people talked about Veoh, the only thing recurrent was an excess ad-surge on the platform. But, if they work on this problem it can become one of the best online video platforms like YouTube.

9. Twitch

A subsidiary unit of Amazon Inc., Twitch is an American live video streaming platform founded in 2011. This online video platform is predominantly for gamers.

It is operated by twitch interactive and has achieved popularity for its live-streaming feature used majorly by gamers.

Twitch offers an easy and interactive interface to live streamers and is the largest live streaming platform. An integration of chatting, interacting, and sharing content while live streaming has made Twitch one of its kind in the market.

Twitch platform recommends more popular streamers with a high amount of viewers and doesn’t let you edit photos and your thumbnails. This is one of the rare online video platforms having a user age limit to be at least 13 years.

10. Crackle

Crackle is OTT; an over-the-top video streaming service providing hundreds of shows and videos available to users. It was launched in 2004 and is currently owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.

It is 100 % free and works on an ad-based model, making it an online video platform like YouTube.

With vast choices available as unique content in form of movies, shows, it is entertaining users in 21 countries across the globe. Crackle is a mobile, tablet, smart TVs, desktop, and laptop-friendly software.

With such great content, the unavailability of HD videos sets back its user base a little.

This platform offers a combination of popular movies, TV series and original content. You can sign up for a free account with Crackle to explore more features like parental controls, captions and watch later options.

[Read more about Closed Captions vs Subtitles ]

11. Odysee

Odysee is a decentralized video platform launched in 2020, built on blockchain technology. It allows creators to earn cryptocurrency (LBRY Credits) for their content, fostering a community-driven approach to video sharing.

The platform’s decentralization ensures that content is not controlled by a central authority, promoting free expression. Odysee offers a wide range of content, including Tech reviews, educational videos, entertainment, and blockchain-related content. Users can earn and tip LBRY Credits, providing a unique incentive for both creators and viewers.

12. Bitchute

Creators first; that’s Bitchute’s mantra.

Bitchute is a YouTube alternative site that helps you easily browse channels and videos. Bitchute is a video-sharing platform that operates using peer-to-peer technology

Launched in 2017, it acknowledges video and content creators first and gives them a platform to express and frame their ideas freely.

The registration is optional and does not limit users to obligatory registration before streaming videos and content; thereby providing a secure ecosystem to browse.

It does not use an ad-based model and provides creators a facility to accept payments from users on the platform itself.

Recently, when covid was happening, Bitchute was in the headlines for the effect of spreading misinformation. But they managed to recover later, and thus were able to avoid the criticism. We hope this article has helped you to explore sites similar to YouTube.

Why Hosting Your Videos On YouTube Might Not Be Good For Your Business!

If you are someone who deals with video content, chances are that you’ve uploaded videos on YouTube and embedded them on your website. This might be an easier and cheaper way to host your videos but it might not always be the best. 

YouTube works great when you want to increase your reach on the platform and grow your audience. But as a business with an already established target audience, it might not be great for you. Especially if you are dealing with premium content. The best place to host videos is on your own website. You can rely on a video hosting service to take care of all the video infrastructure. It’ll take care of the seamless delivery of your content along with safeguarding your content. 

These are some of the benefits you’d get from choosing an online video platform. 

Video Protection:

If your website has premium content, chances are that your videos can be downloaded and pirated illegally by users. In order to ensure that your content is not being downloaded, you’d need a service that protects your videos. 

Video hosting platforms like VdoCipher use DRM Technology which ensures that your content cant is downloaded thus helping to ensure that you don’t lose revenue due to piracy. With YouTube, you don’t get such security plus your content can be easily downloaded using tools easily. With online video platforms, you can restrict videos to a certain domain so that these videos only play on these websites only. You can even password protect your videos and ensure that your videos are protected form screen recording as well. In case the user somehow screen records your videos, you’ll have an option of dynamic watermarking which is a text overlay on videos containing user details, which makes it easy to identify the source of any download and leaks, ultimately discouraging any sort of screen recording.

Technical Support:

YouTube doesn’t have any dedicated support. So in case anything goes down you need to rely on the documentation or through their support community. With a video hosting platform, you’d get access to dedicated 24*7 support to help you through the setup process and with any other issues you may get while playback of your videos.

Customization Options:

With YouTube, you won’t get the option to customize the video player according to your own brand, plus at the end of videos, your user might get suggestions to watch other videos, causing other distractions and making your users go away from your platform. 

With a video platform, you’d get a video platform that you can customize according to your own branding and you can change the controls according to your own requirements. 

So all in all, if you are someone looking to host your videos, it s best to go for an online video platform to build your own video website like YouTube.

Which is Your Favourite Online Video Platform Like YouTube?

YouTube is still the number one online video platform when it comes to popularity. But, due to some of the recent issues like overuse of ads and complaints on content, users are looking for an alternative.

If you are looking for an alternative platform, you can try out all the 12 video sites similar to YouTube mentioned here. We agree that they cannot completely replace YouTube. But, these online video platforms are on par with YouTube, when it comes to quality, content, and ease of use. Thus making it worth a try.

Which of the above is your favorite? Did we miss any other alternative video sites like YouTube on this list? Mention it in the comments. We’ve recently published a blog on the history of Youtube, do check it out to know more about how the platform rose to its current status. 

Why Do You Need An Online Video Platform Like YouTube?

FAQ On Video Platforms Like YouTube

Which are the best video platforms like YouTube with fewer restrictions?

Below are some of the best video platforms with fewer restrictions

• Dailymotion
• Vimeo
• Rumble
• Veoh
• DTube
• VdoCipher

What are the common features of video websites?

Some of the important features of video websites are:

• Provides an option to easily stream live videos
• You can manage privacy and security with ease
• Easily browse videos by category and filter out videos
• Easily Customize your video

Is there a good alternative video platforms like YouTube?

Few alternate video platforms similar to YouTube include Dailymotion, Vimeo, Twitch, DTube, Rumble, Flickr, Veoh which offer users a variety of options for uploading and viewing content. You can always rely on VdoCipher as a great YouTube Alternative, Vimeo alternative and more.

Why should you look for YouTube Alternatives?

Few reasons to prefer other video platforms

• YouTube tracks lots of aspects of your behavior. If that is something that you can avoid you can consider using other video platforms
• There are more innovative video platforms to consider where you get engaging content and different features.      

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 Top 12 Online Video Platforms Like YouTube (2024) | YouTube Alternatives appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Apart from usage within the organizations, The video also provides a way to reach not only employees but prospects and existing customers

Seeing the market growth and current pandemic scenario, the enterprise video market is expected to grow from USD 16.4 billion in 2020 to USD 25.6 billion by 2025.
Major factors driving this growth are the growing organizational requirements to improve operational efficiency and employee productivity, the organization’s requirements to connect more efficiently with the remote employees/clients/users/customers spread across the globe, and the rapid increase in adoption of video communication.

How Do They Differ From Free Video Platforms Such as Youtube?

Video platforms like youtube are generally used to sharing content globally, youtube provides a platform to its users to publish and distribute the videos to internet-connected devices across the world. These platforms are not created for solving a specific problem for businesses or for meeting the business requirements of an organization.

Also when a company/organization shares a video on these platforms, they lose the right to the content.

Platforms like youtube can be blocked in a certain region of the world eg. youtube is blocked in China. Also, many organization blocks these online platforms like youtube to increase the workforce productivity and make them stay away from distractions.

The technical Support from these platforms like youtube can be slow as the number of users is very very high and it is difficult to address all the issues timely and resolve them. 

To tackle these above issues and to get a complete solution for meeting business requirements, organizations use the services of an Enterprise Video Platform. An organization seeks the below features from an ideal Enterprise Video Platform.

Security- 

The content shared on platforms like youtube is mostly for making the content seamlessly easily visible across the globe. This is the reason the videos hosted on youtube and similar platforms are not secure. The public videos, as well as the private videos, can be easily downloaded using the popular hacks and tools

Unlike youtube and similar other platforms, the videos on Enterprise Video Platforms contain sensitive content of an organization and cannot be shared publicly on the internet.
Companies seek various features like Encrypted video streaming, Video DRM (Digital Rights Management), IP restrictions, dynamic watermarking, etc as part of the solution package to protect their video content. 

Branding & Customization Of Player-

The player offered by non-enterprise video platforms isn’t exactly customizable. For example, the branding of youtube is always present on the player is always and it can not be removed/customized. Enterprise Video Platforms provide options for customization of the player, they also offer various themes and buttons to make the viewer’s experience more interactive.

Ads and Suggestions Might Distract Users-

Youtube and other non-enterprise video platforms tend to have ads, and this can be really distracting as a user. Also, at the end of a video, the player often shows irrelevant suggestions. Users often tend to click it. Next thing you know that the viewer has left the video/website altogether. Enterprise Video Platforms eliminate this problem and provide a pure Ad-free viewing experience.

Better Analytics, per-user analytics-

Data and analytics are very useful in organizations, it helps in measuring the success of video content and evaluate and optimize the ROI on it. 

Video Analytics plays an important role in finding the trends and patterns related to viewer experience and engagement.

it also gives details if a user has watched the allocated content and performed the next action item.

Using CTAs to drive user behavior (quiz, survey, form, etc.)-

CTA (Call to action) plays an important role in a good Enterprise Video Platform. It is used to direct the user to the next steps during and after the video. It allows the video creator to place questions, forms, surveys, etc at various positions in a video. They can also redirect the user to a specific page.

Video APIs to make your life easier-

API and SDK are an important feature that helps an organization to easily configure the Enterprise Video Platforms technology with its existing services (websites/apps) and for custom integrations.

Dashboard to manage videos-

These platforms offering enterprise video solution usually gives a dashboard to manage the videos and gives control to the user to manage the video contents as per the needs. They can arrange the videos in folders, create playlists, manage the video expiry and user’s access to the videos.

Support

Just like a conference call service is an important part of an organization nowadays, video services are also an important part of the daily functioning of an organization. Therefore, good technical support plays a vital role when choosing an Enterprise Video Platform. Apart from this, companies sometimes integrate a contact center solution as well in case customers have additional questions left.

Top Enterprise Video Platforms 

Below is the list of Top 6 Enterprise Video Platforms present in the market

1- VdoCipher

VdoCipher provides enterprise video solutions for businesses to help them serve content on their site/app in the most secure and smooth manner.

A combination of Hollywood standard DRM encryption (Digital Rights Management), screen capture blocking in mobile apps, viewer-specific dynamic watermarking, and domain restriction features ensures that videos can’t be downloaded or shared illegally from their platform.

VdoCipher allows organizations to Integrate their existing platforms with its services and helps them to play their video content on their website/app in the most secure and smooth manner. 

The complete packaged offering includes Global CDN server hosting, a Smart HTML5 video player, Detailed Analytics, Dashboard, and APIs to manage the videos. VdoCipher serves 2000+ businesses across 40+ countries.

2- IBM Cloud Video

IBM Cloud Video is an online video platform that provides enterprise video solutions for End-to-end streaming video services. It provides broadcast of pre-recorded content as well as broadcasting live content as well.

It provides Video hosting, transcoding, live streaming, automated speech to text, and analytics – in a cloud video platform. It provides a dashboard for administrators to manage the contents.

It also provides Multi-CDNs to provide an error-free smoother playback. 

3- Qumu

Qumu is another popular Enterprise Video Platform that offers a variety of cloud video platforms, on-premise, and hybrid solutions to organizations to create, manage, secure, distribute live and on-demand video content. 

The Qumu services can be easily integrated with existing video conferencing and collaboration tools including Zoom, Slack, Skype for Business, Sharepoint, Jive, Yammer, and Workplace by Facebook—as well as hardware from Polycom and Cisco.

It also offers features such as Automatic Live Captions, Translates, transcribes, edits and publish captions to their asynchronous video. It also gives Advanced Analytics feature that displays real-time network and usage data.

4- Haivision

Haivision provides enterprise video solutions through its SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) video streaming protocol. It is an open-source video streaming protocol developed by Haivision, it allows users to deliver high video quality, low-latency video streams across the public internet and to optimize video streaming performance across unpredictable networks.

The other main features offered by Qumu are Advanced Editing Tools, High-Capacity Video Recording, Multi-View Live Streaming Playback, Live Review Playback.

5- Brightcove

Brightcove’s enterprise video suite provides services for internal video communication, employee video training and enterprise live video stream.

Brightcove’s enterprise video suite allows you to create and deliver engaging video communications to inform and educate your employees.

Some other features include Multi-bitrate and adaptive streaming, responsive player, Player Management, etc. The security offered by Brightcove has IP restriction, URL tokenization, and single sign-on (SSO).

6- Microsoft Stream

Microsoft Stream is an enterprise video platform that allows video storage, sharing, and collaboration on its platform. Microsoft offers these enterprise video solutions by offering robust cloud-based applications for live communications as well as VOD content storage and management.

Only the users with valid Microsoft 365 credentials can get access to add, organize, share, and view video content in Stream.

In Microsoft, Stream Users have access to various channels and they can watch the videos and also use these videos across various apps/tools offered in Office 365.

7- Wistia

Wistia is a professional video hosting platform designed specifically for businesses and organizations looking to leverage video for marketing, education, and communication purposes. With its focus on enterprise-level features and analytics, Wistia stands out as a comprehensive solution for companies seeking to enhance their video content strategy.

Wistia stands out for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible even to those with minimal technical skills. It integrates effortlessly with various website builders and content management systems, simplifying the process of embedding videos into websites, blogs, or marketing campaigns.

8- Vimeo

Vimeo is a highly regarded video hosting and sharing platform that has evolved to become a go-to solution for individuals, creatives, and businesses seeking high-quality video hosting and sharing capabilities. It is renowned for its sleek user interface, excellent video quality, and a range of features catered to professional users and organizations.

Vimeo offers comprehensive analytics tools, allowing users to track viewer engagement, demographics, and behavior. This data is critical for content creators and businesses to understand their audience better and to optimize their videos for improved performance and reach.

9- Brightcove

Brightcove is a prominent video hosting and publishing platform, renowned for its extensive suite of tools and services tailored to meet the demands of large enterprises, media organizations, and professional content creators. Its platform is designed to support complex video operations and deliver a seamless, high-quality video experience to audiences globally.

The platform excels in handling vast video libraries, offering robust hosting capabilities, and ensuring high-quality streaming. It’s particularly adept at managing large volumes of content, making it an ideal choice for organizations with extensive video assets.

10- AWS Video Infrastructure

AWS offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services that can be customized to fit the specific needs of any business, from startups to large enterprises.

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for Video Processing

Amazon EC2 provides scalable computing capacity in the AWS cloud. It is essential for video processing tasks like encoding, transcoding, and packaging.

Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) for Video Storage

Amazon S3 offers secure, durable, and highly-scalable object storage. It is ideal for storing raw video files, encoded streams, and other multimedia content.

Amazon CloudFront for Content Delivery

Amazon CloudFront is a fast content delivery network (CDN) service that securely delivers data, videos, applications, and APIs to customers globally with low latency and high transfer speeds.

AWS Elemental Media Services for Video Processing and Delivery

AWS Elemental Media Services provide a suite of services for processing and delivering video content. This includes AWS Elemental MediaLive for live video processing, AWS Elemental MediaConvert for file-based video transcoding, and AWS Elemental MediaPackage for packaging and encrypting video streams.

Amazon Elastic Transcoder for Video Transcoding

Amazon Elastic Transcoder is a cloud-based media transcoding service. It is designed to be a highly scalable, easy-to-use, and cost-effective way for developers and businesses to convert (or “transcode”) media files from their source format into versions that will playback on devices like smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway for Automation and Management

AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway can be used to automate workflows and manage video processing tasks. Lambda can execute code in response to triggers such as changes in data, shifts in system state, or user actions.

Security and Compliance

AWS provides comprehensive security capabilities to ensure the highest standards of data protection and compliance. This includes identity and access management, encryption, network security, and compliance certifications.

FAQs

What are some of the key features of an enterprise video platform?

Video hosting and streaming, Content management, encoding and transcoding, Video analytics and user reporting, Security with access controls, and Integrations with other enterprise tools.

Does an enterprise video platform provide analytics?

Yes, enterprise video platforms like VdoCipher offer video analytics. Users can track their video performance, demographic factors, viewing time, and more.

Does VdoCipher offer a custom video player for enterprise requirements? If so, what features do they offer?

VdoCipher custom player comes with useful features such as DRM protection, Dynamic watermarking, Chapter, Auto resume, Picture in Picture, Video analytics, Gestures, and more. Also, the player is lightweight and additionally provides Adaptive streaming and speed control.

Rahul Nawani

Tech enthusiast, Love sports and music.

The post Top 10 Enterprise Video Platforms In 2024 appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

There are various free video hosting platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. They’re perfect if you want to share your content publicly. But if you want to host private content behind a paywall or for just internal circulation you’d want to stick to a private video hosting service. This would not only provide you with much-needed security but also some crucial features such as analytics, CDN, dashboard, etc.

To put it in simpler terms, If you are someone who wants to make sure that their content remains private you’d need to opt for a private streaming platform. In this blog, I’m going to further explore private video hosting services for businesses why would you need one, and what are solutions available. 

What Is Private Video Hosting?

A private video hosting service enables businesses to upload and stream videos in the most secure and smooth way possible. You can ensure that your premium content is not easily downloadable and shared among your users. 

Video piracy has been a major concern for video platforms for quite some time now. It is quite often that eLearning or OTT platforms would find their content being leaked and shared on pirated websites. Pirates would often download a video using a plugin or at times by recording their screens. This gives them complete access to the premium content and this can be shared further multiple times. Ultimately hurting the revenue of the content creator. 

Private video hosting platforms cater to this problem by providing DRM encryption which makes it difficult to download the video. On top of this, several other security features such as dynamic watermarking, password protecting videos, and screen recording prevention on certain devices, act as a further safety net that reduces content piracy. Ultimately, giving a much-needed boost to your revenue.

Private Video Hosting Vs Free Video Hosting

Apart from security and privacy concerns, there are a few other reasons why opting for a private video hosting service can be better.

Free video hosting such as Youtube generates revenue through advertising and is full of it. If someone is watching content on Youtube or embedded video in your platform, they’d often be disrupted with ads and promotional video. This can distract your users and can be poor for user experience, especially when you want to create an optimal experience for them.

Free video hosting services offer almost no option for branding and customization. With Vimeo and YouTube, you got only a few options for branding your player and even channel.

You don’t get enough data. Their platform does give you video analytics, but often you’d find that the data is anonymous and doesn’t offer you many insights into your users.

Who Needs Private Video Hosting?

You might want to consider a private video hosting service if you are looking to generate revenues through your videos. Or in certain cases, private content intended to be consumed by a select audience. These can be for internal corporate training, seminars, etc. 

One of the bigger use cases for business video hosting services is the e-learning and OTT platforms. These businesses rely on their videos to generate revenue and need robust and secure video hosting to ensure that the videos are protected and run smoothly.

These platforms are also prone to video piracy, this is why it becomes quintessential for them to invest in added security along with providing their users with an optimal viewer experience. 

Need for Private Video Hosting Platforms

Private video hosting platforms are becoming increasingly popular as they offer a level of control and customization not found on mainstream platforms like YouTube. These platforms provide users with the ability to maintain their brand’s integrity by ensuring there are no unwanted ads, offering tailored branding options, and providing advanced analytics. Moreover, they prioritize security, often featuring password protection and encryption to keep content safe. With the added benefits of potential monetization and superior storage options for higher quality content, private hosting platforms are an excellent choice for businesses and individuals looking for a more personalized video-sharing experience.

Private video hosting platforms offer unique advantages that public platforms like YouTube might not provide. Here’s a look at why you might need one:

• Full Control – Private platforms give you control over your content. You decide who sees your videos and when.
• No Ads – Unlike many public platforms, private ones usually have no unwanted ads. This means no interruptions for your viewers.
• Branding – Get a tailored look. Customize the player, the landing page, and even the URL to match your brand.
• Analytics – Detailed insights are a boon. Understand your audience better with in-depth analytics that many private platforms offer.
• Security – Keep your videos secure. Many platforms offer password protection, domain restriction, and encryption.
• Better Storage – More storage options and formats are often available, allowing for higher quality uploads.
• Monetization – Some platforms allow you to sell or rent your videos, giving you a direct revenue stream.

What Makes A Great Private Video Hosting Service?

To ensure that the videos are being streamed in the most secure and smooth manner. There are certain features that need to be there in the platform, to not only safeguard the content but also ensure a good user experience. 

Security

First and foremost would be the Security, if you are looking to generate revenue from your videos, getting them pirate would be almost anti-climatic. Your best bet against it would be to make sure that the private video hosting solution you opt for protecting you from such scenarios. The most ideal solution would be a service that provides DRM encryption. A multi DRM approach consisting of Google Widevine DRM and Apple Fairplay DRM can help you prevent any unauthorized use and leakage of your content. 

Encoding and Transcoding: 

A private video hosting solution that supports encoding and transcoding into a variety of formats will ensure broadcasters can distribute their video content to viewers.

It’s important that you are not limited by the format of your video files you can upload on your video hosting service. It can be quite cumbersome to have only a few limited options and then manually convert files into the required format. This is why it is important to have good video encoding and transcoding capabilities in the private video hosting service you opt for. 

The video encoding process of converting RAW video files into the ones that can be streamed online. While in video encoding the file is converted into other formats. 

Video API

Video APIs can make a lot of tasks such as uploading and embedding videos much easier by automating the whole process. Using server APIs you can manage your video and enable automatic video upload through APIs easily. Also, player APIs can help you to embed videos, change the player design, and add interactive features.

CDN

CDN or Content Delivery Network is a geographically distributed network of servers that ensures speedy content delivery regardless of the user’s location. In our case, videos uploaded are copied in real-time and stored in the relevant servers. Whenever a user requests a video, locations that are best for serving the user are chosen, ensuring good quality of your videos across the globe. Using a CDN you’ll ensure that your platforms scale with the viewers while ensuring that video streams seamlessly with minimum buffering.

Opting for a private video hosting platform will help you serve better-quality videos to your users globally.

Video Analytics

Analytics give you deeper insights into how your user interacts with your video content. You can figure out what content performs the best. You’ll be able to track who’s watching your content, how long did they watch the videos as well as their engagement.

You can tailor your content to your users’ needs depending on the insights you get. Thereby helping you make a better impact on your audience. 

In order to know more about must-have video hosting features, you can check out the blog linked. 

Best Private Video Hosting Services

Here are the best private video hosting services you can opt for to ensure secure video streaming. 

VdoCipher

Vdocipher is a secure video platform that helps businesses to protect their content and ensure a seamless streaming experience. If security is a major concern for you, then Vdocipher is the platform you need to go for. They provide Hollywood Grade DRM encryption which is used by the likes of Netflix along with other security features such as dynamic watermarking, screen recording prevention on android and iOS. Also, you get other standard security features such as domain restriction, geo-restriction, and dynamic URLs. Together all these security features contribute a vital role in boosting your revenue, which you would have otherwise lost to video piracy. 

Other crucial video hosting features are:

• multi CDN, 
• Video Transcoding,  
• Video APIs to upload and embed content
• Customizable Video Player, 

VdoCipher currently caters to e-learning and media platforms across 40+ countries.

Kaltura

As a video hosting platform, Kaltura enables you to brand your videos, and add annotations, CTAs, chapters, and forms that can appear on your video; all to increase lead generation and engagement with your audience. Although, Kaltura is best for Marketers, publishers, sales, and education personnel looking at higher levels of engagement and brand awareness. It can also be used to host private videos.    

Kaltura’s security features include domain lock, right-click protection, password protection, Email gate, or paygate.

Panopto

Panopto is another private video hosting service widely used by businesses. Their solution also includes video creation, management, and sharing. Vidyard’s features include video analytics, security features, and integrations with other tools

Panopto is used by businesses for video marketing to generate more leads and engage the audience before closing the deal.

Their security features include password protection, IP protection, and SSO login.

Brightcove

Brightcove is one of the video platforms available for hosting private videos since 2004. The platform has thousands of customers across 70 countries and aims to help in the marketing aspect of videos online.

Brightcove Media platforms offer solutions for broadcasting, publishing, marketing, or enterprise communications.

Some of their main feature includes

• Video Library Management
• Content Management
• Ingest and Transcoding
• Live Events Streaming
• Advertising

Vimeo

Vimeo was launched in 2004 as a Video sharing platform that enables creative professionals, and businesses to host private videos, record, edit, customize, and market videos with features like text and calls to action. 

Vimeo has more than 200 million users, 1.5 million paid subscribers. The Platform also provides workflow features, privacy settings, and detailed analytics

Here are some of the features that Vimeo has to offer for content creators

• Video Analytics – Metrics like average viewing time, live stats,  video engagement graphs are available.
• Video Editing – It enables the users to adjust colors, record videos, add text.
• Video Reward – This feature allows content creators to accept cash payments from viewers who appreciate the content.
• Video Security – Privacy feature includes password protection, viewer permissions

Wistia

Wistia is a business video hosting service founded in 2006. It helps businesses to leverage their video content to help brand marketing. It serves more than a half-million businesses across 50 countries.

Wistia offer numerous benefits such as 

• Wistia has a built in SEO solution for videos offering the users to add metadata like Title, Description, Tags, Etc It makes it simpler for google bot to find your videos for indexing.
• The video platform is adfree. Videos can be watched hassle free without videos being interrupted by ads
• Wistia provides an option to integrate CTAs into your videos. It’s a great way to earn more conversions by embedding CTA in to sales page or informational page
• Wistia comes with a heatmap feature that allows you to understand how audience interacts with your video

Vidyard

Vidyard is one of the private video hosting services founded in 2011 which connects users with personalized video experiences. It assists businesses to transform their way of communication and helps to drive more revenue through online videos.

Key Benefits of Vidyard

• Availability of custom playlists and video hubs to showcase your video library which helps the internal team
• In-depth viewer analytics like Streaming quality reports, viewer tracking
• Video security features like access controls, SSO support, Password protection, Embed restrictions
• Integration to various platforms

IBM Video Cloud

IBM Watson Media is an enterprise video streaming solution. Businesses can host private videos, manage and broadcast live and recorded videos. IBM Cloud Video offers a comprehensive solution for all businesses to enhance video capabilities.

IBM has three primary types of OTT video: subscription video-on-demand, ad-supported video-on-demand, and live-streaming.

Main Features of IBM Cloud Video

• Video engagement features like Audience polling, Audience Q&A, and comments
• Video Player features include Player customization, Mobile compatibility, Video Editing
• Additional features like Enterprise Content Delivery Network (eCDN), Cloud-based Transcoding, Integrated Content Management

VIDIZMO

Vidizmo started in 2009 offers private video hosting services to organizations across various industries. This platform simplifies the process of managing digital media with the support of artificial intelligence capabilities.

• Integration with various industry-leading applications
• SCORM Compatible
• Video scheduler to publish video content
• In-video quizzes and interactivity
• Automated video content via uploading tools

Wowza

Wowza was started in 2007 recognized as a global leader in video live streaming technology. Wowza comes with two options Wowza Streaming cloud and Wowza Streaming engine. 

A streaming engine is a server-based package utilized to deliver audio/video content.

Support for a wide variety of protocols, security options, including CDN, geoblocking, and codecs

• The platform provides developer tools including a REST API, Java and Ruby SDKs
• 4K streaming support across a wide range of devices
• Support multi-bitrate type live to stream
• They provide a streaming engine option for those who want to enjoy self-hosted streaming services

Muvi

Muvi is another video hosting service that is focused on White Label OTT Multi-Screen Video & Audio Streaming Platform. A cost-effective solution for content creators and it provides them with monetization options.

• It provides Robust APIs
• Offers white label multi-screen OTT TV everywhere
• Geo security and rights management
• Movie studio approved DRM

StreamShark

StreamShark was founded in 2011 as a video platform for hosting and streaming live videos. They have developed a secure and private video streaming service with viewers having an exceptional experience. It offers a consumer-grade (B2C) platform and an enterprise platform for streaming.

Key features include

• It offers global video CDN services with over 100 locations
• Support for Domain and IP restriction
• Detailed Analytics report
• It provides Single Sign-On support

How Private Video Hosting Platforms Secure Your Content?

Encryption is the backbone of video security. By converting video content into a coded format, encryption ensures that only authorized users can access and view your videos. Here are some of the most effective data encryption techniques used in private video hosting:

1. AES  Encryption: Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is one of the most widely used encryption algorithms. AES is known for its speed and security, making it ideal for encrypting large amounts of data. 
2. End-to-End Encryption: This technique ensures that data is encrypted on the sender’s device and only decrypted on the receiver’s device. It provides an additional layer of security, making it nearly impossible for hackers to intercept and decode the data during transmission.
3. Encryption Protocols for Video Streams: Protocols like Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) are essential for securing video streams. SRTP protects the data integrity and confidentiality of live video streams, while HTTPS ensures secure communication over the internet.
4. Digital Rights Management (DRM): DRM technologies control how video content is used and distributed. By embedding DRM into your videos, you can restrict copying, sharing, and unauthorized viewing, ensuring that only paying customers or authorized viewers can access your content.
5. Dynamic Watermarking: Adding dynamic watermarks to your videos can help deter piracy by embedding unique identifiers into each video stream. This makes it easier to trace unauthorized copies back to the source. Unlike static watermarks, dynamic watermarks can change based on the viewer’s information, making them harder to remove or alter.

User Authentication and Access Control

Controlling who can access your videos is crucial for maintaining privacy and security. User authentication and access control mechanisms help ensure that only authorized users can view your content. Here’s how these systems work:

1. Single Sign-On (SSO) Solutions: SSO allows users to log in once and gain access to multiple applications and services. This simplifies the login process and improves security by reducing the number of passwords users need to remember.
2. OAuth 2.0 Integration: OAuth 2.0 is an authorization framework that enables third-party applications to access user data without exposing passwords. It’s widely used for granting access to video content securely.
3. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): RBAC allows administrators to assign different access levels to users based on their roles within an organization. For example, a teacher might have full access to upload and manage videos, while students can only view the content.
4. Secure Sharing Links: These links can be set to expire after a certain period or limit the number of views, ensuring that only the intended recipients can access the video.
5. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): 2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to verify their identity using two different methods, such as a password and a code sent to their mobile device.

Analytics to Track Piracy Attempts

Understanding and mitigating piracy attempts is crucial for protecting your video content. Advanced analytics can help track and prevent unauthorized access and distribution. Here are some key features:

1. Real-Time Viewer Statistics: Monitor who is watching your videos, from where, and on what devices. This data helps identify suspicious activity, such as unusual spikes in viewership from specific locations.
2. Content Access Logs: Detailed logs of when and where your content is accessed can help detect unauthorized use. These logs can be cross-referenced with user credentials to identify potential breaches.
3. Heatmaps: Visual representations of user interactions with your videos can highlight abnormal usage patterns, indicating possible piracy attempts.
4. Automated Alerts: Set up alerts for unusual activity, such as multiple logins from different locations within a short period. These alerts can help you respond quickly to potential security threats.
5. Watermark Tracking: Dynamic watermarks not only deter piracy but also help track the source of unauthorized copies. If a pirated video surfaces, the watermark can identify the original viewer who distributed it.

Summing It Up!

If you are looking for a solution that protects your content from being viewed by unauthorized users, private video sharing and hosting services are the right choice for you. The right video hosting solution for your business can be chosen on the basis of how secure you want your content to be and what is the purpose. If the content is for internal circulation, then a solution  with password protection, Domain restriction might be enough 

But if you are looking to generate revenue from your video content, it is best that you opt a solution that provides DRM-based encryption so that any video downloads can be prevented entirely. Other important features you need to consider are CDN for speedy content delivery and Video APIs to automate your workflows.

FAQs

Why should I choose private hosting over platforms like YouTube?

Private platforms offer more control, enhanced security, no unwanted ads, better branding opportunities, and often provide detailed analytics. It’s ideal for those wanting a more personalized and professional experience.

Are private video hosting platforms expensive?

Pricing varies. Some platforms have a one-time fee, while others operate on a subscription basis. It’s essential to compare options based on your budget and needs.

How secure are my videos on a private platform?

Most private platforms prioritize security, offering features like password protection, encryption, and domain restriction. Always review the platform’s security features before choosing. Platforms like VdoCipher offer robust security with Hollywood Grade Multi DRM Encryption along with dynamic watermarking, secure offline downloads, and more.

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 12 Best Private Video Hosting Services [2024] appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

What Is OTT Broadcasting?

OTT broadcasting is a relatively new form of broadcasting that goes beyond many of the constraints of traditional broadcasting. OTT providers deliver movies and TV shows directly to users over the Internet.

Users need a stable Internet connection and a compatible device. The device can be a computer, tablet, smart TV, gaming console, or even a smartphone.  Users don’t need a cable or satellite TV subscription.

OTT offers the following advantages over the traditional broadcasting model:

•         Users don’t need to buy a cable or satellite TV subscription. They only need a stable Internet connection.
•         OTT broadcasting doesn’t require specific hardware and software provided by a telecom provider. Users need a stable Internet connection. They also need a compatible device. The range of compatible devices is broad, which includes computers, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and smartphones.
•         Users don’t need to depend on the pre-planned broadcasting schedule of the traditional broadcaster. They can view movies and TV shows at a time convenient to them.

The term “over-the-top” points to the OTT model bypassing the constraints of the traditional broadcasting model.

Naturally, the OTT market is growing rapidly. An Allied Market Research report estimates the global OTT market to grow from $121.61 billion in 2019 to $1,039.03 billion by 2027. The report projects a CAGR of 29.4% during the 2020-2027 period.  

 “Nuts and bolts”: How does OTT broadcasting work?

The process of delivering video content to consumers by using OTT technology is known as “streaming”. It works as follows:

• Users browse a library of digital content and select what they want to view. This sets off the OTT broadcasting process.
• OTT broadcasting services work with online video platforms (OVP) in the background for OTT DRM delivery. OVPs host online video content. Furthermore, they manage the back-end processes to deliver content to the devices of users.
• When users select the content they want to view, the OVP finds the format most suitable for the device of the user. OVPs automate this process. This automated process factors in the operating system of the device and the type of the Internet connection. The bandwidth availability is a factor too.
• The OTT broadcasting process breaks down the video file into smaller chunks called “packets”.
•  The broadcasting platform sends one packet at a time to users’ devices.
• OVPs use content delivery networks (CDNs) to deliver the content over the Internet.
• OTT video streaming protocols used by the OTT broadcasting platform reassemble the video file. OVPs use technologies like “adaptive bitrate streaming” (ABR) for this.

 Different types of OTT streaming

There are two types of OTT streaming, which are as follows:

1. “Video on demand” (VOD)

VOD streaming refers to viewing pre-recorded content. Consumers find it advantageous since they don’t need to depend on the schedule of a traditional broadcaster. They can view pre-recorded content at a time and place of their convenience. VOD is easier to implement as far as the technology is concerned.

 2. Live streaming

While VOD enables consumers to view pre-recorded content, it doesn’t deal with live performances. When an OTT broadcaster enables consumers to view events in real-time, it’s called “live streaming”.

As far as the technical requirements are concerned, live streaming is more complex than VOD. OTT broadcasters need to work with an OVP that supports live streaming. The process also involves specialized hardware and software. Consumers don’t need to use any special device or software for this though. 

 OTT streaming services: A brief introduction

An OTT streaming service is a website or app for consumers to access their preferred content. Such a company works with OVPs in the background to offer a suitable streaming experience to consumers. You can access the website/app and content on all Internet-enabled devices. These include computers, tablets, gaming consoles, smart TVs, and smartphones.

OTT streaming services charge consumers on a pay-per-view or subscription basis. These companies might show advertisements, which is another monetizing option for them.

The following are some of the top OTT streaming services:

1. Netflix

One of the largest OTT streaming services, Netflix has a vast library of content. The company offers original content that consumers can view on its platform. It also offers content from other producers.

 2. Disney+

Disney+ shows TV series and films owned by the Walt Disney Company. Consumers can access Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star, National Geographic, and Star Wars on this platform.

 3. Hulu

Hulu is a well-known OTT streaming service. The company offers different pricing plans, add-ons, and bundles packages. Consumers can access varied collections of content on this platform.

 4. ESPN+

ESPN+ focuses exclusively on streaming sports. As you would expect from a sports streaming platform, the company focuses on live streaming. 

 5. “Prime Video” from Amazon

Amazon offers Prime Video, its OTT streaming service. Subscribers get unlimited access to its library of video content. Prime Video also offers additional content for purchase or rent. 

 What should OTT streaming services expect in an OTT service provider?

OTT streaming services like Netflix might work with an OTT service provider like Dacast for OTT distribution and delivery. What attributes should an OTT streaming service look for when choosing an OTT service provider? The attributes are as follows:

•         Reliable hardware and software capabilities: OTT streaming involves big money. That alone explains why OTT streaming services need OVPs (online video platforms) with reliable hardware and software capabilities. 
•         Robust data security capabilities: OTT streaming services make revenues from video content. OVPs should provide robust security capabilities to secure the content.
•         CMS (content management system) capabilities: OTT streaming services have large libraries of content, furthermore, these libraries grow quickly. CMS capabilities are key to managing this content. Therefore, OTT streaming services need OVPs with matured CMS capabilities.
•         Video monetization tools: Video monetization is the key to the revenue of OTT streaming services, therefore, they need OVPs with the right monetization tools.
•         Easy-to-use and well-documented APIs: APIs (application programming interfaces) are key to the modern digital economy, and it’s no different in OTT broadcasting. OTT streaming services need OVPs that provide user-friendly APIs with excellent API documentation.
•         Competent and fast technical support: Glitches in an OTT streaming service become hot news quickly, therefore, OTT streaming services must get such issues resolved fast. They need expert and agile technical support from OVPs.

Pricing is another attribute that OTT streaming services examine while evaluating Online Video Platforms. However, they focus on the larger value. That transcends the price charged by OVPs.

How to Choose an OTT Broadcasting Platform

OTT broadcasting platforms have rised in popularity in the past few years, especially after the Covid 19 lockdowns. Viewers have tuned in to various channels during this time. There are some platforms whose return on investment has skyrocketed while some didn’t do so well. This brings us to our next section. How can you choose an OTT broadcasting platform?

Here are the factors you should consider while picking the right OTT broadcasting platform. Check these out.

• Global Content Delivery

Since delivery of great content is one of the most crucial considerable aspects for choosing and OTT broadcasting platform, you should look for one that has a reliable and reputed global cdn.

• Combination of Streaming Options

Depending on your business needs you are probably going to need a professional video hosting video-on-demand and live streaming functionalities. A platform that offers the combination of all these is your best bet.

• API Access

Video API and player API are some valuable tools that you should take into consideration while choosing an OTT platform. There are different ways in which broadcasters can use video API to gain programmatic access to the functionalities of a video platform. Choosing an OTT platform having these API accessories according to your business needs can help you customize the CMS and video player according to your preferences.

• Budget

Even though pay-as-you-go models are becoming increasingly popular, it’s a smart move to look for an OTT platform that incurs low bandwidth prices and has consistent costs. Don’t get caught in the maze of broadly ranged price points. Your expected ROI and available resources should be the key determining factors for your budget for the OTT platform of your choice.

• Monetization Options

A good OTT platform has multiple monetization options. The three primary ones include AVOD, TVOD, and SVOD. In simple terms, the first one means ad monetization, the second one means pay-per-view, and the last one means subscription-based model. If you offer recurring content, subscriptions are your way to go. Brand building and awareness content go well with ads whereas sports or other one-time events align with pay-per-view.

A Brief Description of a few Top OTT Service Providers

The following are a few notable OTT delivery service providers or OVPs:

1. VdoCipher

VdoCipher is a well-known Online video player. The company provides the following capabilities and features. 

•         VdoCipher uses AWS for infrastructure.
•         The company uses AWS and Akamai for CDN.
•         This platform provides reliable software and infrastructure.
•         VdoCipher provides well-documented APIs.
•         The company offers a customizable video player.
•         VdoCipher provides robust security features including strong encryption. Cyber-attackers can’t download videos streamed via this platform. VdoCipher offers dynamic watermarking, therefore, hackers can’t tamper with the content. The company utilizes other strong security solutions to prevent hacking.
•         This platform offers monetization tools.
•         VdoCipher offers reliable and competent technical support.
•         The company offers a wide range of pricing plans.

 2. Vimeo

Vimeo was a prominent player in the OTT space. After its acquisition of Livestream in 2017, Vimeo has become even more important. It offers the following features and capabilities:

•         Vimeo provides robust hardware, software, and cloud capabilities.
•         It supports both live streaming and VOD.
•         Vimeo offers comprehensive tools to manage video content.
•         This platform offers useful monetization tools.
•         Vimeo uses robust security solutions.
•         It provides in-depth analytics.
•         Vimeo offers phone, live chat, and email support.
•         The company provides a fully customized player.
•         OTT streaming services can use the engagement tools offered by Vimeo.
•         Vimeo offers comprehensive APIs.
•         The company has a wide range of pricing plans.

  3. Vidyard

Vidyard is an OVP with a focus on streaming for marketing and sales. It offers the following capabilities and features:

•         This OVP helps to turn viewers of videos into customers. The company provides important tools for business streaming.
•         Vidyard offers tools to improve user engagement and the reach of video content.
•         It offers robust security features.
•         Vidyard utilizes a comprehensive CMS.
•         It provides extensive video analytics.
•         The company offers competent technical support.
•         Vidyard provides advanced tools for broadcasting.
•         It provides dedicated marketing support.
•         The company has tiered pricing plans.

 4. Wistia

Wistia is a well-known OVP that supports podcasts too. The platform offers the following features and capabilities:

•         It provides reliable infrastructure and software for OTT broadcasting.
•         Wistia supports live streaming, VOD, and podcasts.
•         Wistia provides robust security features.
•         It offers an advanced video player.
•         The company provides CRM integration and extensive video analytics.
•         Wistia provides the relevant monetization tools.
•         It offers tools for marketing activities like lead generation, engagement management, SEO, etc.
•         Wistia offers competent and reliable technical support.
•         The company offers tiered pricing plans.

5.Brightcove

Brightcove is a well-established OVP. The company offers the following capabilities and features:

•         It supports VOD and live streaming.
•         Brightcove supports ABR and multi-bitrate streaming.
•         This company utilizes a global content delivery network.
•         Brightcove offers the relevant security features.
•         The company offers custom video portals, and it provides CRM integration.
•         Brightcove provides APIs and the relevant documentation.
•         It offers video monetization tools, and it provides robust analytics.
•         Brightcove offers technical support via phone, live chat, and tickets.
•         The company offers customized pricing plans.

The Key Trends in the OTT landscape in 2024

The following trends are worth watching out for in the OTT broadcasting space:

1. The roll-out of 5G

In many countries, 5G roll-out is in progress. 5G will offer much faster connection speed and lower latency than the current generation of mobile wireless technologies. It will offer much higher bandwidth too.

These factors will combine to make streaming a much better experience for consumers. 5G will likely expedite the growth of the OTT streaming market.

2. The efforts to sustain the gains in the OTT space during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic made many people stay indoors for a long time. OTT streaming became a key avenue for entertainment for many people. The world is combating the pandemic though, and vaccination drives have progressed considerably in many countries.

Many people expect the pandemic-related restrictions to go sooner than later. Will people rely on OTT that much for entertainment if the COVID-related restrictions are lifted? OTT streaming services are trying to make the gains sustainable by becoming more innovative.

3. Creation of localized content

Many consumers expect OTT streaming services to offer content that reflects their local culture. OTT streaming services have recognized this, and they are working on the localization of content.

4.Consolidation in the OTT market

There are many medium-to-small players in the OTT market and not only giants. Some of the giants like Amazon Prime Video have started efforts towards consolidation. They are partnering with smaller players to provide a wider range of content to consumers, and they are focusing on offering more convenience to consumers.

5. Greater efforts to increase user engagement

OTT streaming services are trying to improve user engagement. They are using more robust technology solutions for this, furthermore, they are trying to offer a more engaging user interface. They might use immersive technologies like VR (virtual reality) too.

Conclusion

We explained what OTT broadcasting is and how it works. After talking about the top OTT streaming services, we described the top OTT service providers. We also discussed the key trends in this sector. Contact us if you need more help to make a mark in the OTT broadcasting space.

FAQs for OTT Broadcasting:

1. What is OTT broadcasting?

OTT (Over-The-Top) broadcasting refers to the delivery of video content over the Internet directly to viewers, bypassing traditional cable or satellite TV distribution methods.

2. How does OTT broadcasting differ from traditional broadcasting?

Unlike traditional broadcasting, which relies on cable, satellite, or terrestrial networks, OTT broadcasting utilizes the internet to deliver content to viewers on various devices such as smart TVs, streaming media players, and mobile devices.

3. What are some examples of OTT platforms?

Examples of OTT platforms include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and YouTube TV. These platforms offer on-demand streaming services and live TV streaming options over the internet.

4. What are the advantages of OTT broadcasting for content creators and viewers?

For content creators, OTT broadcasting offers greater flexibility, global reach, and direct access to audiences without the need for traditional distribution channels. For viewers, OTT provides on-demand access to a wide range of content, personalized recommendations, and the ability to watch anytime, anywhere.

5. How is content delivered in OTT broadcasting?

Content in OTT broadcasting is typically delivered using streaming protocols such as HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) or MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP). These protocols enable adaptive bitrate streaming, ensuring smooth playback across different network conditions and devices.

6. What are the challenges of OTT broadcasting, and how can they be addressed?

Challenges of OTT broadcasting include managing bandwidth costs, ensuring content security, and addressing latency issues for live streaming. These challenges can be addressed through efficient content delivery networks (CDNs), DRM (Digital Rights Management) solutions, and optimizations in encoding and streaming technologies.

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 OTT Broadcasting – All You Need to Know in 2024 appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

Considering these growing use of videos in business and factors like coronavirus impact and the general increase in video usage adoption. It’s estimated that by 2025, the number of video streaming users is expected to be 1,423.0.and it is estimated that by 2025, the revenue in the video streaming market will reach $108,660 Million By 2025. That’s a huge growth considering that in 2017, it was just $28,202 Million.

What is Video Hosting?

Video hosting is a specialized service that allows individuals and organizations to upload, store, and distribute video content over the internet.Unlike static content such as images and text, video files require significantly more storage space and bandwidth, especially as they increase in quality and length.

Video hosting platforms like VdoCipher are designed to address these challenges, providing the infrastructure necessary to ensure smooth playback for viewers, regardless of the number of people accessing the video or their geographical location.

What is Business Video Hosting?

Video hosting for business is slightly different than normal video hosting. Business video hosting platforms allow you to upload and store your videos safely on a cloud and viewers can access the videos by visiting the platform(Website/App) where the video is embedded.

These platforms providing secure business Video Hosting are optimized for videos, without compromising on video quality or viewer satisfaction.

These platforms also offer modes for Marketing, monetization, customization, etc. Apart from Video hosting, these platforms provide services like online video player, video encoding and video transcoding, customization, a dashboard for managing the videos, Detailed Analytics, Video APIs, and integration with other platforms.

Key Benefits of Video Hosting for Business

Enhanced Engagement

Videos are a powerful medium for capturing attention and engaging viewers. By hosting videos on a platform that optimizes playback quality and speed, businesses can provide a seamless viewing experience that encourages engagement and retention.

Brand Control and Customization

Business video hosting platforms offer extensive customization options, allowing companies to align their video content with their brand identity. This includes custom video players, branded landing pages, and the ability to embed videos directly on their website without third-party branding.

Detailed Analytics

Understanding viewer behavior is crucial for optimizing video content. Business video hosting services provide detailed analytics, offering insights into how viewers interact with videos, including watch time, engagement rates, and conversion metrics. This data is invaluable for refining marketing strategies and content creation.

Security and Compliance

For businesses, especially those in regulated industries, security and compliance are paramount. Professional video hosting platforms offer robust security features, such as encryption, password protection, and compliance with regulations like GDPR. This ensures that sensitive content is securely managed and distributed.

Scalability and Reliability

As businesses grow, their video hosting needs evolve. Business-grade hosting solutions offer scalability to handle increasing volumes of video content and viewership, ensuring reliability and uninterrupted service even during peak demand.

Integration Capabilities

Integration with other business tools (e.g., CRM systems, marketing automation platforms) enhances the utility of video content. Business video hosting platforms often offer APIs and integration options that enable a seamless flow of data across systems, enriching customer profiles and personalizing marketing efforts.

How Using a Free Video Platform Like YouTube Can Hurt Your Business!

Free Video platforms like youtube are generally used to sharing content globally, these free platforms allow their users to publish and distribute the videos to internet-connected devices across the globe. These platforms are not created for solving a specific problem for businesses or for meeting the business requirements of an organization.

Here are some of the key factors you might encounter if planning to use a platform like YouTube for the video-related needs of your business.

Ads and Suggestions

These free video platforms are free but they tend to display ads on your video content and also show suggestions, this can be really distracting for viewers. These platforms might display Irrelevant ads and suggestions, Viewers may click on them and may switch away from viewing your intended video.

Security

The video contents used by an organization on a Video management system may contain premium videos or may have sensitive content of an organization and cannot be shared publicly on the internet. Hence, security is a very very important feature offered by a platform

The security offered by free video platforms is very weak, the videos from these platforms can be easily downloaded using the hacks and plugins, and tools available on the Internet.

A business seeks various security features like Encrypted video streaming, Video DRM(Digital Rights Management), IP/country restrictions, domain restrictions, dynamic watermarking, etc as part of the solution package to protect their video content. 

Lose Rights/ownership in the content

When a company/organization shares a video on these platforms, they lose the right to the content. The content ownership and control then belong to these platforms.

Blocked in certain regions of the world

Free platforms can be blocked in a certain region of the world eg. youtube is blocked in China. Also, the network of many organizations blocks these free online platforms like youtube to increase the workforce productivity and make the staff stay away from distractions. Especially if you provide local services such as movers in Brampton, this is an important point to consider.

Support

The technical Support from these platforms like youtube can be slow as the number of users is very very high and it is difficult to address all the issues timely and resolve them. 

To tackle these above issues and to get a complete solution for meeting business requirements, organizations use the services of the Business Video Hosting platforms.

Features to look for in a Business Video Hosting Platform

Scalability

The business video hosting platform must have the ability to handle multiple requests at any given time.
Outages and playback errors are unacceptable, In case of a sudden increase in traffic, they should be able to process data faster and more efficiently.

Server and CDN

Server and CDN play a very important role in delivering the video content quickly and efficiently even during times of heavy traffic. A good secure Server and CDN ensure that your users can seamlessly stream their videos across the globe. A good professional video hosting platform must have servers around the globe.

Security

The video content used by an organization may contain sensitive content of an organization and cannot be shared publicly on the internet. A business seeks various features like Encrypted media streaming, Video DRM (Digital Rights Management), IP/country restrictions, domain restrictions, dynamic watermarking, etc as part of the video solution package to secure their video content.

Dashboard to manage videos

A good video hosting service for business gives an easy-to-use dashboard for managing the videos and gives control to the user to manage the video contents as per the needs. 

Video APIs 

API and SDK are an important feature that helps a business to easily configure the platform’s technology with their existing services (websites/apps) and for custom integrations. Hence, a business definitely looks for API and SDKs from a Business video Hosting platform.

Detailed Analytics

It is important to understand your audience and finding the right trends and patterns related to viewer experience and engagement. Analytics is very useful for measuring the success of video content and evaluating and optimizing the ROI on it. It helps you understand in which countries, states, regions the videos are being watched and types of browsers, devices (Desktop. Mobile, Tablet, Tv), How much the videos were played and where were the most-watched parts of a video, etc.

Compatibility

The Business video hosting platform must be compatible and optimized to use with popular devices and browsers. These days most of the content is viewed on various Mobile, laptops, tablets, etc, Hence it is essential to have compatibility with all these platforms for easy viewing and widening the reach of the videos.

Support

A good video hosting service for business platforms delivers good and fast technical support for its customers. As hosting plays, an important role in the daily functioning of business hence good technical support is a vital aspect that an organization seeks.

Top Business Video Platform in 2024

Vdocipher

VdoCipher is a Business Video hosting Platform to help them serve content on their site/app in the most secure and smooth manner.

A combination of Hollywood standard DRM encryption (Digital Rights Management), screen capture blocking in mobile apps, viewer-specific dynamic watermarking, and domain restriction features ensures that videos can’t be downloaded or shared illegally from their platform.

VdoCipher allows Businesses to Integrate their existing platforms with its services and helps them to play their video content on their website/app in the most secure and smooth manner. 

The complete packaged offering includes Global CDN server hosting,  Smart HTML5 video player, Live streaming, Detailed Analytics, Dashboard, and APIs to manage the videos. VdoCipher serves 2000+ businesses across 40+ countries.

Vimeo

Vimeo is ad-free business video hosting, sharing, and services platform. Vimeo offers its video solutions to various business categories like Enterprise, Small business, Creative professionals.

The services offered by Vimeo include video creation, editing, broadcasting tools, and connecting with clients. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of HD videos across a range of devices. Vimeo gives a good-looking interface for distributing and managing your videos.

Apart from the features mentioned above Vimeo also offers Live streaming, Screen recording, a wide range of selections from License stock footage. 

Wistia

Wistia is a business video hosting platform focused to meet the marketing needs of a business.
It also provides analytics tools, marketing software like integration With Google and Facebook for setting up ads, Automatic video SEO, etc, These features make Wistia popular amongst marketing professionals.

It allows Uploading, customizing, and embedding content. It can easily integrate with your existing tech and allows you to send engagement data to your CRM, ad platforms, and marketing tools. It also offers a heatmap feature that allows you to understand how viewers interact with your videos.

Vidyard

Vidyard is another platform used in business Video hosting. It is an online video platform that allows businesses to increase leads, accelerate their pipeline, and delight their customers through its services. It is widely used for virtual sales, marketing, corporate communication, and other business aspects.

The features offered include Video creation, management, hosting, analytics, personalization, etc. The security offered by Vidyard has access controls, SSO support, Password protection, and Embed restrictions.

The other key features of Vidyard include custom playlists, analytics like Streaming quality reports, viewer tracking, easy integrations, etc.

Dailymotion

Dailymotion is a popular business video hosting platform, It offers both free and paid video solutions.
Unlike the other ad-free platforms mentioned above, Dailymotion is not an ad-free platform and doesn’t offer high-security features.

The Storage and bandwidth offered are unlimited, But there are restrictions on file size and length (Max 2GB and not more than 60 mins)

Other than the free video solution offered by Dailymotion, it also has a partner program that helps users in growing their audiences and revenue on their content. Dailymotion offers an HTML5 video player with a certain level of Brand customization & watermarking. It also provides Player API and native SDKs for easy integrations in other platforms.

IBM Cloud Video 

IBM Cloud Video provides business video solutions for End-to-end cloud streaming video services. It provides business Video hosting, transcoding, live streaming, Etc. The services offered by IBM Cloud Video are optimized for various business solutions like Live event streaming, Enterprise video platform, Marketing needs, etc. 
               
Some of the distinctive features are Recording of broadcasts, HD Live broadcasting With no caps on bitrate or resolution, Live playlists with looping, and Customizable channel pages. They use Multi-CDNs to provide an error-free smoother playback. They provide a dashboard for administrators for managing the video contents.

Brightcove

Brightcove is another online business video hosting platform that provides services like live streaming, create your own TV channel. It is optimized mostly for businesses in the media and broadcasting, entertainment, and sports sectors.

Its offers products such as – cloud video hosting, video player, live video streaming, OTT flow for internet TV, Zencoder for cloud transcoding, video monetization tools, etc.

Some other features offered by Brightcove include DRM, Multi-bitrate and adaptive streaming, responsive player, Player customization & Management, etc. The security offered by Brightcove has IP restriction, URL tokenization, and single sign-on (SSO).

Need for DRM security in Video Hosting for Business

Protecting Intellectual Property

For businesses, video content is often a significant investment involving resources, time, and creativity. DRM helps protect this investment by preventing unauthorized copying and redistribution, ensuring that only entitled users can access and view the content as intended by the content owner.

Monetization and Licensing Control

DRM enables content owners to monetize their videos through various models, such as subscription-based access, pay-per-view, or licensing agreements. By controlling access, businesses can ensure that revenue generation mechanisms are not undermined by unauthorized distribution.

Maintaining Brand Integrity and Reputation

Unauthorized distribution of video content can lead to loss of control over the quality and context in which the content is viewed. DRM helps maintain the integrity and reputation of a brand by ensuring that content is consumed in an environment that aligns with the business’s values and quality standards.

Regulatory Compliance and Content Security

Certain industries are subject to regulatory requirements regarding the handling and distribution of digital content, particularly where sensitive or proprietary information is concerned. DRM assists businesses in complying with these regulations by enforcing strict access controls and distribution rules.

Customized Viewing Experiences

DRM technologies can support dynamic content delivery, allowing businesses to customize viewing experiences based on user entitlements, geographical location, or device type. This enables a more personalized and controlled distribution of video content.

Analytics and Usage Tracking

DRM systems often include analytics capabilities, allowing businesses to track how their content is being consumed. This data can inform marketing strategies, content development, and licensing agreements, providing insights into viewer behavior and content popularity.

Summing it Up!

Due to the importance of using videos and their growing use in various aspects of a business, an organization should definitely opt for a Business video hosting platform rather than using a free business video hosting platform. Depending upon the nature of your business and requirements you can review all the aspects of the platforms mentioned above and choose the platform suitable for your requirements.

If you are looking for a video streaming solution with the highest available security (DRM encryption) along with business video hosting, CDN, player, etc, then you should definitely try VdoCipher. VdoCipher is a platform that gives the best offerings of video streaming solutions along with the highest DRM security available in the market.

FAQs

What is business video hosting?

Business video hosting is a specialized service that allows companies to upload, store, manage, and distribute their video content over the internet. Unlike consumer-grade platforms, business video hosting services offer enhanced security, advanced analytics, increased customization, and better integration options with business tools and software.

Why can’t I just use free video hosting platforms for my business?

Free video hosting platforms like YouTube are designed for consumer use and lack specific features crucial for businesses, such as brand customization, detailed analytics, and professional-grade security. They may also place ads before or alongside your content, potentially promoting competitors or unrelated products to your audience.

How does DRM protection benefit my business?

Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection helps safeguard your video content against unauthorized use, piracy, and distribution. It ensures that only authorized users can access your videos, protecting your intellectual property and revenue streams from licensing or selling your content.

Rahul Nawani

Tech enthusiast, Love sports and music.

The post Top 7 Business Video Hosting Platforms in 2024 appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

However, when it comes to choosing a cloud video hosting solution for businesses, it is never an easy task to fulfil. Every business has its own set of requirements as far as video hosting is concerned. So, what can be the top requirements for a business that deals with video hosting?

Here in this blog, we’ll be taking you through cloud video hosting, its importance & its benefits. We’ll also cover some key features to consider while looking out for a cloud video hosting solution. Here we go then…

Let’s dive into it.

What is Cloud?

Before getting started on cloud video hosting platforms, let us first understand what exactly is Cloud in terms of technology.

With the rise in popularity of video hosting platforms, there has been a significant increase in online content consumption. Millions of data sets need to be stored somewhere and a single physical infrastructure isn’t gonna solve any purpose. So what solution do we have for this? And this is where the “Cloud” comes into the picture. It helps companies overcome this huge challenge and save big bucks for them.

A cloud can be said as a bundle of remotely distributed servers globally. It includes the applications and the databases that are stored and run on these servers. This cloud technology has enabled businesses to store and access a huge amount of data without any hassle, with low overhead costs & less maintenance.

What is a Cloud Video Hosting?

Cloud video hosting is a modern solution for storing, managing, and delivering video content over the internet. It leverages cloud computing technology to provide a more scalable, efficient, and flexible way of handling video data compared to traditional hosting methods. Simply, it is a process of hosting and streaming videos on cloud servers only instead of using on-premise servers. Many businesses and broadcasters are now moving on to cloud streaming services. Cloud streaming with a SaaS solution can greatly simplify the streaming process for broadcasters.

Cloud video hosting involves storing video content on cloud servers, which are hosted in data centers distributed across various locations. These servers are maintained by cloud service providers and can be accessed over the internet. The key functionalities of cloud video hosting include video storage, processing (such as encoding and transcoding), and streaming.

With cloud streaming, you can easily scale on-demand according to your traffic compared to an on-premise setup. You don’t have to worry about maintaining on-premise servers and other infrastructure. Also, you don’t have to heavily invest in hardware and can focus on creating and delivering quality content rather than staying involved in technical issues.

More importantly, when live events are conducted and traffic is lower, broadcasters won’t have to bear big losses for expensive servers sitting idle.

How Does Cloud Video Streaming Work?

Cloud streaming is done with a network of cloud servers where the video files are hosted and then delivered smoothly to the content viewers. Once you upload the files, they’re encoded and transcoded into multiple playback formats to make sure the streaming is done smoothly in low-internet areas as well.

The video transcoding process is followed to create multiple versions of each video with minimal effort or any additional set of resources required. This makes sure that the video content can be shared almost on any device wherever the audience wants.

Video Upload and Storage

The process begins with the content creator uploading the video file to a cloud server. Once uploaded, the video is stored on the cloud, ready to be accessed by viewers.

Encoding and Transcoding

The video file is then encoded, which means it is converted into a suitable digital format for streaming. Transcoding may also occur, where the video is reformatted into various versions to suit different devices and internet speeds.

Segmentation

The video is divided into small, manageable segments or chunks. This allows for smoother streaming, as only parts of the video need to be buffered at a time.

Delivery through CDN

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is often used to distribute the video. CDNs are networks of servers strategically located around the world to reduce latency and improve loading times. When a user requests to view the video, the CDN delivers the video from the server closest to the user.

Streaming to the User

The viewer’s device requests the video, and the cloud server or CDN begins streaming the video segments. The player on the user’s device loads a few seconds of the video ahead of what’s being watched to ensure continuous playback.

Adaptive Streaming

In many cases, cloud video streaming uses adaptive bitrate streaming, which automatically adjusts the video quality based on the user’s internet speed and device capabilities, ensuring the best possible viewing experience.

Understanding Cloud Video Hosting Server

Unlike traditional servers, which are limited by physical hardware constraints, cloud video hosting servers are virtual and scalable. They are hosted in distributed data centers, ensuring high availability and redundancy. This means that your video content is not only stored securely but is also easily accessible from anywhere in the world, at any time. The scalability of these servers allows for handling fluctuating demands – during peak traffic, additional resources are automatically allocated to maintain smooth streaming experiences. This flexibility is a game-changer in video hosting, as it ensures high performance without the overhead of managing physical infrastructure.

• Upload – Content creators upload video files to the cloud server.
• Storage – Videos are stored in cloud-based storage systems.
• Processing – Videos are encoded and possibly transcoded for compatibility with different devices and bandwidths.
• Distribution – Videos are distributed to end-users through a CDN or direct streaming.

What is Cloud Video Encoding?

Video encoding involves the conversion of raw or uncompressed video files from one format to another. The process of video encoding is mostly used with video transcoding, however, there’s a slight difference between the 2 processes. In video encoding, the raw files are converted to another format, whereas, video transcoding converts one format to another.

In video encoding, not all the information is originally kept in the video, hence it is a lossy process. The final version of the video is the best approximation of the original video.

Video encoding is done for many reasons like – reducing file size, changing video resolution, changing the audio format, or having videos of different video bitrates.

Video encoding helps in 2 things – streaming & compatibility i.e. your videos can be streamed seamlessly on a large set of devices & platforms without any compatibility issues.

For more details on what encoding is, how it works, the most popular codecs, and more, check out our definitive guide to video encoding. If you want to know more about, what is transcoding, you can visit the blog linked.

What is Cloud Video Transcoding?

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

Transcoding involves decoding a video file from one format to an uncompressed format. The transcoded data is then encoded to the desired format. Video transcoding is done when the video is moved from a source to a different destination, and the 2 support different file formats.

One of the important use cases of video transcoding is – uploading a video from your desktop to a video hosting site, such that the format is supported by the video hosting site.

For more details on what transcoding is, its importance, how it is different from encoding and more, check out our definitive guide to video transcoding.

Why Should You Opt for Cloud Video Hosting?

If you are an online content creator it is better that you have your focus entirely on creating quality content. Let a video hosting provider do all the managerial work for you. Here’s the importance of a cloud video hosting platform – it enables you to store video files on the cloud, easily organize and access your content, and share your videos across the web without having to worry about the security of your content. In fact, many cloud video platforms are capable of hosting videos on demand as well as live streaming.

The World is Shifting to Cloud!

It has been observed lately that businesses are relocating their operations, workflows, and key applications to the cloud. Studies suggest worldwide spending on cloud services and their components is expected to exceed $1.0 trillion by 2024. This high rise is due to several factors and rising demands for storage, scalability, security, etc… Now the next question that comes to mind is the cost of video hosting on the cloud vs an on-premises deployment.

With enterprise videos booming in covid times, businesses are turning to the cloud to optimize the cost burden and to scale up as per their needs for video hosting which includes storage, bandwidth, processing, security, management, etc…

When hosting videos on the cloud offers such scalability and innovation flexibility, why even consider the on-premise deployment option? Let us move ahead and explore more such benefits of cloud video hosting:

Benefits of Cloud Video Hosting

As cloud video hosting platforms are gaining popularity, many small & medium-sized businesses are also utilizing their potential. Hence it becomes important to find a video platform that helps in the seamless delivery and streaming of your videos. Not many businesses can build and manage the infrastructure and the complexities which come with on-premise deployment and not to forget the huge cost associated with it. Hence, cloud video platforms work as a boon for them.

From seamless delivery to managing volumes of content hassle-free, here are a few reasons why cloud video platforms are there for you:

Budget-Friendly:

You only have to pay for storage and bandwidth and that too as per your needs. As you scale up, only then do you have to pay irrespective of investing a huge amount straight away.

Accessibility

Videos hosted via cloud video platforms can be accessed easily. Your target audience can view and stream videos anywhere, anytime and all they need is to stay connected with the internet.

Zero-maintenance of individual infrastructure

No need to set up in-house servers or any hardware infrastructure, thus leading to zero hassle and maintenance headaches.

Scalability

This is one of the major benefits of hosting videos via a cloud video platform. Depending upon your business growth, you can easily upgrade your cloud storage. You can also integrate additional features in real-time without letting your business suffer.

Potentially unlimited storage capacities

With cloud video platforms you get the flexibility to store unlimited data that too in a cost-effective manner. You can keep a dump of your backups, and archives, and have access to deleted files, making your data storage potential. Limitless, thanks to cloud storage, capacity is virtually unlimited.

Security

Hosting videos on cloud video platforms involves various security measures. However, a good & secure cloud video hosting platform will have some exciting features to offer & protect your videos. The key features include – video encryption, DRM protection, online video watermarking, authentication mechanisms for users, and access control for securing data. So choose your platform wisely.

Key Features of an ideal Cloud Video Hosting Platform

Feasibility

A cloud video hosting platform should be easy to use and not be complex. It should enable businesses to raise their efficiency and help simplify their tasks i.e. it should enable users with functionalities like bulk upload, easy navigation dashboard, and tools for managing content. A good video platform should be built in such a way that a first time user should be able to adapt it without any additional effort.

High-level Security

The security of your video content is the topmost concern when you are hosting your content online. A few of the key security features that you should consider while looking out for a cloud video platform include:- Restrictions on videos playing on other websites, certain domains, geo-restrictions, allowing shared videos to play for a limited time & user rights access for internal users.

Free Trial

Trying out and finalizing a video platform isn’t an easy task. And definitely not without giving it a detailed trial by using all the features. Hence, to make sure you go ahead with the right decision in choosing the right platform, look for platforms that provide you with all-feature trials and a sufficient trial period before you subscribe to any paid plan.

Easy Embed/Integration options

A good cloud video hosting platform should always have the flexibility to be easily integrated with your existing website & applications to help you scale your business. It should have functionalities like multi-video embed options, necessary APIs & documentation to ease your overall integration process.

Encoding & Transcoding videos

A streaming server with Cloud video encoding helps you convert video files to make them stream by any media player, device or web browsers and operating systems. You can quickly encode videos and reach your audience connected with the internet without investing in costly infrastructure. Also, transcoding in the cloud can be scaled instantly as per your requirement, unlike on-premise servers, giving you the power of large encoding clusters without burning a hole in your pocket.

CDN for smooth playback

A cloud video hosting server will help you deliver your videos across the world to your viewers at lightning-fast speeds. A CDN network is used by the cloud video hosting platforms to ensure smooth playback without any buffering or unwanted pause. The platform using top-level CDNs helps reduce playback issues across vast geographical areas. Hence, go for a server that offers an expansive global network of data centres and can deliver dynamic content over the fastest and most reliable private backbone links.

Video Player Features

The HTML5 video player should have key features like speed change, forward/rewind, etc which should be compatible with all the platforms and across all devices. A video player with multiple quality adaptiveness & responsiveness ensures a smooth playback across any geographical region.

Video Analytics

Video analytics helps you know your audience’s behaviour. Based on this you can create segments and target your audience accordingly for better results. A video platform should offer key video analytics like total views, average watch time, browser & device details, user country, and average watch percentage in analytics to help you improve your business outcomes.

Support System

Good customer support is the backbone of any successful business. Hence make sure that your video platform offers clear & communicative support channels to address your business & technical needs. A detailed support faq or knowledge base with all documentation, necessary tutorials, and screenshots helps you get your needs sorted quickly.

Pricing

The pricing or the plan for a cloud video platform can vary depending upon various metrics. These metrics include – your viewers, the number of videos, and the number of hours streamed. Based on these metrics your storage and bandwidths would be calculated and based on which your pricing would be calculated. Hence, it is recommended to always start with a small plan and upgrade as your business grows.

Conclusion

Cloud video platforms have changed the way broadcasters operate. The ability to host videos, their security and deliver content at a large scale is crucial for achieving more with video content. Hence, choosing the right cloud video hosting solution, however, makes all the difference.

With a powerful cloud video hosting solution, your business could be up and running in minutes! Right from hosting & security of your videos to ensuring seamless delivery and playback, VdoCipher offers a stable, secure and easy to use video platform. To date, more than 2500+ businesses across 40+ countries have trusted VdoCipher to deliver their video content on their business websites.

Try our 30-day trial with all the features included and see if the platform is right for your needs. VdoCipher’s cloud video hosting solution is ready to grow with your business.

FAQs

Can cloud video hosting handle high-traffic events?

Yes, cloud video hosting is designed to handle high traffic efficiently due to its scalable nature. Resources can be dynamically adjusted to meet increased demand, making it ideal for events with high viewership.

Is cloud video streaming secure?

Yes, cloud video streaming typically incorporates advanced security measures like encryption and access control to protect content from unauthorized access and cyber threats. VdoCipher cloud video hosting and streaming offers DRM encryption with highest level of video security.

What role do CDNs play in cloud video streaming?

Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) play a crucial role by delivering video content from servers closest to the user. This reduces latency and buffering, ensuring a smoother streaming experience.

Subodh

Product Marketing Specialist, VdoCipher.

www.vdocipher.com

The post Cloud Video Hosting in 2024: Guide for Beginners appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

The eLearning business sector is ready to develop to $325.10 billion by 2025. When making pre-recorded videos, picking an online video hosting stage to have them on is one of the most significant choices you’ll make. We’ve made an examination outline beneath to enable you to pick a video hosting platform for online courses in an efficient manner.

Video Hosting Platform for Online Courses

Before we dwell on the top 10 video hosting platforms. Let’s have a look into what features you need to be looking for:

Key Features of Video Hosting Platform for Online Courses

Each online video portals offers various highlights and abilities. To put it plainly, no two VHP are made similarly. Thus, the way toward picking the correct for your needs can be troublesome and tedious.

Fortunately, we’ve done the diligent work for you by recognizing and assembling a rundown of contemplations eLearning organizations should observe when looking at changed video stages. After researching many eLearning organizations throughout the years, we have a really smart thought of what components are most imperative to guaranteeing video achievement.

1. Customizable Video Player. An extraordinary video hosting platform gives you a chance to redo the video player on your site. This will give your recordings greater believability and make your course site look increasingly proficient. For example, you should think about including your logo to your custom HTML5 video player.With CDN the delivery of multimedia content becomes faster and more reliable for a global audience.
2. Video API. When doing your video stage correlation, check for a hearty API that enables you to fuse the stage legitimately into your current frameworks.
3.  Video Analytics. Great video facilitating destinations give you instruments to follow and examine diverse video durations, for example, the number of perspectives, watch term, heat maps, and traffic sources. Most of the video platforms offer basic video analytics. However, it is good to have a platform that gives you deeper insights into your videos and your audience. Key success metrics include video views, bounce rates, user engagement, average view times and conversion. On the basis of these metrics, you can plan your content strategy and target your audience more effectively.
4. Content Delivery Network.   CDN is another significant part of video hosting for online courses. Generally, a Video CDN alludes to a geologically appropriated gathering of servers that work together to give quick conveyance of web content. Preferably, an Online Course Hosting Platform or Media Platform must have servers around the globe. That way, your recordings stream from whichever server is nearest to every watcher’s gadget.
5. Term/Quantity of Videos. What amount of video length does it support? Do they offer plans that can be modified to meet your particular needs?
6. Video Security.  Every platform gives distinctive security alternatives that might meet your requirements. For instance, some regular safety efforts include encoded spilling, DRM encryption, password security, domain control watermarking, and video planning. The first and the most critical feature for any video hosting platform is “The Security”. You need to have a highly secure platform with confidentiality of content to ensure the protection of your videos. A video hosting software must have the following DRM encryptions to provide high-level video protection: 
   1. Google Widevine DRM Encryption
   2. Apple Fairplay DRM Encryption
7. Support.  Choose a platform with good 24/7 hours support with a good help desk.Customer support is the backbone of any business relationship. After all the setup and hard work you’ve done, you relatively need good support at the end of the day. For a reliable video hosting platform,  the support needs to be very proactive whenever any issue arises.

Detailed blog on top 10 features to look for in video hosting platforms

Top 10 Video Hosting Platform for E-learning & Media

1. Vdocipher

VdoCipher.com provides a video hosting solution 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. Together these video protection features ensure that you have the best video encryption and the security keys needed to decrypt it are not accessible at all. This helps portals to earn maximum revenues from their content and ensure the best user experience even in tier 2,3 cities.

VdoCipher is the winner of the best company in the video security (DRM) category by prestigious Streaming Media Global, Europe. Packaged offerings include multi 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 and offers seamless integrations with online course platforms.

Plans start from $99 and include Hollywood Grade DRM security from piracy. Free 30 Day trial is available.

2.Youtube

 Youtube is also a video hosting platform with more than 2 billion active users. It gives you the choice to make playlists so you can make a playlist to build your substance’s utilization. it has an inbuilt subscription and warning framework. You have the choice to profit from your videos through promotions. Also, it’s the second biggest internet searcher. It is utilized by many online course makers to post free video content on their channels.

If you have a free online course that you’d like to offer, at that point YouTube ought to be your go-to video facilitating website – particularly on the off chance that you need your intended interest group to have the option to discover your course. We’ve recently published a blog on the history of Youtube, do check it out to know more about how the platform rose to its current status. 

3. Panopto

The Panopto is a business video hosting platform for online courses from businesses and colleges across the world. They promote themselves as a one-stop search for overseeing, live streaming platform, recording, and sharing video content. Whenever organizations and colleges need a simple, dependable answer for overseeing, streaming, and video recordings, they go to Panopto. They’ve constructed a video platform that any representative, educator, and student can utilize paying little respect to their related knowledge.

Estimating includes a permit model dependent on the number of clients, beginning at 500 clients and expanding from that point.

4.Kaltura

Make training progressively intuitive, connecting with, and open. Kaltura offers the broadest arrangement of video the executives and creation instruments available, firmly coordinated with each lm.

From flipped study halls to live games communicate, Kaltura powers the most recent patterns in training. Staff and understudies can without much of a stretch make, transfer, alter, oversee, distribute, find and convey astounding video to any gadget, live, or on interest. Perceive how video can drive communication, assemble network, support imagination, expand your span, and even improve learning results.

5.Vimeo

With Vimeo, you’ll get the good looking interface for distributing your online video courses. While this video service platform surely has constraints as to its transferring space limit, its incredible examination frameworks, customization capacity, and strong network settle on it an alluring decision for online course makers.

6. Wistia

Wistia is a good video hosting platform solution for entrepreneurs. It offers amazing examination tools and gives you a chance to screen different video commitment measurements.

Custom marking is just accessible on premium records. It gives you the choice to secret phrase secure your recordings. it Worked in choices for adding a call to activities and gathering leads.it is free for the initial three recordings.it is free for the initial three recordings. Wistia charges dependent on the number of recordings. We did a full comparison of Youtube vs Vimeo vs Wistia, find out how Wistia compares to these big platforms.

7. Brightcove

Brightcove is also a video hosting platform that is enthusiastic about online courses.  It helps their clients center around utilizing video to move their business in important ways, regardless of whether that is in communicating or distributing, showcasing, or venture interchanges.

If you are searching for speed enhancement, and more power over your online course’s marking then Brightcove is the correct decision for you. The completely adjustable arrangement that supports modules.

It accompanies a 30-day free time for testing for testing the stage.

8. JW Player

JW Player, a New York based company was developed in 2005 as an open source project. It was initially used in the first version of YouTube but now serves over a billion users monthly through the player. The player is named after the founder Jeroen Wijering and was initially distributed via Wijering’s blog. In 2015, JW Player was rewritten to reduce size and load time and it also changed its licensing from open source to Creative Commons for non-commercial use. It had integrated support for HTML5 Video which allows video to be watched on phones, tablets, and PCs. Its features include JavaScript API, multi-bitrate HD encoding, and also supports customization for enterprise levels. JW player now also provides video hosting services in combination with its player.

9. AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS), excels in offering a wide range of over 200 services, including video hosting, streaming, CDN, cloud computing, and storage solutions. Its global presence via an extensive network of data centers, ensures content availability and uptime. The only issue with AWS’s services is that of complex documentation which can be daunting for average users. Clients will often use various AWS services in combination with scaling features that allow them to use more computing in high application usage times, and then scale down to reduce costs when there is less traffic. AWS also allows reselling its services through improved means and marketing. Fees are based on a combination of usage also known as a “Pay-as-you-go” model for hardware, operating system, software, or networking features chosen by the client.

10. Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud Platform (GCP), offered by Google, is a set of cloud computing services that provides a series of modular cloud services including video hosting, computing, data storage, data analytics, and machine learning. It runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products, such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Docs. Registration requires a credit card or bank account details. It provides infrastructure as a service, platform as a service, and serverless computing environments.

Now that you are done with the article, check out our article on eLearning video software, to know about all the tools you’d require to create video courses.

Here are the Top 10 Video Hosting Platform for online courses:

• VdoCipher
• Youtube
• Panopto
• Kaltura
• Vimeo
• Wistia
• Brightcove
• JW Player
• AWS
• GCP

Video Hosting For Website & App Business

Businesses rely heavily on video hosting services, their requirement ranges from showcasing their product to the audience, training their staff and even creating content for user consumption. For all such cases, they require premium features including security, analytics, and APIs which free hosting services don’t provide. Using a hosting site like YouTube can really hurt their business for several reasons such as leakage of content and user being distracted from ads and suggestion

Businesses use video hosting for three major purposes.

1. Marketing: Videos are often used by businesses to market their products or services. A short video can really work wonders to get a message across to the user and further help them in their buying decision. 
2. Internal Training or Communication: Large enterprises often use training videos to welcome new employees, train both new and existing employees, or at times pass on crucial information. In addition, they also use employee tracking apps to keep things under proper control. There are some great tools specifically for onboarding training, but look out for newer more effective solutions to Trainual that integrate other documentation processes. Having a good enterprise video solution can be a great pick for your video needs.
3. Content for Customer: These requirements can range from customer onboarding videos to eLearning content and movies online. 

If the videos are being used for marketing purposes, ad-free and other video suggestions can be distracting for a user and can be counterproductive for the original goal. Similarly, videos for internal communication, contain information meant for your employees only and you’d rather not have it out in the open. Any public video hosting platform like youtube or Vimeo won’t solve your requirements. This is why businesses go for private video hosting, to make sure that the content is only being viewed by the right people. These video hosting platforms come bundled with various features and security which makes it even a more viable option. 

Video Hosting For Content Creators

If you are a content creator online, chances are that you’re already on platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. In case you aren’t you’d want to be on these video sharing platforms. 

These platforms make sense as they are free and have more suitable for your needs, especially when you want to build up an audience. YouTube is only the second largest search engine only after Google. You’d imagine the traffic and users they get. So the best bet for any content creator would be to tap into their user base. Content creators can monetize their content and earn money based on the ads on their videos. 

In case you already have a wide audience and you’d rather have users visiting your site, then you can opt for private video hosting. Meanwhile do check out our blog on short video platform.

How does a Video Hosting Platform work?

Many online businesses spend a lot on these services and require features over and beyond video security. VdoCipher, with its video hosting solution, fulfils all major requirements which cover all businesses needs. VdoCipher follows the below 6-step Video Hosting, DRM based Video Encryption, and Streaming process that set us apart from the competition.

1. Upload – Users upload their video content through various options like Desktop, FTP, DropBox, directly from the server, and directly from URL. It supports all typical video formats.
2. Transcoding for Protected Streaming – After upload, video encryption is done via DRM encryption protocol & multiple bitrates. Video transcoding is done for optimization at multiple bitrates such that viewers on networks of any quality can conveniently stream videos.
3. Storage of Encrypted Content – The video content is securely stored on Amazon’s AWS S3 servers using our own server-side video encryption technology, creating a double layer of protection ensuring complete security.
4. DRM Encrypted Video Transfer –  Once the encryption is done, the encrypted content then needs to be streamed to the final viewer interface. The encryption is performed using a non-public key whose exchange mechanism is hidden. The transfer of this encrypted content is done by generating a one time URL after which the content is transferred in chunks to optimize video streaming further.
5. Licensing & Authentication – VdoCipher provides One Time generated dynamic video URLs which are accessed only through custom video embed codes, allowing licensing duration for each single video stream. This prevents any URL based sharing.
6. Decryption & Playback – At last, the encrypted stream content is decrypted inside the player with a dynamic key. Our DRM based key transfer protocol fundamentally differs from the public key transfer protocol. A private key transfer between the website and our API makes it impossible for the hackers to decrypt our streams, hence making our video encryption hack-proof.

Here’s the complete explanation of how VdoCipher’s Online Video Hosting Platform works. 

How using a free platform like youtube can hurt your business?

When it comes to consuming online video content, youtube is almost everybody’s first choice. In fact, a lot of content creators or YouTubers are generating significant revenue from it. And is also used by various businesses too for hosting their videos. However, if you want to monetize your video content, youtube might not be the right choice for you due to the following reasons:

Weak Video Security 

Videos hosted on YouTube aren’t very secure and can be downloaded easily by using any plugin or an online tool.

Non-removable Youtube Branding 

The HTML5 video player used by youtube for streaming videos isn’t exactly customizable. You might have to compromise your branding part with it. 

Unwanted Ads and Suggestions 

Youtube shows a lot of ads of various types which can sometimes be really distracting as a user. Especially when you’ve paid or subscribed for premium content. Youtube shows different suggestions at the end of a video and users often tend to click them. This takes away a user streaming your content to some other content place.

Video Hosting Platforms FAQ Summary

You can also read our blog on video hosting now in Spanish-plataformas de alojamiento de vídeos.

Siddhant Jain

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

www.vdocipher.com/

The post 10 Best Video Hosting Platforms for Online Courses’ & Media Websites In 2024 appeared first on VdoCipher Blog.

El mercado de eLearning está listo para crecer hasta los $325.10 mil millones para 2025. Al crear videos pregrabados, elegir una plataforma de alojamiento de videos en línea para tenerlos es una de las decisiones más importantes que tomarás. Hemos creado una tabla de comparación a continuación para ayudarte a elegir una plataforma de alojamiento de videos para cursos en línea de manera eficiente.

Plataforma de alojamiento de videos para cursos en línea

Antes de profundizar en las mejores 7 plataformas de alojamiento de videos, veamos qué características debes buscar:

Características clave de una plataforma de alojamiento de videos para cursos en línea

Cada portal de videos en línea ofrece diversas características y capacidades. En resumen, no hay dos VHP (plataformas de alojamiento de videos) iguales. Por lo tanto, el proceso de elegir la correcta para tus necesidades puede ser difícil y lleva tiempo.

Afortunadamente, hemos hecho el trabajo arduo por ti al identificar y compilar una lista de consideraciones que las empresas de eLearning deben tener en cuenta al examinar diferentes plataformas de video. Después de investigar muchas empresas de eLearning a lo largo de los años, tenemos una buena idea de qué elementos son más importantes para garantizar el éxito del video.

1. Reproductor de video personalizable. Una excelente plataforma de alojamiento de videos te permite personalizar el reproductor de video en tu sitio web. Esto dará mayor credibilidad a tus videos y hará que tu sitio de cursos parezca más profesional. Por ejemplo, deberías considerar agregar tu logo al reproductor de video HTML5 en línea. Con una CDN, la entrega de contenido multimedia se vuelve más rápida y confiable para una audiencia global.
2. API de vídeo. Al hacer la comparación de tu plataforma de video, busca una API robusta que te permita incorporar la plataforma directamente en tus sistemas existentes.
3.  Análisis de vídeos. Los buenos sitios de alojamiento de videos te proporcionan herramientas para rastrear y analizar diferentes duraciones de video, como el número de vistas, la duración de la reproducción, mapas de calor y fuentes de tráfico. La mayoría de las plataformas de video ofrecen análisis básicos, pero es bueno tener una plataforma que te brinde información más profunda sobre tus videos y tu audiencia.
4. Red de Distribución de Contenidos (CDN)   CDN es otra parte importante del alojamiento de videos para cursos en línea. En general, una CDN de video se refiere a un conjunto geográficamente distribuido de servidores que colaboran para proporcionar una entrega rápida de contenido web. Idealmente, una Plataforma de Alojamiento de Cursos en Línea o Plataforma de Medios debe tener servidores en todo el mundo. De esta manera, tus videos se transmiten desde el servidor más cercano al dispositivo de cada espectador.
5. Duración/cantidad de videos: ¿Cuánta duración de video admite? ¿Ofrecen planes que se pueden personalizar para satisfacer tus necesidades específicas?
6. Seguridad de video.  Cada plataforma proporciona diferentes opciones de seguridad que pueden satisfacer tus necesidades. Por ejemplo, algunas medidas comunes de seguridad incluyen transmisión encriptada, encriptación DRM, seguridad con contraseña, marca de agua de control de dominio y programación de video. La característica más importante y crítica para cualquier plataforma de alojamiento de videos es “La Seguridad“. Necesitas tener una plataforma altamente segura con confidencialidad del contenido para garantizar la protección de tus videos. Un software de alojamiento de videos debe tener las siguientes encriptaciones DRM para proporcionar una protección de video de alto nivel: 
   1. Encriptación DRM Widevine de Google
   2. Encriptación DRM Fairplay de Apple
7. Soporte.  Elige una plataforma con un buen soporte las 24 horas, los 7 días de la semana, con un buen servicio de atención al cliente. El soporte al cliente es la columna vertebral de cualquier relación comercial. Después de toda la configuración y el trabajo duro que has realizado, necesitas un buen soporte al final del día. Para una plataforma de alojamiento de videos confiable, el soporte debe ser muy proactivo cada vez que surja algún problema.

 Las 7 mejores plataformas de alojamiento de videos

1. Vdocipher

VdoCipher.com ofrece una solución de alojamiento de videos para negocios de cursos en línea para ayudarles a transmitir contenido en sus sitios/aplicaciones de la manera más segura y fluida posible. Las características clave son la máxima seguridad contra la piratería de videos a través de tecnologías de encriptación DRM de grado Hollywood y marcas de agua, y la transmisión más fluida en conexiones lentas debido a la codificación optimizada en tamaños más pequeños. Juntas, estas características de protección de video aseguran que tengas la mejor encriptación de video y que las claves de seguridad necesarias para desencriptarla no sean accesibles en absoluto. Esto ayuda a los portales a obtener ingresos máximos de su contenido y garantiza la mejor experiencia del usuario incluso en ciudades de segundo y tercer nivel.

VdoCipher es el ganador de la mejor compañía en la categoría de seguridad de video (DRM) por Streaming Media Global, Europa. Las ofertas incluyen integración multi-CDN, transcodificación, integración de API y complementos, reproductor personalizado, reproducción de aplicaciones sin conexión y analíticas por video. VdoCipher ya sirve a empresas de e-learning y medios de más de 40 países con sus ofertas y ofrece integraciones perfectas con plataformas de cursos en línea.

Los planes comienzan desde $99 e incluyen seguridad DRM de grado Hollywood contra la piratería. Hay disponible una prueba gratuita de 30 días.

2.Youtube

 YouTube también es una plataforma de alojamiento de videos con más de 2 mil millones de usuarios activos. Te brinda la opción de crear listas de reproducción para que puedas aumentar el uso de tu contenido. Tiene un sistema de suscripción y notificación incorporado. Tienes la opción de obtener ingresos de tus videos a través de anuncios. Además, es el segundo motor de búsqueda más grande. Muchos creadores de cursos en línea lo utilizan para publicar contenido de video gratuito en sus canales.

Si tienes un curso en línea gratuito que te gustaría ofrecer, entonces YouTube debería ser tu plataforma de alojamiento de videos preferida, especialmente si quieres que tu audiencia objetivo pueda encontrar tu curso.

3. Panopto

Panopto es una plataforma comercial de alojamiento de videos para cursos en línea utilizada por empresas y universidades de todo el mundo. Se promocionan como una solución integral para gestionar, transmitir en vivo, grabar y compartir contenido de video. Cuando las empresas y universidades necesitan una solución fácil y confiable para gestionar, transmitir y grabar videos, recurren a Panopto. Han construido una plataforma de video que cualquier empleado, profesor y estudiante puede usar, independientemente de su experiencia previa.

La tarificación incluye un modelo de licencia basado en el número de usuarios, comenzando en 500 usuarios y aumentando desde allí.

4.Kaltura

Haz que la formación sea más interactiva, atractiva y accesible. Kaltura ofrece la gama más amplia de herramientas de gestión y producción de video en el mercado, integradas estrechamente con cada LMS (Sistema de Gestión de Aprendizaje).

Desde aulas invertidas hasta eventos en vivo y transmisiones, Kaltura impulsa las últimas tendencias en educación. El personal y los estudiantes pueden crear, cargar, editar, gestionar, publicar, descubrir y distribuir fácilmente videos de alta calidad en cualquier dispositivo, en vivo o a pedido. Descubre cómo el video puede impulsar la interacción, construir comunidad, fomentar la creatividad, ampliar tu alcance e incluso mejorar los resultados de aprendizaje.

 5.Vimeo

Con Vimeo, obtendrás una interfaz atractiva para publicar tus cursos de video en línea. Aunque esta plataforma de servicios de video tiene limitaciones en cuanto a su capacidad de carga, sus potentes sistemas de análisis, capacidad de personalización y sólida comunidad la convierten en una opción atractiva para creadores de cursos en línea.

6. Wistia

Wistia es una buena solución de plataforma de alojamiento de videos para emprendedores. Ofrece herramientas de análisis impresionantes y te permite supervisar diversas métricas de participación en video.

El marcaje personalizado solo está disponible en cuentas premium. Te brinda la opción de proteger con contraseña tus videos y ofrece opciones incorporadas para agregar llamadas a la acción y recopilar leads. Es gratuito para los tres primeros videos y cobra según la cantidad de videos. Hicimos una comparación completa de YouTube vs Vimeo vs Wistia; descubre cómo se compara Wistia con estas grandes plataformas.

7. Brightcove

Brightcove también es una plataforma de alojamiento de videos que tiene un enfoque entusiasta en cursos en línea. Brightcove ayuda a sus clientes a centrarse en el uso del video para impulsar sus negocios de maneras significativas, ya sea en la transmisión o publicación, marketing o comunicaciones empresariales.

Si buscas mejoras en velocidad y más control sobre la marca de tu curso en línea, entonces Brightcove es la elección correcta para ti. Ofrece una solución completamente personalizable que admite complementos.

Viene con una prueba gratuita de 30 días de la plataforma.

Ahora que has terminado el artículo, echa un vistazo a nuestro artículo sobre software de video para e-learning para conocer todas las herramientas que necesitarías para crear cursos en video.

Alojamiento de video para sitios web y aplicaciones empresariales

Las empresas dependen en gran medida de los servicios de alojamiento de videos, sus requisitos van desde mostrar su producto a la audiencia, capacitar a su personal e incluso crear contenido para el consumo del usuario. Para todos estos casos, necesitan características premium que incluyan seguridad, análisis y APIs, que los servicios de alojamiento gratuito no proporcionan. Usar un sitio de alojamiento como YouTube puede perjudicar realmente su negocio por varias razones, como la filtración de contenido y la distracción del usuario con anuncios y sugerencias.

Las empresas utilizan el alojamiento de videos para tres propósitos principales.

1. Marketing: A menudo, las empresas utilizan videos para comercializar sus productos o servicios. Un video corto puede funcionar maravillas para transmitir un mensaje al usuario y ayudarlo en su decisión de compra. 
2. Capacitación o comunicación interna: Las grandes empresas suelen utilizar videos de capacitación para dar la bienvenida a los nuevos empleados, capacitar tanto a los nuevos como a los empleados existentes, o transmitir información crucial. Además, también utilizan aplicaciones de seguimiento de empleados para mantener las cosas bajo control. Hay algunas herramientas excelentes específicamente para la capacitación en incorporación, pero busca soluciones más nuevas y efectivas a Trainual que integren otros procesos de documentación.
3. Contenido para el cliente: Estos requisitos pueden ir desde videos de incorporación de clientes hasta contenido de e-learning y películas en línea. 

Si los videos se utilizan con fines de marketing, las sugerencias de video sin anuncios y otras pueden distraer a un usuario y ser contraproducentes para el objetivo original. De manera similar, los videos para comunicación interna contienen información destinada solo a sus empleados y preferirías no tenerla disponible públicamente. Cualquier plataforma de alojamiento de videos pública como YouTube o Vimeo no satisfará tus requisitos. Es por eso que las empresas optan por el alojamiento privado de videos, para asegurarse de que el contenido solo sea visto por las personas adecuadas. Estas plataformas de alojamiento de videos vienen con diversas funciones y seguridad, lo que las convierte en una opción aún más viable. 

Alojamiento de video para creadores de contenido

Si eres un creador de contenido en línea, es probable que ya estés en plataformas como YouTube y Vimeo. En caso de que no lo estés, querrás estar en estas plataformas de intercambio de videos. 

Estas plataformas tienen sentido ya que son gratuitas y más adecuadas para tus necesidades, especialmente cuando deseas construir una audiencia. YouTube es solo el segundo motor de búsqueda más grande después de Google. Puedes imaginar el tráfico y los usuarios que obtienen. Así que la mejor apuesta para cualquier creador de contenido sería aprovechar su base de usuarios. Los creadores de contenido pueden monetizar su contenido y ganar dinero según los anuncios en sus videos. 

En caso de que ya tengas una amplia audiencia y prefieras que los usuarios visiten tu sitio, entonces puedes optar por el alojamiento privado de videos. Mientras tanto, consulta nuestro blog sobre plataformas de vídeos cortos.

¿Cómo funciona una plataforma de alojamiento de videos?

Muchas empresas en línea gastan mucho en estos servicios y requieren características más allá de la seguridad de video. VdoCipher, con su solución de alojamiento de video, cumple con todos los requisitos principales que cubren todas las necesidades comerciales. VdoCipher sigue el siguiente proceso de 6 pasos para la Plataforma de Alojamiento de Videos, Encriptación de Video basada en DRM y Transmisión que nos diferencia de la competencia.

1. Carga: Los usuarios cargan su contenido de video a través de diversas opciones como escritorio, FTP, DropBox, directamente desde el servidor y directamente desde URL. Admite todos los formatos de video típicos.
2. Transcodificación para transmisión protegida: Después de la carga, se realiza la encriptación de video a través del protocolo de encriptación DRM y mú  ltiples velocidades de bits. La transcodificación de video se realiza para la optimización en múltiples velocidades de bits, de modo que los espectadores en redes de cualquier calidad puedan transmitir videos de manera conveniente.
3. Almacenamiento de contenido encriptado: El contenido de video se almacena de manera segura en los servidores AWS S3 de Amazon utilizando nuestra propia tecnología de encriptación de video en el lado del servidor, creando una doble capa de protección que garantiza seguridad completa.
4. Transferencia de video encriptado por DRM: Una vez que se completa la encriptación, el contenido encriptado debe ser transmitido a la interfaz final del espectador. La encriptación se realiza utilizando una clave no pública cuyo mecanismo de intercambio está oculto. La transferencia de este contenido encriptado se realiza mediante la generación de una URL de un solo uso, después de la cual el contenido se transfiere en fragmentos para optimizar aún más la transmisión de video.
5. Licencia y autenticación: VdoCipher proporciona URL de video dinámicas generadas una vez, que se acceden solo a través de códigos de inserción de video personalizados, permitiendo la duración de la licencia para cada transmisión de video individual. Esto evita cualquier compartición basada en URL.
6. Desencriptación y reproducción: Finalmente, el contenido de transmisión encriptado se desencripta dentro del reproductor con una clave dinámica. Nuestro protocolo de transferencia de clave basado en DRM difiere fundamentalmente del protocolo de transferencia de clave pública. Una transferencia de clave privada entre el sitio web y nuestra API hace imposible que los piratas informáticos descifren nuestras transmisiones, lo que hace que nuestra encriptación de video sea a prueba de hacks.

¿Cómo el uso de una plataforma gratuita como YouTube puede perjudicar tu negocio?

Cuando se trata de consumir contenido de video en línea, YouTube es la elección de casi todos. De hecho, muchos creadores de contenido o YouTubers generan ingresos significativos a partir de él. También es utilizado por diversas empresas para alojar sus videos. Sin embargo, si deseas monetizar tu contenido de video, YouTube podría no ser la opción adecuada para ti debido a las siguientes razones:

Débil seguridad de video 

Los videos alojados en YouTube no son muy seguros y pueden descargarse fácilmente mediante cualquier complemento o herramienta en línea.

Marca de YouTube no removible 

El reproductor de video HTML5 utilizado por YouTube para transmitir videos no es exactamente personalizable. Es posible que debas comprometer parte de tu marca con él. 

Anuncios y sugerencias no deseados 

YouTube muestra muchos tipos de anuncios que a veces pueden ser realmente distractivos para el usuario, especialmente cuando has pagado o suscrito contenido premium. YouTube muestra diferentes sugerencias al final de un video y los usuarios a menudo tienden a hacer clic en ellas. Esto lleva al usuario que estaba viendo tu contenido a otro lugar.

Preguntas frecuentes sobre plataformas de alojamiento de videos – Resumen

¿Cuál es el mejor sitio de alojamiento de videos?

Los 7 mejores sitios de alojamiento de videos, que incluyen servicios gratuitos y de pago, son – YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, VdoCipher, Dailymotion, Brightvideo, Kaltura. Mientras que YouTube y Vimeo son buenos para el alojamiento general de videos, otros servicios ofrecen soluciones más detalladas y personalizadas para necesidades educativas, de medios y de marketing.

¿Dónde puedo alojar mis videos de forma gratuita?

YouTube y Dailymotion son los sitios populares de alojamiento de videos gratuitos. Otras empresas como Vimeo, VdoCipher, Wistia también ofrecen alojamiento de videos gratuito, pero limitado a una cierta cantidad y período.

¿Dónde puedo alojar videos además de YouTube?

Además de YouTube, puedes alojar videos en Vimeo, Wistia, VdoCipher, Dailymotion, Brightvideo, Kaltura. Mientras que YouTube y Vimeo son buenos para el alojamiento general de videos, otros servicios ofrecen soluciones más detalladas y personalizadas para necesidades educativas, de medios y de marketing.

¿Dónde puedo alojar videos de manera segura para que no se puedan descargar?

VdoCipher proporciona encriptación DRM y marca de agua dinámica para evitar la piratería de descargas de videos. VdoCipher también aloja el contenido y proporciona un reproductor para una reproducción segura y encriptada.

¿Cuál es la plataforma de intercambio de videos más popular?

YouTube es la plataforma de intercambio de videos más popular, seguida de plataformas como TikTok, WhatsApp, Dailymotion. Mientras que YouTube actúa como una única plataforma que opera en la web y en la aplicación, TikTok es una plataforma de intercambio de videos solo para aplicaciones.

¿Qué servidores de alojamiento de videos debo usar para transmitir videos?

Los servidores de nivel superior populares para alojar y transmitir contenido incluyen Amazon AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Akamai. También puedes optar por utilizar plataformas de alojamiento de videos como Vimeo y VdoCipher, que gestionan internamente el alojamiento mediante servidores de primer nivel.

¿Cuáles son buenas plataformas de alojamiento de videos para cursos en línea?

Las principales plataformas de alojamiento de videos para cursos en línea son – VdoCipher, Vimeo, Panopto, Kaltura, Wistia, YouTube y Brightcove. Cada una tiene una ventaja clave diferente, como seguridad de video contra la piratería, análisis detallados, soluciones empresariales personalizadas, etc.

Subodh

Product Marketing Specialist, VdoCipher.

www.vdocipher.com

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