The StreamShark Video on Demand (VOD) platform lets you upload, encode and publish pre-recorded video content for on-demand playback. Once a VOD is deployed, it can be embedded on your site, shared via a direct link, added to a playlist, or used as source content in a Live Schedule.
In this guide you'll notice the VOD section may have a different user interface to other parts of the platform. We're progressively rolling out an updated user interface across the product, so you may notice some differently styled user interfaces across the platform.
In this guide you will:
- Create a new VOD and upload your source file
- Configure the VOD's format, qualities and profile
- Set privacy and access options
- Deploy the VOD and verify it is active
- Retrieve the embed code or share link
Step 1: Upload a new VOD
- Click the Video on Demand button on the left hand menu in the StreamShark portal.
- Click the Add New
button on the Manage VODs page .
- Select the source of the video. This can be uploaded directly via the browser, through our file bucket system, or directly from a URL. For files over 5GB you should use the File Bucket, see our guide here.
- Set your video title, description and tags,
- Optionally enable captions.
- Optionally enable Shark AI Scribe. Please note: Captions are required in order to use this feature.
Step 2: Configure format, qualities and profile
For most use cases using the 'Auto' encoding profile is all you need to set. The auto profile will create a full encoding ladder based on the source resolution of your video. e.g. a 1080p input will generate the following quality ladder: 1080p, 720p, 480p, 240p.
If you want more control over how your videos are encoded you can create your own encoding profile. Ensure the appropriate Format and Qualities are selected for your intended use case:
- HLS (adaptive streaming): select the HLS format and the qualities you want to make available (e.g. 360p, 480p, 720p, 1080p).
- MP4 (progressive download or Live Scheduler source): select the MP4 format with 360p, 480p, 720p and 1080p for HD, or 360p, 720p, 1080p and 2160p for 4K.
Note: If you intend to use this VOD in a Live Schedule, the MP4 Format is required, with the qualities matching your schedule type (HD or 4K). See How to create a Live Schedule for more information.
Step 3: Set privacy and access options
Under Privacy Control, optionally choose how to protect the VOD.
Note: Privacy enabled VODs must use the HLS format. Deploying a VOD with privacy in a non-HLS container will trigger a warning.
Step 5: Deploy the VOD
Click Submit Videos .
Wait for the VOD to finish encoding. Depending on the file size and the number of qualities selected, this can take a few minutes to several hours. Keep an eye on the status chip for when it has finished processing.
When the VOD is ready, the status chip will show READY . Your VOD is now deployed and ready to use.
Updating or replacing a VOD
To update a deployed VOD's metadata (title, description), open the VOD and edit the relevant fields. Changes will apply immediately.
You can also re-encode your VOD into different formats, if desired. Please note that this will make your video temporarily unavailable whilst it encodes into the new format/qualities.