Hosting mp4 Files Directly on Website Server
Can we host video files on our website from your server so that members can have access to them on a restricted page on our website. If so, is there a limit to the size of the files and is there anything that needs to be in place in order for us to accomplish this. Thanks.
Hello,
Thanks for the question about hosting an MP4 video directly on the web server. The answer is that YES, you could host the video on the server, but it is not recommended. This would require that you put the playback code within your website so that the file is played back the way you want it displayed. However, it has the disadvantage of using web server resources, and also providing a playback point coming from one location that is not optimized for playing back a video file. I would recommend that you use a YouTube or Vimeo account (or other video specific service), upload the file, and then use the embed code to add the video to your website. This allows for much better playback , eliminates the need for code on your site, and also removes resource usage from the web server. Web services optimized for the playback of video (e.g. YouTube) make it much easier to serve video to viewers from multiple geographical locations. For example, if you posted the video on our server, we have data centers in Los Angeles and Virginia so video would need to be played from one of those locations depending on where your account is stored. If playback of the file was very far away from the data center, then quality of the playback might be affected by the distance. Video services like YouTube and CDNs (content distribution networks) are setup for playback of files over a wide geographical area and would be preferred for this purpose. If you need more information on embedding video on your website, check out Streaming Video on your Website.
I hope this helps to answer your question, please let us know if you require any further assistance.
Regards,
Arnel C.