Video on demand tutorial
This Wowza VOD tutorial shows how to turn an MP4 file into an HLS link and an embedded player, in two ways: on a Wowza Streaming Engine server you run, or in a Primcast video library where you only upload the file.
Both give you the same kind of address, so a player that works with one works with the other. Pick the way that fits, follow the numbered steps, and your video plays on phones and computers.
http://your-server:1935/vod/mp4:sample.mp4/playlist.m3u8
manifest.mpd instead for MPEG-DASH.The job is the same either way: store the file, answer players that ask for it, and hand out a link. The difference is who looks after the server.
AA Primcast video library
Good when you want videos on your website this week and no server to keep patched.
BYour own Wowza Streaming Engine
Good when you need Wowza's own settings, modules or licence, or your files already live on that server.
Neither path re-encodes your video on the way in, so the file you export is the file your viewers get. Export it as an MP4 with the settings below and both will play it.
| Setting | Primcast video library | Wowza Streaming Engine |
|---|---|---|
| File | MP4, ending in .mp4 or .m4v | MP4 for the examples here |
| Video | H.264 (Baseline, Main or High), 8-bit 4:2:0, up to 1920x1080 and 60 fps | H.264 |
| Audio | AAC-LC at 44.1 or 48 kHz, mono or stereo, or no audio at all | AAC or MP3 |
| Size of one file | Up to 100 GB, within your plan's storage | Limited by your server's disk |
Exporting from an editor or with FFmpeg? Choose H.264 video and AAC audio and keep the frame size at 1080p or below. Our FFmpeg streaming tutorial has the commands if you work on the command line.
These steps use Wowza Streaming Engine Manager, the web console that comes with Wowza. You need an administrator login and a way to copy files to the server, such as SFTP.
vod.content folder in the Wowza install directory, which is where Wowza keeps its own sample.mp4.mp4:myvideo.mp4, and copy the address for the format you want.HLS http://your-server:1935/vod/mp4:myvideo.mp4/playlist.m3u8 MPEG-DASH http://your-server:1935/vod/mp4:myvideo.mp4/manifest.mpd RTSP rtsp://your-server:1935/vod/mp4:myvideo.mp4 RTMP rtmp://your-server:1935/vod stream: mp4:myvideo.mp4
A website served over https cannot play an http address. Before you embed the player on your site, give the Wowza server a TLS certificate and use the https form of the address. Turn playback security back on once the player works.
With a video on demand plan there is no FTP client and no server to set up. You upload in the control panel and copy a link when the file is ready.
Storage counts what is in your library now. Delete a file you no longer need and its space is free again straight away.
Every ready file has Preview, Copy CDN link, Copy server link and Embed buttons. Use the link with a player you already have, or the embed code if you want a player made for you. If a file shows a single Copy link button, that is its server link.
CDNCopy CDN link
The best choice for most websites. Viewers in different countries each get the video from a server close to them, so it has less distance to travel.
ServerCopy server link
Use it when a player or an app should always talk to one address. Both links are https HLS addresses, built the same way as the Wowza address in step 03.
The embed code is a standard HTML5 video player. Safari and iPhones play the HLS link directly, and other browsers load the free hls.js player to do it. It works on https pages and shows no ads.
Wowza VOD is video on demand served by Wowza Streaming Engine: a file stored on the server that each viewer starts whenever they like. The server cuts the file into short pieces as players ask for them, so viewers can start at once and skip ahead without downloading the whole video.
It tells the server what kind of file comes next. In /vod/mp4:myvideo.mp4/playlist.m3u8, vod is the application, mp4:myvideo.mp4 is the file with its prefix, and playlist.m3u8 asks for HLS. Leave the prefix out and the address usually fails.
Use an MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio. Wowza also accepts MP3 audio in an MP4. A Primcast video library takes .mp4 and .m4v files with H.264 video up to 1080p at 60 fps and AAC-LC audio, and it tells you exactly what to change if a file does not fit.
On a Wowza server of your own, yes: copy the files into the application's content folder with SFTP or FTP. A Primcast video library takes uploads in the control panel instead, which handles large files better because an interrupted upload picks up where it stopped.
One file can be up to 100 GB in a Primcast video library, as long as it fits in your plan's storage. On your own Wowza server the only limit is the disk.
No. The file is checked and stored as it is, and viewers get exactly what you exported. That is why the export settings in step 02 matter.
Yes. The link is HLS, which iPhones, iPads and Safari play directly, and Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Android browsers play through the embed code's player. Paid video on demand plans also include your own Samsung and LG TV app.
Yes. A Primcast video library runs on Wowza Streaming Engine on our side, and the free video on demand plan gives you 1 GB of storage and 25 GB of viewing traffic a month, with the same upload, links and embed code as the paid plans. Move up a plan when your library grows.
Open the chat on this page. Our AI assistant answers in seconds and can check your account and its library, and you can ask for a person at any point.
Choose a video on demand plan, upload an MP4 and paste one embed code. Questions on the way? The chat is open.