Support · video on demand
Video on demand tutorials export, upload, embed, then let it play all day
These video on demand tutorials walk you from a finished edit to a video your visitors can start whenever they like: the export settings that play on every screen, the upload, the link and the embed code. Follow them in order the first time, then come back to the one step you need.
VOD streaming setup in three steps
Video on demand means you store the file once and every viewer presses play on their own time. Live video works the other way round, with everyone watching the same moment. Setting up VOD streaming with Primcast takes three steps, and none of them needs FTP or a server of your own.
Export the file
Save your edit as an MP4 with H.264 picture and AAC sound, at 1080p or below. Nothing is re-encoded after you upload, so this export is exactly what your viewers get. The file sheet below has every setting.
Upload it
In your control panel, open your video on demand account and choose Upload videos. You can send several files at once, pause and come back, and a dropped connection carries on from where it stopped. The Wowza VOD tutorial shows each screen.
Embed it
When a file shows Ready, copy its link for a player you already use, or copy the embed code and paste it into your page. In WordPress, a Custom HTML block takes it as it is. The embed steps show both buttons.
The file sheet: export once, play everywhere
A file that matches this sheet plays on phones, in browsers and on smart TVs without any conversion. If something does not fit, the library marks the file Rejected and tells you what to change in your export.
- Container
- MP4, with a file name ending in
.mp4or.m4v - Picture
- H.264 in the Baseline, Main or High profile, 8-bit 4:2:0, up to 1920×1080 and 60 frames per second
- Sound
- AAC-LC at 44.1 or 48 kHz, mono or stereo. A silent file is fine too.
- One file
- Up to 100 GB, as long as it fits in your library
- Processing
- None. The file you upload is the file that plays, so no quality is lost after your edit.
Pick the tutorial for what you are doing
Each guide covers one job from start to finish. Open the one that matches where you are now.
01Upload and embed
Wowza VOD tutorial
Upload MP4 files to your Primcast library, wait for Ready, then copy the CDN link, the server link or the embed code for your site.
02Your own server
Wowza Streaming Engine VOD setup
Create a VOD application in Wowza Streaming Engine Manager, copy your files into its content folder and test the HLS playback address.
03Command line
FFmpeg tutorial
Send a recorded video to your live channel with one command, once or on a loop, with no window and no mouse.
04Channel
Your library as a 24/7 TV channel
Build playlists from the files you uploaded, rotate the favourites and add your own ad breaks, so the library plays out like a live channel.
05Screens
Samsung and LG TV app
Paid plans include an app in your name for Samsung and LG smart TVs, where viewers find your live channel and your video library.
06Selling
Video player and paywall
Put a price on a single film from your library, or keep the whole archive for paying members.
Streaming live instead? The live video streaming tutorials cover every encoder we support.
Questions people ask about video on demand
Stuck on something these answers miss? The chat on this page replies in seconds and can look at your account and your library while you talk. Ask for a person and you get one.
01What is video on demand streaming?
It is video your viewers start whenever they choose, like a film on a streaming service, instead of joining a broadcast at a set time. The file sits on the server and is sent in short pieces as the player asks for them, so playback starts at once and viewers can skip ahead without downloading the whole video.
02Can I host videos on the free plan?
No. The free plan is for live streaming only and keeps no library. Video on demand starts on Starter with 50 GB of storage, Pro holds 200 GB and Platinum 2 TB. Each library plan also streams live, so one account can carry your channel and your archive.
03Which video format should I upload?
An MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio, at 1080p and 60 frames per second or less. Files ending in .mp4 or .m4v are accepted. If a file does not fit, it shows Rejected with the reason, so you know what to change before you export again.
04Will my videos be converted or lose quality?
No. We store the file exactly as you upload it, because converting would cost quality and hide problems in the file. What you watched in your editor is what your audience sees.
05Do I upload by FTP?
Not for a Primcast library. You upload in the control panel, which copes better with large files: an upload you pause or lose picks up from the part already received when you choose the same file again. FTP or SFTP is only needed when you run your own Wowza Streaming Engine and copy files into its content folder.
06How large can one video be?
Up to 100 GB per file, as long as it fits in your plan's library. Storage counts what is in your library right now, so deleting a file you no longer need frees its space straight away.
07How do I embed a video on my website?
Open the file in your library, click Embed, choose whether it plays from the CDN or from your library's server, and copy the embed code into your page. The CDN link suits most websites because each viewer gets the video from the nearest of our 5 cities. The player works on https pages, shows no ads and fits the width you give it. On Pro and Platinum it carries no Primcast name.
08Will my videos play on iPhone, Android and smart TVs?
Yes. Your links are HLS, which iPhones, iPads and Safari play directly, and Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Android browsers play through the embed code's player. Paid plans also include your own app for Samsung and LG TVs.
09Do I still need Flash Media Server for video on demand?
No. Adobe ended Flash Player at the close of 2020, and browsers no longer play Flash video. Today video on demand is delivered as HLS, which plays in every current browser and on phones with no plugin. The Wowza VOD tutorial replaces the old Flash guide.
Ready to put your videos online?
A Primcast video library takes your MP4 files as they are, gives every file a link and an embed code, and can play the whole archive as a 24/7 channel. Library sizes and what each plan includes are on the video on demand page.