Does VideoPress Now Support HLS?

Hi there,

Yes, actually, Jetpack converts your uploaded video file into the HLS streaming format (with fragmented MP4). The MP4 files are encoded with H.264 video and AAC audio lossy compression codecs.

VideoPress streams HLS playlists. HLS/MPD(MPEG DASH) are HTTP-based streaming protocols.

That is great to hear.

Do you provide HLS links that I can use to embed videos on a custom video player? And can I block other websites from hotlinking my videos using the HLS links?

You can get the HLS link by taking the VideoPress link, then replacing .mp4 with .master.m3u8.

Hotlinking can be prevented by setting the videos to Private, here’s more info at https://jetpack.com/support/jetpack-videopress/video-privacy/

I have inspected all links and I can’t find a single HLS link that links all the video data. All links are separate. I can manually combine the links into a single HLS file/link but the process is cumbersome.

On the second issue, setting the videos private doesn’t meet what I need to achieve. I want to prevent hot linking, while at the same time, ensure the videos remain public on my website.

I don’t want people to login to watch the videos. You can check what Bunny Stream by Bunny CDN works and implement the same.

Hi @essaund,

At the moment, public videos hosted on our platform are indeed available to everyone, as they are not hosted directly on the user’s site.

While we understand the concerns regarding unauthorized access, we currently do not have plans to implement CORS origin restrictions or DRM measures. It’s important to note that implementing such measures may not entirely prevent unauthorized downloads or replication.

We strive to provide a cost-effective solution for our users, which is why our pricing is based on a single monthly fee rather than charging for uploads, storage, and bandwidth usage like some of our competitors.

It looks like there was a confusion earlier, sorry about that. In accordance with our Service Guidelines, videos should be viewed through the VideoPress player only, on the WordPress site associated with your VideoPress purchase. Directly sharing links to your videos or using VideoPress to host content for another site is not in line with these guidelines. You can find more information here:

https://videopress.com/service-guidelines/

We understand that our platform may not fulfill every specific requirement. If you feel that VideoPress is not the right fit for your needs, please consider exploring alternative solutions.

We appreciate your understanding, and if you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to us.

@alinclamba thanks for explaining extensively.

1. I have no issue with the videos being replicated. My problem is, it’s easy for anyone to hotlink the videos. So, I will be paying for the service, yet someone else hotlinks for free. Do I make sense? And here’s where CORS comes in to help. If they steal the videos, that’s okay. But let them pay hosting fees too.
2. The WordPress Video Player is good. But it lacks monetization features. That’s why using a different solution is necessary. Not sure why your terms are limiting VideoPress to your video player only.

Thanks for sharing your feedback @essaund, we’ve relayed it to the team.

When it comes to cost, VideoPress charges for hosting, but I’d like to emphasize @alinclamba’s comment that VideoPress does not charge for bandwidth usage unlike other services, so this is also worth taking in account.
Using the VideoPress player also ensures support for adaptive streaming, and other customization features.

We understand VideoPress may not be the right fit for your needs, so will understand if you opt for a different solution.

@eri32s98 ~ the issue is not the cost. You provide unlimited bandwidth and I took that into account. Second, I mentioned I have no issue if someone steals my videos.

The major problem I have is paying for something for someone else to use it for free (hot linking). I’m not sure why you can’t see that.

Another thing, adaptive streaming is feature of HLS and there are many plugins that support it. Moreover, I don’t see VAST support (monetization) on Videopress Player.