Upload a Video File

Updated

Included in Free. Uploading to a connected cloud platform instead needs MediaShield Pro, see Upload Queue and Default Upload Target.

Use this when you want the video file on your own server.

Why use it#

You can host a video yourself with no outside account. It suits short clips and small libraries, and the file is served only to people allowed to watch it.

Before you start#

  • Your user needs the upload_mediashield capability. Administrators have it.
  • Accepted types: .mp4, .webm, .mov and .m4v. A file that is not really a video is refused.
  • There is no chunked upload. Your server's upload limit is the ceiling. Typical shared hosting allows 64 to 128 MB. If your lessons are bigger, host them on a video platform instead.

Steps#

  1. Go to MediaShield > Videos > Add New Video.
  2. Under Video Source, find Or upload a file and choose your file.
  3. Click Upload. A progress bar shows. "Uploaded. Save the video to keep this file." appears when done.
  4. Add a title, set a Featured Image for the poster (MediaShield does not make one), and set Duration if you know it.
  5. Click Publish.

Where the file goes#

The file is stored in wp-content/uploads/mediashield/, outside the media library. The file name carries a random token so addresses cannot be guessed. Visitors watch it through a permission-checked address, so the real file path is never printed in the page while Hide Video Source URL is on.

Check your server blocks direct downloads#

On Apache, MediaShield writes an .htaccess rule that blocks direct access. nginx ignores .htaccess, so on nginx the file can be downloaded by anyone who has its address until you add a rule.

  1. Go to Tools > Site Health.
  2. Find the check named "MediaShield video files are not publicly downloadable".
  3. If it says files can be downloaded directly, copy the location rule it shows into your nginx server block, or send it to your host, then run the check again.

If the upload fails#

  • "Upload failed: the connection dropped or the file is larger than this server accepts." Raise upload_max_filesize and post_max_size, or use a video platform.
  • The Upload button stays grey until a file is chosen.
  • See Error Messages.

What viewers see#

Viewers see the normal protected player. They never see the real file address while Hide Video Source URL is on.

Next steps#