Setting Video Delivery Options

When you set up your Video Cloud account, you choose whether you want your media content delivered by streaming or by progressive download. (Read more about these different options in the document, Content Delivery Options.) While streaming delivery has a number of advantages, there are use cases, such as when delivering podcasts and mobile video, where you may need to deliver content by progressive download. The Video Cloud universal delivery service feature enables you to do both.

In this document, you will learn how to deliver media by progressive download from your streaming account. First, you need the following:

1. Set up an account that is enabled for universal delivery service (UDS).
2. Get a Media API token that enables URL access to your media. This token is available only for Video Cloud Pro, Enterprise, and Express $499 publishers.

Setting up universal delivery service for your account

Universal delivery service (UDS) is only available if your account is set up as a streaming account that uses the Video Cloud Streaming Content Delivery Network (CDN) for delivery. If you are using your own Bring Your Own (BYO) CDN, your CDN provider must configured your account to provide an HTTP path to your streaming assets. After doing so, you can contact Brightcove Customer Support to have your account updated with this new path to enable universal delivery service.

If your account is set up to use progressive download, UDS is not relevant to you; your videos are always delivered via HTTP.

Note that UDS does not work with remote assets.

How do I know if my account is already set up for universal delivery?

• If you created your Video Cloud account as a streaming account on or after the Brightcove 3.4 release (October 24, 2009), your account is by default set up to enable progressive download as well as streaming.
• If you created your Video Cloud account as a streaming account before the Brightcove 3.4 release (October 24, 2009), your account is by default set up for streaming download only.

Enabling HTTP access for universal delivery service

Once your account is set up for universal delivery service, you can enable HTTP access for delivery:

1. Sign in to the Video Cloud Studio.
2. On the Video Cloud Studio Home page, click the Account Settings link at the top right, under the navigation bar. You must have Administrator privileges to access this area of the Studio.
3. On the Account Settings page, click Publishing Settings.
4. Under Universal Delivery Service, click Edit.
5. Select Enable, so that your media can be delivered by HTTP using the Media APIs.

6. Click Save Changes.

After you enable universal delivery service, the setting applies to all the existing streaming videos in your account, as well as any you add to your account thereafter.

Delivering videos by HTTP from your universal delivery service account

Once you have set up your account for universal delivery service and enabled HTTP delivery of media, you can use the Media API to deliver videos by HTTP. To do this, use the Media API read methods with the optional media_delivery=http argument. For example:

http://api.brightcove.com/services/library?command=find_video_by_id&video_id=149210661776
  &video_fields=name,shortdescription,FLVURL&media_delivery=http&token=0Z2dtxG1bB0usDPY8E.

This is not a working example. You must substitute your own read token with URL access enabled and a video ID that exists in your Video Cloud account.

Related topics

• If you're still getting familiar with the Media API, read Getting Started with the Media API and Media API Reference.
• If you want to download a video rendition for a UDS enabled account, read Downloading video files.
• Learn more about Content Delivery Options.
• Learn about Managing Media API tokens.