9.5. Specifying Additional Video Options

When you create a video component, you can customize additonal settings such as specifying download options for the video and transcript, video license options, a start and stop time for the video, and an audio description track for accessibility.

9.5.1. Enable Video and Transcript Downloads

You can allow learners to download videos and transcript files that you have provided so that they can view them offline.

To enable video and transcript downloads, follow these steps.

1. To allow learners to download the video, select Allow video downloads in the Video Source section.

2. To allow learners to download an .srt and .txt video transcript, select Allow transcript downloads in the Transcript section.

3. Select Save.

To test transcript downloads for the video, select Download transcript in the video player’s control bar. You can download either the SubRip (.srt) format or text (.txt) format.

9.5.2. Set Video Settings

The following options appear on the Edit page of the video component.

Component Display Name

The name that you want your learners to see. To edit the display name, select the pencil icon inthe top left hand corner.

9.5.2.1. Video Source

Video ID	The Video IDis the source for your video. Video IDs are the identifiers that the video process assigns to the video. Only courses on edx.org use Video IDs.
Video URL	The Video URL is the source for your video. Video URLS are for externally hosted video.
Allow Video Downloads	Specifies whether learners can download the video. If you select Allow video downloads, you must add at least one URL in the Fallback Videos field.
Fallback Videos	The URL or URLs where you posted different versions of the video. If you added URLs by selecting Add a video URL, the URLs are listed in the fields below to Fallback Videos. Every URL must end in .mp4, .mpeg, .webm, or .ogg. Learners will view the first listed video that is compatible with their computer or mobile device. For the best experience for mobile users, make sure that the URL for the 360p version of the video is the first URL in the list. To help make sure all standard browsers can play your video, we strongly recommend that you use the .mp4 format.

9.5.2.2. Thumbnail

Note

This feature is not available for Video components in Libraries.

The thumbnail image is the image that learners see before the video begins to play. For videos found on the Video Uploads page, the thumbnail image can be specified. The thumbnail image should have an aspect ratio of 16:9.

To add a thumbnail to a video component, follow these steps:

1. Open the video component for the video.

2. Scroll down to the Thumbnail section, and then select Upload Thumbnail.

3. In the dialog box, browse to the image file, and then select Open.

To replace the current thumbnail, delete the thumbnail, and then follow the steps above for adding a thumbnail

9.5.2.3. Transcript

Note

To test the transcript with the video, after you have saved the video, select Show transcript (”) icon in the video player’s control bar. The transcript file scrolls while the file plays. You can also test the transcript by selecting the CC icon.

Transcript Languages	The transcript files for any additional languages. For more information, see Add a Transcript.
Download Transcript Allowed	Specifies whether you want to allow learners to download the .srt or .txt transcript. (By default, Studio creates a .txt transcript when you upload an .srt transcript.) If you select Allow transcript downloads, a link to download the file appears below the video. If you want to provide a downloadable transcript in a different format as well, such as .pdf, edX recommends that you upload a handout for learners by using the Upload Handout field. For more information, see Add a Supplemental Downloadable Transcript.
Show Transcript by Default	Specifies whether the transcript appears next to the video by default. If this is set to unchecked, learners can still view transcripts by selecting the Show Transcript (”) icon.

9.5.2.4. Audio Description

Note

This feature is not available for Video components in Libraries. The Audio Description option only appears when your course administrator has enabled it for your course.

Audio description (AD) is a narrated audio track that describes the visual content of a video — such as on-screen text, actions, scene changes, and graphics — for learners who are blind or have low vision. Adding an audio description track to your videos helps you meet WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.2.5 (Audio Description).

When a video has an audio description attached, learners see an Audio Description toggle button in the video player controls. They can turn the audio description on or off at any time during playback.

Supported File Formats

You can upload audio description files in the following formats:

• MP3 (.mp3)

• OGG (.ogg)

• M4A (.m4a)

• WAV (.wav)

• AAC (.aac)

The maximum file size is 200 MB.

9.5.2.4.1. Add an Audio Description

To add an audio description to a video component in Studio, follow these steps.

1. In Studio, navigate to the Unit that contains the video component you want to update.

2. Select Edit on the video component to open the video editor.

3. In the video settings panel on the right, scroll down until you see the Audio Description (AD) collapsible section. If no audio description file has been uploaded yet, the section displays None below the title.

   

   Note

   If you do not see the Audio Description (AD) section, the feature has not been enabled for your course. Contact your course administrator to enable it.

4. Select the Audio Description (AD) section header to expand it. The expanded section displays the message “Add an audio description track (MP3, OGG, M4A, WAV, or AAC) to provide narrated descriptions of visual content for learners who are blind or have low vision” and an Upload Audio Description button with an upload icon.

   

5. Select the Upload Audio Description button. A file browser dialog opens.

6. In the file browser, locate and select the audio description file you have prepared for this video. The file must be one of the supported formats (MP3, OGG, M4A, WAV, or AAC) and must not exceed 200 MB.

   If you select a file with an unsupported format, Studio displays an error message indicating which formats are accepted.

   

   If you select a file that exceeds 200 MB, Studio displays an error message indicating that the file is too large.

   

   You can select Dismiss to close either error message and try again with a valid file.

7. Select Open (or Choose, depending on your browser) to begin the upload.

   Studio shows a spinning progress indicator while the file uploads. When the upload completes, the file name appears in the Audio Description (AD) section alongside a Delete button, and a help message confirms that learners can toggle the audio description track using the player controls.

   

8. Select Save at the bottom of the video editor to save your changes.

After you save, the collapsed Audio Description (AD) section displays the uploaded file name instead of None.

Learners who view this video will see an Audio Description toggle button in the video player controls. When the audio description is active, the button appears highlighted.

When the audio description is inactive, learners can select the button to turn it on.

If no audio description file has been uploaded for the video, the toggle button appears disabled and a tooltip displays Audio description not available when learners hover over it.

Tip

For the best learner experience, the audio description track should be approximately the same length as the video. Consider re-recording the description to match the video length if needed.

9.5.2.4.2. Replace an Audio Description

To replace an existing audio description file with a new one, you must first delete the current file and then upload the replacement.

1. In Studio, navigate to the Unit that contains the video component.

2. Select Edit on the video component to open the video editor.

3. In the video settings panel, expand the Audio Description (AD) section. You will see the current audio description file name with a Delete button next to it.

   

4. Select Delete to remove the current audio description file.

5. Select Upload Audio Description and choose the new audio description file from your computer.

6. After the upload completes and the new file name appears, select Save.

9.5.2.4.3. Delete an Audio Description

To remove the audio description from a video component, follow these steps.

1. In Studio, navigate to the unit that contains the video component.

2. Select Edit on the video component to open the video editor.

3. In the video settings panel, expand the Audio Description (AD) section.

4. Select Delete next to the audio description file name.

   The file name disappears, and the Upload Audio Description button reappears.

   

5. Select Save to save your changes.

After you save, the Audio Description toggle button will no longer appear in the learner’s video player for that video.

9.5.2.5. Duration

Note

To keep the full length of the video, both the start and stop time should be set to 00:00:00.

Video Start Time	The time you want the video to start if you do not want the entire video to play. Use HH:MM:SS format. The maximum value is 23:59:59. Note Learners who play video in the mobile app see the entire video file. Only videos that play in a browser start playing at the specified start time.
Video Stop Time	The time you want the video to stop if you do not want the entire video to play. Use HH:MM:SS format. The default value is 00:00:00 if you do not specify an end time. 00:00:00 is equal to the end of the video. The maximum value is 23:59:59. Note Learners who play video in the mobile app see the entire video file. Only videos that play in a browser stop playing at the specified stop time.

9.5.2.6. Handout

Note

This feature is not available for Video components in Libraries.

Upload Handout

Allows you to upload a handout to accompany the video, such as a PDF transcript or other handout. Learners can download the handout by selecting Download Handout under the video. The procedure for adding handouts is the same as the procedure for adding a supplemental transcript. For more information, see Add a Supplemental Downloadable Transcript.

9.5.2.7. License

Note

The license defaults to the license set at the course level

License

Optionally, you can set the license for the video, if you want to release the video with a license different from the overall course license. Select All Rights Reserved to indicate to learners that you own the copyright for the video. Select Creative Commons to grant others the right to share and use the video. You must then select the Creative Commons license options that you want. The license options that you select control the copyright notice that learners see for the video. For more information, see Course Licensing.