How to Upload a Video
Congratulations on setting up your account! Let’s get your first video uploaded and ready to share. Follow these simple steps:
Navigate to the Content → Videos:
Click on the Content section in your dashboard.
Select Videos.
Upload Your Video:
Click the Upload Videos button.
In the upload pop-up, select the video file from your device.
Optionally you can upload from DropBox. Learn More →
Complete the Upload:
Once the upload is finished, you’ll see a green confirmation message. 🎉
You can upload more videos or close the upload pop-up.
Refresh and Verify:
Refresh the Videos page, and your uploaded video(s) will appear at the top of the list.
Edit Video Settings and Details:
After you've successfully uploaded a video, you can edit the video settings and details. Learn More →
🔗 For detailed information on video file formats, you can click here →
Video Format Guidelines
To ensure the best playback experience, follow these format recommendations:
Aspect Ratio: Upload videos in 16:9 landscape mode for optimal viewing.
Avoid Portrait Mode: Non-standard aspect ratios (e.g., portrait) result in black bars and scaled videos, which may not look professional.
TV App Compliance: Platforms like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Roku require videos in landscape mode. Non-compliant videos could result in app rejection.
Thumbnails: Landscape videos ensure properly proportioned thumbnails. Portrait videos may produce stretched or distorted thumbnails.
Understanding Transcoding
What is Transcoding?
Transcoding is the process of converting your video into a format optimized for streaming and playback.
Key Points About Transcoding:
Transcoding times vary depending on file size, bit rate, and other factors.
While rare, delays in transcoding are usually due to larger files or higher resolutions.
✅ Tip: Allow some time for larger files to complete the transcoding process before checking playback.
Backup Your Videos: Why and How
Keeping backups of your videos ensures you’re always prepared for unexpected issues. Here’s what you need to know:
Why Save Backups?
Data Security 🎯: Accidental deletions or technical issues can happen. A backup ensures your work is safe.
Version Control 📊: Having the original file makes editing or re-uploading seamless without quality loss.
Recommended Backup Methods
External Hard Drives: Reliable and offline, these are great for organized storage.
Cloud Storage Services: Use platforms like Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive for secure, scalable backups.
Best Practices for Backup Storage
Organize Files: Create folders and use clear naming conventions to quickly locate files.
Use Redundancy: Store files in multiple locations—both on an external drive and in the cloud.
Update Regularly: Whenever you edit or upload a new video, update your backups.
Technical Stuff
Recommended Quality Settings
Video compressing reduces a video's file size to improve upload and playback speed without negatively impacting video resolution; that's the goal. For the best upload and playback experience with Uscreen, we recommend following these video encoding and compression guidelines before uploading:
Format: MP4 (file extension .mp4 is the most recommended format to provide the best user experience)
Even though Uscreen supports various video formats, not all browsers, programs, and devices can play a particular video format, so MP4 is the safest bet when it comes to video format.
Resolution: 1080p/2K or smaller - videos less than 2048x1152p are considered standard (this is also the recommendation for the horizontal ratio). Uscreen does not currently support 4k or higher videos.
Codec: H.264 video codec (this is the most common codec and supported by almost every device)
Color Profile: Set to “1-1-1” (Rec.709 for color primaries, transfer characteristics, and color matrix).
Range: For compatibility with most broadcast and OTT platforms, use the “video range” (16–235).
Frames Per Second: 20 fps - 60 fps (23.98 fps is a good option)
Additional items you may want to check:
8Mbps or less (bit rates higher than 8Mbps can cause playback issues for viewers)
10-second max keyframe interval
8-bit 4:2:0 or less (The higher the bit rate, the less compression, which results in overall higher quality. However, be aware that the higher the bit rate, the larger the file size.)
Closed GOP (group of pictures)
NOTES: We don't advise using Quicktime to edit videos. The save command stores reference points instead of trimming the video. The file will contain the original data. So, the transcoder will ignore your edits because it processes the video. Instead, you can use software from our list of suggested video editors and converters.
Although Uscreen does support 60 fps, some Roku and Chromecast devices do not. If your users are experiencing stuttering issues on these devices and your content is rendered at 60 fps, the solution is that you change it from 60 to a maximum of 30 fps and replace the video.
We recommend ensuring that your content doesn't have color transfer functions like "smpte2084" (also known as Perceptual Quantizer or PQ) used in HDR video.
It is important to note that large, uncompressed files or files in a different format, like FLV or M4V, will take longer to encode because we essentially need to encode these files in another format to work on older devices. For the most part, they should be okay, but we strongly recommend using the above guidelines when uploading videos to avoid any issues. Read our guide to understand more about different video formats and why we recommend MP4.
NOTE: If you have TV Apps, all videos must be filmed on Fullscreen to ensure it fits the TV screen. This is required by Apple, Google, Amazon, and Roku.
Common Issues with CDN Caching
If you have a low number of viewers in specific geolocations, they may experience slight playback issues the first time they view a video as the CDN has to find the video on the original host server.
When the second viewer in that geolocation views that video, the CDN will now have the video readily available resulting in a smoother playback experience.
This is the same experience that industry leaders experience as well, such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc.
The fewer viewers you have in a specific geolocation the more temporary playback issues those viewers may experience.
Video Storage Limits
Your account's video hours are subject to a limit. The storage limits vary based on the plan you have subscribed to. You can visit our pricing page at https://www.uscreen.tv/pricing/ for further details.
If you have a Plus plan, kindly check your original contract or contact your Customer Success Manager to learn more about your storage limits.