Uploading your recordings to a hosting/streaming service will allow you to archive your recordings for re-use, and create links that can be easily shared with your students. If you are looking to upload and share video content to students, the three major options available to U of T faculty members are:
- YouTube (Google) - not an institutionally supported tool at U of T (see Tips to safely implement un-vetted tools in your course)
- MS Stream - part of Uof T's Microsoft 365 suite ( see Microsoft Stream FAQ)
- MyMedia - U of T Developed Solution (see our MyMedia guides)
While the tools can be used in a variety of ways, this guide provides an overview and feature comparison of these three services, focusing on their functionality in terms of video hosting (not live broadcast/streaming).
We do not encourage uploading video content directly to Quercus. Not only will this chew through your course's storage quota, Quercus is not optimized for video playback and does not archive your videos for re-use. Please select a video hosting service instead.
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1. Overview of Video Hosting Services
1.1. YouTube (Google)
YouTube is a public video-sharing platform and is not U of T-licensed. Before using YouTube, please read Tips to safely implement un-vetted tools in your course.
What are some of the benefits of using YouTube?
- You can enable automatic captioning (and then edit those captions) (see Use automatic captioning)
- You can organize your videos into course-specific channels and/or playlists (see Create & manage playlists)
What are some considerations for using YouTube?
- YouTube is not accessible to students in certain geographic locations. If your students are geographically distributed, we do NOT recommend the use of YouTube as the sole service to share content to students. If you are using YouTube, please also share your content via MyMedia or Microsoft Stream.
- Depending on the video privacy setting you select, inappropriate video recommendations may appear after your video. To avoid showing in appropriate video recommendations after your videos, follow the steps in the tip box below.
To limit video recommendations to only those videos inside your YouTube channel:
- Set the viewing permission for the videos in your YouTube channel to 'Unlisted' (see: Change video privacy settings)
- Append '?rel=0' to the embed code of your videos when embedding in a Quercus page:
- <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/93eQeCXui0s?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
1.2. Microsoft Stream
Microsoft Stream is one of the Microsoft 365 apps and is available to all U of T faculty and staff.
What are some of the benefits of using Microsoft Stream?
- You can enable automatic captioning (and then edit those captions) (see how to generate automatic captions and a transcript)
- You can add formative assessments to your videos using Microsoft Forms (see How can I add a quiz or survey to a video on Microsoft Stream?)
What are some considerations for using Microsoft Stream?
- Microsoft Stream is not accessible outside of the U of T community (a Microsoft 365 login is required).
- It can be a bit difficult to limit access to specific groups of people (for examples, limiting access to individuals needs to be done manually for each video that is shared)
Microsoft is currently transitioning to a newer version of Stream called Stream (on SharePoint). The existing version has been renamed as Stream (Classic). The main difference is that the new Stream (on SharePoint) will leverage the power of SharePoint and OneDrive to improve video management regarding permissions, sharing and governance. To view a feature comparison between Stream (Classic) and Stream (on SharePoint), visit: Stream (on SharePoint) vs Stream (Classic) Guide.
Although at some point Stream (Classic) will retire, the transition between Stream (Classic) and Stream (on SharePoint) will be gradual. For now, both versions will coexist. The retirement date for Stream (Classic) has not been set. To view the current features roadmap for Stream (on Sharepoint), visit: Current features and upcoming roadmap for Microsoft Stream (on SharePoint). For the most recent updates at U of T, view EASI's MS Stream page.
1.3. MyMedia
MyMedia is a simple and reliable video hosting solution developed by U of T and available to all U of T faculty, students and staff.
What are some of the benefits of using MyMedia?
- MyMedia viewing permissions for videos can be set to Public for sharing with individuals outside of U of T.
- MyMedia accounts are available to all faculty, staff, and students with an active UTORid. Students can upload content to MyMedia and share the link with others.
- Instructors can request course-based MyMedia accounts that are linked to a user name and email (instead of an individual UTORid). If you are uploading video content for a course we recommend requesting a MyMedia account specifically for each course versus uploading video to a personal MyMedia account. This option is especially helpful if you have multiple people uploading videos for one course.
What are some considerations for using MyMedia?
- MyMedia does not auto-generate captions. However, they can be added separately if created using another tool (e.g., MS Stream or YouTube). You can upload your video to any of these platforms to generate captions for your video and then upload the file with captions to MyMedia. See How do I add automatic captions for MyMedia videos?
- It is not possible to limit video access to specific groups of people - visibility can only be set to Private (only visible by you), U of T (users logged into MyMedia), or Public (anyone with the link).
2. What should I consider while making this decision?
3. Comparison table of different video hosting services
| YouTube | Microsoft Stream | MyMedia | |
| Tool in Brief | Public platform; not institutionally licensed; not accessible in all geographic locations | Part your MS 365 subscription; generates auto captions; can add formative quizzes to video timeline | Developed by U of T Libraries; basic usage analytics; intended for archival purposes, fairly basic functionality |
| Set up Effort | Medium - High (if using Channels) | Medium (High to Very High if limiting to certain people) | Low |
| Supported at FASE | No; external, non-vetted tool | Yes; Part of UofT O365 access (only staff and faculty can upload videos; students can view videos but cannot upload) | Yes; UTL developed video and audio archival system |
| Cost | Free; Requires Google Account to Upload video content | Included w/ U of T’s Office 365 Subscription | Included w/ U of T Staff/Faculty Status |
| Viewing Permissions | Three layers of permissions: Unlisted (anyone with the link can view), Private (only the account holder can view), and Public (anyone can view; available in search results) | Visible to entire U of T community (visible in searches) OR limited to certain individuals/groups (e.g. based on a Team) if manually configured (per video) | Two layers of permissions: Public (anyone can view) or UTORid Authentication (anyone with a UTORid can login and view, if they have the link; not searchable) |
| Administrative Video Access | Youtube account owner |
Video viewing permissions can be granted by account owner (see how to grant video viewing permissions); the account owner can also add additional owners (via the permission tab) to a video to allow others the ability to download and edit the content |
Account owner only, but you can request a course account (see How can I request a MyMedia account for my course?) |
| Browser Compatibility | All | Chrome, Safari, Edge | All |
| Uploadable Files Types | Video formats only (MOV, mp4, FLV, etc.) |
Video formats only (MOV, mp4, FLC, etc.) |
Video and audio files only (mp4, mp3, mov, wav, etc.) |
| Max. Storage Capacity | Unlimited; accounts must be verified for extended storage (Each upload must be under 2 GB) |
500GB (Can request more) |
Unlimited |
| Automatic Captioning/Subtitling | Yes |
Yes (see how to enable auto captions) | No; but you can upload a transcript file (see how to add captions to MyMedia) |
| Viewing Analytics | Yes | Limited | Limited |
| Quercus Integration | No - Channels can be iframed into Quercus pages for easy updating (see How do I link to a YouTube video in the Rich Content Editor as an instructor? ) | No - Share URL to course or embed iframe into Quercus pages (see How can I copy the embed code for my video? Stream) | No - Share URL to course or embed iframe into Quercus pages (see How can I copy the embed code for my video? MyMedia) |
| Customization Options | Video thumbnail customization, personalized banners, channels and playlists | Video thumbnail customization | No |
| Content Longevity | Forever; you can manually remove content | Forever; you can manually remove content |
Forever; you can manually remove content |
| Built in capture tool? | No (but you can livestream and record; unsupported by ETO) |
Yes (built-in screen recorder; you can also livestream and record) | Yes (but has limitations) |