[ARCHIVED] What's the best way to reduce a size in video, yet still have decent quality?

[rpsimon]

A teacher at my school recorded himself using the Canvas recording feature in the RCE and uploaded it to Canvas.  The video (which was literally just him lecturing) was close to 22 minutes long, however the size of the file itself was approximately 430 MB.  That's pretty large, for a 22 minute video, correct?  I've increased everyone's data to enable them to have more data due to our school closure and our heavy reliance upon online learning.  Is there a way to reduce the file size of the video yet still have decent quality?  Thanks.

[Chris_Hofer · Accepted solution]

rpsimon...

If you have the video file saved on your computer, one thing that you might consider doing is to upload the video to a YouTube account and set the sharing options such that only people with the link can access it.  Don't make the video lecture available to the general public.  This accomplishes a couple things...  First, it potentially frees up space in the course for other files.  Second, it mostly likely will take care of any concerns you have about video quality.  YouTube generally will play videos automatically based on your internet connection, and people can choose the video quality on their own if they want.  Do you think YouTube might be an option for you?

[rtincoff]

To consider: the Private format for Youtube videos is limited to views by 50 youtube users. The Unlisted format doesn't have that restriction but can be shared beyond the enrolled students.

[mvanmatre]

Hi rpismon,

One thing I do is compress the file using free software like Handbrake. Currently working on some videos for our orientation, i.e. Student Success (187 MB). After handbrake, it was compressed to 31 MB - I can't tell the difference - I used the general setting 'Fast 1080p30'.

Handbrake has several options for video size / device - works great with PC/MAC/Linux - and my two favorites: free and reliable. Exports as .mp4, .mkv, or .webM (Tutorial: How to Use Handbrake to Compress Video).

Hope this helps,

Matthew

[sgiedieviells]

Hi there,

I agree with the video hosting option. 

Uploading video directly to Canvas can be a hassle and it isn't best for delivery to the student. 

With a video hosting website such as Youtube, Vimeo, or Loom, you can upload larger videos and students can view with ease without killing their bandwidth and storage if they download it.

Did your institution think about adopting a video hosting platform for education? A few to look into are Panopto and Kaltura.

Hope this helps!