Upload and import
Add videos to a library from your computer, from cloud storage or from a URL, and follow their processing.
Every video starts as a file you upload or import. OctaVideo then encodes and encrypts it in the background until it is Ready to play.
Upload from the console
Open the library's Videos and either:
- select Upload videos and pick one or more files, or
- drop files anywhere on Videos. The page shows Drop to upload to your library while you drag.
The drop area lists the accepted formats and the size limit per file. Files of the wrong type or over the limit are refused before anything is sent.
The uploads panel
The Uploads panel shows each file with its state: Waiting, Uploading with a percentage, Uploaded, Failed or Refused (with the reason).
- Cancel stops a file that is still uploading.
- Retry sends a failed file again, for example after a dropped connection.
- Remove clears a finished or failed file from the panel.
The panel keeps running while you move between pages, so you can carry on working in the console. You can minimise it to one line. If you try to close the tab while uploads are running, the browser asks you first.
Keep the console tab open until every file says Uploaded. Closing it stops the uploads that are still running.
Processing statuses
When a file is uploaded it becomes a video and goes through these statuses on Videos:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Queued | Waiting to be encoded, with its position in the queue. |
| Encoding | Being encoded and encrypted, with a percentage. |
| Ready | Playable. You can embed it, add chapters and transcribe it. |
| Failed | Processing stopped. The reason is shown. |
Statuses refresh on their own while anything is encoding. Use the status filters (All, Ready, Encoding, Queued, Failed) and the search box (Title or video ID) to find a video. Both stay in the page address, so you can share a filtered view.
When a video fails
Select Retry encoding on the video to queue it again. If it fails again with the same reason, the file itself is usually the problem: check that it plays on your computer, then upload a new copy or use Replace file on the video's details page. See Manage videos.
Still stuck? Write to support@octavideo.tech with the video ID.
Import from Google Drive, OneDrive or a URL
Your server can import a video instead of uploading it, from:
- Google Drive
- OneDrive
- A URL: any absolute
httporhttpslink to the file.
Importing is available through the API: see Upload with the API and Import a video. The imported video appears on Videos like any upload and follows the same statuses.
Size limits
- Through the API a single upload can be up to 10 GiB, and the request may run for up to 2 hours.
- In the console the drop area shows the limit for your account.
For very large files, importing from a URL or cloud storage avoids keeping a browser tab open during the upload.