Kaltura MediaSpace - Recommended Video Source Formats and Specifications [UW-Madison]
This document provides recommended video and audio settings when creating video to upload to Kaltura MediaSpace to ensure they are successfully processed.
While Kaltura supports a wide range of video formats and codecs, there are some recommended specifications for creating source files. These settings help ensure that your source file is quickly processed, while offering the optimal video and audio quality. The information provides the recommended settings for exporting or publishing a video project in software like Adobe Premiere, TechSmith Camtasia, Apple iMovie, and others. More detailed settings can be found in Kaltura's document Recommended Video Source Formats and Specifications.
Recommended video settings
| Specification | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Source Format: | MP4 |
| Video Codec: | H.264 |
| Frame Size: | We recommend a 1280 x 720 frame size as a good balance between quality and file size. 1920 x 1080 can be used if you have material where you want especially high quality or fine detail discernible. While you can upload high resolution 4k (3840 x 2160) video to Kaltura MediaSpace, it will be compressed down to 1920 x 1080. We do not recommend uploading 4k video at this time as it will take longer to both upload and process with no gain in resolution or quality. |
| Bitrate: | 3,750-5,000 Kbps bitrate See Frame Size with Recommended Bitrates for other frame sizes and data rates. |
| Frame rate / frames per second / fps: | Use original frame rate if possible. Common frame rates include 24, 25, 29.97, 30 fps |
| Size: | While Kaltura MediaSpace can handle larger files we recommend keeping the MP4 video file size below 2.0 GB. The larger the file the longer it will take to upload and process. |
| Audio: | AAC or MP3 |
Uploading videos with specifications outside of these recommendations may result in extended upload or processing times, and/or errors from Kaltura MediaSpace. Some editing and transcoding software allow you to set various export settings. In the options choose the following if available:
- MP4 Streaming - choose Fast-Start.
- MP4 Video Compression - choose H.264 High profile.
- Bitrate – based on video dimensions. See table below.
- Progressive scan mode – avoid interlaced video.
- Multi pass –multi-pass will provide better quality.
- VBR vs. CBR - VBR (variable bitrate) usually provides better quality than CBR (constant bitrate).
- Frame Rate – choose Current.
Frame sizes with recommended bitrates
| 16:9 aspect ratio video |
4:3 aspect ratio video |
Bitrate Range |
|---|---|---|
| 640 x 360 | 640 x 480 | 1,350-1,800 Kbps |
| 1280 x 720 (720p) | 1280 x 960 | 3,750-5,000 Kbps |
| 1920 x 1080 (1080p) | 1920 x 1440 | 6,000-8,000 Kbps |
Learn@UW-Madison generally recommends a maximum frame size of 1280 x 720. If you require your audience to discern especially fine detail in the video, then a 1920 x 1080 (1080p) frame size may be warranted.
Recommended audio settings
| Recommended | Avoid | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | AAC, MP3 | Nellymoser |
| Channels | Stereo, Mono | Surround - 5.1, 7.1 |
| Sample Size | 44.1 kHz or lower | |
| Bit Depth | 16-bit | 32-bit |
| Sound Levels | Normalized | Peaks, low sound |