Kaltura (My Media) - Upgrading a Video Embed to the New v7 Player

Why Upgrade?

New Kaltura My Media video embeds use an updated “v7” player, which loads faster, has more features, and has ongoing support. Support for the “v2” Kaltura video player, which is used with any video embed created prior to August 2024, will end on September 30, 2024. While existing v2 player embeds will continue to function in the short-term beyond September 30, no support will be available for v2 player issues, which could be caused by future updates to Canvas or internet browsers. Videos embedded before August 2024 will not automatically update to use the new player. To benefit from the new player’s features and ensure continued support for your embedded videos, we recommend gradually replacing old v2 player video embeds as you refine and prepare your Canvas courses and other web content.

PlayPosit interactive video ("bulb") embeds do not need to be upgraded. All interactive videos created with PlayPosit use the PlayPosit video player.

Identifying Video Player Types

Compare the following screenshots and descriptions to help determine whether your video embed uses the legacy Kaltura v2 player, the new Kaltura v7 player, or the PlayPosit player.

Kaltura v2 Player

Screenshot of the v2 player, which shows a square play button and player controls at the bottom before paying the video

The presence of player controls at the bottom of the player prior to playing the video is a distinguishable feature of the v2 player. When playing the video, the v2 player has a volume icon adjacent to the play/pause button in the bottom-left corner of the player. We recommend that instructors upgrade v2 player embeds to use the v7 player.

Kaltura v7 Player

Screenshot of the v7 player before playing the video. Only a round Play button is visible in the center of the player.     A screenshot of the v7 player while a video is playing. The volume icon is visible on the bottom of the player on the right half and info and transcript buttons are visible at the top right of the player.

Before playing a video, the only control visible on the v7 player is a round play button in the middle of the player. After playing the video, the v7 player controls are visible and include a transcript and info button in the top-right corner and a volume icon found in the right half of the controls at the bottom. The v7 player is the currently supported Kaltura player.

PlayPosit Player

A screenshot of the PlayPosit video player before playing a video. The only visible control is a green rectangular play button in the center of the player.     A screenshot of the PlayPosit video player while playing a video. The bottom controls include a toggle sidezone button next to the play/pause button.

Before playing a video, the only control visible on the PlayPosit player is a green rectangular play button in the middle of the player. After playing the video, the PlayPosit player controls are visible and include a "Toggle Sidezone" button next to the play/pause button in the bottom-left corner of the player. Embeds of PlayPosit videos ("bulbs") do not need to be upgraded.

Instructions for Upgrading Embedded Videos

You can upgrade an existing v2 player video embed to use the new v7 player by removing the old embed and then re-embedding your video.

Before beginning the upgrade process, please make sure that the video is available in your Kaltura My Media library. If you need to upgrade an embed of a video that is not in your My Media library, please contact dle@uwgb.edu for assistance and include a link to the Canvas page or website with the embed in your email message.

Upgrading Embeds in Canvas by Re-Embedding the Content

Follow these steps to upgrade a video embed in Canvas:

  1. Open the Canvas page that contains the embedded video and select the Edit button.

    screenshot of Canvas Edit Button
     
  2. In the rich content editor, place your edit cursor immediately after the video and hit the Backspace key on your keyboard until it is deleted from the page. 

    Screenshot of the Canvas Rich Content editor with the edit cursor placed just after (i.e. to the right) of an embedded video
     
  3. With your edit cursor in the place you want the video to appear, embed your video using the Rich Content Editor’s My Media tool (view Kaltura - Inserting a Video in Canvas with the Rich Content Editor for complete instructions for this step).

    Screenshot of the My Media button in the toolbar of the Canvas rich content editor
     
  4. Select the Save button to save your changes.

    screenshot of Canvas Save Button

Upgrading Embeds in Canvas Using Find and Replace

The Atomic Search tool in Canvas can be used to update video player codes in bulk using Find and Replace. If versions of the v2 player other than the standard player are used throughout the Canvas course, such as the transcript player, this process will have to be repeated with the corresponding video player code(s). View Kaltura (Canvas) - Upgrading Players From v2 to v7 with Find and Replace for complete instructions.

Upgrading Embeds on Other Sites

To upgrade a Kaltura video that is embedded in another (non-Canvas) website, edit the page that contains the video, delete the old iframe embed code, and replace it with a new iframe embed code copied from your My Media library in Mediaspace or in Canvas. Please see: Kaltura (My Media) - Getting an Embed Code from My Media

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