Overview
This topic helps you quickly get started with ApsaraVideo for VOD.
Prerequisites
Before using ApsaraVideo for VOD, make sure that you have registered an Alibaba Cloud account and completed real-name verification. If you do not have an Alibaba Cloud account, the system prompts you to register one when you activate ApsaraVideo for VOD.
Activate the service
- Go to the Alibaba Cloud website and click Log In in the upper-right corner.
- On the Alibaba Cloud website, go to the ApsaraVideo for VOD product page and click Buy Now.
- On the subscription page, select the billing method, click Buy now, and confirm the order.
- After ApsaraVideo for VOD is activated, you can log on to the ApsaraVideo for VOD console and start using the service.**
Configure basic information
Before getting started with the service, perform the following steps to configure basic information:
Manage buckets.
ApsaraVideo for VOD allocates you a bucket located in China (Shanghai) by default, so that you can upload and manage media resources without any configuration. You can also add buckets if you have any requirement on the storage region. Currently, ApsaraVideo for VOD supports the China (Beijing) and China (Shanghai) service regions. For more information, seeStorage Management
Manage domain names.
Compared with image and text files, video files are larger and require a higher transmission capability. The acceleration feature of ApsaraVideo for VOD can cache your media resources on Alibaba Cloud CDN nodes throughout the world. When users request to access the media resources, ApsaraVideo for VOD can return the media resources cached on nearby CDN nodes without the need to fetch the original media resources. This improves the playback speed and provides a stable and smooth experience. You can add a CDN-accelerated domain name to enable the acceleration feature of ApsaraVideo for VOD.
- Add a domain name. Log on to the ApsaraVideo for VOD console and add a domain name for accelerated video distribution.
Make sure that you have obtained an ICP license for your domain name if your website operates in China and that you are entitled to use the domain name.
Bind a CNAME record to the domain name. After adding the domain name, you obtain a CNAME record. You need to bind the CNAME record to the domain name for the CDN acceleration to take effect.
Follow the prompt to bind the CNAME record to the domain name on the configuration page provided by your DNS service provider. If you are using a domain name provided by HiChina, Xinnet, or DNSPod, see this document for the binding procedure.
Configure business information
Besides basic information, you need to configure business information based on your business requirements.
Configure a transcoding template.
You can transcode an audio or video file to one or more audio or video files in different definitions to meet the requirements of different network bandwidths, devices, and users. You can configure a transcoding template based on your business requirements.
- In the ApsaraVideo for VOD console, choose Global Settings > Transcode and click Create Template.
- On the Transcoding Template page, select the container format and definition based on your business requirements.
- If you do not need to transcode a file, select the No Transcoding template when uploading the file.
Add a watermark.
- In the ApsaraVideo for VOD console, choose Global Settings > Watermarks and click Create Watermark.
- On the Watermark page, upload a PNG file, set related parameters, and click Save.
- On the Watermarks page, select the watermark that you added and click Set as Default. For more information, see Watermark management.
Manage categories.
You can manage media resources by categories. In the ApsaraVideo for VOD console, choose Global Settings > Categories. On the Categories page, configure categories based on your business requirements. For more information, see Category management.
Upload media files
After completing the preceding configuration, you can upload media files in the ApsaraVideo for VOD console.
- Choose Media Files > Video and Audio and click Upload.
- On the Upload Media page, click Add Media. In the dialog box that appears, click Add Media to add one or more media files as required or click Remove to remove a media file from the media file list. After all the required media files are selected, click Upload.
You can set a transcoding template and a category for each media file as required.
- The upload starts. When the progress reaches 100% for a media file, the media file is uploaded.
Note:When a media file is being uploaded, you can cancel the upload. After the upload is canceled, you can re-upload the media file.After the selected media files are uploaded, you can upload more media files on the Upload Media page.
Manage media resources
After media files are uploaded, you can manage them in the media library. For example, on the Video and Audio page, you can check the status of each media file and filter media files by time, type, or category.
You can click Manage for a media file to view and edit its details, including the title, description, category, and tags.
After a video is transcoded, you can click the video to preview it and change the definition during the preview.
