How does Wistia deliver media content?
We use several top-tier global CDNs (content delivery networks) to deliver content worldwide. When a viewer presses play on a Wistia media, they will be delivered a media from a server that is closest to them in physical location. This means faster loading times and a better viewing and listening experience.
We deliver our content via adaptive streaming to deliver the best quality content at any given time. This means that, based on your viewer's internet speed and the size of the player on the page, we'll flip between playback quality while the media is playing without interrupting playback.
For each of your videos, we create several derivatives at different quality levels, then deliver the appropriate version based on the viewer's internet speed. We’ll continually monitor that speed and adjust the quality accordingly.
The Wistia player will automatically detect the environment in which your video is being watched and will deliver the appropriate version for a great viewing experience.
Tip
On a firewalled or highly secured network? Check out our Firewall and Network Allowlist Settings.
Can I host my audio or video media myself or on another network (such as Amazon S3) while using Wistia?
To provide all of our customization features, deliver media via our player, and accrue analytics for your media, the content must be uploaded to Wistia and delivered via our CDNs.
Does Wistia support live streaming?
Yes, we do! Read all about Wistia Webinars here.
Why is my video playing in lower quality right after upload?
To get your video playable as fast as possible, we make a 360p version available within seconds of upload while the higher-quality versions continue processing in the background. Once processing finishes, the player will automatically deliver higher quality versions. Videos recorded or edited in Wistia play at up to 1080p right away.
Can viewers choose their playback quality?
Yes! Viewers can manually select a quality level from the Settings menu in the player at any time. Otherwise, the player picks the best quality for their connection and screen automatically.
Does a looping or autoplaying video keep using bandwidth?
No. Once a video has played, it's cached in the viewer's browser, so replays in the same session won't keep drawing bandwidth.
Troubleshooting media delivery
My video looks blurry or low quality
If your video looks blurry or is player at a lower quality than expected, there are a few things you can check:
Check whether the video is still processing. Higher-quality versions become available once processing finishes.
Open the player's Settings menu and confirm which quality is selected. Try choosing a higher one manually.
Keep in mind that viewers on slower connections, or watching in a small player, will automatically get a lower quality version.
Download the Original file and compare. If the original looks good but playback doesn't, reach out to our Support team with the media link.