Sharing video on Zoom?
July 12, 2022 10:13 AM Subscribe
A simple question: I have some short video clips I would like to share on Zoom. I can share them either by downloading them and sharing from my laptop, or, I could share them by streaming directly from the website. (The website is Netflix, if that matters). My inclination is that streaming from a website would be more reliable?
And, technically speaking, how does sharing from a website on Zoom work exactly? Does the content need to go through my connection first, or does it get streamed directly to the participants?
And, technically speaking, how does sharing from a website on Zoom work exactly? Does the content need to go through my connection first, or does it get streamed directly to the participants?
Zoom is just sharing your screen, so the viewers aren't connecting to Netflix. I would say that streaming from a website would be less reliable, since your connection is both downloading the content and simultaneously sending it back out through your shared screen.
Any time anyone has shared video with me over zoom, it's awful. The frame rate is generally low and the audio isn't synced, so if quality is a concern, you might want to look into another method.
posted by jonathanhughes at 10:29 AM on July 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
Any time anyone has shared video with me over zoom, it's awful. The frame rate is generally low and the audio isn't synced, so if quality is a concern, you might want to look into another method.
posted by jonathanhughes at 10:29 AM on July 12, 2022 [2 favorites]
You can also do a Google Presentation and embed the video on one page and screen share that way. I agree that the quality is often poor and don't know if streaming from a HQ file is better.
posted by mermaidcafe at 10:31 AM on July 12, 2022
posted by mermaidcafe at 10:31 AM on July 12, 2022
I would seriously recommend you screen-cap the clip you want from Netflix, then share the captured file.
posted by kschang at 10:32 AM on July 12, 2022
posted by kschang at 10:32 AM on July 12, 2022
Test this from your computer/browser before doing so in a high stakes setting. For some reason my computer lets me share video from streaming sites but my friend's doesn't. (Windows 10/Firefox has reliably worked for me)
posted by kbuxton at 10:41 AM on July 12, 2022
posted by kbuxton at 10:41 AM on July 12, 2022
Response by poster: Thanks everyone, this is super helpful. To answer the question, yes, I would be screen sharing from Zoom and I have the option of either streaming from the website or downloading the clips (they have already been made by a third-party).
More details about the clips, they are 30 seconds maximum and around 30 mbs.
posted by nanook at 10:42 AM on July 12, 2022
More details about the clips, they are 30 seconds maximum and around 30 mbs.
posted by nanook at 10:42 AM on July 12, 2022
If you want to share clips from Netflix, maybe Teleparty would be a better option than Zoom?
posted by ejs at 11:22 AM on July 12, 2022
posted by ejs at 11:22 AM on July 12, 2022
As a heads up, when you screenshare this in Zoom, there is an easily missed check box about sharing sound.
You might want to do a test run to a) make sure everything works b) the audio volume is set at the appropriate level for audience members.
And I concur that it is most likely preferable to share the video files that are saved on your machine.
posted by oceano at 12:29 PM on July 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
You might want to do a test run to a) make sure everything works b) the audio volume is set at the appropriate level for audience members.
And I concur that it is most likely preferable to share the video files that are saved on your machine.
posted by oceano at 12:29 PM on July 12, 2022 [4 favorites]
An added data point: This may no longer be the case, but last year I found a lot of streaming video services (Netflix, HBO+, even Kanopy) wouldn’t allow sharing over Zoom (something about copyright infringement, I think). So the only way to share video over zoom was to download and share directly from your computer (or share YouTube clips). I would also advise a test run ahead of time to make sure everything (sound, video quality) is working properly.
posted by sleepingwithcats at 1:44 PM on July 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by sleepingwithcats at 1:44 PM on July 12, 2022 [5 favorites]
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When you screen share, the content displayed on your screen is streamed to the Zoom servers, and then from the Zoom servers to the other participants. Web content is not streamed directly to the participants in any way.
Downloading the video in advance will certainly be more reliable, as long as you test the playback in advance to make sure you have the right video software on your machine. Streaming video from the web while ALSO being in a zoom call is often too much data for an internet connection to handle smoothly unless you have pretty high bandwidth.
Just as a heads up, screen sharing through Zoom has a pretty low frame rate, so the video is likely to be a bit choppy. You can improve the situation by clicking the “optimize for video playback” checkbox when starting the screen share, which will at least make sure the video and audio are in sync. I have successfully watched a whole TV episode this way with a friend. But it’s a degraded experience compared to watching a video normally.
posted by mekily at 10:28 AM on July 12, 2022 [1 favorite]