Working with audio and video

- So, throughout this chapter, I've been talking about media elements rather than just images. That's because through the Add Media button, you can add any media element you want. Images, documents, PDFs, and audio and video files. And if you add an audio or video file, WordPress will even set up an audio or video player automatically so your visitors can enjoy them. Now you know this, I'm going to tell you that when it comes to audio and video, it's rarely a good idea to upload the files directly to WordPress.

You're better off using a dedicated service like YouTube or Vimeo or VideoPress or Brightcove or SoundCloud, or any of the other myriad of other rich hosting media services on the web. There's a simple reason for this. Unlike images and documents, audio and video files are huge, and put an enormous strain on your server. If more than a couple of people are downloading those files at the same time, your server might be in big trouble. There's also the issue of file support.

Different browsers require different types of video encoding, meaning if you want your video to be available to all users, you need to have it in at least three different file formats. It simply is not worth the effort. So, if you plan on adding audio or video to your sites, in almost every case, you should use a third party service like YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, or one of the private options. Speaking for myself, the only time I've ever used the native WordPress video hosting solution was when we built a custom player that was not connected to the Internet, and that was only displayed on one single computer.

In all other cases, I've used a third party service. By using one of these services, you get the best possible streaming speeds and quality. You don't have to worry about compatibility or server loads, and you also get viral sharing through the service. if you are looking for private hosting, you can get that too, and restrict viewership to only those who should be able to access your content. The web has solutions for all scenarios and WordPress can support them all. Just don't upload your audio and video files directly.