Caption-Friendly Video Storage Options
When sharing videos, it is important to select a tool that supports closed captions and best fits your use case. If you have a specific use case not listed on this page and would like tailored video storage recommendations or need support adding captions in any of these tools, please contact us at Captioning@Colorado.EDU.
Use Cases
If you are an instructor who has a student with a captioning accommodation, we recommend storing your course videos in Canvas Studio. Storing videos in Canvas Studio is also recommended for instructors interested in captioning media proactively.
If you are interested in captioning videos that are not part of an academic course, we recommend storing videos in YouTube or Microsoft OneDrive.
For captioning media that will be shared via social media, please refer to our guide about captioning options for various social media platforms.
Please note: If you have previously used Kaltura (My Media) for storing and embedding video content in Canvas, please review OIT's Kaltura Retirement - Timeline & Migration Information page for more information about this transition.
Common Video Storage Options
Below is a table to help you compare different storage options and their features. All of the below storage options support adding at least one caption file, except Zoom.
Storage option | Canvas access required? | Storage limit? | Can create and edit automated captions directly in the platform? | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canvas Files | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Canvas Studio | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Google Drive | No | Yes | No | You can store more than just videos (e.g. audio, images, documents, and spreadsheets). |
| Mediasite | No | No | No | Used to record lectures. Only available in specific classrooms with Classroom Capture. |
| Microsoft OneDrive | No | Yes | Yes | Can store more than just videos (e.g. audio, images, documents, and spreadsheets). OneDrive is a good option for long-term storage as the storage limit is 5 TB. |
| Vimeo | No | Yes | Yes | Only paid subscriptions have access to generate and edit automated captions. |
| VLC Media Player | No | No | No | Can be used for videos stored locally on your computer. Recommended when you will not have a reliable internet connection but want to view or screen videos with captions. |
| YouTube | No | No | Yes | To upload videos longer than 15 minutes, you must verify your YouTube account. |
| Zoom | No | Yes | Yes | A separate caption file cannot be uploaded. There is a storage retention limit. It is highly recommended to move recordings to another storage option due to captioning and storage retention limitations. |