Stream Cloud Files with JW Player

Streaming with Cloud Files will be Decommissioned on July 31, 2022.

Disclaimer: As of January 12, 2021, excluding the China variant
of Flash, the Flash executable has a built-in kill switch that
prevents it from playing Flash files. As of February 2021, all major
browsers block Flash and cannot play it. Only IE11, niche browser forks,
and some browsers built for China plan to continue support.

Cloud Files supports the JW Player for streaming video files. It also
supports FlowPlayer
and OSMF.

The JW Player has a commercial license, which means you must purchase it
from Longtail Video.

Supported media formats for JW Player:

  • Audio:

    • Streaming with ability to jump around: MP4, AAC, and FLV
    • Progressive Download: MP3
  • Video:

    • Streaming with ability to jump around: MP4, MOV, and FLV

Upload JW Player 6 to Cloud Files

  1. Download the JW Player.

  2. Unzip the file and upload it to a Cloud Files container.

    Note: You can upload the player to the container that holds your
    media or to another container.

  3. Download the Akamai® Advanced JW Player Provider plugin files for JW Player 6.

  4. Unzip the plugin files and upload them to the same container as the
    JW Player.

  5. Confirm that the container that holds your player and plugin are
    CDN-Enabled. If they are not, you can enable them through the Cloud Control
    Panel or the API.

    From the Cloud Control Panel:

    1. Click the gear icon next to the container's name.
    2. Select Make Public (Enable CDN).
    3. Click Publish to CDN to confirm.

From the API, see the API Dev Guide section:
CDN-Enable a Container.

Add JW Player 6 to your web page

Add the following HTML elements to your web page:

  • A script element that points to the player
  • A div that positions the player
  • A script that calls the player and the media

Use the following steps to add these elements:

A. Add a script element to point to the player

Add a script element to the head of your HTML that points to
the jwplayer.js file.

For this step, you need the link to the jwplayer.js file that you
uploaded to the Cloud Files container. Get the link from the Cloud
Control Panel.

  1. Open the container where you uploaded the plugin.
  2. Locate the jwplayer.js file in the Object List.
  3. Click the gear icon next to the plugin file.
  4. Click View All Links.
  5. Copy the HTTP link.
  6. Replace /path/to/jwplayer.js in the following text with the link
    that you copied.

Use the following script element, substituting in the link to
your jwplayer.js file:

<script type="text/javascript" src="/path/to/jwplayer.js"></script>

B. Add a div element to position player

Add a div element to your HTML page with a unique ID attribute value,
such as player.

You can change the Loading the player...* text to the message you want
to be displayed while the player loads.

<div id="player">Loading the player...</div>

C. Add a script elememnt to call the player

Add the following script element right below the div element. This
adds the JW Player and your media to your page.

   <script type="text/javascript">
        jwplayer('player').setup({
            playlist: [{
               file: '/path/to/media/file.mp4',
               image: '/path/to/image.jpg',
               provider: '/path/to/AkamaiAdvancedJWStreamProvider.swf'
           }],
           primary: 'flash'
       });
    </script>

This script uses the following attributes:

  • file: The link for the media. Locate your media in a Cloud Files
    CDN-enabled container, click the gear icon, click Show Links, and use
    the entire link. For MP3s, use the HTTP link. All other file types use
    the Streaming link.
  • image: The HTTP link for an image to display in the player. The
    image displays for videos while the file loads or for music while the
    file plays. Perform the same steps for the image as you did for the file.
  • provider: The HTTP link to the JW Player. This is the link to the
    container used in Step 2 in the Upload JW Player 6 instructions.
  • primary: This sets player rendering mode. The recommended setting
    is flash.

Use the Feedback tab to make any comments or ask questions. You can also start a conversation with us.