Everything about hosting, streaming and publishing video
35 guides across eight topics, written by the teams that run Banned.Video. Each hub explains its subject in full; each article answers one question properly.
Pick a topic below, or jump to the goal that matches yours under "Which guide to read first". Every guide is free to read, needs no account and lists the sources it was checked against.
Storage, encoding, delivery · 5 guides
Large files, resumable uploads · 5 guides
MP4, MKV, AVI, H.264, AV1 · 5 guides
Adaptive bitrate, CDN, transcoding · 5 guides
Embeds, responsive, captions · 5 guides
4K, bitrate, frame rate, HDR · 5 guides
Channels, thumbnails, growth, money · 5 guides
Which guide to read first
Most people arrive with one problem to solve. Start with the goal that fits you best.
You are choosing where to host video
Begin with what video hosting is and when you need it. Then compare the options in video hosting vs YouTube.
Your upload fails or takes too long
Read why video uploads fail for the common causes and fixes. Upload speed and time shows how long a large file should take.
Your video looks worse after upload
Soft or blocky video usually comes down to bitrate. Start with why video looks blurry after upload, then the video bitrate guide.
You want the video on your own website
Follow how to embed a video on a website. It covers iframes, sizing and page speed.
You want more people to find your videos
Start with thumbnails that get clicks, then read how to grow subscribers.
What every guide includes
- A short, direct answer at the top, so you know in seconds if the page fits your question.
- Key takeaways you can scan, then the full explanation with tables where they help.
- Common questions with plain answers, and the list of sources used.
- The date it was published and the date it was last updated.
How these guides are made
- Two desks write them: platform engineers and creator support. You can meet the teams behind the guides.
- Technical claims are checked against specifications and official documents, and each guide lists its sources.
- There are no affiliate links or paid picks. The editorial policy sets out every rule.
Featured reads
What is video hosting, and how does it work?
A plain-English tour of what a video host does with your file after upload. It also shows the point where a video tag on your own server stops being enough.
How to upload 2 GB video files reliably
Large uploads fail for boring reasons: a sleeping laptop, a flaky Wi-Fi hop, a file that was never going to be accepted. Here is how to get a big file up in one go, and what to do when it stops.
H.264 vs H.265 vs AV1 compared
One codec plays on everything, one halves the bitrate but carries licensing baggage, and one is royalty-free and gaining ground. How to choose between them for encoding, upload and delivery.
What is HLS streaming, and how does it work?
HTTP Live Streaming is a text playlist, a pile of short media files and a set of rules for a player. Here is how those pieces fit together and why it became the default way to deliver video.
How to embed a video on a website with an iframe
Copy one iframe, understand the six attributes it carries, and add the query parameters that control autoplay, mute, start time and looping.
4K vs 1440p vs 1080p compared
Four times the pixels is not four times the sharpness. What each resolution costs to upload, encode and stream, and when a viewer can tell the difference.
