How video upload and playback works
Award Force supports video upload and streaming playback for programs on the Pro plan and above.
Digital video comes in many formats and file sizes—high-quality files can be very large. To ensure smooth online playback, videos must begin playing while they continue to download. This is called streaming. Streaming requires specially prepared files, so Award Force automatically transcodes uploaded videos, similar to platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.
Video formats, codecs and transcoding
Most video files are compressed to reduce size. Compression and decompression are handled by a codec (coder–decoder). Many codecs exist, but web browsers support only a limited set for smooth streaming.
To allow entrants to upload video in a wide variety of formats while ensuring reliable playback for judges, Award Force:
- stores the original uploaded video
- transcodes a playback version into a compatible streaming format
- uses adaptive streaming so the video plays at the best quality your bandwidth allows
This means you can upload almost any common video type, and Award Force will prepare a version that plays reliably in modern browsers.
The original file remains available for download from the entry. To access it, open the entry in the Manage workspace and edit it — see: Edit or submit an entry on behalf of an entrant.
Technical details of transcoding
Award Force outputs all transcoded videos in:
- H.264 codec
- HLS format (for adaptive bitrate streaming)
Videos are stored in three bitrates:
- 400 kbps
- 1,000 kbps
- 2,000 kbps
Playback automatically adjusts based on available bandwidth.
Additional details:
- Maximum resolution: 1024 × 768, retaining aspect ratio (no padding added)
- No colour space conversion
- Frame rate and quality adjust automatically based on bitrate
Uploading video
High-resolution videos can be very large—several gigabytes. Award Force does not impose a technical maximum file size, but upload success depends on the entrant’s internet speed. A 5GB file may take hours to upload on standard broadband, increasing the chance of connection interruptions.
File upload limits vary by subscription:
- Growth: max 10MB per file
- Pro and Premier: no file size limit
Supported video file types
Award Force supports many common formats, including:
- .avi
- .flv
- .m4v
- .mov
- .mp4
- .mpeg / .mpeg4 / .mpg
- .ogm / .ogx
- .srt
- .swf
- .smv
You can configure minimum and maximum video length (in seconds) and file size if needed.
Supported input codecs
Although a file extension (e.g. .mp4) tells you the container type, it does not guarantee the codec is supported. Award Force relies on AWS MediaConvert to process videos.
For the current list of supported codecs, see AWS documentation under “What video formats can I transcode into?”.
If a user uploads a video with an unsupported codec:
- Award Force displays a message explaining the video cannot be transcoded
- The user must export or convert the file using a supported codec and upload again
Good to know
- Entrants can upload very large files, but bandwidth will be the limiting factor.
- The original video can be downloaded from the entry at any time.
- Transcoded playback is intended for smooth judging—download for full quality.
- Streaming may reduce video quality. To view a video in its original quality, download the source file to your device.
- Time limits are strict to the second. If a video is even 0.5 seconds longer, it will be blocked. To allow some flexibility, we recommend adding one extra second to your maximum duration.
- Unsupported codecs must be converted before upload.