Each channel has its own Media Library. This article covers uploading files, organizing them into folders, reading the format badges, and choosing which videos appear on demand.
Uploading files
- Open the channel and go to the Media Library tab.
- Drag files onto the Upload media box, or click it to browse.
- Watch the progress bars below the box. You can keep working in other tabs while files upload.
Supported formats: .mp4, .mov, .mkv, .m4v, .avi, .webm, and .ts, plus the audio formats .mp3, .aac, and .wav.
Large files upload in pieces, and if your connection drops, the upload resumes where it stopped. Multi-gigabyte files are safe to upload, even on an unreliable connection.
Upload status and optimization
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| uploading | Still transferring. Live recordings also show this status while they're being captured. |
| ready | Checked and ready to add to playlists. |
| · optimizing… | Being prepared in the channel's broadcast format in the background. |
| · ? optimized | Prepared, so it uses less server CPU when it airs. If you later change the channel's format, the file is converted while it airs instead. |
You don't need to wait for optimization. Ready files can be scheduled and aired immediately.
Format badges (? ? ?)
Every item is converted to the channel's format before it airs. When a file is very different from that format, a badge appears next to its name. Hover over the badge to read the details.
| Badge | Meaning | Typical causes |
|---|---|---|
| ? Info | Minor difference. It plays fine. | Slightly lower resolution, a different aspect ratio (black bars), a small frame-rate difference, or a low source bitrate. |
| ? Warning | A visible difference. | Much lower resolution (looks blurry), or a frame-rate mismatch that causes judder. |
| ? Problem | Will look noticeably wrong. | Wrong orientation, such as a vertical phone video on a landscape channel. |
The same badges appear when you add videos to a playlist, so you can spot problem files first.
Folders
- Create: type a name in New folder name and click + New folder.
- Browse: click All, Unfiled, or a folder button.
- Move one file: use the Folder dropdown in its row.
- Move several files: tick their checkboxes, choose a folder, and click Move selected.
- Rename with ?, or delete with ?. Deleting a folder keeps its files and moves them to Unfiled.
A folder can be added to a playlist as one item that always plays whatever the folder currently contains. See Building playlists.
On Demand visibility
When video on demand is turned on for the channel, viewers can choose videos from your library on the public page and in the Roku app. Use the On Demand column to control each file:
- ???? Visible: listed for on-demand viewing.
- ???? Hidden: not listed. The file can still air in playlists.
Click the button to switch between the two. Uploaded files are visible by default. Live recordings are marked ???? recorded and are hidden by default. See Going live and recording live streams.
Deleting media
Click Delete on a file's row. This permanently removes the file. If the file is used in any playlist (shown as "used in N"), the confirmation dialog tells you, and those playlist items are removed too.
