Are you a WordPress LMS user seeking a superior video player solution instead of opting for a $20/month Vimeo Pro plan?
Or, perhaps you manage a WordPress blog with embedded YouTube videos, and you’re exploring ways to accelerate YouTube embeds for faster site loading?
You’re in luck because there’s now an all-encompassing solution available.
Enter Presto Player – the ultimate WordPress video player plugin equipped with every essential feature, suitable for both course websites and niche affiliate blogs.
Presto Player ensures secure video hosting, swift performance, integrated analytics, and a plethora of marketing features, all while maintaining a more budget-friendly approach compared to other popular video player solutions like Vimeo.
The pro version of Presto Player introduces game-changing features, making it particularly ideal for course websites utilizing an LMS (Learning Management System) such as LearnDash, LifterLMS, or TutorLMS.
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Furthermore, Presto Player seamlessly integrates with the built-in WordPress block editor (Gutenberg) and other page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder, with additional support in the pipeline.
What is Presto Player?
Presto Player is a WordPress video player plugin designed to address various challenges associated with incorporating video content on your WordPress site.(You can also refer to its alternatives here)
Traditionally, showcasing videos on a WordPress course website or blog involved uploading them to a video hosting platform (YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, etc.) and then embedding them on your site.
This method comes with its own set of issues.
Firstly, if you operate a course website and require video protection to prevent unauthorized access and downloads, you would need to invest in premium video hosting services, which can range from $20 to $100 per month or even more.
Presto Player offers a solution by seamlessly integrating with Bunny.net CDN, providing robust video protection at a significantly lower cost compared to alternatives like Vimeo.
Secondly, using free platforms like YouTube for hosting often involves using the standard “YouTube embed” block to display videos on your WordPress site. However, this approach is not optimal for performance and can significantly slow down pages. Additionally, it includes generic YouTube branding and displays “related videos” at the end, potentially linking to content from competitors.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have a lightweight solution to embed all your YouTube videos directly on your website without causing a slowdown on each page?
What if you could eliminate YouTube branding and incorporate your own branding while still counting views on YouTube and allowing viewers to subscribe to your channel?
Presto Player turns these aspirations into reality.
Continue reading for a comprehensive overview of Presto Player, including a detailed feature walkthrough and a step-by-step setup guide, making it the top choice for a WordPress video player plugin.
Presto Player Video Block Settings
Now, let’s delve into the Presto Player Video Block Settings individually, elucidating the purpose of each.
Additionally, I’ll highlight the video settings that necessitate the pro version of Presto Player.
Video Blocks
Initially, I’d like to provide an inventory of all the Video Blocks available through Presto Player.
Presto Vimeo Video – Embeds a Vimeo video within the Presto Player. Presto YouTube Video – Embeds a YouTube video within the Presto Player. Presto Bunny.net Video – Serves a public video via the Bunny.net CDN. Detailed in the Bunny.net section. Presto Bunny.net Private Video – Serves a private, secure video via the Bunny.net CDN. Detailed in the Bunny.net section. Presto Video – Self-hosts a public video via your website. Detailed in the self-hosted section. Presto Private Video – Self-hosts a private video via your website. Detailed in the self-hosted section.
Chapters
Chapters are a feature available in the pro version.
Presto Player enables you to manually insert chapters into your videos.
If you’re familiar with YouTube, you may have used timestamps in your video description to create “chapters,” enhancing usability so users can easily navigate to the section that is most pertinent to them.
With Presto Player, when you select one of your videos, you’ll find the ‘Chapters’ section at the forefront, allowing you to add timestamps and titles for each chapter.
Once you’ve configured your timestamps and assigned titles to each chapter, circular markers will appear on your video timeline at each timestamp.
When a user hovers over one of these circles, they will see the corresponding chapter name and can click on it to swiftly navigate to the desired section.
Video Settings
Muted Autoplay Preview – This feature is available in the Pro version. It showcases a muted preview of the video, which can be observed on the main Presto Player page. This innovative feature transforms the WordPress video experience, enticing users to engage with your videos. The inspiration for this feature came from the ClickFunnels site.
Muted Preview Overlay – Another Pro feature. If the ‘Muted Autoplay Preview’ feature is activated, this section becomes visible. It allows you to display an image over the video either before or after playback. Toggling this option provides positioning controls to precisely determine where the image should appear on your video.
Autoplay – This is a free feature. Enabling autoplay initiates the video automatically, eliminating the need for users to click the “play” button.
Play Inline – Also a free feature. Activating play inline affects mobile devices. When turned on, the video plays ‘inline’ on the page instead of going fullscreen when the play button is pressed on mobile, a behavior commonly seen in many videos.
Poster Image – Another free feature. It allows you to replace the default poster ‘thumbnail’ image that appears on the video before the user initiates playback.
Video Presets
Presto Player offers predefined video presets that you can select for your videos. These presets are available in the free version of the plugin.
The predefined video presets in Presto Player include:
- Default – This preset offers options like rewind/fast-forward 10 seconds, play/pause, video timeline bar, volume controls, chapter list, and fullscreen mode.
- Course – Similar to the default preset, the course preset is optimized for course videos. It features a “stacked” layout, placing the video timeline bar above the controls for better visibility. It also includes a settings cogwheel for options like playback speed.
- Simple – The simple preset simplifies the default preset by removing features such as rewind/fast-forward by 10 seconds and volume controls.
- Minimal – True to its name, the minimal preset offers an extremely basic interface. There are no visible settings on the video, and users can click to start or pause the video.
Add New Video Preset
Creating a new custom Presto Player video preset is a pro feature.
The true flexibility lies in the ability to craft your own personalized video presets, giving you the freedom to enable or disable specific features while unlocking additional pro features not available in the predefined presets. This allows you to tailor various custom presets to suit different scenarios for your videos and apply them selectively.
It’s important to note that if you have multiple videos utilizing a particular custom preset and you make edits to that preset, saving changes will affect the settings for all associated videos. To initiate the creation of a new custom video preset in Presto Player, simply click on the ‘Add New Preset’ button.
You’ll see a modal come up that has three tabs: Controls, Behavior, and Style. Each one has a list of features you can toggle on or off. Let’s go over each section.
Controls
Presto Player provides various control options that can be added to the video player interface. Here are some of the available controls:
- Large Play Button – Introduces a prominent play button overlay on the player.
- Rewind – Includes a 10-second rewind button for convenient video navigation.
- Small Play Button – Integrates a small play button at the bottom of the player.
- Fast Forward – Features a 10-second fast forward button for quick navigation.
- Progress Bar – Displays a seekable progress bar for visualizing video advancement.
- Current Time – Shows the current timestamp of the video.
- Volume – Presents a volume bar for adjusting audio levels.
- Speed – Offers playback speed controls for customization.
- Picture In Picture (HTML5 only) – Enables users to dock the player on their screen, allowing simultaneous use with other applications. Compatibility may vary across browsers.
- Fullscreen – Adds a button to facilitate fullscreen mode for an immersive viewing experience.
Behavior
General Settings:
- Auto-Hide Controls – Automatically conceals video controls after 2 seconds of inactivity. Typically recommended for user-friendly interface.
- Save Play Position – Preserves the user’s play position, allowing them to resume the video from where they left off upon returning to the page. Particularly beneficial for course videos to facilitate seamless learning experiences.
- Sticky On Scroll – Affixes videos to the side of the screen when scrolling, ensuring continuous playback even as users explore the content below. A valuable feature for keeping videos visible during extended page navigation.
YouTube Settings:
- Hide YouTube UI (Experimental) – Conceals the YouTube logo and related videos. This feature minimizes YouTube branding and prevents competitor videos from appearing after playback. Note: Its “experimental” status is due to its dependency on YouTube’s functionality.
- Lazy Load Videos – Enhances page loading performance by loading the video only upon user interaction. Despite the name, this feature contributes significantly to overall performance, especially when autoplay features are not in use. Highly recommended for faster page loading times.
Style
- Hide Logo – Conceals the logo displayed on the video.
- Round Corners – Adjusts the sharpness of the video’s corners. This setting allows control over the degree of rounding.
- Caption Style – Choose between “Default” and “Full” styles for captions. The “Default” style overlays captions on the video, while the “Full” option places a bar at the bottom of the video to display captions, resembling the layout on the Presto Player home page.
- Caption Background – For users opting for the “Full” caption style, this setting enables control over the background color of the bar behind the caption text.
Global Player Branding
The final section in Presto Player’s video settings is dedicated to Global Player Branding. Here, users can choose the global branding for all players across their website.
- Logo Overlay (Pro Feature): This feature places a logo in the bottom right of videos, just above the controls. Users can upload a small, semi-transparent logo that will be visible on all videos. When combined with the removal of YouTube branding, it becomes a powerful tool for displaying personalized branding across the entire video player.
- Branding Color: This option allows users to set the branding color, affecting various elements within the player, including the large play button, volume control bar, and the color of the video timeline during playback.
