The Kaltura Player

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: April 17, 2024

What's new?

• Audio player branding - Customize the appearance of the audio player to match your brand perfectly.  For more info: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/how-to-create-a-kaltura-player
• Player error messages -  the player error message now includes additional information to help the viewer understand the error and troubleshoot where possible. For the full list of error messages: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/troubleshooting-the-player
• Document entries in playlist - Add a document file to the player! When a document entry is loaded in a Kaltura player, a slate will display instructions how to view the document. If the document isn't available for viewing, admins can add a download button. More info: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/the-kaltura-player-studio-admin-guide-player-settings
• Ad blocker detection - The new ad blocker plugin detects ad blockers and informs the user about it. Then it takes action according to the admin's preferences in the plugin's settings, like blocking viewer's playback. Ad blockers can interfere with analytics collection or cause unwanted behavior in features that are based on viewership data, such as certifications, badges, leaderboard, and lead reports on viewership-based events. For more info:
  
  https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/ad-blocker-detection
  https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/the-kaltura-player-studio-admin-guide-player-settings
  
  

Resolved issues

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: March 31, 2024

What's New

• Hotspots on pre-recorded sessions - Hotspots are now available on per-recorded sessions! Simply add hotspots in the source VOD entry, and they'll automatically show up on the webcast entry when it's broadcasted. More info: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/kaltura-video-editing-tools---hotspots-tab

Resolved Issues

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: February 25, 2024

What's New

• Floating player - Users can now easily return to the video from the floating player by clicking the "Back to video" button that was added to the floating player. More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/floating

Resolved Issues

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: February 4, 2024

What's New

• Email (mailto:) Hotspots -  create a "mailto:" hotspot that will open a new email and autofill the address based on the hotspot setup. More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/v7-player-plugins-hotspots
• Dynamic logo link - add a dynamic link to your logo on the Kaltura Player to boost traffic and engagement. This allows to redirect users watching the video on a different location, right back to your Video Portal, to continue where they left off. Get started on creating a dynamic URL by adding {entryId} to the website address, like this: https://mycompanymediaspace.com/media/{entryId}. The link updates based on the entry ID that is being played. Learn more:  https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/kaltura-player-plugins-logo
• Download Plugin - You can now decide which assets (source media, additional flavors, attachments or captions) are available for users to download from the download plugin directly in the Player Studio
  More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/the-kaltura-player-studio-admin-guide-player-settings

Resolved Issues

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: January 24, 2024

What's New

• Call To Action - add prompts during video playback to increase viewer interaction. Your CTAs can link to any online location or direct viewers to another video entry. Start using your Call to Action plugin today:
  Learn how to set it up: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/the-kaltura-player-studio-admin-guide-player-settings
  More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/call-2-action
  
  
• Download plugin - you can now disable the option to download the source media while the download plugin is enabled to allow users to only download captions or attachments.  

Resolved Issues

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: December 12, 2023

What's New

• Share - we've expanded our Kaltura Player sharing capabilities- users can now share and embed a clip of the video. More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/share
  
  
• Skip intro/outro - Add the option for viewers to skip a length of the entry's into/outro, now available to configure right from the player studio. Entries that have the intro and outro configured in their metadata will override the default values set in the studio. More details:
  https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/skip-introoutro
  https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/the-kaltura-player-studio-admin-guide-player-settings
  
  
• Speed selection - users speed selection will now be saved when moving between videos during the same browser session. To get started, turn on "apply user preferences" configuration in the Player studio. More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/the-kaltura-player-studio-admin-guide-player-settings
  
  
• Live - Pre and post live broadcast video slates - audio support was added. More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/live
  

  
  

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: November 12, 2023

What's New

• Audio Player - we've added a new audio player with a slim UI that is easily embedded on any webpage. More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/the-kaltura-audio-player
  
  
• Pre and Post live broadcast slates
  • Pre and post live broadcast slates enables admins to add a video or image before the live broadcast begins and after it ends.
    More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/live
    
    
• Download Plugin - The following improvements were made to the download plugin:
  • Users can now select the flavor of the video they would like to download
  • Users can now download attachments directly from the player 
  • Users can now download captions
  • The download plugin is now available on image entries as well.
    More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/player-download
  • 
    
• Navigation plugin - The following improvements were made to the timeline:
  • Cue points are now represented on the timeline
  • Chapter segments are now represented on the timeline
  • Clickable dual screen navigation thumbnails supported added to the timeline
    More details: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/v7-player-plugins-navigation

  
  

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: October 8, 2023

What's New

• Thumbnail embed - decrease page load time with thumbnail embed. The embedded video will display the video thumbnail image, and only load the player when the play button is clicked. For more details: Share and Embed Media.
• SEO Plugin- The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - enable to improve indexing and ranking of videos in search results. The SEO plugin embeds the video's metadata into the hosting webpage code, to learn more: https://knowledge.kaltura.com/help/seo-plugin

Resolved Issues

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Release date: August 22^nd, 2023

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: July 3^rd, 2023

Version Highlight

When using the dual screen plugin, the Kaltura player now can support playback of up to four video streams. These stream are setup in a "parent-child" relationship where the primary stream is the parent entry with up to 3 additional streams (or, alternatively, 2 video streams and a set of embedded slides), linked as child entries. Users can choose at any given moment which stream they want to see as the primary video and which as the secondary video.

Check this knowledge article for details.

Additional content

• Shaka player upgrade to v4.3.7
• Added Spanish language support for in video quizzes
• Fixed a User Interface issue where dropdown menues would not close automatically upon button click. 

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: May 21^st, 2023

What's New

• Users can now download the video they are watching directly from the player. Enable the ‘download’ plugin on the player studio to add this capability to you player.
• Less is more! Video transcript download is now available within the navigation plugin instead of having to add a separate download button. 
• Player and plugins localization - we’ve added translations to the player’s UI labels for the following languages: Spanish, German, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian 
• Search video quizzes on navigation plugin - Navigation plugin now allows users to search through questions on video quizzes.
• VPAT accessibility report for V7 Player and player plugins now available here
• We’ve moved Captions settings into the gear shaped settings menu . The globe icon was removed and now users can enable and disable captions from a dedicated CC button  located on the player bar.
• Dual screen now supports playback speed selection.
• DASH and HLS frameworks upgrades.
  • shaka player v4.3.5
  • hls.js 1.3.5
• Bug Fixes.

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Player Studio

Date: February 1st, 2023

What's New

• Kaltura Player and Plugins

Library versions upgrades  

• hls.js library updated to v1.3.1
• Shaka Player library updated to v4.3.3

Bug fixes

• Fixed some accessibility related bugs
• Related videos UI improvements
• Added missing ISO language codes support for multi-audio track videos
• Fixed a UI issue in fullscreen youtube video playback
• Fixed UI issues in the dual screen plugin
• Fixed UI issues in the Video Quiz plugin

• Kaltura Player Studio - Version 7.59 

  • Updated to allow show captions, auto scroll and skip ahead.
  • Added the ability to customize player colors including scrubber, LIVE label and player's background color.

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Kaltura Player Studio

Date: January 1, 2023

What's New

• Kaltura Player 

Everyone uses our player- to watch videos, study, learn something new, re-skill, onboard,andstream a live broadcast. Now the new Kaltura Player enters the ring- faster to load, intuitive to create and customize to your needs, ready to set upin our beautiful new studio. Everything you know, now 10x better.

Frustration free player  

Intuitive from ‘create’ to embed, our new Kaltura Player is easy to set up and customize to fit your organization’s exact needs. Viewers enjoy an intuitive playback experience with enhanced functionality. As always, Kaltura is committed to continuously promoting accessibility throughout our products.

Olympic level performance

Unparallel load time, stability,and performance are what you’ll get with the new Kaltura Player. We’ve enhanced these capabilities for a smooth, & seamless user experience— blink and it’s ready for action.

Bespoke viewer experience (Without the overhead)

Design and curate a unique set of players, tailored to your organization’s needs based on the desired experience.  Make a lasting first impression on your viewers with a powerful player experience. Inspire your internal audiences (marketing, HR, etc.) to be the catalyst for their creativity.

• Kaltura Player Studio
  

  Brand new Studio! - We are happy to launch the Kaltura Player Studio for Player V7, replacing the TV Platform Studio, with improved UI and advanced players management capabilities: 

  • Create and edit players
  • Players usage analytics 
  • Bookmark favorite players
  • Player templates
  • Demo videos to showcase player capabilities
  • Advanced plugins configuration 
  • Visuals and integrations

For more info visit Kaltura Player Studio.

Includes: Kaltura Player (V7), Player Plugins, Kaltura Player Studio

Date: 2023

What's new?

We welcome you to track the monthly Newsletter that is sent to our customers with updates about the Kaltura Player. Also, please visit the GitHub main repo for the Kaltura Player release notes, click here.