Squarespace increase video size 6 times

I recently spotted, that my original video (1280×720, 765KBs) used for the background somehow ended up being a full HD 1920×1080 and 4.5MBs once Squarespace processes it.

After chatting with the support and looking through the docs, I found out that any video uploaded is processed automatically and made to 1080p or 360p and there is no any control for the user over it. However, it stays completely unclear how it is defined, and to which resolution the particular video will be changed as well as it makes completely no sense to try reducing the original file in order to speed up the page load.

Therefore, it opens a question, how do you guys get the best results in terms of speed/video quality for sites with video? Any suggestions are appreciated. I would like Squarespace to at least highlight that explicitly when the user is uploading the video, not even saying that the “encoding” they are doing is just awful, but do not even hope for that 😕

2 hours ago, paul2009 said:

When you upload a video directly to Squarespace (instead of using a third party video service like Vimeo) it will be encoded at 1080p and 360p. It is best to upload files with a resolution of 1080p and a bitrate of at least 3 Mbps. If the original video has a different resolution, for example 4K or 720p, it will be re-encoded into these formats before it is saved on Squarespace servers.

Squarespace decides which version (1080p or 360p) to display to a visitor, based on their device, browser, and internet connection. You cannot control which version is shown.

I hope this helps.

Thanks, do you know how the video uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo is processed? What quality is displayed from there? The highest? The lowest? And is it actually loading quicker than the same video uploaded directly to Squarespace?

4 minutes ago, gromova_photo said:

Thanks, do you know how the video uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo is processed? And is it actually loading quicker than the same video uploaded directly to Squarespace?

When you upload videos to YouTube or Vimeo, they are processed by these third party services. Squarespace doesn't make any modifications.

It isn't possible to give a definitive answer on loading times because these are dependent on so many factors (device, network conditions, resolution and so on). That said, I personally think that Vimeo paid plans offer a better experience for video professionals. It just costs more and isn't as user friendly for typical Squarespace users who just want to upload the occasional video. 

Did this help? Please give feedback by clicking an icon below  ⬇️