Transition from V2 player to V7 player

Kaltura is undergoing a significant upgrade by transitioning its media player from Version 2 (V2) to Version 7 (V7). A player is a web component that allows media to be played on a webpage. The V7 player is designed to enhance accessibility, interactivity, and compatibility with modern learning platforms. This article focuses on four aspects: timeline, player migration, the impact of this upgrade on current Kaltura videos, and how to use V7 players.

Timeline

On the specified dates specific sites will be migrated to the new player. 

• August 11th 4-6pm - UAB MediaSpace 
• August 13th 4-6pm - Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning Canvas
• August 20th 4-6pm - UAB Canvas 

Player Migration

The new V7 player includes all of the features of the older V2 players, such as captions, transcripts, dual feed support, timestamps, navigation, download options, full screen, scrubbers, seek forward/backwards, speed up/slow down and playlists. The default V7 player mirrors the default v2 player functionality of dual feed, automatic machine captions and no media downloads.  Existing player options, such as players with media/document download, transcript, quizzes and/or playlists will continue to be available as embed options. 

V2 players will continue to function, they will no longer receive support from Kaltura after September 30, 2025.

Impact on Current Videos

Starting after the site's migration date, all Kaltura videos accessed from Media Gallery and My Media, in Canvas and on the standalone UAB Mediaspace website, will automatically migrate to the new player. 

Videos embedded into Canvas pages and in other websites using the V2 player will not automatically migrate to V7. While these embeds will continue to function, they will lose Kaltura support after September 30, 2025. 

Key implications include:

• V2 players won’t benefit from new accessibility or performance improvements.
• No technical support will be offered for V2 player issues post-September.
• A manual re-embedding of content is necessary to complete the transition.

For best results, prioritize removing V2 embed codes and replacing them with new embed codes for upcoming courses or presentations

How to Use V7 Players

Kaltura My Media and Mediaspace will use the new V7 player automatically after the migration date with no action needed. Existing Kaltura video embeds created prior to the migration date will need to be replaced to use the updated V7 player.  There are two primary methods of getting a V7 embed code:

• Rich Content Editor (RCE) in Canvas: Use the 'My Media' integration to embed media directly. Search for the video title by name. The default V7 player includes closed captions and does not allow downloads. 
• Manual Embed Code: Under the media’s Share tab, select the desired player skin and copy the embed code.

The existing V2 embed HTML code will have the video's title and possibly entry_id, depending on embed type. Do not delete the old embed until you have a replacement V7 embed created.