What Is a Multi Video Platform? Multi Cloud Thinking for University Video
A Multi Video Platform is a single management, interaction and analytics layer that sits above one or more video hosts. Courses, instructors, learners and the LMS connect to that layer. The video itself can be stored and streamed by Kaltura, Panopto, Brightcove, Vimeo, YouTube, or the platform's own hosting, and the host can change without the courses changing.
The term borrows from multi cloud, the practice of spreading infrastructure across more than one cloud provider so that no single vendor holds all the keys. A Multi Video Platform applies that thinking to education video.
Why the idea exists
Most institutions buy one video platform and let it do everything: storage, delivery, LMS integration, quizzes, discussion and reporting. That is simple at the start. Over time it means the courses depend on the vendor, and switching vendors becomes a project measured in years. We cover the details in video platform vendor lock in.
A Multi Video Platform separates those jobs. The host does what hosts do well, storing and streaming video. Everything people interact with lives in the layer above.
How a Multi Video Platform works
Think of it in three tiers.
- Top: where people work. Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, Brightspace, Open edX or your own website connect to the Multi Video Platform once, through LTI 1.3, an SDK or an API.
- Middle: the platform layer. Playback, in video quizzes, timestamped discussion, peer review, captions and transcripts, completion tracking, gradebook sync and analytics.
- Bottom: the hosts. One or several video services, or the platform's own hosting. Each can be added, removed or replaced.
Because the middle tier holds the interactions and the data, moving a video from one host to another does not erase what happened on top of it.
Single video platform vs Multi Video Platform
| Single video platform | Multi Video Platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosts supported | Its own | Several, plus its own hosting |
| Where interactions live | Inside the vendor's player | In the platform layer, above the host |
| LMS integration | One per vendor | One connection for every host |
| Switching hosts | Migration project, often one to two years | Library moves underneath, courses stay as they are |
| Analytics history | Ends with the contract | Continues on the same timeline |
When a university needs one
- A renewal or migration is coming up and you want leverage, or an exit that does not break live courses.
- Different departments use different hosts, and you want one teaching experience and one dataset across them.
- You pay for a host plus separate interaction tools and want to consolidate.
- You want to pick hosts by need, for example lecture capture on one service and public video on another.
What to look for
- Support for the hosts you use today, and its own hosting option.
- Interactions and analytics stored in the platform, not the host.
- A single LTI 1.3 integration with gradebook sync.
- Migration support run by the vendor, not left to your team.
- Exportable data, by CSV or API.
Annoto as a Multi Video Platform
Annoto introduced the Multi Video Platform approach for education. It wraps the video services institutions already use or hosts video itself, and keeps quizzes, discussions, peer review, notes, completion and analytics in Annoto. When an institution switches hosts, the Annoto team runs the transfer while course links, embeds and LMS integrations keep pointing at Annoto. See how it works on the Multi Video Platform page.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Multi Video Platform the same as a video engagement layer?
A video engagement layer adds interaction on top of an existing player. A Multi Video Platform goes further: it also manages hosting, supports several hosts at once, and handles moving between them.
Do we have to leave our current host?
No. Most institutions start by wrapping the host they already have. Moving later is an option, not a requirement.
Does it replace our LMS?
No. It connects to your LMS and runs inside it, as well as on your own sites.
