There are videos in Stream Classic that I still need to access after the retirement, but the video owner has left the University. What should I do?

There are a limited number of videos in Stream Classic that have no owner associated with them because the video owner has left the University. In some cases, community members may still require access to an abandoned video: for example, a TA who is no longer with the University may have uploaded a lecture recording that the course instructor still needs to use. If you require access to a video that no longer has an owner, please email stream.support@utoronto.ca for support.

Will all my videos and associated metadata be migrated by the migration tool?

The Stream Migration process is designed to transfer all your videos and associated metadata from Stream Classic to the new Stream. This includes video titles, descriptions, transcripts, captions, comments, likes, views and permissions. For a full list of metadata that will be moved with your videos, please see this overview from Microsoft.

Note: If you are downloading videos manually, this will not automatically download metadata such as captions and video descriptions. You must download these items separately.

I have Forms polls embedded in my Stream Classic videos. Will these continue to work post-migration?

The embedded poll feature is not yet available in Stream (on SharePoint). However, it is important to note that you will not lose access to any existing polls after Stream Classic is retired: polls attached to Stream Classic videos will continue to be available via the Microsoft 365 Forms app as they are stored separately. We will update the community if/when this feature becomes available for Stream (on SharePoint). Alternative solutions at this time could include: 

  • Pasting a link to the poll in the video’s description on Stream Classic. 
  • Adding a video to a Forms poll using these instructions. 
  • Creating a SharePoint page to show a video and a poll side-by-side. Please reach out to the University’s SharePoint team via uoft.me/sharepoint for more information. 

What happens to my Stream Classic video links in Quercus when Stream Classic retires?

Downloaded videos: If you decide to download your Stream Classic videos and upload them to a Microsoft video storage service like OneDrive or SharePoint, or an alternative video storage service like MyMedia, the links in Quercus will no longer work after August 28. You should update your video links in Quercus to point to the new storage location. 

Migrated videos: If you requested a video migration through our support team, the Stream Classic links on your Quercus page will automatically redirect to the new video location. However, it is important to be aware of the following limitations: 

  • The redirects only work for the destination folder of your migrated videos. If you move the files to a different location the redirect links will cease to work. 
  • Microsoft has indicated that the redirect links will only work until February 2025. 

We recommend that all users with Stream Classic video links update them in Quercus as soon as possible. If you have a large volume of links embedded in Quercus, please reach out to our support team. 

How can I create a playlist of my videos with Stream (on SharePoint)?

Microsoft Lists will be releasing a new feature that allows users to organize their video and audio files into playlists for easy organization, sharing and playback. Users can add any video and audio files to a playlist that they have edit access to. People with access to the playlist and to the files in the playlist can view the videos in order or skip back and forth between items in the playlist. This new feature is coming soon, and we will update the community and this page when it is available. 

Will there be a main “video portal” like with Stream Classic?

Stream (on SharePoint) is moving away from the concept of a central video portal to make videos more integrated with other Microsoft 365 applications. This means the community will have opportunities to create news ways to share and display videos, including playlists and video galleries. 

SharePoint is rolling out an enhanced video gallery view that lets users create pages where they can display videos of their choice. This feature will be rolled out mid-July. We will provide instructions once they are available, and you can keep track of the feature development here: Microsoft has announced playlists and new Stream Web part. 

I have 29 videos. Can I request a migration?

While downloading videos from your Stream Classic library is a fairly quick process, there may be instances where you have close to 30 videos and a use case that lends itself to using the migration tool instead, such as embedded links in Quercus or a high volume of custom caption files. In these cases, please reach out to our support team and we will advise you of the best approach.