23 Video vs. Ensemble Video vs. Streamable

I'm not sure where Ensemble Video would be less appropriate. We've found it to be very effective for our campus-specific use cases. However, the product is very customizable in how a campus could structure their Ensemble instance to match their organization, and how users may be managed.

As a video agency founder, I've used several different video hosting platforms for both my clients and my own videos. Oftentimes, businesses just want a simple way to embed videos on their website. While they can use YouTube for free, they are stuck with a cluttered interface and related videos (sometimes even their competitors!) popping up on their videos. Other options like Vimeo or Wisitia are great, but for most businesses, they have too many features, and because of that, you are paying way more than what you actually need.
Streamable is extremely simple and fast. It checks all the boxes for what a business needs in a video hosting solution - privacy control, a simple clean embed, and the ability to replace videos without breaking links. And it's super affordable. Highly recommend Streamable!

• Adapting to user needs. Ensemble Video seems to always be listening to their clients needs and suggestions by implementing effective features in every system update. Communication seems to always indicate that these features are driven by requests that their customers have made to improve the service.
• Client Support - I have an IT/support background and have had to deal with many vendors and external support. Ensemble is easily the most responsive and effective vendor when it comes to support. When needing certain solutions, they have sent code that was in development and not officially released so I could achieve my goals with project videos. Support is always personal, prompt and effective.
• Customization. New templates, video players, account management, and embed options have allowed us to use Ensemble Video in a much more personalized way. Early versions of the service had an "Ensemble feel" but color schemes and logos are now able to be changed for a better organization feel.

• Video Hosting
• Sharing Videos
• Video Management
• Download Videos From The Web

• User management. Some features are unique to the entire deployment (like authentication sources). It would be great if multiple authentication options could be used across different Ensemble institutions.
• Upgrade processes. Though new versions of Ensemble Video are always better, the installation process is very manual and Ensemble Video must be involved directly. Not a weakness, but it would be nice to be able to perform our own upgrades/patches when needed.

• More Detailed Analytics

The team at Ensemble Video is dedicated to supporting us and they offer prompt and reliable services.

Ensemble Video has succeeded for us where other solutions have failed. It came along exactly when we needed it, for our organization. At the time, we were caught between the push and pull of several different solutions, uploading our videos with the expectation that users would take the time to download and play them, using popular public video streaming services with few settings and options, and forgoing videos altogether. Ensemble Video has taken our myriad needs and provided a platform that addresses all of them.

Streamable is significantly cheaper than Vimeo and Wistia. Although Vimeo and Wistia have more features (like video marketing tools), for video hosting Streamable is the best bang for your buck. For the majority of small businesses Streamable is going to be the best solution for you

• Ease of user contributed content. The videos that users upload to the system can either be automatically published or they can be reviewed by staff before being added to websites and courses. Instead of all these videos living on different sites (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) we now have a centralized location that we have control over.
• LMS Integration - A year ago YouTube changed their policy to not allow direct recording from webcams. This essentially broke the Blackboard Video Everywhere tool that allowed our instructors to post quick comments in class discussions and content areas. While they need to be pre-recorded, the Ensemble Building Block allows our instructors and students to once again upload and post videos, all from directly within the Blackboard content editor.
• Flexibility - With the ease of creating user accounts and video libraries, Ensemble Video has become the go to option for Erikson courses, professional development content and project videos. Different departments can have their own account and have control over their libraries without the worry of them viewing or editing other institute content.

• Our video hosting costs are about 50% less than using Vimeo