Websites are becoming more and more video-heavy – whether it’s product demos, explainer videos, customer testimonials, or event streams. And that brings up a crucial technical question: how do you actually embed videos on your site?
In this article, you'll learn:
Let’s dive in 👇
When it comes to embedding video on your website, you’ve got a few options:
The tech behind your video matters more than you might think:
So your choice has big implications for things like:
MP4 is a so-called container format. It can include video, audio, subtitles, and metadata – and it plays on pretty much every device. On websites, it’s usually paired with the HTML5 <video> tag.
So basically... it’s just a video file.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
“A single HD or 4K stream can require several megabits per second. If many users access the video at the same time, this multiplies quickly. Most web hosting plans aren’t built for that – they often promise 'unlimited traffic', but in reality there are technical or contractual limits, especially around continuous data transfer.” - Marco Keul, Hosttest.de
“HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) is an HTTP-based adaptive bitrate streaming communications protocol implemented by Apple Inc. It allows streaming of audio and video content over the internet.”
– Wikipedia: HTTP Live Streaming
HLS stands for HTTP Live Streaming – a streaming protocol developed by Apple. Instead of one big file, your video is split into small segments and multiple quality levels. The video player chooses the best version for each user in real time.
“Support for the protocol is widespread in media players, web browsers, mobile devices … it is the most popular streaming format.”
Better user experience
Thanks to segmentation and adaptive bitrate, videos start faster and run smoother – even on slow or unstable connections.
“HLS: Segmented video is played in sections. Therefore, the launch occurs almost without freezes.” - Movavi
Optimized quality on every device
Whether someone is watching on a 10-year-old phone or a high-end desktop, HLS delivers the right version for the situation.
Scalability without stress
Even if hundreds of people watch your video at once, HLS stays stable – only small segments are transferred instead of full files.
Compatibility across the web
HLS works over HTTP/HTTPS, plays well with firewalls, and is the native format on Apple devices – something DASH can’t say.
Yep... it’s definitely more effort. You’re not just uploading one file – you're building a full streaming setup.
Technical complexity
You’ll need tools to transcode, segment, and generate manifest files. And you’ll need a compatible player.
Infrastructure requirements
Uploading a single file isn’t enough. You need proper hosting that supports segment delivery and streaming protocols.
Even if MP4 looks easier at first glance, HLS is almost always the smarter solution – especially for modern websites.
HLS streams your video in segments. That means faster start times, less buffering, and smoother playback – especially on mobile or under weak network conditions.
HLS only delivers what the user actually watches – not the entire file. That saves bandwidth on both your server and the user side. This is only true at a certain point of video views. Small websites typically use webspace with included traffic. This leads to point 3 ...
If for example your newsletter or launch drives traffic to a video, MP4 downloads can bring servers to their knees. HLS works with CDNs and caching to handle the load.
“Standard web hosting plans are usually designed for websites with text and images – small files and low data usage. Uploading large video files can quickly become a problem: performance drops, load times increase, or technical limitations kick in, like bandwidth throttling or missing support for adaptive formats like HLS.” - Marco Keul - Hosttest.de
More and more browsers and platforms expect adaptive formats. MP4 alone starts to feel outdated. HLS is the market standard – and here to stay.
So if you're embedding more than just one video or want professional delivery, HLS is the way to go.
Yes, it sounds technical – and it is. But here’s a simplified, practical overview of what’s involved in getting HLS up and running:
1. Prepare your source video
Start with the best-quality version of your file – ideally MP4, ProRes, or MOV.
2. Choose a transcoding tool
The most popular open-source tool is ffmpeg. It can convert videos to multiple bitrates and segment them at the same time.
3. Create bitrate variants
Set up multiple resolutions like 360p, 720p, and 1080p – or more, depending on your audience.
4. Segment the video and create a manifest
Your tool will generate many small .ts (or fMP4) files and one .m3u8 playlist – this is what your player uses to stream.
5. Set up hosting
You’ll need a web server or CDN that delivers these files properly – with CORS headers, correct MIME types, and HTTPS support.
In short: yep, it's a lot.
No surprise professional video hosts exist for exactly this kind of job.
But the effort is worth it – especially if your site includes multiple videos and you care about performance, scalability, and quality.
We built Ignite to make HLS streaming easy – with no technical overhead on your side.
You upload your video – we take care of everything:
And yes, we care about the details. Our transcoding pipeline is fine-tuned for performance and compatibility. No hidden limits, no weird setup – just simple, modern video hosting done right.
MP4 looks simple – but it’s technically limited. HLS is smarter, faster, and built for the future of the web.
Yes, it’s more complex – but with the right setup (or partner), you get all the benefits without the hassle.
To empower brands to realize the full potential of their video content, we made video hosting & streaming cookie- and consent-free. GDPR-compliant, hosted in Europe & easy to integrate. Made for Europe.