S3 Media Maestro WordPress Plugin

The expiring link protects the file, not the page that shows it

You build a video course and you do not want a link shared in a messaging group to keep serving the video a year later. But your page also includes a talk hosted on another service, and that one plays from its own address.

In S3 Media Maestro the protection lives in the file hosted on Amazon S3, not in the page, and whatever you embed from another site keeps its public link.

S3 Media Maestro, by Fly Plugins, uploads video, audio and files to Amazon S3, delivers them through CloudFront and generates encrypted links that expire after the time you choose. An HTML5 player, built on MediaElement.js, shows them on the page with a block or a shortcode.

The path of each file to the player

• Storage: you upload to S3 from the WordPress dashboard and manage buckets and folders without leaving it.
• Delivery: CloudFront serves the files to viewers, which improves playback speed in other regions.
• Expiry and encryption: the link stops working when the period you set ends, and the file does not sit at a public address that can be bookmarked.
• Download: the player blocks simple right-click saving on video and audio. Audio and downloadable files on S3 receive the same encrypted, expiring link protection.
• Several resolutions: the integration with the AWS transcoder can create several resolutions when a file is uploaded, so playback adapts to the connection.
• Captions: with VTT files, and one video can carry several languages.
• Placement: the S3 Media Maestro block in the block editor, or a shortcode builder whose output you paste into any page.

The player is responsive, for desktop and mobile. It accepts MP4, FLV, OGV, WEBM and WMV files, and MP4 with H.264 is the recommended format.

With WP Courseware there is an integration: you can require that a video be watched before a unit is marked complete, and the unit is marked complete when the video ends.

Two videos on one page and a short-lived link

A page with a video uploaded to S3 and placed with the block, and another video embedded from another service. With a short period, the S3 link expires and the other one stays available at its public address. It is only one way to use it; change it to suit your case.

Protection and its borders

• Only files on Amazon S3 are protected. Public links from other origins can still be shared.
• The download block is limited to simple right-click saving.
• The features depend on Amazon S3, CloudFront and the AWS transcoder, so you need your own AWS setup.
• Among its features there is no storage provider other than Amazon S3.

Uploading the first protected video

You need an AWS account with S3, plus CloudFront for delivery and the transcoder if you want several resolutions. To get started:

1. Install the plugin with the WordPress installer and activate it.
2. Connect your AWS account and choose or create the bucket where the files will be stored.
3. Upload an MP4 video and set the link expiry time.
4. Insert the S3 Media Maestro block or paste the shortcode the builder generates.

Moving the media library to the cloud

To move the media library to the cloud, the catalog has Media Cloud and WP Offload Media. For store files, look at WooCommerce Amazon S3 Storage.

Questions about playback and files

Can it play video that is not on S3?

Yes, the player embeds video or audio from other servers, but protection reaches only the files hosted on S3.

Does it work for audio and files, besides video?

Yes. Audio and downloadable files on S3 receive the same encrypted, expiring link.

Does it support captions?

Yes, with VTT files, and a video can carry more than one language.

Does it work with the block editor?

Yes. After activating it you have the S3 Media Maestro block and the shortcode builder.