Overview

This tutorial provides instructions on how to add a hotspot to a Kaltura video. Any Kaltura media owner can perform this action, so these instructions apply to all UC San Diego instructors, students, and staff with active directory credentials. Hotspots can be added to entries in MediaSpace or Canvas.

Critical Concepts

• What's a hotspot? A hotspot is a textbox you can add to an existing Kaltura video. Most hotspots perform an action when a viewer clicks on them. (Watch the embedded video nearby to see some examples of hotspots in action.) Possible uses include:
  • Taking viewers to a particular URL
  • Starting an email (a "mailto" link)
  • Jumping viewers to a different part of the video
  • Displaying static onscreen text

Prerequisites

• You must be a media owner or co-editor. The ability to add hotspots is available in the Kaltura video editor, which means that only media owners and co-editors are able to add hotspots to an entry.

Steps to Take

There are four different kinds of hotspots. Use the list below to jump to the kind of hotspot you'd like to add:

• URL Hotspot
• Mailto Hotspot
• "Time in this Video" Hotspot
• Static Textbox

We've also included a section below on Advanced Settings for your hotspots.

For the first three steps, follow the column based on where you're performing the action.

4. Click Launch Editor in the gray box next to the video player. The Kaltura Video Editor will launch.
5. In the left navigation of the Video Editor, click the icon that looks like an arrow within a square.

Now you're within the hotspot editor. Jump to the section below based on the kind of hotspot you'd like to add.

Add a URL Hotspot

A URL hotspot, as the name implies, allows you to have onscreen text that, if clicked, will take the user to a particular website.

1. Use either the play controls within the video player or the timeline to find the place in your video where you want the hotspot to start appearing onscreen for viewers, and click the Add Hotspot button.
2. Enter the text you want to display onscreen in the "text" field.
3. Ensure that the "URL" radio button is selected.
4. Enter the full URL in the "link to" field, including the prefix (e.g., https://).
5. Click Done. (To explore the advanced settings, see the Advanced Settings section below.) A small yellow box should now appear above the timeline at the bottom of the Video Editor.
6. Position the hotspot within the player window by dragging and dropping it where you see fit. You can also enlarge the box, though this won't change the font size.
7. Play the video or use the scrubber in the timeline to find the time in the video when you no longer want the hotspot to be onscreen for viewers. Drag the right side of the yellow box that's above the timeline to that desired endpoint.
8. Click Save at the top right of the Video Editor window.

Add a Mailto Hotspot

A Mailto hotspot is clickable text that launches the user's default email program with the "to" field filled out with the address you provide.

1. Use either the play controls within the video player or the timeline to find the place in your video where you want the hotspot to start appearing onscreen for viewers, and click the Add Hotspot button.
2. Enter the text you want to display onscreen in the "text" field.
3. Ensure that the "URL" radio button is selected.
4. In the "link to" field, type mailto:[email address] (e.g., mailto:kaltura@ucsd.edu).
5. Click Done. (To explore the advanced settings, see the Advanced Settings section below.) A small yellow box should now appear above the timeline at the bottom of the Video Editor.
6. Position the hotspot within the player window by dragging and dropping it where you see fit. You can also enlarge the box, though this won't change the font size.
7. Play the video or use the scrubber in the timeline to find the time in the video when you no longer want the hotspot to be onscreen for viewers. Drag the right side of the yellow box that's above the timeline to that desired endpoint.
8. Click Save at the top right of the Video Editor window.

Add a "Time in this Video" Hotspot

A "time in this video" hotspot, if clicked on, jumps the viewer to a specific timecode of the video that you identify.

1. Use either the play controls within the video player or the timeline below to find the place in your video where you want the hotspot to first appear onscreen for viewers, and click the Add Hotspot button.
2. Enter the text you want to display onscreen in the "text" field.
3. Ensure that the "time in this video" radio button is selected.
4. In the "time" field, enter the timecode you want viewers to jump to, in 2-digit minutes and 2-digit seconds (mm:ss).
5. Click Done. (To explore the advanced settings, see the Advanced Settings section below.) A small yellow box should now appear above the timeline at the bottom of the Video Editor.
6. Position the hotspot within the player window by dragging and dropping it where you see fit. You can also enlarge the box, though this won't change the font size.
7. Play the video or use the scrubber in the timeline to find the time in the video when you no longer want the hotspot to be onscreen for viewers. Drag the right side of the yellow box that's above the timeline to that desired endpoint.
8. Click Save at the top right of the Video Editor window.

Add a Static Textbox

You can also use hotspots to simply create onscreen textboxes that you could use as, say, a label.

1. Use either the play controls within the video player or the timeline below to find the place in your video where you want the hotspot to first appear onscreen for viewers, and click the Add Hotspot button.
2. Enter the text you want to display onscreen in the "text" field.
3. Ensure that the "URL" radio button is selected.
4. Leave the "link to" field blank.
5. Click Done. (To explore the advanced settings, see the Advanced Settings section below.) A small yellow box should now appear above the timeline at the bottom of the Video Editor.
6. Position the hotspot within the player window by dragging and dropping it where you see fit. You can also enlarge the box, though this won't change the font size.
7. Play the video or use the scrubber in the timeline to find the time in the video when you no longer want the hotspot to be onscreen for viewers. Drag the right side of the yellow box that's above the timeline to that desired endpoint.
8. Click Save at the top right of the Video Editor window.

Advanced Settings

Additional configuration options are available for hotspots that you can access by clicking "advanced settings" when an existing hotspot is selected in the Video Editor. You can change the text, link, and appearance of the hotspot.

Styles

• Text Color & Style allows you to change the color and weight of the text (weight being whether it's bold, thin, or "normal").
• Text Size allows you to change the size of the text.
• Roundness affects the corners of the textbox. The higher the number, the more rounded the corners become.
• Background color allows you to set two properties of the textbox: its color and its transparency.
• Position allows you to enter specific x and y coordinates for the textbox, if you'd rather use exact numbers than drag and drop it in the preview video window.
• Size allows you to enter the specific size of the textbox, if you'd rather use exact numbers than drag and drop it in the preview video window.

Timeline

• Start time and end time allow you to manually enter mm:ss timecodes for when the hotspot appears and disappears, rather than dragging the yellow "curtains" above the timeline.