Chapter 17 Moderator Presenter

External Video

Presenters can embed external audio and video sources directly into the BigBlueButton room. The media appears in the presentation area, plays synchronously for all participants, and can be controlled by the presenter.

Sharing External Video or Audio

Click the Plus button (bottom left) and select Share an external video.

Enter the URL of the video or audio source into the input field and confirm.

The media appears in the presentation area and starts playing for all participants.

Only the current presenter can share external video or audio. The function is not available to other participants.

Supported Platforms and Formats

BigBlueButton supports the following video and audio sources:

  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
  • Twitch
  • Daily Motion
  • Instructure Media
  • Panopto
  • Direct links to .mp3 and .mp4 files
  • Publicly accessible direct links to audio or video files (e.g. via file hosting services)
  • Conference media from bbbserver

Playback Controls

As the presenter, you have full control over the media playback:

  • Pause and resume playback at any time.
  • Jump to specific positions in the video or audio.
  • All participants see the playback synchronized — no separate screen sharing with system audio is needed.

Pause the video during playback to explain or discuss specific parts with your audience.

Stopping Video Sharing

When you stop the external video or audio, the previously displayed presentation returns automatically.

Conference Media on bbbserver

bbbserver offers an additional Conference Media feature in its management interface:

  • Upload audio and video files directly to bbbserver and receive a link for the "Share an external video" function.
  • No need to host media files yourself or make them publicly available elsewhere.
  • Media can be stored for the entire customer account or for specific users only.

Conference Media is an additional feature provided by bbbserver and is not part of the standard BigBlueButton software.

Externally shared video and audio content typically does not appear in processed BBB recordings. On some mobile devices, automatic media playback may be disabled in the browser — participants may need to start playback manually.

Frequently Asked Questions

BigBlueButton supports YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, Daily Motion, Instructure Media, Panopto, and direct links to .mp3 and .mp4 files. Additionally, bbbserver customers can use the Conference Media feature.

Yes. Playback is synchronized for all participants. The audio is played locally on each participant's device — no screen sharing with system audio is required.

No. Externally shared audio and video content is typically not included in processed BBB recordings.

Make sure the link is publicly accessible. Protected or private media links often do not work. As an alternative, you can use screen sharing to play the video with system audio.

Conference Media is an additional bbbserver feature that allows you to upload audio and video files and receive a direct link for use with BigBlueButton's external video sharing function. This eliminates the need for external hosting.