It is very common to have several video files that you want to show to your audience. The best way to do is to create a playlist. A playlist is exactly what it sounds like: it's a list of media files to play. Creating a playlist on your own can be difficult. With Video Desk, it's easy. Video Desk playlists are attactive, easy to create, and easy for your audience to understand and use.

For example, a realtor wants to show video walkthroughs of all the houses she's showing. Using a playlist, she can easily show all her listings on a single page, like this:

In this article we will explain how to create a playlist and how to incorporate one into your web site. Our examples will use Flash Video (FLV) files. The same technique can be used with Windows Media (WMV and WMA) files.

Creating A Playlist

It's simple to create a playlist. Log on to your Video Desk account, and click Webmaster Tools >> Manage Playlists >> Create Playlist.

To add files, click the button. You can pick files from any of your folders. There is no limit to the number of files in a playlist other than the restrictions on your Video Desk account. You must select files that are all the same type, either Flash or Windows Media. Use the up and down arrow buttons to arrange the files in the right order. When you are finished, click Save Playlist.

To embed a playlist in your web page, click the Embed Code link at the left of the screen. If you would like more details on embedding, please read our article, Embedding a Video in Your Web Page. The method for embedding a playlist is exactly the same.

The embedded playlist looks like this:

To play one of the files in the playlist, just click on the thumbnail image of it in the list. You can also navigate back and forward in the list using the and buttons. If you do not use either method, all the videos will play, starting with the first. When creating the embed code, you decide whether to play them once, or have them repeat until stopped.

Once you start using playlists, you'll find yourself wondering how you did without. For instance, if you are writing a blog entry on a particular subject, include a playlist of all the videos that are relevant. It's easier for you to add multiple videos this way, and it's much easier and clearer for your audience to view them all if they're in a list.

A playlist is the perfect solution if you have several related video or audio files to show. They're simple to set up and people enjoy playing them. Try one out today!