Create and Share Playlists

A playlist is a reusable collection of files, folders, or a combination of both. You can create a playlist by hand-picking files from different projects, or you can turn an entire project or folder into a dynamically updated playlist.

This article will walk you through the different types of playlists, how to create them, and how to share them. Here is an overview of the topics we will cover:

1. Create a Playlist (Static Playlists)

2. Create a Project or Folder Playlist (Dynamic Playlists)

3. Share a Playlist as a Presentation

4. Share a Playlist with Watermarked Files

1. Create a Playlist (Static Playlists)

A static playlist starts as an empty container that you fill with files or folders from the projects to which you have access. You can remove content from your static playlist at any time or rearrange the order of assets to your liking.

To create a playlist, start by opening the right drawer in Projects.

Then, go to the last tab in the drawer – the Playlists tab. Here, you will find:

• any playlists you have already created

• any playlists that users have shared with the entire workspace

The Playlists tab is searchable, and you can filter playlists by type, show all playlists, or just show the playlists you have created.

Click the blue plus (+) button to add a new playlist.

This opens a window where you can name your playlist, add an optional description, and choose your settings.

Turn on the Shared toggle if you want to make your playlist accessible to all the users in your workspace. While a shared playlist is accessible to other users, only the playlist creator or a workspace administrator can edit or delete a playlist.

To make your playlist private, keep the Shared toggle off. Note that administrators can access all playlists, even if the Shared toggle is off.

Turn on Allow Download to make the files in your playlist downloadable when the playlist is shared in a Spotlight or Presentation. By default, the share and download toggles are both off.

Once you name your playlist and choose your settings, click the blue Create button

Why don’t I see the “Create Playlist” button?

Playlists are used for sharing content. This means you must have external and internal sharing permissions to create a new playlist. You will only see the Create Playlist button when you are inside a project where you have this permission set.

Add Files to Your Playlist

A new playlist is empty. Add files and folders to the playlist by dragging them directly into the Playlists tab.

Click and drag items to rearrange their order. Folders and files are grouped separately, with folders at the top of the playlist and files at the bottom. Hover over an item and click the “X” button to remove it.

Note that you must have external and internal sharing permissions on a project in order to add files from that project to your playlist. If you do not have these permissions, then a message will inform you that you cannot add files from the project:

Create a Playlist from the Collection Bin

In addition to the Playlists tab, the collection bin offers another way to create a static playlist. Start by adding content to the collection bin. Then, click the Create Playlist button along the bottom of the collection bin.

This opens a window where you can name your playlist and choose your settings.

If you need to make changes to a playlist created from the collection bin, make sure you edit the playlist in the Playlists tab on the right. Changes made to the collection bin are not reflected in the playlist.

2. Create a Project or Folder Playlist (Dynamic Playlists)

In addition to a static playlist, you can create a playlist based on an existing project or folder. This is called a “dynamic” playlist because it is automatically updated whenever you add or remove files from the corresponding project or folder.

To start, click the three-dots button on a project or folder. Then, select Advanced > Create Playlist.

This opens the same Create Playlist window described in the previous section. Here, you can name your playlist, provide an optional description, and choose your share and download settings. Next, click Create.

Your new playlist is ready to share. Any changes you make to the project or folder are automatically reflected in the playlist. This means you can share a playlist in a Spotlight or Presentation, and your audience will always see the latest changes to the corresponding project or folder.

Note that you can access your project and folder playlists in the Playlists tab in the right drawer. However, you cannot add or remove items from the playlist via the Playlists tab, since the playlist is linked to a specific project or folder.

3. Share a Playlist as a Presentation

You can share a playlist directly from the Playlists tab in the right drawer. First, click on a playlist to open it. Then, click the flame icon next to the playlist’s name.

This opens the Share window, where you will select the Presentation’s access setting, expiration date, and the template you wish to use.

Under Access, you can choose to make the Presentation “public” (accessible to anyone with the Presentation URL); make the Presentation password-protected; or restrict access to select workspace users. For password-protected Presentations, note that the password cannot contain the following characters: < > =

If you select “Workspace users,” a text box appears, so you can enter user names or distribution lists.

Once you select an access setting, choose an expiration date and time for your Presentation, or select “No expiration.”

Then, choose a template under “Select Template.” A template determines the look and layout of your Presentation. You can choose a premade template that comes with your MediaSilo account, a customized template that a user has shared with the entire workspace, or any template that you have created.

If you select a premade template, note that your brand logo is automatically added to the top of the template. Just make sure an administrator has uploaded your brand logo to your workspace via the Branding page. If you are interested in customizing your template further, please see Customize Your Presentation in Spotlight.

At this point, you are ready to create a Presentation URL to share with your audience. You can either click the blue “Get Link” button, or you can click the link icon in the “Get Link” bar at the top. Both options create a link to your new Presentation.

For additional Presentation options, click the "Customize" button in the bottom left.

This opens a larger version of the Share window. In the Appearance section, you can preview the different Presentation templates available to you.

To allow downloading of the files in your playlist, go to the Content section, and check the Enable Download checkbox.

If the checkbox is not clickable, this means the playlist’s “Allow download” toggle is off. To turn it on:

• go to the Playlists tab

• click the three-dots button to the right of the playlist’s name

• select “Edit”

• turn on “Allow download”

• click “Update”

Keep in mind that only the playlist creator or an administrator can edit a playlist’s settings.

At this time, mobile viewing is not supported for Spotlights or Presentations. Please open Spotlights and Presentations in your desktop browser.

How do I share a playlist in a Spotlight?

If you are using the Spotlight template builder to design your own Spotlight, you can click on a playlist in the Playlists panel and drag it directly onto your template. To learn more, please see Add a Playlist to your Template in our guide to designing templates.

4. Share a Playlist with Watermarked Files

You can share a playlist that contains watermarked files in a Spotlight or Presentation. However, access to the playlist will depend on the type of watermark template you are using and the access setting of the Spotlight or Presentation.

Share a Playlist in a Public Spotlight or Presentation

If a Spotlight or Presentation’s access setting is Public, then any viewer can open it, even if they are not logged into MediaSilo. They can also view any non-watermarked content contained in a playlist.

In order to view content that is watermarked with a viewer’s email address or with custom text, such as the word “Confidential,” the viewer must first log into MediaSilo. If a user is not logged in, trying to view a watermarked file results in the message “This file is protected by SafeStream and cannot be viewed in this context.”

Once the viewer logs into MediaSilo, they can watch the watermarked videos contained in the playlist. Note that anyone can log in by providing their email address. A viewer does not need access to your workspace in order to view content that is watermarked with their email address or custom text.

To watch playlist videos that are watermarked with a viewer’s name, viewers must be logged into MediaSilo, and they must be users in the same workspace that contains the watermarked files. Access to the specific project that contains the watermarked files is not required; they just need to belong to the workspace in order to view content that is watermarked with their name.

These restrictions also apply to a Spotlight or Presentation that is password protected. The only difference is that a viewer must enter a password before they can even access the Spotlight or Presentation:

Share a Playlist in a Private Spotlight or Presentation

If a Spotlight or Presentation’s access setting is Workspace users, then only select users can access it. When a viewer goes to the Spotlight or Presentation’s URL, a message says, “This link requires a login.”

Once an authorized user logs in, they can access all of the content (watermarked and not watermarked) in the Spotlight or Presentation. If the viewer who logs into MediaSilo is not among the select users granted access to the Spotlight or Presentation, then a message will say, “You're not authorized to see this Spotlight.”