Microsoft officially launched the June 20 Stream, a hosting and corporate video streaming service that is set up to replace the Office 365 video.The software giant first unveiled Office 365 Video in 2014 as a solution for companies looking to share video content with their users. Based on Azure Media Services, Microsoft's cloud-based streaming platform famed for hosting NBC's Olympic coverage, Office 365 Video enables customers to upload videos and embed them into various Microsoft applications, including Yammer.
Fast forward a couple of years, and Microsoft is giving the service a new name and adding features designed to help customers better manage and consume video on the platform.
"Microsoft Stream is a single destination for video management with integrated intelligence, deep integration in Office 365, and the IT security and management capabilities required by businesses of all sizes," wrote Seth Patton, general manager of Office 365 Microsoft Product Marketing, In a June 20 publication. "In addition, it is the inter-video service for Office 365 suites in the company, which makes it possible for people to share videos within Office 365 applications such as SharePoint, Microsoft Teams and Yammer."
Used with the Office 365 groups, Microsoft stream offers each group a designated channel. The service also links to Azure Active Directory, the company's cloud-based identity and user access management offer, to help ensure that only authorized users or target audience can watch uploaded videos, Patton added. Built-in encryption helps keep out prying eyes.
By making the process of working with video easier and helping to encourage adoption among workers, Microsoft claims that users can upload, manage and share streaming video content with just a couple of clicks. And similar to YouTube and other video sites, Stream offers a customized homepage with relevant videos, channels in a row and trend content.
Microsoft Stream also borrows some of the advanced functionality of Azure Media Service to intelligently imbue the service.
The Face Detection function can be used to track when a person appears in a video. The feature generates a timeline that can be clicked for each face, allowing viewers to quickly analyze the appearance of the desired person. To add context to user feedback in the comments section of a video, Stream creates linked timecodes, allowing users to jump directly to the specific part of the video.
To improve the search functionality, Stream offers transcribed audio from voice to text. Users can simply type keywords to automatically jump to a point in a video when they are pronounced.
According to Microsoft's mobile product strategy, Stream videos can be viewed on mobile devices, PCs and across a wide range of screen sizes. In terms of accessibility, Stream supports subtitles, a high-contrast mode and keyboard navigation.
Microsoft Stream is now available as a standalone service and will soon be activated on current Office 365 Enterprise subscriptions. According to an online support document, Microsoft plans to begin migrating Office 365 Video to Stream users in phases beginning in the second half of this year.
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