In February 2024 Microsoft will close its
Stream (Classic) video storage service.
This may affect you if you have used
Microsoft Stream (Classic) as the storage location
for video or audio content you recorded or
uploaded over recent years.
If you have used Microsoft Stream (Classic), it is
important to review this article to decide
if you need to take action.
What is Microsoft Stream (Classic)?
Microsoft Stream, more recently called
Microsoft Stream SharePoint or Stream
(Classic), is an online platform provided by
Microsoft for the purposes of recording,
storing and sharing video content through
Microsoft Office tools and beyond.
The platform came to the fore during the
Covid-19 pandemic but has since been
gradually replaced by alternative
Microsoft services provided through
OneDrive and SharePoint.
Initially, Microsoft Stream was provided
as a video repository. However, over time,
and with the evolution of Microsoft Teams,
the platform was used to record and store
Teams calls when required, for the
uploading of video content and, using a
Stream interface, for webcam, presentation
and desktop screen recordings.
What does the closing of Microsoft Stream (Classic)
mean?
When Microsoft Stream (Classic) closes in February
2024 the materials and content stored on
the platform will be removed.
As a result of this, any existing links
to video and/or audio materials provided
in presentations, documents and through
platforms like Moodle will no longer work
and this content will not be recoverable,
unless it has been moved to an alternative
storage location before closure.
Will this have an impact on me?
Quite possibly, as many colleagues used
Microsoft Stream (Classic) and Teams during and
since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The impact will depend on how you have
used Microsoft Stream (Classic) and possibly
Microsoft Teams recordings up to now.
Consider the situation below that best
describes your use of Microsoft Stream (Classic) and
Teams recordings:
| I have been using Microsoft
Stream (Classic)
as a location from which I
share
video and/or audio files
to Moodle
pages, students, for my
teaching
and learning
support | You need to
carefully consider how you
continue to make these
resources available to your
Moodle pages and
students. Once the Stream (Classic)
platform is closed in
February 2024, existing
resource shares and links in
Moodle and in other locations
will cease to function and the
materials will be
unretrievable. To continue to use
the materials and have them
available to your students, it
will be necessary to transfer
content to an alternative
service, such as MIC's YuJa
Media Platform and to re-link
or re-share them from there.
YuJa will make sharing content
easier as, being linked to
Moodle, the complications of
Microsoft sharing permissions
are removed. LEAD has prepared
step-by-step guides on: Once media is
uploaded to YuJa it resides
within the uploading user's My
Media folder. From here it can
be catalogued and organised
into folders or categories, be
edited and amended, have
descriptions and ancillary
files attached and, when
needed, can be shared to other
users and to Moodle pages. |
| I have been using Microsoft
Stream (Classic) as a file storage
area
for video and/or audio
files;
I do not actively use the
files, but would not like
to
lose them | Though you may not
use the files and materials on
Microsoft Stream (Classic) actively, it
is important to be aware that
they will become unavailable
when the Stream (Classic) service closes
in February 2024. It will be necessary
to transfer the materials you
consider valuable to retain to
an alternative service. If you wish to
catalogue them and make them
available through Moodle or
other sharing, then consider
MIC’s YuJa Media Platform. If you solely wish
to retain your own copies of
the materials on Microsoft
Stream (Classic), then storage on
Microsoft OneDrive may be a
suitable solution. Remember that media
files can be large and may
take up considerable space on
a desktop, laptop or mobile
device. Over time, devices are
updated and changed and like
removable storage such as USB
sticks they risk damage, theft
or loss. Therefore, reliable,
long-term storage, such as
OneDrive or YuJa should be
carefully considered. Media files that are
uploaded to YuJa are stored
within the uploading user's My Media folder
until required. |
| I used Microsoft Stream (Classic) in
the past but I don’t
continue to use it; the
video and/or audio files I
have are out-of-date or of
low
importance | While you may not place
considerable value on the video
and/or audio resources you have
saved on Microsoft Stream (Classic), they
did take time and effort to
prepare and may have continuing
value. It is worthwhile
reviewing the content you have and
deciding if you wish to retain
anything as, once the Microsoft
Stream (Classic) service closes, the
materials will be unretrievable. Remember that media
files can be large and may take up
considerable space on a desktop,
laptop or mobile device. Over
time, devices are updated and
changed and like removable storage
such as USB sticks they risk
damage, theft or loss. Therefore,
reliable, long-term storage, such
as OneDrive or YuJa should be
carefully considered. |
How can I see content I have stored on Microsoft Stream (Classic)?
Microsoft Stream (Classic) can be accessed up to February 2024. To review the content you may have stored on the platform, make sure that you sign-in before this date.
To see the content:
- Sign in to you institutional Microsoft Office account at www.office.com;
- Once signed in to your College account, browse to the web address web.microsoftstream.com using the same browser;
- Microsoft Stream (Classic) should now open;
- To view saved content select the My content drop-down from the menu bar and then select Videos from the expanded menu that opens.
What is YuJa?
YuJa (pronounced /u.ja/) is the
MIC media management platform introduced
in 2022 to support the use of media
content in teaching, learning and
assessment across the College. YuJa was
selected as a long-term, flexible yet
robust service to address the expanding
expectations and needs of the College,
bringing the capacity to manage and
distribute media from one location.
For more details on YuJa, visit the
article What
is
YuJa?