How To Send Large Video Files

4 Proven Methods: How to Share Large Video Files

• Method 1: MASV Accelerated Cloud Solution
• Method 2: Accelerated UDP Solutions (Aspera, Signiant, File Catalyst)
• Method 3: Shipping a Hard Drive
• Method 4: Cloud Solutions (WeTransfer, Dropbox)

File sizes are exploding, and with that comes the challenge of how to still send them in a quick, secure manner. In that sense, figuring out how to send large videos can seem like an almost impossible task. This is a significant pain point for freelancers, video editors, post-production houses, and broadcasters alike as workflows continually adapt to digitization.

Did you know a single minute of 4K footage from a cinematic camera like the Blackmagic Pocket is a 7.6GB? That’s a whopping 456 GB for one hour!

These file sizes don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. In fact, they’re only getting bigger with better resolutions.

So, how do you collaborate on video projects when sending large files is such a chore? Alternatively, what do you do when a client asks for some of their raw footage? Having a filesharing system in place that’s not only future-proofed for larger sizes but also security, user-friendliness and seamless operation is critical.

In this handy guide, we’ll help you figure out how to deliver video files that are time-sensitive and larger than 20 gigabytes. We’ve compiled a list of 4 proven methods to send large video files, which you can find below.

Method 1: MASV Accelerated Cloud Solution

A quick and easy way on how to send large videos is with an accelerated cloud solution like MASV. All you need is an internet connection. It’s free to sign-up and it only takes a few seconds (a far cry from expensive and complex on-prem IT setups).

This is a great option when you don’t have time for restrictions and need the fastest, most resilient solution. MASV was built specifically for video and post-production professionals who need to send and receive huge videos under a deadline. MASV sends videos as fast as your internet connection can handle, which means they don’t throttle your transfer speed. The bandwidth you have is the bandwidth that is used.

You can use a browser or desktop app to send large videos. The latter is significantly faster since it isn’t limited by any inherent browser constraints.

As an accelerated cloud solution, MASV doesn’t require specialized software and can send files quicker than most competitors. It’s also user-friendly and allows you to send as much data as needed without any file size or bandwidth roadblocks.

Billing is straightforward at just $0.25 USD per gigabyte in a pay-as-you-go model, which also includes seven days of free storage for your delivery — or unlimited storage for $0.10 a gig. The price is comparable to or less than shipping a hard drive — without all the associated risks (or trips to FedEx)!

MASV is fast and efficient through the use of a patented, cloud-based TCP acceleration technology, which ensures the product requires no technical expertise or hardware/software installation.

In tests comparing MASV to UDP solutions like Aspera, MASV typically transfers at 90 percent of your internet connection’s speed, which is only roughly 10 percent slower than what you would see with UDP options. This was an intentional trade-off, implemented to make our service is much easier to use and set up than any number of UDP counterparts.

Pros ✅

• Very fast
• Easy to use
• Affordable
• Easy to implement and manage

Cons ❌

• Not as fast and efficient compared to UDP, but less risk-prone

Method 2: Accelerated UDP Solutions (Aspera, Signiant, File Catalyst)

User Datagram Protocol, UDP for short, is ideal for low-latency, simplified transmissions with minimal risk of data loss. You benefit from faster sends without the need to wait on receiver agreements. The leaders in the UDP accelerated transfer space are Aspera, Signiant, and File Catalyst. UDP solutions can be both point to point, which requires an on-premise server, or through the cloud (Aspera Cloud), which is more like a SaaS offering.

Read More: Why Apache Dumped Aspera for MASV

How Does This Technology Work?

This technology works by creating a new protocol to transfer data over the internet that can send at very high speeds. Most online file transfer tools are built on top of the TCP protocol, but there’s a catch: it was designed to share bandwidth, which means it is generally quite slow.

By adding software to the sender’s device and controlling the software on that of the receiver, UDP solutions can override the default behavior of the internet. In short, speeds aren’t throttled, meaning you can send files as fast as your internet connection can handle.

For example, with UDP solutions utilizing a 1 Gbps upload speed, you will get close to 1 Gbps. Keep in mind if you or your recipient do not have a fast upload/download speed (such as 20 Mbps or less), you are still only capable of sending data at 20 Mbps, even with these tools.

We always recommend using a wired network, and if wifi is the only option, make sure you use the correct wifi channel to maximize performance. Here’s how you can find the best wifi channel for your router.

Pros ✅

• The fastest transfer speeds possible
• Transfers performed this way are reliable thanks to auto-retry mechanisms, pause/resume functionality, etc.

Cons ❌

• Very expensive (Aspera Cloud starts at $0.95 per GB and storage is not included)
• Requires technical expertise to use/install
• UDP is not always accepted through firewalls; workaround solutions require specialized software installation, which can be difficult in restrictive IT environments
• Complicated to use
• Tends to take up all the bandwidth in your office and needs to be throttled if you need to make a Skype call or even browse the internet

Method 3: Shipping a Hard Drive

As Andrew Tanenbaum once said,

“Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway.”

You might not be shipping tapes anymore, but the message still rings true for hard drives. If you have a time-sensitive delivery of video files and either yourself, or your recipient, doesn’t have enough bandwidth, the best option is to ship the data on a hard drive through a local courier or shipping provider like FedEx.

Read More: West Digital Post Production reduces hard drive shipments by 80% per month

Pros ✅

• You can ship a lot of data at once
• Tracking information is typically provided, as well as insurance
• Shipments can typically occur overnight or, if local, within hours
• Shipping services are generally reliable
• The overall cost is relatively low

Cons ❌

• It’s inconvenient to manage; tracking doesn’t always update and you can’t have changes made once the parcel has shipped
• Scalability becomes an issue if you must ship frequently
• Your data is in the hands of other people, representing a security risk
• International shipping can run into customs delays and/or shipping services can encounter delivery failures
• Recovering your hard drives can be a pain and buying new ones is expensive, to say nothing of potential data loss in transit
• Shipping the same data to multiple recipients in different locations requires you to perform the process repetitively

Method 4: Cloud Solutions

Another option is to send data via one of several cloud-based sharing services. Best of all, many people – including your clients – are familiar with services like Dropbox, Box, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.

These are effective at migrating large data libraries to the cloud, making that data available for others to download. Permissions can also be set up so only the intended individuals can access or download certain files. Cloud sharing is also very affordable compared to the other solutions in this list. Dropbox, for example, will set you back around $11 USD per month and enable you to transfer up to 1 terabyte of data with no file size limits.

Cloud Sharing Tools

The biggest issue with these services is when it comes to very large files (20GB+). Cloud sharing tools were designed for documents, photo sharing, and compressed video – not uncompressed video footage that takes up a lot of space. With that in mind, these services are typically up to 10 times slower than UDP-based or accelerated cloud options. So, if your delivery is not time-sensitive and you don’t care whether a transfer takes one or one dozen hours, cloud sharing is a viable option.

WeTransfer

Another notable mention in this category is WeTransfer, which has a well-designed product that is simple to use. WeTransfer is focused on serving creatives and therefore very affordable. The only issue for video editors is the file size limits; WeTransfer lets you send deliveries under 2GB for free, and their paid version allows you to send files up to 20GB for around $10 USD per month. This is a great option for deliveries that fit within those file size restrictions but isn’t ideal to send large video files over 20GB in size.

Pros ✅

• Easy to use
• Affordable
• Reliable

Cons ❌

• Inconsistent or slow performance
• WeTransfer has file size limits

Conclusion

There you have it, four great methods for sending big video files! To recap, we explored the pros and cons of:

MASV

A fast and easy-to-use TCP-based transfer solution capable of moving up to 5 TB of data with each file, over the cloud. MASV is easy to implement and only takes a few seconds to get up and running, with only a 10% drop-off in speed compared to a UDP solution.

UDP Solution

A UDP solution like Aspera or Signiant is where you will find the best transfer speeds available. UDP uses all your available bandwidth for fast, reliable transfers, but the high price point of UDP solutions and their complex IT environments are a huge barrier to entry.

Shipping a Hard Drive

Unlike the other solutions on this list, shipping a hard drive is not dependant on the internet to deliver files.

External hard drives and SSDs can hold a large amount of data, more than most computer storages can handle at one time. If you absolutely need to send long videos, you can load up a hard drive, box it up, and ship it with a postal service or local courier (depending on your destination).

Since shipping has been around for decades, the process is reliable and fast — until it isn’t. Lost and damaged packages, lost shipments, issues at customs, and an inability to send a single drive to multiple people at scale tarnishes the reputation of hard drive deliveries.

Cloud Solutions

Using a cloud solution like WeTransfer or Dropbox is by far the most popular method of sending large videos. Cloud solutions are universally understood by consumers and they offer affordable pricing packages, as well as storage solutions on top of transfers.

On the other hand, cloud solutions are designed for mass use. The file size limits and transfer speeds are less than optimal to deliver large files over 20 GBs.