Unified Microsoft 365 Video Start Page Rolling Out Now

Microsoft’s November 26 announcement that they plan to combine Clipchamp and Stream “into a single, streamlined video solution that harnesses the strength and usage of both platforms” is a development that marks the natural conclusion of a process that started with the Clipchamp acquisition (September 2021). The unification will happen under the Clipchamp brand, starting with the launch of a new Microsoft 365 video start page (Microsoft 365 roadmap item 468289). The new page (Figure 1) is already shown in tenants when users select the Stream or Clipchamp options from the Microsoft 365 menu.

The Many Steps to Microsoft 365 Video Unification

As noted above, the unification marks the completion of work that’s been ongoing for several years. Stream migrated video content from the original Office 365 Video portal to its own Azure-based storage. Stream then made the leap to move its files to the SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business (ODSP) platform, a process that completed earlier this year.

Recent work on Stream has focused on building out player capabilities rather than video editing. Stream can trim a video by hiding parts of a file from user view, but it can’t handle the kind of sophisticated video production tasks that Clipchamp specializes in and are found in competing products like Camtasia.

While the Stream migration to ODSP was ongoing, Microsoft absorbed Clipchamp. Although they haven’t described the technical details of the work done to allow Clipchamp to embrace and use the Microsoft 365 framework, anyone with any knowledge of how Microsoft 365 works can imagine the challenges that flowed after Microsoft’s July 2023 announcement that Microsoft 365 tenants would get the application.

Using Entra ID for authentication and role assignments, supporting multifactor authentication, and moving storage to ODSP are three obvious work items. However, the work to allow users to access Clipchamp and store video files is only the tip of the iceberg and lots of detailed work happened under the surface to ensure that Clipchamp works smoothly within Microsoft 365. At the same time, Clipchamp Consumer continues and needs to be maintained.

Coming Soon

Microsoft promises that the unified offering will continue to deliver more than video editing. For instance, the announcement discusses the ability to share a clip from within a video. Essentially, this means that a user can select a start and end time for a clip and send that detail to other users to allow the recipients to play the video from a precise location for a specified time. The advantage cited is that this removes the need to edit the video and store a file for short (or long) clips.

Microsoft also says that the lightweight video recorder currently available in Stream will be able to call Clipchamp to edit the output. This is referred to as advanced editing from camera and is due for release in January 2025.

Finally, Microsoft notes that the ability to capture and insert video content is available in Outlook. Well, it is in the new Outlook for Windows and OWA but not in Outlook classic. Perhaps the folks who continue to use Outlook classic are content to communicate using words rather than a video clip. As Figure 2 shows, filming a clip is invoked using the Record button (which becomes available when positioned in the message body.

The video clip sent in the email is captured in a Loop Stream component stored and shared from the RecordingsVideo Clips folder in the sender’s OneDrive for Business account. This is the same folder used to hold video clips recorded in Loop pages or other components. If a recipient uses Outlook classic, they can launch the Stream player to view the file.

Microsoft 365 Video Unification is Positive

It didn’t make sense to have two video solutions within Microsoft 365. Unifying around a single brand makes perfect sense. Although it was originally launched for consumers, the Stream brand never worked in that market. Bringing things together under Clipchamp removes confusion and clarifies how video is managed inside Microsoft 365. It’s a positive development.

So much change, all the time. It’s a challenge to stay abreast of all the updates Microsoft makes across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Subscribe to the Office 365 for IT Pros eBook to receive monthly insights into what happens, why it happens, and what new features and capabilities mean for your tenant.