Set a default quality for embedded videos

This feature requires a paid plan on ZenVideo.

Embedded videos default to Auto mode, which picks the best quality video for each viewer’s playback environment. ZenVideo paid members can default an embedded video to a specific quality on desktop and mobile by adding the quality parameter to the end of the player URL in the embed code.

⚠️Note: The quality parameter is not currently supported for live events.

In this article:

• Quality parameter examples
• Limitations

Quality parameter examples

For example, if you want to default the embed to 1080p, you would add:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/187987907?quality=1080p

You can combine multiple URL parameters using an ampersand (&). For example:

https://player.vimeo.com/video/187987907?autoplay=1&quality=1080p

The following qualities are supported by the quality parameter: 4K, 2K, 1080p, 720p, 540p, 360p and 240p. If you select a quality that doesn’t exist for your particular video, the quality parameter will be ignored, and the embed will default to Auto.

Limitations

• Using this parameter will default your embed to the selected quality on page load. Viewers will still have the option to manually switch back to Auto or different playback quality. 
• Please note that the playback quality settings are unavailable on iOS devices running version 17.0 or below. This is because video playback on these versions occurs in the device's native player, which does not support quality selection. As a result, users may only experience audio playback, and the option to change video quality will not be visible. To access full playback features, we recommend using the iOS device version 17.0 or above
• Please use caution when implementing this parameter. Not everyone can easily stream high-definition video, especially 2K and 4K. Defaulting to a particular quality may result in excessive buffering and choppy playback for your viewers.