Video, Audio, and Multimedia

Content authors should contact their Web Communications Office (WCO) during the planning phase of providing public facing video or as soon as possible to provide basic information about the product including: general content, estimated timeframe for delivery, whether the content is time sensitive, and any planned publication on VA or VA related websites. Your WCO will work with you to address agency and federal requirements as well as VA website publication.

VA-created public-facing video, audio, and multimedia content is presented first on VA.gov websites as the authoritative source. This means sending potential visitors to a VA webpage with an embedded player rather than an external link to a non-VA website (e.g., YouTube). This method must be accompanied by appropriate context to include appropriate description, transcript, and other relevant information.

To take advantage of YouTube’s increased capabilities, we recommend adding public-facing files to VA’s YouTube channel. Please contact your WCO to have the video added.

Content must conform to all Section 508 accessibility requirements when published. This includes audio description and text transcripts. The broadcast title must contain the topic. Using auto-generated closed captioning is not allowed except to create a starting point to finalize the captions.

All video and audio content must be identified as U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs products, with proper use of the VA parent signature. There should be limited, if any, use of other logos or internal office identification.

Content must be audience-focused. Consideration will be given in using the best format to convey the content. Excessive and unnecessary video, audio, and multimedia products will be avoided. All products must use plain language and avoid using acronyms or abbreviations.

Best practices include:

• Content should be concise.
• Non-training videos should be short (i.e. between 1-3 minutes).
• Avoid talking heads.
• Video and multimedia images must have the proper resolution and  be properly lit, shot, and in focus.
• Audio products should be clear and of high quality.
• Provide transcripts for audio only products. Create your transcript first and then record if possible.
• When embedding a YouTube video into the content management system we strongly suggest adding the code ?rel-0. This controls that videos will pop-up at the end of your embedded video and ensure they are videos from your YouTube channel. (Example: src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/ABcDEfGHiJklm?rel=0″)

Consideration should also be given to the best format to convey a message.

Contact your WCO for general questions and guidance on uploading public-facing audio and video content. Contact the VA Section 508 office to discuss 508 accessibility compliance issues or visit the Section 508 website for guidance.

• Video–To maximize compatibility with the greatest number of devices, video should be in the MP4 format. Videos hosted on YouTube can be uploaded in any supported format and will be converted automatically. Requires captions and audio descriptions and transcript (refer to the Video, Audio, and Multimedia standards).
• Audio–To maximize compatibility with the greatest number of devices, audio should be in the MP3 format. Requires transcript (refer to VA’s Accessibility webpage).
• Photographs–Images should use the Joint Photographic Experts Group (jpeg or jpg) format. Requires alt text (refer to VA’s Accessibility webpage).
• Graphics–Non-photographic images should be in the format that compresses as much as possible without losing fidelity (typically Portable Network Graphic (png) or jpg. Scalable Vector Graphics (svg) can be used but may require special coding. Requires alt text (refer to VA’s Accessibility webpage).

The Video Specifications and Audio Specifications tables provides file specifications for media file types that are supported by VA Web Operations. These specifications are based on testing playback functionality on the VA network. Failure to comply with these specifications may result in the media file not playing properly and could lead to end user frustration.

Video Specifications