Sharing video content: best options

[Sante]

When sharing a video, is it better to share it from an external DVD player (using a program such as MediaPlayer, VLC, or PowerDVD) or is it better to convert the video to an .mp4 file and share it as a file?

If sharing a video from an external DVD player, is it better to "Share Screen" or to share the program that is running the video?

Ditto, if sharing the video as an .mp4 file: Is it better to share the file directly, or to access it through "Share Screen"?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various options?

[Fritz_H]

@Sante 
"... or share the MP4 file ? "
This requires you to have the necessary permissions/usage-rights to share that file and
all your participants need sufficient bandwidth, time and storage-capacity to download and save the file(s).
You will also lose control over the playback-process (when to pause to explain something, when to continue..).

DVD-Content:
as far as I remember, its impossible to share or even screen-shoot (?) encrypted DVD-Content;
I remember that during my attempts to take Screenshots from DVDs (long ago) that they always contained empty areas where the Video-Image should have been. But I am not up-to-date about that...
Using a Video-File is possibly the better option.

Sharing the whole Screen vs. just the player-Application:

first of all: make sure to check "Optimize for Video" and "Share computer audio".
When sharing the whole screen you may accidentally share sensitive Data (files or applications in the Background etc..).

Keep in mind: the quality of this "broadcast" will depend on your upload-bandwidth and the download-bandwidth of your audience.

[Sante]

Thanks.  I wouldn't want them to download the file or open it on their own.  I would open it before starting the meeting, have it available to share, and share the video as it's playing, not the file.  In a practice session with just one other participant, I was able to share the video while playing it in several ways: while it was playig in an external DVD player; from tabs to clips saved on my browser; and by playing the video from a saved file.  But when I tried it with a larger group--I think while sharing the tabs on the browser--the system froze, at least at my end.  At their end, the video I was sharing just stopped in the middle and stayed there.  I was not even able to stop sharing: the drop-down "stop sharing" bar was all "grayed out" (or the equivalent: yellowed out) and unresponsive.  So, I had to exit my own meeting and re-join, but then didn't dare try to share again.