Publishing on Xigua Video: Mid-Form Specs
Xigua shares an account system with Douyin but runs on the opposite content shape: horizontal, one-minute-plus, completion-driven mid-form. Importing vertical-short logic is the classic beginner mistake.
The horizontal mid-form shape
Xigua is built on one-minute-plus horizontal 16:9 content: film commentary, explainers and deep reviews are the core forms. Same account system as Douyin, different product surface — Douyin’s vertical shorts run on algorithmic surfacing, Xigua’s horizontal long-form runs on completion and follows. Do not mix the two playbooks.
The 8GB per-file ceiling is roomy for mid-form: 20 minutes of 1080p at 10 Mbps is about 1.5GB. Roomy is not unprocessed — feed loading speed affects completion, and 1080p is the mainstream publishing resolution; 4K is optional with limited payoff.
Encoding parameters
H.264 + AAC, 1080p, 10–16 Mbps source: mid-form runs long with high information density, so bitrate needs headroom — compression artifacts compound perceptually over time, and a sharp first five minutes followed by fifteen mushy ones still sinks completion.
Platform re-encoding exists, with post-transcode tiers comparable to Bilibili. Beyond a generous source bitrate, do not fake resolution: upscaled 720p sources labeled 1080p collapse faster under re-encoding than honest sources.
Covers and the first 15 seconds
Custom covers are supported (upload or pick a frame): horizontal mid-form covers can carry more information than short-video covers — title keywords, subject, series branding all fit. Cover and title decide the click; the first 15 seconds decide completion, and mid-form weighs both ends more evenly than short video.
Enter the subject within 15 seconds: mid-form viewers arrive with explicit intent (search or follows), and preamble bleeds audience. The classic film-commentary structure opens on a hook; the classic explainer structure gives the conclusion first, then the reasoning.