Skip to content

Will it play at the funeral home? Video formats, USB sticks and music rules

How we wrote this

Short answer

Bring an MP4 file (H.264 video, AAC audio) at 1920×1080, on a USB stick formatted as exFAT (or FAT32 if the file is under 4 GB), plus a backup link, and test it on the venue's own system a few days before. Many UK crematoria take uploads through Obitus or Wesley Media instead of USB, so ask the funeral director which route they use.

Funeral directors have one piece of advice above all others: test it first. One US funeral director put it bluntly on Reddit: they have lost count of families who worked hard on a slideshow and only found out on the day that it would not play on the home's system. The good news is that a few simple choices remove almost all of the risk.

The safest file format

  • Container: MP4 (.mp4). It plays on smart TVs, laptops, phones and venue systems.
  • Video: H.264 (AVC). MDN's codec guide describes AVC as broadly compatible, with hardware decoding on many devices. Newer HEVC/H.265 files from iPhones may not play on older TVs.
  • Audio: AAC, stereo.
  • Resolution: 1920×1080 (landscape full HD). Obitus recommends matching 1920×1080 for landscape venue screens and 1080×1920 for portrait screens.
  • Avoid DVDs unless the venue specifically asks for one; many venues no longer have a player, and DVD video is low resolution.

Venue systems vary. Obitus, for example, lists avi, m4v, mov, mp4, mpg and wmv for family-supplied videos — MP4 is the one on every list.

USB stick tips

  1. Format the stick as exFAT, or FAT32 if your file is smaller than 4 GB. FAT32 cannot hold a single file larger than 4 GiB (Microsoft); NTFS and Mac-only formats are not read by many TVs.
  2. Put only the video on it, in the top folder, with a clear name such as John-Smith-tribute.mp4.
  3. Bring two sticks, and keep a third copy on your phone or in a cloud link.
  4. Label the stick with the person's name and your phone number, and hand it to the funeral director, not the first person who asks.

Crematoria with upload systems (UK)

Many UK crematoria run their screens and webcasts through Obitus or Wesley Media. Families or funeral arrangers upload photos or a finished video through a web portal before an upload deadline, using a login given by the funeral director. Obitus's basic slideshow takes up to 25 images, so if you want more photos or your own music, ask whether they accept a family-supplied video file.

Test checklist

  1. Play the file from start to finish on a different computer from the one that made it.
  2. Play it on a TV through its USB port, if you have one at home.
  3. Ask to test it on the venue's screen a few days before; most funeral directors are glad you asked.
  4. Check the sound level: the first notes should not be too loud in a quiet room.
  5. Agree who presses play, and when.

Music: playing is usually fine, streaming and recording need licences

UK: CCLI explains that PPL and PRS for Music have waived the need for music performance licences at weddings and funerals, so recorded music can be played during the service — but if the service is recorded or streamed online, music captured in it needs permission. Crematoria with webcasting usually hold their own licences; ask the funeral director.

US: NFDA explains that funeral homes need a music performance licence for copyrighted music, and a separate licence to stream services that contain it. NFDA offers group licences covering BMI, ASCAP and SESAC.

Putting a song you bought into a video you share on YouTube or Facebook is a different matter: platforms may mute or block it. That is why the soundtrack in our films is instrumental music made for the film, while your song list is for the service itself.

Questions people ask

What format should a funeral slideshow be on USB?

An MP4 file using H.264 video and AAC audio, at 1920×1080, on a USB stick formatted as exFAT or FAT32.

Why won't my video play on the funeral home TV?

The usual causes are an HEVC/H.265 file from a newer phone, a stick formatted as NTFS or for Mac only, or a file over 4 GB on a FAT32 stick. Re-export as H.264 MP4 and test again.

Can I bring a DVD?

Only if the venue confirms it has a working player. A USB stick or an upload is safer, and the picture quality is better.

Do I need a licence to play a song at a funeral?

In the UK, not for playing it during the service, according to CCLI. Recording or live-streaming the service does need permission for the music, which venues with webcasting usually cover. In the US, the funeral home normally holds the performance licence.

Sources

  1. Media uploader guide, Obitus (read October 5, 2026)
  2. File system functionality comparison, Microsoft Learn, 2025-04-15 (read October 5, 2026)
  3. Web video codec guide, MDN Web Docs, 2026-09-07 (read October 5, 2026)
  4. Weddings and funerals: copyright, CCLI (read October 5, 2026)
  5. Music and livestreaming licenses, National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), 2026-09-16 (read October 5, 2026)
  6. Visual tributes, Wesley Media (read October 5, 2026)
  7. What advice would you give for a family friend making a memorial slideshow?, r/askfuneraldirectors (Reddit), 2025 (read October 5, 2026)

How we wrote this

Written by the In Memoriam Film team with AI assistance for research and drafting, then checked against the sources above. Figures come only from those sources; where a number is our own rule of thumb we say so. We make memorial films, so where a guide mentions our product, that is why.