# External URL screens

Each External URL screen in your experience has its own, independent video URL parameter. For example, you could configure each External URL screen to play a different video, or to play the same video at different times.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If your experience includes many different videos playing at the same time, this will create a poor experience for users on low-powered hardware - such as mobile devices and stand-alone VR headsets.
{% endhint %}

## Adding an external URL screen to an experience

1. If the timeline view isn't active in the editor panel, select the timeline icon (<img src="/files/27TqEemJlgqsBCre7AcG" alt="" data-size="line">).
2. From the panel on the left-hand side, select <img src="/files/IoOEPZLPOKWyDb5ynAZd" alt="" data-size="line"> **IFX**.
3. From the library of IFX, select a screen that includes **External URL** in its title.
4. Place the IFX in the environment. For more information about the controls that are available when you add an IFX, see [Adding IFX](/engage/advanced-features/using-ifx/adding-ifx.md).

## External URL screen effect options

For instructions on how to access effect options, see [Effect options](/engage/experience-editor/working-with-objects/effect-options.md). For external URL screens, the additional options relate to the video source and playback settings.

![External URL screen effect options](/files/mBowLoNgHcdcRzbP7ZB9)

| Option                            | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| --------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Video URL**                     | <p>The URL of the video to play. We recommend that you place videos on a server that you control.<br><br>You can use a YouTube URL, but access is not guaranteed. For example, if the owner removes the video, or there is a change to the YouTube API that requires an update to the ENGAGE application, your experience will break.</p>           |
| **2D Video / 3D Video**           | Select whether the video is 2D or 3D.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **Loop**                          | Select this check box to loop the video.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| **Playback Start**                | <p>The number of seconds to skip from the start of the video.<br><br><strong>Note</strong>: If you use the video to loop, each loop after the first play through starts at the beginning of the video.</p>                                                                                                                                          |
| **Volume**                        | The volume of the videos audio, as a percentage between 0 (mute) and 100 (maximum).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| **2D Audio / 3D (Spatial) Audio** | <p>Select 2D Audio to play the audio at a fixed volume for all users in a Session.<br><br>Select 3D (Spatial) Audio to play the audio as though it were emitted from the screen. The volume will decrease as users move further away. If you select this option, you can set the maximum distance from the screen that the audio will be heard.</p> |
| **Custom Sync Tolerance**         | Select to enable advanced synchronization. This setting will make it easier for you to time events to the video, but negatively affects performance.                                                                                                                                                                                                |


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