# Prepare()

> Prepares the playback engine so that it's ready for playback.

## Definition

* **Type:** Method
* **Namespace:** [UnityEngine.Video](/engine/6000.0/script-reference/unityengine/video.md)
* **Assembly:** UnityEngine.VideoModule

```csharp
public void Prepare()
```

### Remarks

To prepare, the playback engine reserves the resources vital for playback, and preloads some of the content to be played.  If the preparation succeeds, this method emits the [VideoPlayer.prepareCompleted](/engine/6000.0/script-reference/unityengine/video/videoplayer/preparecompleted.md) event and sets [VideoPlayer.isPrepared](/engine/6000.0/script-reference/unityengine/video/videoplayer/isprepared.md) to true. The VideoPlayer is then ready to display the frames immediately and you can access all properties related to the source.

If you don't prepare the VideoPlayer before you play a video, the [VideoPlayer.Play](/engine/6000.0/script-reference/unityengine/video/videoplayer/play.md) method will do the preparation but the video won't play instantly.

If you use [VideoPlayer.Stop](/engine/6000.0/script-reference/unityengine/video/videoplayer/stop.md), the VideoPlayer becomes unprepared again because it frees its resources for performance reasons. To halt a video but keep its preparation, use [VideoPlayer.Pause](/engine/6000.0/script-reference/unityengine/video/videoplayer/pause.md) instead.

Additional Resources: [VideoPlayer.isPrepared](/engine/6000.0/script-reference/unityengine/video/videoplayer/isprepared.md).

### Examples

```csharp
using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.UI;
using UnityEngine.Video;

// The button to play the video in the script only becomes interactable after the preparation is finished.
// To start the preparation process, press the Space key in Play mode. 

// Attach this script to the GameObject you want to play a video clip on. 
// Attach a VideoPlayer component with a video clip and assign a UI Button in the Inspector.

public class PrepareExample: MonoBehaviour
{
    VideoPlayer videoPlayer;
    public Button playButton;

    private void Awake()
    {
        // Get the VideoPlayer component attached to GameObject with this script attached.  
        videoPlayer = GetComponent<VideoPlayer>();
        // Attach the event handler, which triggers when the VideoPlayer finishes its preparation. 
        videoPlayer.prepareCompleted += OnPrepareCompleted;
        videoPlayer.playOnAwake = false;
        playButton.interactable = false;
    }

    // Event handler for when VideoPlayer finishes the preparation process. 
    void OnPrepareCompleted(VideoPlayer vp)
    {
        Debug.Log("Preparation complete. You can now play the video.");

        // Preparation is complete so allow interactions with the play button. 
        playButton.interactable = true;
        playButton.onClick.AddListener(OnPlayButtonClicked);
    }

    void OnPlayButtonClicked()
    {
        // If the play button is clicked and the preparation is done, play the video. 
        if(videoPlayer.isPrepared)
        {
            videoPlayer.Play();
        }
    }

    private void Update()
    {
        // Press Spacebar to prepare the video. 
        if (Input.GetKeyDown("space"))
        {
            if (!videoPlayer.isPrepared)
            {
                videoPlayer.Prepare(); 
            }
        }
    }
}
```