Hola Mercedes,
I have tested this, and unfortunately at this time it is not possible without code changes.
AtoM will automatically look at the media type of the master digital object (e.g. video, audio, text, image, or other) and then attempt to load the corresponding viewer or media player on the related description's view page for the reference display copy.
This means that if you manually delete the reference copy of a video, and then try to upload an image instead, the image will not display. Instead, you will see an error message inside of the video player on the description view page.
I have filed a Wishlist ticket for us to consider such functionality in the future - see:
Please note that filing a wish list ticket is no guarantee that this will be included in a future version.
In the meantime, there are two possible workarounds I can think of:
First, you could manually edit the media type value to be an image - i.e. click on the "More" button at the bottom of the description, and then select "Edit digital object." You will find a media type dropdown menu, where you can change this value from video to image. Now if you delete the current reference video and upload an image instead, it should work.
This change will allow your image reference copy to display. When the reference image is clicked, it should still lead to the master video. However, this will have three additional effects:
- First, it impacts searching and browsing, as AtoM will now think the master object is an image - so any media type filter or facet will now count it as an image, not a video
- Second, if the original video is not one that the web browser can play, then users will need to download the video and play it locally rather than viewing it in the browser
- Third, if your permissions are not configured so that public users can view the master digital object, then public users will not be able to see your videos! So you will need to make sure your permissions for the anonymous group (i.e. public users) are properly set to Grant access to the master.
The second workaround is to include no reference display image at all. If you delete it (by going to "Edit digital object") and do not upload a replacement, AtoM will display a very simple placeholder instead:
Again, clicking this should still lead to the original video if the user has permissions to see the master. Additionally, the thumbnail should still be present in search and browse results. However, it may not be obvious to users that they can click on the file placeholder image to see the original video in the browser.
In any case, I hope these suggestions help you find a strategy that will work for you!