diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/ActivityDuration.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/ActivityDuration.vue
index d27fdc50e1..2313f898a7 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/ActivityDuration.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/ActivityDuration.vue
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
         v-if="audioVideoUpload && selectedDuration === 'exactTime'"
         class="defaultUpload md2 sm3"
       >
-        {{ convertToHHMMSS(defaultUploadTime) }}
+        {{ convertToHHMMSS(duration || `00:00`) }}
       </VFlex>
       <VFlex
         v-else-if="selectedDuration === 'shortActivity' || selectedDuration === 'longActivity'"
@@ -92,11 +92,6 @@
         default: null,
       },
     },
-    data() {
-      return {
-        defaultUploadTime: this.duration || `17:12`,
-      };
-    },
     computed: {
       showRequiredLabel() {
         if (this.audioVideoUpload) {
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/DetailsTabView.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/DetailsTabView.vue
index fac57252b8..3fe8ae61ec 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/DetailsTabView.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/DetailsTabView.vue
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@
   import LearningActivityOptions from './LearningActivityOptions.vue';
   import CategoryOptions from './CategoryOptions.vue';
   import CompletionOptions from './CompletionOptions.vue';
-
+  import FormatPresetsMap, { FormatPresetsNames } from 'shared/leUtils/FormatPresets';
   import {
     getTitleValidators,
     getCopyrightHolderValidators,
@@ -642,10 +642,17 @@
         return (this.firstNode && this.getContentNodeFiles(this.firstNode.id)) || [];
       },
       fileDuration() {
-        if (this.firstNode.kind === 'audio' || this.firstNode.kind === 'video') {
-          return this.nodeFiles.filter(
-            file => file.file_format === 'mp4' || file.file_format === 'mp3'
-          )[0].duration;
+        if (
+          this.firstNode.kind === ContentKindsNames.AUDIO ||
+          this.firstNode.kind === ContentKindsNames.VIDEO
+        ) {
+          // filter for the correct file types,
+          // to exclude files such as subtitle or cc
+          let audioVideoFiles;
+          audioVideoFiles = this.nodeFiles.filter(file => this.allowedFileType(file));
+          // return the last item in the array
+          const file = audioVideoFiles[audioVideoFiles.length - 1];
+          return file.duration;
         } else {
           return null;
         }
@@ -734,6 +741,17 @@
       isUnique(value) {
         return value !== nonUniqueValue;
       },
+      allowedFileType(file) {
+        let allowedFileTypes = [];
+        // add the relevant format presets for audio and video
+        // high res and low res are currently the same, so only one is included
+        allowedFileTypes.push(
+          FormatPresetsMap.get(FormatPresetsNames.HIGH_RES_VIDEO).allowed_formats
+        );
+        allowedFileTypes.push(FormatPresetsMap.get(FormatPresetsNames.AUDIO).allowed_formats);
+        allowedFileTypes = allowedFileTypes.flat();
+        return allowedFileTypes.includes(file.file_format);
+      },
       getValueFromNodes(key) {
         const results = uniq(
           this.nodes.map(node => {
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/__tests__/activityDuration.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/__tests__/activityDuration.spec.js
index 31dcb2414b..ae2d880026 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/__tests__/activityDuration.spec.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/__tests__/activityDuration.spec.js
@@ -16,33 +16,6 @@ describe('ActivityDuration', () => {
     const shortActivityMax = 30;
     const longActivityMin = 31;
     const longActivityMax = 120;
-    describe(`default state for audio/video resources`, () => {
-      it(`should display a static upload time when 'Exact time to complete' for audio/video resources as initial state`, () => {
-        const defaultValue = '17:12';
-        const wrapper = shallowMount(ActivityDuration);
-        expect(wrapper.vm.defaultUploadTime).toEqual(defaultValue);
-      });
-      it(`should display the file's time at upload when 'Exact time to complete' is chosen in Completion dropdown`, () => {
-        // TODO: defaultValue will need to be changed when file-upload-duration is implemented
-        const defaultValue = '17:12';
-        const wrapper = shallowMount(ActivityDuration, {
-          propsData: { duration: 123 },
-        });
-        expect(wrapper.props('duration')).toEqual(123);
-        expect(wrapper.vm.defaultUploadTime).not.toEqual(defaultValue);
-        expect(wrapper.vm.defaultUploadTime).toEqual(123);
-      });
-      it(`should display a "stand-in" at upload if file's time at upload is not available when 'Exact time to complete' is chosen in Completion dropdown`, () => {
-        // TODO: defaultValue will need to be changed when file-upload-duration is implemented
-        const defaultValue = '17:12';
-        const wrapper = shallowMount(ActivityDuration, {
-          propsData: { duration: null },
-        });
-        expect(wrapper.props('duration')).toEqual(null);
-        expect(wrapper.vm.defaultUploadTime).toEqual(defaultValue);
-        expect(wrapper.vm.defaultUploadTime).not.toEqual(null);
-      });
-    });
 
     describe(`convert seconds to minutes for display`, () => {
       it(`should display the seconds passed down from parent as minutes`, () => {