Desire2Learn Capture 6.1 User Guide

Overview

Welcome to Desire2Learn Capture, the complete solution for streaming, capturing, and publishing Rich Media presentations.

Applications:

Desire2Learn Capture is based on two primary components:

1. Capture Presentation Portal: A Web application that provides the Web-based user interface for streaming and watching rich archives.
2. Capture Station: There are 2 versions of Capture Stations: Capture Station 300 and Capture Software 

• Capture Station 300 is a robust Webcating workstation that acts as a turn-key solution for capturing, editing, and publishing rich media archives online. Capture Station 300 supports live encoding in H.264 and VP6 Flash video formats. Desire2Learn Capture encoders are different from similar applications offered by some other vendors because they support presentation media (e.g. Power Point, shared desktop) synchronized with the video and/or audio. Capture Station 300 also offer advanced automated scheduling features for customized lecture theater and conference room deployments.
• Capture Station Software is a lightweight version of our Capture Station software optimized for mobile production scenarios, which also includes desktop screen capture.

1. System Requirements

Please refer to the  System Requirements page for details.

2. Installation (Capture Software Only)

Download your copy of the software. Windows installation only requires launching the Capture Station installer and following the installation wizard instructions.

3. Server Access Setup

Run the Capture Software and enter a valid license key. Please note that the key has to be unique for each instance of the Software. The next dialog that is displayed requires you to enter your server URL and your username and password. Click the Save button. Capture Software will remember your server configuration next time you launch the application.

4. Using Capture

The welcome screen provides 3 options:

1. Webcast: Stream and record a live presentation. This feature requires high-speed internet connectivity to the Capture Server.
2. Record: Records a presentation to your local hard drive.
3. Publish: Publish a previously recorded presentation for on-demand Web access.

4.1 Webcasting Live

1. Click the Webcast button

2. Select one of the pre-scheduled events or click the + button and fill in the new Webcast event form to create a new event.

3. In the layout field you can select between four Webcast templates by clicking the radio buttons.

There are four available templates:

• Rich Media (audio, video, synchronized slides)
• Video (optimized for video only presentations)
• Screen Cast (optimized for screen sharing and audio presentations. The screen is streamed continuously)
• Audio (audio, synchronized slides)

If you do not want the chat feature enabled during your Webcast you can disable it by checking the Chat Disabled check box.

4. After you have completed selecting your webcast options click the Start Webcast button to proceed.

5. Once the Capture interface loads, you should be able to see a preview feed from your camera on the left side of the window and several options for presenting. If your video doesn't appear, click Options, select the Devices tab and select your video and audio sources.

6. To start your webcast, click on the Start button under your video frame.

4.2 Uploading Power Point Presentations

To upload a Power Point file, click the Add Media button and browse to your Power Point file. To control the advancement of the slides, either use the thumbnail bar at the bottom of the screen, or click on the slide to navigate forward. You can also click on the Full Screen button, which allows you to control the slides using the arrow keys and the space bar.

Please note that uploading a PPT/PPTX file may take a long time depending on the size of the presentation. It is recommended to upload the presentation before starting the live session.

4.3 Share Local Desktop (Capture Mobile Only)

In Capture Station Software you can screencast your desktop as Flash video or images by clicking the Share Desktop button.

Note: Sharing your desktop in Flash video mode significantly increases the bandwidth requirements on both the capture side and your audience's connection. Sufficient testing of this mode should completed on the network connection you will be Webcasting from before using it in production situations. Sharing via Flash video on a machine with inadequate resources can cause problems in the recorded video stream.

In Rich Media presentations the screen cast will appear to your audience in the Slide window on the Webcast interface.

4.4 Capture VGA

You can also share the desktop of a presenter using the VGA Capture option. If you use Mobile Capture software on your own PC then the VGA Capture option requires the  VGA2USB grabber device to be installed and connected. The VGA Capture device is already installed in the Capture Station and no additional external VGA capture device is required. In this mode, no action is required by the Webcast operator.

4.5 Options Menu

The Options menu allows you change to your Capture software settings

4.5.1 Server Options

The server options menu allows you to change your server configuration by entering a different URL, username and password. you can also check for the latest software updates by clicking the Check Now button. On Capture Stations, a section is also available to configure the station for automated mode. See section 7.1 for more information.

4.5.2 Device Options

The device options menu allows you to change your video and audio sources.

4.5.3 Webcast Options

Main Video

In the webcast options menu you can configure the main video options for video that appears in rich media and video webcasts. Here you can change the bitrate, framerate, and dimensions by entering new values in the appropriate fields.

Screen Sharing

You can choose between sharing only images or Flash video. Sharing your screen through Flash video requires sufficent bandwidth and other performances requriments on your connection and machine as well as on your users' end. If sufficient resources are not available then sharing only images is a more reliable option.

For Flash video screen sharing you can change the codec, bitrate, framerate, and dimensions.

4.5.4 Screencast Options

The screencast options allow you to chang the bitrate, framerate, and dimensions for Screencast-only presentations.

5. Recording a Webcast Offline

The record feature allows you to record a webcast and store it on your local hard drive.

1. Click the Record button on the Menu screen

2. Enter the Title of your presentation

3. Select a Webcast template by clicking the appropriate button

4. Click the Continue button. The Capture window will open.

6. Publishing an On-demand Webcast

Whether you Webcast live or just record your presentation to publish it on the Web later, the Flash movie, Slide or Desktop images are stored locally on your computer's hard drive. Storing your Webcast media locally ensures your capture session is successful even if your Internet connection fails. Publishing is the process of uploading your presentation for on-demand Web access.

1. To publish your recorded presentation click the Publish button on the Welcome screen.

2. Select the recorded presentation you want to publish from the Presentations drop down menu.

3. Select the target folder you want your presentation to be sent to on the server from the Folder drop down menu.

4. Check the Title and Presenter's name to ensure they are correct.

5. Click the Publish button.

6. Once the publishing process is complete, open your browser and navigate to your Capture Presentation Portal. Select your presentation and play it for at least 5 seconds to ensure the presentation video thumbnail has been captured correctly.

7. Automation (Only available on Capture Station 300)

Capture Station 300 includes advanced automated scheduling features that enable the Station to be controlled by the Web server. These features allow you to deploy multiple stations that can run multiple recording sessions without the need for an operator to be physically present at the site. This feature is ideal for situations such as Webcasting multiple lectures across a campus or a series of presentations during a conference.

7.1 Configuring your Capture Station

1. Before you begin you must ensure a stable high speed Internet connection is available.

2. Click the Options button and select the Server Tab.

3. Under the Automation heading enter a unique Station or room ID in the Station ID field.

4. Close the Options window and then click Switch to Automation Mode link in the right-bottom corner of the main window. Wait for approximately 30 seconds before performing step 7.2.

7.2 Scheduling an Automated Event

1. Navigate to your ePresence server and enter the admin area by entering your username and password.

2. Under the Manage Live heading on the sidebar, click the Create link.

3. Enter the title, presenter's name and description.

4. Select the Webcast template.

5. Specify the start and end date / time for your presentation. Your station will automatically start and end capturing your event at these specified times.

6. Click the Automation drop menu.

To have your presentation Webcast live automatically click the Stream Event Live checkbox. If this option is not selected the station will automatically record the presentation to the local hard drive on your Capture Station.

To publish your event as an On-demand Webcast click the Publish To Web checkbox and select the target folder you want the presentation to be sent to on the Server. The events are recorded automatically during the execution times. If two ore more event times overlap then the Capture Stations treat them as a single event The default publishing time is 10 pm EST, Please contact support (support@…) to change the publishing time. Please note that the execution depends on the server time zone.

If you want this event to recur on a regular basis click the Recur checkbox and specify how often you want the event to recur and when this schedule should end.

In the Room drop down menu select the unique ID of your Capture station.

7. Click the Create button.

7.3 Monitoring the Hardware Status

Multiple automated capture stations report their status so the server administrator can monitor their availability at any time.

To monitor your hardware status do the following steps.

1. Navigate to your ePresence server and enter the admin area by entering your username and password.

2. Under the Automation heading click the Hardware Status link.

3. The Hardware Status link leads to a status report page. Stations that are operational are indicated as "online" in green. Non-operational stations are displayed as "offline" in red.