Jonathan Gibson Concurrent autonomous video-lecturing system applicability study Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Bachelor of Engineering Media Engineering Thesis 31.04.
Abstract Number of Pages Date Jonathan Gibson Concurrent autonomous video-lecturing system applicability study 44 pages + 1 appendices 17 February 2013 Degree Bachelor of Engineering Degree Programme Media Engineering Specialisation option Audio-Visual Instructor(s) Erkki Aalto, Head of Department Jonna Eriksson, Laboratory Engineer Author(s) Title As new technology becomes more available, it gives teaching a new lease on life.
1 Contents 1 Introduction 3 2 Benchmarking 5 2.1 MOOC 8 2.2 Khan Academy 11 2.3 Gaming community 12 State-of-the-art Metropolia ICT 14 3.1 Interest of Metropolia 15 3.2 Why and how to record the lectures 15 3 4 Available solutions 16 4.1 Price and Budget 17 4.2 Crestron CaptureLive HD 18 4.2.1 23 4.3 4.4 5 Crestron Review Haivision Viper 24 4.3.1 28 Haivision Viper review Adobe ConnectPro 30 4.4.1 Logitech BCC950 ConferenceCam 34 4.4.
2 Abbreviations and Terms Capturing – Process of converting analog video signal, such as from a video camera or dvd player, into digital video Streaming – The act of delivering a multimedia file which can be played back without it being completely downloaded first VoD – Video-on-demand URL – Uniform Resource Locator also known as the web address USB – Universal Serial Bus ICT - Informations and Communication Technologies Mic – Microphone Teleprompter Lag – Word meaning failing to keep up or falling behind
3 1 Introduction As new technology becomes more readily available, it gives teaching a new lease on life. The number of educational institutions that are trying to implement more modernised and varied teaching methods and tools is greatly rising.
4 Hauppauge HD PVR, which allows for HD (High Definition) 1080i recordings of computer footage such as TV programs of video game play. [1] After recording there are a few alternatives for video editing software such as Sony Vegas, Adobe Premiere and After Effects.
5 2 Benchmarking For published video content and eLearning material there are globally hundreds, if not thousands of different sites readily available for anyone to use. The minimum requirement for accessing those sites usually involves simply signing to the service by creating a user-ID (identification) and then logging in.
6 both Youtube and Vimeo, respectively, on a large selection of websites over the time period of roughly 1 year.
7 Graph 2 Vimeo embedding usage trends [5] As a form of media, video works especially well for entertainment purposes. However, it proves quite useful for educational purposes as well, with millions of video tutorials available only on Youtube. The concept of using videos as a source of educational material has been used for years.
8 Course) organisations as edX.org, which is a collaborative eLearning service, with 12 prestigious universities and polytechnics around the world taking part in its development. These universities include MiT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Harvard University, Australian National University, EPA (École Polytechinque Fédérale de Lausanne) amongst others. [6] 2.
9 Figure 1 edX.org home page [6] The magnitude of courses offered on EdX is astounding with all of the courses catered towards eLearning. The educational material used in the courses are post-production heavy, as in some cases, courses have whole teams working on the production of the published material, with staff for operating cameras, building the online webpages for the courses, editing video, uploading the video and other material and producing an interactive experience for the students.
10 Figure 2 Screenshot of an EdX course [8] On the left side of the screen there is a bar that contains all of the material for the courses categorized into weeks and then subcategorised under topics. Each topic will open a video as is shown in Figure 2. There are several options to make the experience more interactive; the video is divided into chapters, each of which can be accessed from the top bar above the video for quick access to topics.
11 EdX is an ambitious and exciting enterprise, backed by many prestigious universities but it is by far not the only eLearning service out there. MOOC-list is a reference website that lists the all of the MOOC-courses offered by the best universities and entities and Coursera.org is a similar enterprise to EdX. It offers over 341 courses from 62 universities around the world. [9] [10] 2.
12 at their own pace. Figure 3 is a screenshot of one of his mathematics tutorials published on Youtube. Figure 3 Khan Academy Tutorial on Youtube [13] The popularity of Salman Khan’s tutorials demonstrates that in order to be successful publishing educational eLearning content, it is not necessary to have the most expensive and best equipment to create easy-to-understand and usable material. 2.
13 TwitchTV started out as platform for streaming competitive eSports (Electronic Sports) events and gaming competitions, such as LCS (League of Legends Championship Series) or the Starcraft 2 Dreamhack competition held in Sweden every year. It is now considered “the leading video platform and community for gamers with more than 34 million visitors per month”, as stated on their website.
14 community as gamers from across the globe gather together to watch their favourite games, competitors and each other playing their favourite games. Streaming on TwitchTV or publishing to Youtube, is very simple and inexpensive, a streamer only needs a computer powerful enough to run the games that they play, a webcam for camera footage, a microphone and a video capture device such as the Hauppauge HD PVR for ingame footage.
15 captured content and seen the benefits of capturing and publishing recorded lecture material. 3.1 Interest of Metropolia There is a lot of interest at Metropolia from staff and the university in general towards producing and publishing lectures in video format. Sakari Lukkarinen, a mathematics teacher in Metropolia, is an example of staff members that are interested in recording their lectures and publishing the content online.
16 There are numerous benefits as to why lectures should be recorded, but there are also disadvantages; it is time consuming to produce material that is publishable online, with time and effort being spent on recording, editing and uploading the content to a platform or service. As there is no standard or service for recording and streaming content at Metropolia it falls to the individual lecturer to decide how to proceed.
17 4.1 Price and Budget As there is no standard for Metropolia and the consensus is that everyone does what they want, there is no real budget to speak of which in turn means that there are three ways to obtain equipment for the purpose of capturing or streaming footage.
18 4.2 Crestron CaptureLive HD The first of the systems that was tried and tested for this thesis is the Crestron CaptureLive HD. Figure 5 displays the CaptureLive HD system included with a few of the peripherals required for the system to work; the CAPTURE-TPMC-4SM Touch Screen Controller, CAM-IFB-100, CAM-IPTZ-100, or a similar camera and a microphone.
19 (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or VGA- (Video Graphics Array) connector to connect to a laptop or PC (Personal Computer). The CaptureLive HD records in H.264 high profile format at up to 1080p HD resolutions, and streams at up to 1080p30. All recorded content is saved in two formats, MPEG-2 for video and audio and information in XML format. The XML information is used by Crestron Fusion system, which allows for timetabling and Microsoft Outlook integration.
20 placed on a table top. Due to its great sound receiving capabilities it is a great addition to the Crestron CaptureLive HD experience; master sound volume range of -55dB to +20dB, bass gain range ±15dB @ 100Hz, treble gain range ±15dB @ 10kHz and frequency response of 20 Hz to 20kHz ±0.5dB. [20] Essentially the Capture HD does what is claimed but during testing the Crestron CaptureLive HD certain irregularities did occur in the promised features and capabilities of the Capture HD.
21 not end in the video crashing during playback, and as such can be deduced that it is a bug in the coding of the bookmarking function. Other miscellaneous features of the CaptureLive HD that were tested are the capabilities of the touchpad and the CaptureLive HD box itself as well as the FreeSpeech MPFS-RX1 microphone system. On the front panel of the CaptureLive HD there is a screen that displays the menu, settings and most of the necessary information with the controls to move in the menu on the side.
22 Figure 7 The CAPTURE-TPMC-4SM in recording state [22] Figure 8 displays the workflow that Crestron has defined to be the optimal flow for the CaptureLive HD. As can be determined from the diagram, there are only 5 steps to using the system: Schedule, Record, Stop, Delivery and Viewing.
23 Figure 8 The Crestron Capture HD Workflow diagram [23] 4.2.1 Crestron Review Although, the Crestron CaptureLive HD is a sophisticated and well-made solution it has too steep of a learning curve for a less than tech-savvy user.
24 Overall the Crestron CaptureLive HD is an efficient and usable solution for capturing and streaming content such as lectures, and could have been a valid option for Metropolia but given the budget that was given as well as certain key features not working as they should; it is deemed incapable of fulfilling the requirements of Metropolia. 4.3 Haivision Viper The second tested solution was the Haivision Viper.
25 Figure 9 Haivision Viper [24] Figure 10 represents a diagram of the Haivision Vipers back-panel and all of the available ports. Figure 10 Diagram of the back panel of the Haivision Viper [25] As is evident from Figure 10, the Viper has been developed as a standalone all-in-one device experience in mind; the sheer number of ports in the back is a commendable accomplishment from the designers of Haivision. The Viper does indeed have all the ports that one could ever want and need from such a device.
26 The menu system of the Haivision Viper is very straightforward and easy to use, with the touch-panel responding well to commands, with many of the settings and features being only a few button presses away. This makes navigating and using the Viper easy and friendly, but the fact that most of the advanced settings are only available through the IP (Internet Protocol) –portal, gives it a slightly stripped feel, or that it may be dumbed down a little too much, but that is just a personal impression.
27 Figure 12 Haivision Viper in Stream & Record menu [27] The Stream & Record screen also displays a counter that shows the duration of time that the session has lasted; the amount of footage that has been captured measured in time, as well as the Done-, Cancel- and Home-buttons. Once the session is over and the Done-button is pressed, the Haivision Viper begins finalizing the capture and stream content, and publishing it to the server.
28 Figure 13 Haivision Viper network flow diagram [28] 4.3.1 Haivision Viper review Although the Haivision Viper is marketed as an all-in-one capture & stream device, it took a very long time to set-up. During the Haivision representatives’ presentation of the product and setup, there were no issues and things proceeded smoothly but once it was time to set the Haivision Viper without the help of the representative, a lot of things went wrong.
29 native was connecting a keyboard via the front USB-port and accessing the boot-up settings. This worked partially as the boot-up settings were accessible but without knowing how to proceed it was impossible to fix, and thus the Haivision Viper was sent back to MediaTrade for repairs. Due to the malfunction of the touch-screen panel interfering with further testing, only the data collected during the initial testing period could be used to come to a decision on the Haivision Viper.
30 lacks such feature. A few of the biggest problems with capturing and streaming with the Viper has to do with the IP-portal and how most features revolve around it. The IPportal is used to for publishing and streaming content, editing stream settings, editing metadata as well as exporting published files. The Viper saves all content in two separate files with the video saved in H.264 format and information as metadata, which requires the IP-portal to edit.
31 phones (one cardioid MX391/C and one omni-directional MX391/O microphone). The ConnectPro is a Flash-based web conferencing platform for web meetings, eLearning, and webinars. The Adobe ConnectPro is completely Flash-based and requires an internet connection to work, but this allows for it to “collaborate across firewalls on virtually any device, including iOS, Android, BlackBerry PlayBook, as well as across desktop platforms with no client downloads for participants.
32 Figures 14 and 15 display the ConnectPro login screen and the user’s home page.
33 Once the session is over and the desired footage has been published (very simple thing to do, simply have the publish checkbox ticked and the publish setting set to general or private, as you see fit), the footage is then transferred to Metropolia’s servers, accessible after a couple of days as it takes time to upload and synch (if the footage had to be recorded rather than streamed). The url to the publishing platform is streams.metropolia.
34 Selecting any of the “events” available in the Courses and Events list will give a description of the event on the side, such as the course name, description and the teacher(s) in charge. The Media section will list all of the accessible content available for each event and opening one of the links available will open a new Flash-player page that will playback the content. 4.4.
35 4.4.2 Focusrite Scarlett 2i2-soundcard The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2-soundcard (Figure 19) is of the external soundcard variety that is widely used amongst recording studios, artists and enthusiasts. It is very simple to use and as shown in Figure 19 the front panel is used for the input devices as well as a plug for the headphones, while the back panel contains the laptop/PC USB-port and main audio outputs, i.e. speakers.
36 Scarlett 2i2 is the LED-lights that show the appropriate range of input for the microphones, green is within good input range and red is not. In order to minimise noise pollution while the lecturer is talking, the gain on the omni-directional mic had to be turned off, and only turned on when a member of the audience wished to address the lecturer. [38] 4.4.
37 Figure 21 The cardioid (left) and omnidirectional (right) pick-up patterns [41] Due to the pick-up pattern of the cardioid microphone it is commonly used as a general microphone, such as used for vocals or speech, while on the other hand the omnidirectional microphone picks up sound from every direction, such as ambient noise.
38 senter but it was still capable of picking up the presenters voice from the other side of the platform and the gain can also be adjusted via the controls on the Scarlet 2i2soundcard, if the sound was too quiet.
39 4.4.4 Adobe ConnectPro review The Adobe ConnectPro solution, was relatively easy to build and set-up in comparison to the Crestron CaptureLive HD and Haivision Viper, and did exactly that which was needed of it, although at times it can be difficult to organize if it is not an integrated system as it was in Metropolia’s Boulevardi campus since every room, stage, venue is different and can thus require a lot of planning and setting up to do before the ConnectPro can be used.
40 had been plugged into when setting up, only to be replaced by the USB-hub at a later date. The cause for the distress was that after the camera started working again, the computer would not recognise the soundcard, and this malfunction in technology occurred only 10 minutes prior to the start of a lecture that required the use of ConnectPro. After adjusting the settings and cables, the ConnectPro recognised the camera as well as the soundcard once again and everything was good to go.
41 channels or game related Youtube-channels. Larger events, such as gaming competitions like LCS for League of Legends or DreamHack for Starcraft 2, are still streamed via Twitch’s service but there is a lot more production put into these types of events, with commentators and several cameras showing footage of the audience, the competitors and commentators, as well as actual gaming footage.
42 the experience. Unfortunately for the Viper, its negative traits overshadow the few positive traits so severely that it renders it almost pointless to even consider the Viper as a valid solution for Metropolia. It is unfortunate that a device with as much potential as the Viper, it stumbles and fails due to a few major issues.
43 Unfortunately as it is only an ideal, Metropolia should use what it has available to it, and move forward to build a platform, standard, definition or even a service for creating publishable eLearning material available over the internet.
44 References 1 Hauppauge HD PVR [online]. Hauppauge. URL: http://store.hauppauge.com/hardware2.asp?product=hd_pvr Accessed 28 April 2013 2 Builtwith [online]. Builtwith. URL: http://builtwith.com/About/. Accessed 28 April 2013 3 Buitlwith Media chart [online]. Builtwith. URL: http://trends.builtwith.com/media. Accessed 28 April 2013 4 Builtwith Youtube trend [online]. Builtwith. URL: http://trends.builtwith.com/media/YouTube. Accessed 28 April 2013 5 Builtwith Vimeo trend [online]. Builtwith.
45 12 Khan Academy [online]. Khan Academy. URL: https://www.khanacademy.org/about. Accessed 18 April 2013 13 Khan Academy [online]. Khan Academy Youtube tutorial. URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvDqbzu0i0E. Accessed 18 April 2013 14 TwitchTV [online]. TwitchTV. URL: http://www.twitch.tv/p/about. Accessed 21 April 2013 15 MrTibura [online]. TwitchTV streamer. URL: http://www.twitch.tv/mrtibura/new.
46 gs_and_brochures/online_catalog/default.asp?cat=1058&subcat=1506&id=2320. Accessed 15 April 2013 23 Crestron CaptureLive HD [online]. Crestron CaptureLive HD Workflow diagram. URL: http://www.crestron.com/downloads/application_diagrams/301/capturehd.pdf. Accessed 15 April 2013 24 Haivision Viper [online]. Haivision. URL: http://www.haivision.com/products/viper. Accessed 12 April 2013 25 Haivision Viper Datasheet [online]. Haivision. URL: https://www.haivision.com/download-center/datasheets/viper.
47 34 Metropolia Stream Publishing Platform Login [online]. Metropolia Stream. URL: https://streams.metropolia.fi/. Accessed 26 April 2013 35 Metropolia Stream Publishing Platform [online]. Metropolia Stream. URL: https://streams.metropolia.fi/studentUI.php?lang=0. Accessed 14 April 2013 36 Logitech BCC950 Conference camera [online] Logitech. URL: http://www.logitech.com/fi-fi/product/Conferencecam?crid=1252. Accessed 23 April 2013 37 Logitech BCC950 webcam Image [online]. PC World FR article.
Appendix 1 1 (4) How to record my lectures Before getting started on how to record lectures, the questions of what do I want to record and why, because this will determine exactly what is needed to produce the final content. If the desire of the lecturer is simply to record their lecture, with the lecturer working on the whiteboard, as was the case with Mr Lukkarinen, it is possible to use a regular camera to get the job done.
Appendix 1 2 (4) Step 3: Setting up Placing equipment and setting up. 3a: Placing the camera; Depending on the classroom layout, a tripod may be required to achieve optimal visibility of the whiteboard and lecturer. If possible place the camera in the middle of the room in front of the whiteboard. The additional microphone, if needed, should be placed close to the lecturer.
Appendix 1 3 (4) Step 4: Checking equipment Check that all connections, cables and equipment are working 4a: Make sure all cables are connected to the camera - The camera is turned on and has enough battery power - The camera is placed in the correct place, and the angle is right - Above all else, make sure an SD memory card is inside the camera 4b: Check that the webcam and microphone are connected to the computer and Adobe ConnectPro is open and logged in - Select a room in ConnectPro - Click t
Appendix 1 4 (4) Step 6: Save & Publish Save footage and publish as lecturer sees fit. 6a: Footage from camera saved on SD memory card - Transfer footage from SD card to computer using SD card reader - Save on to computer hard drive - Publish on desired platform o Youtube: Create account on Youtube and upload the content onto Youtubes’ service.
Concepts to consider before starting Jonathan Gibson
Interested in Producing eLearning lecture videos? Here are some concepts that should and need to be considered before starting a sizable project such as producing lecture videos?
1.
2.
3. Video is nothing on its own A distribution network and publishing platform is necessary.
4. Producing solo? Basic knowledge of audio and video is compulsory, especially if production is done alone.
5. High-quality content Great quality content requires time, effort, resources, and staff.
6. Platforms are expensive Purchasing or creating platforms require large budgets.
Conclusion 6 points to consider: What are the key requirements Standards, definitions and assistance A publishing and distribution platform is required Audio-visual knowledge is required High-quality content requires resources Platforms are expensive
