Three Options for Recording Elluminate Events

Most LINGOs members know a lot about Eluminate and are aware that Elluminate Live sessions can be recorded and played back.   The record and playback capability enables those who missed a session to view it at their leisure and allows the creation of sessions to be delivered asynchronously.  All of the audio, video, public direct messages, polls and quizzes, whiteboard content and annotations, multimedia, as well as every shared application in the main room, is recorded and played back in perfect synchronization.

What most people don’t know is that there are three options for recording Elluminate Events:

1. Recording events to the Elluminate Virtual Conference Recording (VCR) Library:   Supervisors can choose to record their sessions and they will be stored automatically to the Elluminate Virtual Conference Recording (VCR) library.  These recordings are stored in a proprietary format known as Virtual Conference Recording (VCR.)   They are configured to play using the Elluminate Live interface and the file is streamed to users, so playback may begin when a small portion of the file is received.  These files are highly compressed and are designed to play well in low-bandwidth environments.   This option, however, has several downsides:

a.  The recordings are only accessible on-line and cannot be viewed by users without internet connections;
b.  The recordings cannot be edited and they are only available in a propietary format that requires a Java plug-in to view
c.  The recordings are resident on the Elluminate site and cannot be shared  or embedded in other content or on other pages

2. Transfer Elluminate VCR Files to the Elluminate Publish Format:   Elluminate Publish! allows users to convert Elluminate Live! recordings into formats that no longer require a web connection.  For example, using this application, you can create standalone recordings that can be sent to your learners around the world via CD-ROM, e-mail attachments or loaded as files to your intranet – no more wondering whether your user in Swaziland has the bandwidth to view your session recording off of the server.   Elluminate Publish! Allows users to create a standalone multimedia recording that preserves interactiviry or a video file in a variety of industry-standard formats: AVI, FLV, MP3, standard MP4, high definition MP4, OGG, VORBIS, Wav and WMV.

One of the many ways that the Elluminate company supports the work of LINGOs member agencies is by providing access to Elluminate Publish! licenses at the considerably reduced prices. For more information, visit the Elluminate Publish! section of the LINGOs website.

3. Transfer Elluminate VCR Files Using Camtasia:   Users can also convert their Elluminate Live recordings using the Camtasia Studio or SnagIt applications.  The Camtasia application allows users to convert the file into a format so that it can be edited, combined with other recordings and indexed into a SCORM-compliant format.  Like the Publish application, the Camtasia product can output a number of different formats, including: AVI, SWF, MWV, MOV, FLV, RM and GIF. For more information on how to use Camtasia to convert Elluminate recording files, visit the following link. 

Many LINGOs member agencies who would like to transfer their VCR files into other formats, but who would prefer not to complete the process in-house.  In these cases, agencies can contact LINGOs for assistance.  LINGOs provides fee for service assistance to member agencies who would like to transfer VCR files into other formats.  Contact mike(at)lingos.org for details.

Resolving Feedback Problems in Elluminate Live!

Audio Feedback in Elluminate Live! is almost always caused by having more than one microphone and/or set of speakers operating at the same time. This usually happens in one of several scenarios:

1. if more than one computer in the same room is logged in to Elluminate (such as in a lab or classroom setting). Elluminate automatically mutes the speakers on the computer with the active microphone, but can’t mute the speakers on the other computers (otherwise no one logged in on a remote computer could hear). Active microphone on one computer + speakers on another = feedback.
2. if a meeting participant is not using external speakers and has activated his/her microphone while audio is coming from the external spekakers

 

Here are some ways to avoid feedback problems:

• If possible, make sure that everyone who’s logged in to Elluminate in the same room is using a headset.

• If you need to use external speakers rather than a headset (e.g. you’re presenting to a face-to-face class or conference, and want people who aren’t logged in to Elluminate to hear the conversation), you MUST mute the microphone and speakers (or turn down the volume all the way) on ALL the other computers. You can do that either using the normal Windows/Mac volume controls, or by using the audio sliders in Elluminate itself (this is the recommended procedure). If you’re using any kind of external speaker system, all presenters should speak into the microphone connected to the computer with the speakers. Any other configuration is likely to cause trouble.

• If everyone is using a headset but you’re still getting feedback or poor audio quality (particularly low volume), Elluminate may be using a different microphone from the one you think it is. For example, many video cameras, including the Apple iSight and the Logitech “ball on a stick” camera, have built-in microphones. In addition, most current Macintosh computers (including CTER’s iMacs and iBooks) have yet another built-in microphone. To change the audio source, first go to Tools, then Audio Setup:

 

 

Next, make sure that the headset mic is selected rather than one of the others:

 

 

Special thanks to  “http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Troubleshooting_Elluminate” for source information used in this post.