Epiphan Pearls Are Perfect For Lecture Capture

“Lecture Capture” is a term you probably hear a lot when talking about video and education together. And this is for a very good reason, lecture capture is one of the most common applications for video in education today. Not sure what lecture capture is? That’s okay! Epiphan put together a great article on what lecture capture is and how it works.

What is Lecture Capture?

“Lecture Capture” is used as shorthand for a range of video applications in education. In the most basic words, the term refers to the recording of live lectures for students to watch back (or for the first time) later.

There are many benefits to using lecture capture. Many students, and in turn colleges and universities, are turning to taking advantage of lecture capture. These are the main three reasons why you should use lecture capture:

Flexibility: If a student can’t be present for class, they can watch back the lecture capture videos at a later time and catch up on the course material
Comprehension: If a student wants to refresh themselves on any course material, they can go back and review whatever they need to. Lecture recordings also make a great study aid for upcoming exams.
Accessibility: If a student has a disability or learning impairment, and may be out of class frequently due to those, on-demand lecture videos are a great aid for them to catch up on missed classwork.

Key Components of Lecture Capture

What does the typical lecture capture setup look like? Generally, there are five key components:

Video source(s) – Cameras, a laptop running a slide deck, a tablet or other mobile device, etc.
Audio source(s) – Microphones, sometimes paired with a mixer or an in-room audio system
Video encoder – A general-purpose computer running a recording application, or a dedicated appliance purpose-built for recording and/or streaming
Video content management system (CMS) – E.g., Kaltura, Panopto, YuJa, Opencast, Echo360
Learning management system (LMS) – E.g., Canvas, Blackboard Learn, Moodle

While the first two components are self-explanatory, the last three could probably do with some more explanation.

What’s a Video Encoder?

The video encoder is the central piece of the lecture capture. In basic words, it’s the software or hardware device that takes care of the recording. Video Encoders come in two varieties

Software Encoder: An application for video recording or streaming that runs on PC or Mac. Some can run in a web browser, but most are standalone apps.
Hardware Encoder: An appliance built for the sole purpose of video streaming and recording. All the components inside were specifically chosen and designed for this purpose only.

So, software or hardware for lecture capture? In short, hardware solutions are going to be more reliable and offer unique ways to streamline your lecture capture workflows for the maximum efficiency.

What’s a CMS?

A Content Management System is a web portal used to store, manage, and distribute video content. Using one of these is an absolute must for schools that create video content. Many include features like live streaming and record session scheduling, analytical tools that provide actionable insight into how students are engaging with your video content, and video editors for trimming and annotating.

What’s an LMS?

A Learning Management System is a web-based portal where students can access content for courses they’re enrolled in, submit assignments, see their grades, etc. An LMS may contain tools for educational videos, but they’re primarily meant for teachers and professors to create and deliver online course content. Ideally, you can integrate your video CMS and LMS to streamline your video production and grading workflows.

How Lecture Capture Works

Okay, so you have your video sources, audio sources, video encoder, CMS, and LMS. So, what happens next? A properly integrated lecture capture workflow will go something like this.

Video and audio sources transfer signals to the video encoder, whether that’s hardware or software based.
The encoder captures and combines the sources into a digital format. Ideally, the system will automatically upload any resulting recordings to the CMS.
The CMS processes and stores the lecture capture content.
On demand, the LMS communicates with the CMS to play back the lecture recordings for students.

Create Best-in-Class Lecture Recordings

An Epiphan Pearl video production system is the best way to record video, whether the subject is a lecture in a traditional classroom, flipped classroom content in a dedicated lecture recording studio, a convocation ceremony in a sprawling event hall – whatever your school needs.

Purpose-built for recording and streaming, Pearl hardware encoders make it easy to create videos that look and sound professional. And with comprehensive Kaltura, Panopto, and YuJa CMS integrations, uploading and managing all your lecture capture content is also a snap.

Epiphan Pearl Nano – Ideal for small-scale live events, SRT contributions, and as a dedicated streamer and recorder add-on.

Epiphan Pearl Mini – Packs streaming, recording, and switching functions into a portable chassis with a giant touch screen for maximum ease of use.

Epiphan Pearl-2 – Brings the pro features and processing horsepower required for the most demanding live events and recording sessions.