Basic Recording

Installation & Setup

The Panopto  Recorder is very small and very easy to install. It can only be installed on computers using Windows Vista or Windows XP. Your computer should also have a large amount of free drive space to capture your video/recording.  You can find the complete installation instructions here: Recorder Install 

Logging In

CourseCast v2.1 introduces a new Recorder application which allows you to Present and Record from the same place.  Presenters are able to log in to the Recorder with their credentials and record video, audio, PowerPoint presentations and also add Screen Capture functionality.

The first step in presenting from the Panopto Recorder is to open the application on your computer. 

Start --> Programs --> Panopto --> Panopto Recorder



Once you've entered your Panopto CourseCast Server Address, Login, and Password, click the Log In button.  You may also choose to save your information by selecting the "Remember Me" box.

For information on configuring items in the Settings tab, please see Recorder Configuration.

Adding Folders and New Sessions

By default, the Recorder will open up to the last known good configuration of recording devices.  If you have recorded content before, the same devices will automatically be chosen.

In this example, we have not recorded content before so we will start off with an Offline Recording. 

To complete an Online Recording, click the down arrow as highlighted in red below.

Click on "Add a New Folder"

Type in Folder Name and an Identifier

Now that the Folder has been created, you may create a new Session.  To do this, click on "Add New Session" to the right of the Folder name.

The Recorder will allow you to immediately select recording devices and start recording. 

The date and time are entered as the Session Name by default.  You may change the text of the Session name if preferred.

Choosing Recording Devices

After you have created a new Session to record to, you may choose the devices that you wish to record with. These devices include cameras, audio inputs, screen capture, power point and remote devices.  To select the device you wish to use in your recording, simply choose the device from the drop down boxes. To reselect it, change the option in the drop down box to None.

**Note:  Audio and/or Video is required for all recordings.  If recording from two separate computers, the Recorder will allow you to record with no audio or video selected, however, the session will not process until the other computer uploads the audio and/or video to the system.  You will receive a pop up error message if no audio/video is selected when recording.  Please see Advanced Recording for instructions on recording from two separate computers.

+ Audio

Most recording scenarios will require that you select an audio device.  Several audio devices may be displayed if you have multiple audio inputs. If you are using a DV camera or capture card you may also see those audio devices listed.

Using the drop down box next to Audio:, simply choose the audio device you wish to record from. 

After you have chosen the device you would like to use, you can test it by using the Audio Level Meter. The meter should rise and fall as you speak to indicate the volume of your recording.  You may only use one audio source at a time.

+ Video

You may wish to add video to your recording. The first video source you select will become your main video during playback. (HD cameras can never be a primary video device.) If you add additional video sources, for example to record a chalkboard, they will be viewable in tabs that will be added to your presentation. Additional video recordings are not played back in full motion to save bandwidth for the viewer. You may add as many video sources as you like within the limits of your computers processing limits.

+ PowerPoint

You can include PowerPoint presentations in your recording. To do this, choose the "Capture PowerPoint" source in the left-hand column and it will add a tab to the right-hand window for your PowerPoint file. This box will allow you to open a PowerPoint (.ppt or .pptx) file or, if PowerPoint is already running, allow you to include the presentation that is open. You can open up a presentation at any time during your recording, or open several presentations before start. Your slide changes will not be recorded until you put PowerPoint into Presentation Mode.

Click on "Open a Presentation" to browse for the PowerPoint file that you wish to present.  PowerPoint will automatically open and a thumbnail of the first slide will be present in the right-hand window.

+ Screen Capture

If you wish to capture what is being displayed on your computer screen, you will need to select "Capture Screen" in the left-hand panel.  This will allow you to capture everything being displayed on your screen to be played back with the final video.

Start A Recording

Remember you can choose any combination of devices you need for your recording. Once you are satisfied with the devices you will be using, click on "Record" to begin the recording process.

End A Recording

Once you have completed your session, click on the "End Recording" button.  You will then be taken automatically to the "Manage Recordings" tab. If your recorder is set to automatically upload recordings you will be able to watch the progress as your recording is uploaded (the green bar) and verified (the orange bar) on the CourseCast server. If your recorder is not set to automatically upload completed recordings you will be given the option to start, or resume, your recording. If you installed the background upload service, you can close the recorder and allow the data to be transferred.

Manage Uploaded Recordings

The manage recordings tab will show you several things. First, if there are recordings that are currently uploading, they will appear at the top of the page (see below). Second, the Status/Link column show if the recording either the current status (processing, encoding,..etc) or the viewable link once it's available. You may now choose to delete the original source files from your recording computer. Next to each recording is a button titled "Delete from Disk" that will delete all recording information from the recording computer. Click here for more detailed information.