Mediasite:

Recording, uploading, editing & embedding

November 3, 2021

Duane Woods

Audio Video Design Specialist, CEE

what is My Mediasite?

My Mediasite is SFU's video streaming service and online repository for stored video and audio recordings for staff and faculty. These recordings can then be directly embedded into Canvas.

Mediasite

• Classroom version 
• IT Services records & uploads
• Automatic
• Room to walk around
• No editing
• may have to get IT to transfer video to your account

my mediasite

• Home version
• User records & uploads
• Manual
• In front of your screen
• Basic editing (cuts/fades)
• videos are automatically on your own account

Mediasite vs. My Mediasite

stream.sfu.ca

where to go

Add Media

Add Presentation: Capture App

Choose your capture app

Mediasite Recording apps

Mediasite Desktop Recorder (MDR) , Mediasite Capture and Mediasite Mosaic are online screencasting apps that directly integrate into My Mediasite.

It allows you to record video and/or audio presentations, with light editing available in the Web Editor, if needed. It is then automatically streamed online with My Mediasite.

Versions

MDR - PC

Mediasite Capture - Older Mac

Mediasite Mosaic* - Newer Mac

*all Mediasite apps will become Mosaic

Keep in Mind

• Best to think of MDR/Mosaic recordings as "one-shot" videos (one chance to record with little/no editing)

• Uploads and downloads can take much longer than you think

What it can do

• Record your screen & mic

• Single window or side-by-side

• Record audio/podcast

• Basic editing (cut/fade)

• Create chapters (*chunking is better)

What it can't do

• Record system audio

• Resize or cut between shots

• Not quite Youtube quality

• Advanced editing (text, titles, other media)

• Can't create closed captions

What can mdr/Mosaic do?

Capture

Presentations 

Other Screen recording methods

• Zoom

• Macs: COMMAND + SHIFT + 5

• Windows 10: Game Bar

• Camtasia (*must be purchased)

• Export a Movie from PowerPoint

Narrated POwerpoint

*all can record/export in MP4 format

uploading

Uploading VIDEO FORMATs FOR MEDIASITE

Video FORMAT

• Container Format: MP4  (*mp4, avi, mov, flv, m4v, mkv, wmv accepted, but may causes issues)

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080 recommended, 720p okay

• Codec: H.264 is preferred

• Frame Rate: 24 or 30 frames per second

• Duration: ideal length for a video is under 1 hour (up to 2 hours maximum)

• File Size: less than 2GB for a single video file recommended

Uploading audio FORMATs FOR MEDIASITE

Audio Format

• Container Format: MP3  (*wav, vob also accepted)

• Bit rate: 192 kbps or less recommended

• Duration: length for a recorded audio is under 3 hours

• Note that audio uploads will appear as a black screen, like a "blank" video

Add Media

Uploading

uploading

Add Presentation 

• Capture Video (MDR/Mosaic)

• Upload New Video (from your computer)

• Link External Video (ie. Youtube)

Details

uploading & processing

- processing/uploading times are not exact, no "percentage done"

- processing times have sped up since a spring 2021 Mediasite update

Mediasite settings

Individual

Presentation

Permissions

• recommended for ease

• SFU ID needed to view

• may already be signed in

• Mail list through IT

• private 

• anyone can view

• no security 

Details

Making it downloadable

view Analytics

Editing & File Conversion

mediasite Web Editor

(optional simple editing)

mediasite Web Editor

(optional simple editing)

• Fades at head and tail (beginning and end)

• cut out a part in the middle or end

• add chapters (*chunking is better)

• no text/titles, no additional media, no callouts (ie. arrows), no moving around clips, no music, no VoiceOver 

 mediasite EDITING: What can it do?

*if short enough, often better to re-record than edit

Editing recommendation

It's better to use dedicated editing software rather than the Mediasite Editor.

Editing software

• iMovie (free on Macs)

• Adobe Rush (SFU supported, Mac/PC)

• Camtasia (*must be purchased, Mac/PC)

• Smartphone apps: iMovie, Rush

*Quick Tip: iMovie or Camtasia can be used as easy file converters 

Converting files

• VLC (can be unreliable)

• Handbrake (free but complicated)

• iMovie (free on Macs)

• Camtasia (*must be purchased, Mac/PC)

• Mediasite can accept many formats, but many will be slower to process and have other issues

• 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720

• MP4

conversion software

embedding into Canvas

SHARING from Mediasite?

• Use it to directly email a link

• Do not use it to embed into Canvas (embed FROM Canvas)

SHARING from a shared folder?

• Classroom recordings: May have to get IT to transfer video to your account

embedding into Canvas

1. Open up a Page in Canvas to Edit

embedding into Canvas

2.  Click on Apps icon, select Mediasite

embedding into Canvas

3.  Choose:

•  Presentation for a single video

•  Collection for a playlist (*Channel in Mediasite)

embedding into Canvas

4.  Choose your video, select:

• Presentation Link for a hyperlink

• Player Only to embed it

embedding into Canvas

5.  Save your edits!

embedding into Canvas

   How it looks on your Page:

• Link

• Player Only

Captioning

   SFU does NOT have a captioning service.

CEE uses a paid service called Otter.ai.

closed Captioning

   Accepted file types for Mediasite:

• SRT (*Otter creates this)

• SAMI

• DFXP

Captioning types:

• Closed Captions: can be turned on and off (Mediasite has the "CC" button)

• Open Captions: cannot be turned off

info/FAQ from IT Services

https://www.sfu.ca/information-systems/services/mediasite.html

Questions?