Recording and Sharing Lessons With Video

8/8/2019 Recording and Sharing Lessons With Video

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Recording and sharing lessonson videoThe aim of this guide is to describe how to create video recordings of lessons to besent to tutors as digital files on USB stick.

Table of Contents

Video Recording ..........................................................................................................2

Devices that record video__________________________________________________ 2Traditional Camcorders __________________________________________________________ 2Tapeless / Card-based Camcorders ________________________________________________ 2Digital Cameras_______________________________________________________________ 3Webcams ____________________________________________________________________ 3

Transferring video to computer _____________________________________________ 3Tape-Based Camcorder_________________________________________________________ 3

Card or Hard-Drive Based Video Camera ____________________________________________ 6Tripod__________________________________________________________________ 7

Video Playback ............................................................................................................8

Video formats ____________________________________________________________ 8

Video players____________________________________________________________ 8

Video Sharing ..............................................................................................................9

Secure sharing of files____________________________________________________ 9Encrypting USB disks___________________________________________________________ 9Uploading Encrypted Files _______________________________________________________ 9

Video Editing .............................................................................................................11

Video File Conversion and basic editing with Freemake________________________ 11

More Advanced Video Editing with VideoPad_________________________________ 12

Image Credits ............................................................................................................ 13

Recording and sharing videos of lessons Page 1 of 13


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Video Recording

Devices that record videoTraditional Camcorders

Classic camcorders record on DV tape. They are easy to use to record but make itdifficult to transfer video to the computer. A computer with a Firewire port isnecessary and the transfer is in real time (ie it takes 60 minutes to transfer 60minutes of video). See below.

Some camcorders record directly to DVD but DVDs need to be finalised andadditional software (such as Handbrake) is needed to convert them into digital files.

Tapeless / Card-based Camcorders

These types of cameras are ideal for the task. They save the recordings directly intoa digital file that can be copied via USB or SD card reader.

We recommend the Sanyo Xacti range: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-VPC-CG20EXBK-B-Xacti-Camcorder-Photos/dp/B0038WATL2 that can serve as a veryserviceable digital camera. Additional batteries may be required for lessons over 60minutes.

FlipVideo are also a popular brand in education http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flip-Video-Camcorder-Generation-Memory/dp/B0029U298U. Flip and their competitors (e.g.Disgo) are cheaper but can only be used for video. They are extremely easy to useand make it easy to move recorded video onto a computer. However, they typically

do not make it possible to extend the memory so care must be taken to purchase amodel capable of recording at least 2 hours of video.

Sanyo Xacti Flip Camera

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-VPC-CG20EXBK-B-Xacti-Camcorder-Photos/dp/B0038WATL2http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-VPC-CG20EXBK-B-Xacti-Camcorder-Photos/dp/B0038WATL2http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flip-Video-Camcorder-Generation-Memory/dp/B0029U298Uhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Flip-Video-Camcorder-Generation-Memory/dp/B0029U298Uhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-VPC-CG20EXBK-B-Xacti-Camcorder-Photos/dp/B0038WATL2http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sanyo-VPC-CG20EXBK-B-Xacti-Camcorder-Photos/dp/B0038WATL2http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flip-Video-Camcorder-Generation-Memory/dp/B0029U298Uhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Flip-Video-Camcorder-Generation-Memory/dp/B0029U298U


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Digital Cameras

Many digital cameras record video but they may be limited by length or quality. Makesure your camera can record a full uninterrupted hour of video before live recording.

Also, some digital cameras do not record sound of sufficient quality.

Webcams

Webcams are not typically suitable to recording lessons because they are designedto record a face at a fixed but some models can be sufficient in brightly-litenvironments. Make sure you send a sample to your tutor first to confirm suitability.

You can use Windows MovieMaker on XP or VideoPad on Windows 7/Vista (seebelow) to capture video from your webcam.

Transferring video to computer

Camcorder ports (From top to bottom):

Firewire port: used to transfer video offtape

USB port: used to transfer photos off SDcard

Inexpensive SD card reader

Note: most computers have a built incard reader

Tape-Based Camcorder

To transfer video from a camcorder you need a Firewire Cable and a Firewire port onthe computer. Most Macs and most PC laptops have a Firewire port, however, mostdesktop PCs do not.

Also, Firewire jacks come in two different sizes: small (found on cameras andlaptops) and large (found on desktops only) make sure you choose the rightcombination when buying a cable.



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Small to large (4-pin to 6-pin) firewirecable

Used to transfer video from camcorder todesktop

Small to small (4-pin to 4-pin) Firewirecable

Use to transfer video from camcorder tolaptop

After you connect the camcorder to your computer, turn it on, open Windows

MovieMaker (on Windows or iMovie on MacOS) and choose Capture from VideoDevice. Note: On most machines, you will receive an automatic prompt to importvideo from the camera.

Follow the instructions to continue import, including choosing a location for storingyour video.



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When prompted to choose video quality, choose Other Settings and 768kbps or512kbps to keep the size of the resulting video file small.

When prompted, use the buttons to start/stop capture. Video capture is done in realtime.

It is best to uncheck the default option Create clips and you may also want to mutethe speakers while recording.

On most machines, it is advisable to close other programmes and not to use thecomputer while capturing videos. Not doing so may result in skips and garbled audio.



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Once the capture is finished you can either close the Window and retrieve the file yousaved in the first step above.

If you wish to edit the video (e.g. crop, add subtitles), create and edit clips, combinethem by dragging them on the timeline and finish the movie by saving it to yourcomputer. Note: In all video editing software, you must Finish the movie asdescribed below. Simply saving your edits to your computer will only create a projectfile that doesnt contain a video anybody else can view.

Card or Hard-Drive Based Video Camera

To transfer video from a card-based on a hard-drive-based camera, you just need tocopy the files from the memory card (either via USB cable or card reader seeabove) to your harddrive.

You may still wish to edit them or reduce their size to fit on a smaller USB stick. Seebelow for more instructions.



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TripodFor best recording results, you will need a tripod. Inexpensive classic tripods areavailable but they can be difficult to transport.

As an alternative, we recommend GorrillaPods by Joby that can be attached tofurniture.



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Video Playback

Video formatsVideo formats are a very complicated area. A video file consists of an enclosure thatholds the video and the audio track such as AVI, WMV, MPG, MP4, MOV and anencoding format for the video track, known as codec such as Windows Video, h.264,Divx, etc. While there are relatively few enclosures, there are many video codecs andvariations on codecs. This means that, for instance, some AVI files will play on acomputer while others wont. This becomes a problem when you deal with video filescreated on various machines. The solution is to install a video player that has supportfor as many codecs as possible. Unfortunately even with the right codec, not allplayers play all files correctly. If you deal with a lot of videos from different sources,

you may have to install more than one video player to play back your videos.Generally, we have found that on Windows, the combination of the free GOM Playerand the Open Source VLC player, can handle most videos. On MacOS, VLC andQuickTime should suffice although you may have to install additional software to playWMV files.

Video players

GOM Player

http://www.gomlab.com/

VLC

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

VLC is also available on MacOS

Both of these players have additional features such as taking snapshots, speedingup and slowing down playback, setting bookmarks, playing section of the video in aloop and configurable keyboard shortcuts for controlling playback more efficientlywithout using the mouse.

http://www.gomlab.com/eng/GMP_download.htmlhttp://www.videolan.org/vlc/http://www.gomlab.com/eng/GMP_download.htmlhttp://www.videolan.org/vlc/


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Video SharingVideo files containing recordings of an entire lesson are too large to send by email.The best way to send a video file is to send it by post on a USB stick. We strongly

discourage the use of DVDs due to compatibility and cannot guarantee that tutors willbe able to view them.

Before sending your video, you should make sure it plays on a different computerfrom the one on which the video was created (ideally using GOM or VLC).

The most common sources of problems are:

1. Copying only a shortcut to the video file and not the file itself (this means thefile plays on the original machine but not on the tutors computer)

2. Sending an improperly burned DVD

3. Sending a file copied directly from a DVD without conversion

Secure sharing of files

Encrypting USB disks

If you want to make sure the video on the USB stick you are sending cannot beviewed by anyone else, you can use the free TrueCrypt software:

1. Go tohttp://www.truecrypt.org/downloads, download and install the software

2. Encrypt your USB drive by following advice on this tutorial:

http://www.butterscotch.com/tutorial/How-To-Encrypt-A-USB-Key-With-TrueCrypt

3. Copy the video file (or any other files) to the encrypted drive

4. Email the password to your tutor

Note: Choose a long secure password with numbers and capital letters and write itdown. Ex: TromperXorba1956.

Uploading Encrypted Files

You can also use TrueCrypt to encrypt containers in which you can place your files

and then upload the containers on the Internet:

1. Create a secure container file on your drive following the instructions here:http://www.truecrypt.org/docs/tutorial

2. Copy your file into the container file (it presents itself as a drive on yourmachine)

3. Upload the container file to an online file service like http://ge.tt orhttp://yousendit.com (Note: there may be a fee associated with the upload. Atthe moment Ge.tt is free but YouSendIt charges a fee for uploads over100MB)

4. Send your file and the password to the container to your tutor

http://www.truecrypt.org/downloadshttp://www.truecrypt.org/downloadshttp://www.butterscotch.com/tutorial/How-To-Encrypt-A-USB-Key-With-TrueCrypthttp://www.butterscotch.com/tutorial/How-To-Encrypt-A-USB-Key-With-TrueCrypthttp://www.truecrypt.org/docs/tutorialhttp://ge.tt/http://yousendit.com/http://www.truecrypt.org/downloadshttp://www.butterscotch.com/tutorial/How-To-Encrypt-A-USB-Key-With-TrueCrypthttp://www.butterscotch.com/tutorial/How-To-Encrypt-A-USB-Key-With-TrueCrypthttp://www.truecrypt.org/docs/tutorialhttp://ge.tt/http://yousendit.com/


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Video EditingThe most basic form of video editing is simply converting the file to make it smallerand perhaps cutting off the beginning and end. For this we recommend the free

Windows software Freemake. http://freemake.com

For more advanced edits including subtitles, we recommend the free Windowssoftware VideoPad for all versions of Windows or MovieMaker for Windows Vista and7. VideoPad lacks certain features but it can read and edit video files from almost anyformat.http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad

MacOS users can use iMovie for all edits.

Video File Conversion and basic editing with

Freemake

http://freemake.com/http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopadhttp://www.nchsoftware.com/videopadhttp://freemake.com/http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad


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More Advanced Video Editing with VideoPad



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Image Creditshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/npslibrarian/2105033442

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35247640@N02/3343644319http://www.flickr.com/photos/89927155@N00/3732931346/in/set-72157594500615751

http://www.flickr.com/photos/npslibrarian/2105033442/http://www.flickr.com/photos/35247640@N02/3343644319http://www.flickr.com/photos/89927155@N00/3732931346/in/set-72157594500615751/http://www.flickr.com/photos/89927155@N00/3732931346/in/set-72157594500615751/http://www.flickr.com/photos/npslibrarian/2105033442/http://www.flickr.com/photos/35247640@N02/3343644319http://www.flickr.com/photos/89927155@N00/3732931346/in/set-72157594500615751/http://www.flickr.com/photos/89927155@N00/3732931346/in/set-72157594500615751/

Documents

Recording and Sharing Lessons With Video