Webcasting using Panopto
Webcasting (live streaming) in Panopto can be used to broadcast lectures live to an overspill room or to a remote audience. It is a useful accessibility feature of Panopto for students who cannot physically attend lectures
Webcasting in Panopto is asynchronous
Panopto webcasts are a "one-way broadcasts" and are not suitable for interactive tutorials. For tutorials, Microsoft Teams is a better choice.
In a Panopto webcast, there is a broadcast delay of 60-90 seconds, the audience participation is limited to typed questions and can be posted by authenticated users in the Panopto web viewer.
Unauthenticated viewers are not able to post comments.
Contents:
- Webcasting using the Panopto remote recorder
- Webcasting using the Panopto manual recorder
- Viewer link & Share settings
- Waiting room
- Discussion
- Statistics
Webcasting using the Panopto remote recorder
To schedule a webcast using a remote recorder, schedule the recording as normal, and simply check the "Webcast Session" box (Fig. 1). For detailed guidance on scheduling recordings using the remote recorder view our complete guide here.
Webcasts are accessed in the same way as regular Panopto sessions:
- The viewer signs into Canvas with their Oxford SSO, then navigates to the correct course, then
- Click on the "Panopto Recordings" folder/LTI option in the left-hand Canvas menu which takes them to the associated folder.
- When the webcast is live, it will appear in the folder view (Fig. 2).
Prior to the start of the webcast, users with the Creator role may locate and modify the scheduled session by checking the "Show scheduled recordings" checkbox (Fig. 3).
Once the webcast has ended, the recording will complete and finish uploading to the Panopto portal where it will be available on-demand.
It is not possible to webcast without recording, although the recording could be deleted or moved immediately afterward to prevent on-demand access.
It is also not possible to pause a webcast.
Webcasting using the Panopto manual recorder
Webcasting is possible using the Panopto manual recorder for both Windows and macOS.
Simply check the “Webcast” box (Fig. 4), configure your audio/video settings, and press record to begin the webcast. For detailed guidance on using the manual recorder view our complete guide here.
A short video primer on webcasting using the manual recorder can be viewed below.
https://ox.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Embed.aspx?id=7fb2daef-5649-47d6-8ce1-ab890106428e&autoplay=false&offerviewer=true&showtitle=true&showbrand=false&start=0&interactivity=allViewer link & Share settings
As with on-demand Panopto sessions, each webcast has a unique URL (viewer link). Only the Remote recorder link is available before recording starts.
When webcasting with the manual recorder, the viewer link is not generated and revealed until after the record button is pressed and the webcast has started, so viewers cannot be informed of the viewer link prior to the start of the webcast.
Webcasting with the remote recorder is more practical as the viewer link for the webcast will be available to share once the session is scheduled. The viewer link can be obtained from the Session Settings > Overview tab (Fig. 5).
The viewer needs to be authenticated (by logging into Canvas and clicking Panopto folder/ LTI tool in the Canvas course) before visiting the viewer link, they will not be able to view the webcast unless the share settings have been changed (by a user with the Creator role) within the Session Settings > Share tab to "Anyone with the link" (Fig. 6).
Caution:
If the share settings are changed, anyone with the link, including unauthenticated (anonymous) viewers, will be able to access the webcast. Although the viewer link will not be indexed on public search engines, it could be shared more widely than its intended recipients.
Public webcasts with a large number of viewers can result in additional cloud hosting costs. Please contact the Replay team via replay@it.ox.ac.uk if you plan to host a public webcast using Panopto.
For further information about Panopto share settings, view the guide here (coming soon).
Waiting room
If a Panopto webcast viewer link is accessed before the webcast is live, the viewer will see a "waiting room". Users with the Creator role may add a preview image and description within the Session Settings > Overview tab (Fig. 5). These will be visible in the waiting room to provide the viewer with additional information about the webcast (Fig. 7).
Discussion
Authenticated users may post comments during and after the webcast unless this feature is disabled (Fig. 5). Comments will appear on the left-hand side of the Panopto web viewer (Fig. 8). Clicking on the comment will move the playhead to the timecode at which the comment was posted. The discussion will also be visible after the session has ended, and users with the Creator role may download the comments in a plain text format.
Unauthenticated viewers are not able to post comments.
When webcasting using the remote recorder or the Apple MacOS manual recorder, the presenter will not receive live notifications of comments, so unless the presenter is also viewing the Panopto webcast on another screen, they are unlikely to see comments until after the session has ended.
When webcasting using the Windows manual recorder, if your recorder is minimized, a small pop-up notification will appear, and if selected, will open the recorder for the presenter to see the discussion posts (Fig. 9).
Statistics
Users with the Creator role may access viewing statistics during and after the webcast. The live statistics can be accessed from the folder view, by hovering over the live session and clicking the "Statistics" icon; or within the Panopto viewer by clicking the bar chart icon in the top-right.
Statistics will update live during the webcast (Fig. 10). More comprehensive statistics will become available after webcast has ended, once the session becomes on-demand.
Get support
Local IT and administration staff provide your first line of Replay support
For more complex queries, contact the central Replay team