Just wanted to share a discovery I made and see if others had used similar/different approaches for closed captioning. Currently, uploading an mp4 to the brightcove library does not allow you to add closed captioning comments, and if your narration is of any length, you can't provide it in the header, footer, or information fields either. I am using a trial version of Camtasia and imported the mp4 and script into the program. In a matter of minutes I was able to sync the CC appropriately and publish a package with a video player. I zipped the whole thing, uploaded it as a Web File content package, and selected the html page as the launch page. It loads the html page with player and the mp4 embedded. The user can turn CC on or off. Tried it on iPad and it works there too.
I'm just starting to use Camtasia, so I'm interested in hearing what else it can do/how other people are using it.
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Dave Hecker
That's a good workaround for now, as long as you're aware of its downsides: 1) The MP4 will be downloaded to the browser, not streamed. 2) The same file will be served everywhere, instead of the Brightcove player determining which one of several "renditions" is the best fit for the device and available bandwidth.
We do plan to add support for Brightcove's CC feature in the future, which would let you retain the advantages of using Brightcove videos even when you need CC.
Of course, there are other uses for Camtasia beyond CC...I'm also interested in hearing how others are using it. -
David Sensenig
Thanks for clarifying the differences Dave. I've just started exploring Camtasia but I'm fascinated by its potential as a development tool, including embedded quiz questions. You say that the mp4 is downloaded to the browser rather than streamed. The file I tested worked great on an iPad (even on our slow wi-fi). However, it was not HD and was only 2 min long. Any ideas on how this would affect mobile delivery for larger files (say, a 30 minute lesson)?
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Dave Hecker
Learners would likely have a noticeable problem with "high bitrate" files (large dimensions, high quality or HD). Players can display only what's been received by the device. If a video plays faster that the data arrives, the learner sees videos "pause and buffer".
A "download" is a 1-way dump of a file: everybody gets the same huge file, even if it's overkill for their device or current network conditions. If the learner jumps the timeline to 15-minutes, he must wait for the first 15 minutes of the file to download before the player could start playing from 15:00 and beyond.
"Streaming" provides 2-way communication with a smart streaming server that can react to changing conditions. If the learner jumps the timeline, the current stream stops immediately, and a new stream immediately starts from that new position. To keep the video playing, a streaming server can even react to changing network response times by making a mid-stream adjustment to quality of the video it sends.