The following information is provided as an introduction to the webcasting system being utilized by both The Applied Computational Engineering & Sciences (A.C.E.S.) Building and the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Kurt Bartelmehs

A.) MPEG4 BIFS Format

Because faculty at The University of Texas utilize the integrated technology (I.T.) within our world class “technology classrooms”, a typical lecture includes the use of high resolution video displayed on one or two large projection screens. In order to “capture” (i.e. record) a lecture or presentation, in addition to the audio and video of the lecturer delivering the presentation the recording should contain all of the information that was displayed during the lecture. The College of Natural Sciences was the first college at UT Austin to recognize the significance of the webcasting format made possible by Envivio.  Not only do they provide an open standards-based solution, it contains rich MPEG-4 quality recording of a lecture or presentation. This new format, called MPEG4 BIFS, was only recently adopted by the MPEG committee for layering multiple MPEG4 files.  The process used by the Envivio Mindshare Webcasting System begins with recording the three elements and then layering them into a single recording (or file). Because each layer is independent, the viewer can interact with the playback characteristics at any time during the webcast while all recorded components always remain in synchronization with one another. This sophisticated level of interactivity during playback, combined with high quality recordings, results in a viewing experience that is arguably more compelling than attending the actual lecture or presentation.

B.) Webcast Viewer Plug-in and Interface Overview

Because I felt the webcast interface is almost too simple, I created a brief slide show to introduce and highlight the interactive capabilities. In order to increase the chances that new viewers would view it, I placed the plug-in download at the end of the show. My goal is to increase awareness of these interactive capabilities and encourage viewer participation during playback. This plug-in must be installed on this computer to view the following examples. DOWNLOAD PLUG-IN. 

C.) The Virtual Camera Operator (V.C.O.)

Initially I was uncertain about to film a lecturer without a camera operator? A static view from the back of the room using a fixed camera was unacceptable to me, uninteresting from a viewers perspective and placed restrictions on a lecturer's movement about the stage. The optimum solution would be for the camera to follow a roaming lecturer without their awareness or requiring them to wear a tracking device. My first solution was to mount an array of infra-red motion detectors around the stage that I used to trigger camera presets. It did result in automatically switching different views of the lecturer but the field of view for each preset remained static.
It was while attending an Integrator's trade show in March 2005 that I found a technology that I applied. I call it the Virtual Camera Operator.  Click here to see a "silent-film" demonstration.

D.) The Virtual Classroom Recording System (V.C.R.)

E.) Example Webcasts

  • Outreach Lecture - Dinosaurs in the Digital Age: Facts, Fictions, and Forgeries.  This lecture shares the new dinosaur discoveries and new tools, and shows how the field of forensics has found a place in paleontology.
    This outreach lecture series is well attended and this was the first lecture captured using this webcast system (Envivio Mindshare Composer). The live event had 580 attendees with another 99 via the live webcast (included viewers from Greece, Canada and Australia).  As of March 2006, this webcast has been accessed over 3100 times on the server since is was recorded on September 9, 2005. View Webcast
     
  • Chemistry Lecture - The following webcast was created entirely by my Virtual Classroom Recorder (VCR) System.  This system is entirely automated from the operation of the camera during the lecture to the storage of the recording on the web server.  The system facilitates the Lectures on Demand service provided the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) to students enrolled in courses meeting within CNS classrooms.  View Webcast
     
  • Outreach Lecture - The 2004 Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Evidence for Water and Prospects for Life. View Webcast
     
  • Petascale Simulation Lecture Series
     
  • Outreach Lecture Series

F.) Other Information about MPEG-4 Technology

November 18, 2008
Dr. Kurt Bartelmehs
The University of Texas at Austin