Real-Time Alerts

We have released a new Software Capture for PC version (8.0.1) that focuses on improvements to organization-wide distribution and management of the Software Capture for PC application. Please note that this release will be pushed to Canadian and European Union zones next week. To take advantage of these new capabilities, please update the installed application.

1. New Shared Admin-Controlled Default Profile
   New capability called Shared Default Profile enables organizations to customize the default Admin-controlled profile that appears when the Software Capture application is used by any user on the computer. This provides Administrators with greater control to manage how software captures occur within their environment.
2. Audit Tracking for Tracing Individual Recording Events
   The new version of the Software Capture for PC now provides audit logging of actions when using the Software Capture application. This will make it possible to review and trace individual recording events and actions.
   
3. Capture Profile Now Tied to MAC Address
   Capture Profiles are now tied to the MAC Address. With many of our organizations re-imaging machines over the summer months, to ensure that Profiles persist even across system refreshes, Capture Profiles are now associated with the MAC address of the machine they were created on.
4. Configuration File Option for Silent Mode Installation
   To provide improved installation-at-scale configurability, the Software Capture installation with silent mode can now utilize an accompanying configuration file. Currently, this configuration file supports automatic registration. In the future, new auto-configuration capabilities will be added.
5. HTTPS Proxy Support with Auto-Detection
   Support for HTTPS proxying including auto-detection of situations where an HTTPS proxy is necessary to route traffic within the environment.
6. Improved Firewall Traversal
   Transition of outbound port access to Port 443 to be more compatible with an organization’s existing firewall configuration. With more stringent firewalls, this capability will reduce the likelihood the Platform’s use will require a firewall change.

We have successfully pushed an update to all physical zones residing in the United States. Please note that this release will be pushed to Canadian and European Union zones next week. This release includes over 110+ new features and improvements.

1. Improved EnterpriseTube with Dynamic Video Masthead
   The EnterpriseTube has been upgraded with some new capabilities, as well as a visual refresh, which includes:
   • Dynamic Video Scroller – New dynamically scrolling video bar of Featured Videos which replaces the static image masthead.
   • New Branding Options – Added the ability to customize the font color in the Navigation Bar of the EnterpriseTube. We will be adding additional color customization options in the next release.
   • More Modern Iconography – As part of a visual refresh of many of the icon bars in the upcoming release, we added new icons for the Home, Library and Events tab.

   

2. Improved Ability to Edit Existing Device Schedules
   We made the previously introduced Device Scheduling Editing capability more robust and have re-released it. The previous version of this had the possibility of losing a recurring schedule because it performed a full deletion and re-addition; this version truly edits the existing schedule.
3. New Video Monitor for Exam Proctoring SKU Available
   We’re introducing a new SKU called Video Monitor for Exam Proctoring. Among other things, this workflow enables users to initiate controlled recordings during active test taking, accept configurable Terms and Conditions, capture appropriate imagery of government-issued photo ID, and record multi-sources during online test activity.
   
4. Improved AI-based Whitespace Generation within the Transcript for Auto-Captioned Content
   We’ve incorporated a sub-module on top of our existing AI-based Captioning capabilities. This aims to provide more effective whitespace within both the viewable and downloadable Transcript. Please note this is not retroactive and will only affect newly auto-captioned content.
   
5. Better Security Timeout Notification Inside LMS Windows
   Within an LMS, if the Platform’s security timeout occurs, a clearer UI notification shows up for the user. Previously it showed the Login screen which was confusing to users.
   
6. New Custom Full URL Branding SKU
   We have standardized the Full URL Branding capability as an available Product SKU. This SKU enables organizations to deploy a fully custom URL for their platform instance. Previously, Professional Services offered this as a custom service.
7. New Collapsible Media Sidebar within My Media
   To better accommodate narrower LMS windows, such as Canvas, we have introduced a feature for users to collapse the Media Side Bar into a narrower sidebar.
   
8. Login Activity Available on Admin Panel’s Overview Feed
   Mirroring the RESTFul API for Login data, we incorporated this same capability in the Overview feed.
9. Improved Device Management APIs
   Our RESTFul API SKU now includes improved capabilities to manage Devices including retrieving active schedules, establishing and deleting schedules, and making updates to specific device parameters.
10. Ability to Set Automatic Play Flag into Direct Link and Embed Codes
    The Media Player now supports the ability to auto-play based on settings the following flag on or off: autostart=1

We have successfully pushed an update to all physical zones residing in the United States. Please note that this release will be pushed to Canadian and European Union zones next week. This release includes over 120+ new features and improvements.

1. Improved In-Depth User-Level Analytics Within an Integrated View
   We introduced an improved user-level analytics view that shows Platform accesses, total play length, and usage summary for each video. The content can also be downloaded as a spreadsheet within this view.
   
2. New Video Player Overlay Style Mirroring Popular Entertainment Video Streaming Platforms
   In addition to the Fixed Play Bar style, we are introducing a new Overlay Play Bar style that is activated on hover and displays the Play Bar controls against a translucent background. This mirrors popular video entertainment streaming platforms such as YouTube and Netflix that your users are familiar with.
   
3. Improved Fault Tolerance of Live Stream Player in Intermittent Bandwidth Scenarios
   The Live Stream Player and related infrastructure will now perform better in low-bandwidth and intermittent-bandwidth scenarios. This includes auto-recovery logic if the connection degrades and then subsequently recovers.
4. Storage Analytics View Loads Data Points More Quickly
   The Storage sub-panel within the Analytics’s Overview now loads 3x faster with an optimized algorithm for dataset retrieval.
   
5. Media Ingested by Watch Point Now Performs HLS Transcoding
   The same HLS transcoding capabilities performed for all other media ingestion workflows is now also available for media uploaded via Watch Point.
6. Multi-Level Captioning Workflows Now Integrated with Media Choosers
   In a previous release we introduced the ability to have multiple caption providers with different permission groups. This capability’s breadth has now been extended to the Media Chooser plugins.
   
7. Multi-Select Roster Deletion Clean-up Workflow
   We improved a previously cumbersome workflow of bulk deletion of users with a new capability to bulk-select users, as well as bulk transfer those user’s assets to an Administrator’s account.
   
8. Improved Organization of Accessibility Tab’s Status of External Captioning Table
   The external captioning table is now better organized chronologically with more clear column headers.
9. Improved 21st Century Video Accessibility Act (CVAA) Support with Enhanced Customization of Closed Captioning Bar
   We now provide Administrators with the ability to customize the visual aesthetics of the Caption Bar including color, font size, font opacity, and background opacity. As well, we provide viewers the ability to adjust this, based on their personal preferences, right inside the Media Player.
   
10. Ability to Add Closed Captioning Files to Videos Via Drag-and-Drop
    Within the Media Details panel, we now support the ability to ingest external caption files via drag-and-drop.
11. New In-Video Commenting Style
    To better accommodate smaller screen-sizes – such as when a video is embedded directly into an LMS Assignment – we refined the Create Comment dialog into a more modern and compact widget that sits alongside the appropriate location on the video timeline.
    
12. Beta Support for Video Conferencing on iOS and Android Devices
    Our beta Video Conferencing application now supports WebRTC-enabled mobile devices for both iOS and Android devices.
13. Additional API-Level Support including Rate Limiting, Branding, and Replace Video
    Customers using our APIs can request the new capability set which includes additional video management facilities, as well as security improvements such as rate limiting.
14. Delcom Button Color Customization
    Organizations using the Software Capture’s Delcom button integration can now customize which status colors should be used for each event.
15. Infrastructural Aspects of End-User Audit Tracking
    We also wanted to provide a preview of some infrastructural aspect that are going into production throughout the quarter. This will give administrators a Birdseye View of the activities going on within their Platform instance. The core infrastructure for customer-visible audit tracking is now in place and we are now in the process of instrumenting all applications and devices accordingly. Below is an early preview of the functionality for a Software Capture recording.
    

We have successfully pushed an update to all physical zones residing in the United States. Please note that this release will be pushed to Canadian and European Union zones next week. This release includes over 120+ new features and improvements.

1. Video Editor Supports Telestrations Diagraming Overlays
   Inspired by Sunday football, we incorporated freehand telestrations capabilities into the video editor. This features multi-color pen selection with the ability to annotate freehand on top of a video source. As we observe how users take advantage of this capability, we’ll continue to incorporate further capabilities.
   
2. Media Chooser for Moodle Extension Now Supports Video Quiz Insertion and Multi-Column Gradebook Integration
   Similar to the Canvas, Blackboard and D2L Brightspace implementations introduced in the last few releases, we have rolled out Moodle support for Video Quiz insertion within the Media Chooser. This includes deeper native LMS-specific integration for Video Quizzes that expand upon the more limited LTI-based Gradebook integration (which we still support). The result is that users can create video quizzes, insert them virtually anywhere in the LMS and better track the results with multi-column gradebook integration.
   
3. Video Quiz Insertion Improvements
   To ensure a video quiz can be used for multiple assessments simultaneously or sequentially – and at the same time export as multi-column gradebook for each course – we enhanced our native API integration for each of LMS. We also incorporated about a dozen smaller fixes and improvements including an improved overlay mode layout when viewing four-or-more response options.
4. Improved 4k and 2k Video Support Processing Support
   As more organizations generate ultra resolution quality, we have added improved capabilities to manually adjust between various resolution types. Further, our transcoding and transmuxing sub-system will now more quickly process 2k and 4k content.
   
5. Video Conferencing Improvements in Intermittent Bandwidth Scenarios
   We released and improved fault tolerance in intermittent bandwidth scenarios, as well as recovery mechanisms. We’re aiming to release Android (tablet and phone) browser support for video conferencing in the next major update.
6. Video Quiz Overlay Style Now the Default for Tighter LMS Locations
   We now show the overlay style by default within the LMS, as well as incorporated a View External button. This button enables quiz-taker to view the video quiz in an external browser with the video and questions shown in a side-by-side layout. This serves the ability to show video quizzes in more confined spaces, while still providing the end-user with a variety of viewing options.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all physical zones residing in the United States. Please note that this release will be pushed to Canadian and European Union zones next week. This release includes over 20+ improvements.

1. Performance Enhancements and Minor Improvements
   We also added about a dozen fixes to various stability improvements and edge cases. Highlights of the fixes are noted below:

   
   #163670023 – Visual Analytics – Set of small consistency fixes across the Content tab focused on correcting data aggregation issues, consistency between tabs, and calculation method for a number of fields. Adjustments made in this ticket will affect calculations going forward.
   #163768811 – Visual Analytics – Improved performance of Contents tab where creation visualizations necessitated calculating large volumes of playback position data.
   #164117963 – Mobile Apps – Improved channel load performance in situations where channels have a large number of videos published to it.
   #164188942 – Admin Panel – Significant performance improvements to Accessibility Dashboard where loading large volumes of internal and external caption requests. Also made the individual caption request lists to be fetched asynchronously.
   #164342266 – Infrastructure – Improved, cloud-hosted media recoverability algorithm to cover some recovery scenarios not previously addressed.
   #161461360 – Video Editor – Made zoom-level warning message less obtrusive.
   #164224624 – Video Editor – Resolved issue where the Play button needed to be pressed twice when commencing a video quiz.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all physical zones residing in the United States. Please note that this release will be pushed to Canadian and European Union zones next week. This release includes over 80+ new features and improvements.

1. Media Chooser for D2L Brightspace Extension Now Supports Video Quiz Insertion and Multi-Column Gradebook Integration
   Similar to the Canvas and Blackboard implementations introduced in the last few releases, we have rolled out D2L Brightspace support for Video Quiz insertion within the Media Chooser. This includes deeper native LMS-specific integration for Video Quizzes that expand upon the more limited LTI-based Gradebook integration (which we still support). The result is that users can create video quizzes, insert them virtually anywhere in the LMS and better track the results with multi-column gradebook integration. We’ve implemented it for all LMS’s, however we are releasing it in stages. Now that Canvas, Blackboard, and D2L Brightspace are released, Moodle is next.
   

   

2. Improved Viewability of Embedded Quizzes
   Our new LMS-specific quiz integration released this past quarter with multi-column gradebook integration has created new use-cases around embedding quizzes. To improve the viewability in “tight spaces”, we’ve created a special overlay mode in instances where the side-by-side layout isn’t possible. Note: To take advantage of this new style, the quiz will need to be re-embedded within the LMS.

   

3. Improved Performance of Visual Analytics’ Bandwidth Summary and Top Videos
   Improved the query performance for loading the Top Video and Bandwidth Summary analytics data.

4. New Fast “Initial Thumbnailing” Algorithm Implemented
   We’ve improved the algorithm used to generate thumbnails to generate it very quickly after the video file has uploaded to the Platform. This is part of a new smarter heuristic project we are working on during the month of March to improve job queueing behavior and sub-task execution.

   

5. Multi-Caption Account Support for Organizations
   To provide support for organizations using multiple caption accounts – across various departments and hierarchies – organizations can setup integrations with multiple, simultaneous caption vendors and/or accounts.

   

6. New In-Progress Recording Indicators within Media Library
   As a precursor to end user-facing audit logging project for non-admin users (also a project this quarter), we are introducing a Processing icon indicator that appears for in-progress (and un-uploaded) captures. Once our end user-facing audit trails are finished, a user will be able to accurately and fully trace the current status of any uploaded or recorded media item. These capabilities will be released in phases through the month of March and April.

   

7. Video Editor Now Has Ability to Set the Primary Stream
   For multi-stream recordings, Content Owners can now select which source is the primary source (the one that initially appears as the larger source).

   

8. Audio-Only Files Now Generate Audio Waveforms
   The Video Editor has extended support for the audio waveforms to include audio-only media.

   

We have successfully pushed an updated YuJa Software Station for PC to all physical zones residing in the United States, Canada, and the European Union.

1. General Stability Fixes and Minor Improvements
   We also added about a dozen fixes to various stability improvements and edge cases. Highlights of the fixes are noted below:

   
   #162584536 – Apple Capture – Resolved edge-case in media recoverability where shutting down ungracefully could leave a permanently processing live stream and a completed one.
   #162665441 – Apple Capture – Resolved rare issue where a scheduled live stream could crash the application.
   #163203646 – Apple Capture – Resolved issue where a video stream could freeze and become offset of the other when the YuJa app icon is clicked on.
   #163099066 – Apple Capture – Resolved rare issue where the software capture application could crash when an error alert dialog was intended to indicate an abnormal issue.
   #163525685 – Apple Capture – Improved client-side media recoverability when an abnormal issue causes a media fragment.
   #163598316 – Apple Capture – Improved partial screen recording error handling by preventing the capture area from being too small to practically record. Previously this could result in a crash of the screen capture module.
   #163638006 – Apple Capture – Improved error logging in situations which result in a crash state.
   

We have successfully pushed an update to all physical zones residing in the United States. Please note that this release will be pushed to Canadian and European Union zones next week. This release includes over 60+ new features and improvements.

1. Media Chooser for Blackboard Extension Now Supports Video Quiz Insertion and Multi-Column Gradebook Integration
   Similar to the Canvas implementation introduced in the last release, we have rolled out Blackboard support for Video Quiz insertion within the Media Chooser. This includes deeper native LMS-specific integration for Video Quizzes that expand upon the more limited LTI-based Gradebook integration (which we still support). The result is that users can create video quizzes, insert them virtually anywhere in the LMS and better track the results with multi-column gradebook integration. We’ve implemented it for all LMS’s, however we are releasing it in stages. Now that Canvas and Blackboard have been released, D2L Brightspace and Moodle are next.
   
   Note: Depending on your Blackboard Building Block plugin version, you may need to request an update from your assigned Customer Success Manager.

   

2. Video Editor Supports Auto-Save to Prevent Accidental Loss Due to Refreshing the Page or Navigating Away
   As users are performing video edits, the Platform now tracks draft edits in situations of user or web-browser error such as accidentally navigating away from the editor. This feature stemmed from user feedback interviews which indicated that, though rare, losing an edit is a very frustrating and time-consuming experience. Now – we hope! – it should be a thing of the past.

3. Video Editor Now Offers Advanced Capabilities to Increase Audio Levels
   Content where, perhaps, the audio track is too soft can now be improved with advanced support for audio amplification and re-encoding. Users can choose to amplify audio by 1.25x, 1.5x, 1.75x, 2x and 4x for any recording or uploaded media.

   

4. Video Editor Supports Additional Video Insertion Options
   Content owners now have more flexible options to perform video insertions, video overrides, as well as bumper and trailer video insertions. This extends upon the, more limited, Current Time (Override) mode.

   

5. More Modern Chat Capabilities within Video Conferencing Application
   Mirroring the modern look-and-feel of our Live Stream chat capabilities, we’ve introduced a better chat that includes Platform avatars, a more responsive look-and-feel, as well as support for sending URLs.

   

6. Improved Ability to Customize Thumbnail Displayed for Audio Files
   Custom thumbnails for audio-only files are now used within the in-player experience while listening to the audio file. Previously, the thumbnail only showed up in the Media Library view.

   

7. Visual Analytics and Courses & Groups Sections Now Show Sub-Channel Relationships and Hierarchies Within Drop-Downs
   Drop-downs and filter fields within the Visual Analytics and Courses & Groups now provide a better visual indication of Sub-Channels contained within parent Media Channels.

   

We have successfully pushed an update to all physical zones residing in the United States. Please note that this release will be pushed to Canadian zones next week. This release includes over 50+ new features and improvements.

1. Video Editor Caption Edits Can Now Automatically Update Indices and Transcripts – We added selection toggles to the Video Editor’s Save dialog that enable users to select if they would like their caption edits to also update the index and transcript (both PDF and text transcripts). In the next release, we will be adding some further improvements to provide both a Replace Existing option to complement the Save as New Video option.

   

2. Improved Robustness of Video Analytics Percentage Watched Detection – We resolved an internal tracking issue that could prevent the Percentage Watched value from being computed properly.
3. Improved Moodle Media Chooser Integration with Some Moodle LMS Versions – Implemented a new YuJa Media Chooser for Moodle plugin which invokes an account creation only in the specific case when the YuJa button is pressed. Please email your Customer Success Manager to receive the latest plugin.

4. Left Navigation Bar Expansion Behavior Makes It Easier to Perform Drag-and-Drop Operations – To make it easier to navigate while performing drag-and-drop operations, opening a folder via the tree-like structure does not trigger a navigation action.

   

5. Improved Left Navigation Bar Keyboard Accessibility and Visual Cues – Improved both keyboard-only navigation of the Left Navigation Bar and added a visual key to indicate the highlighted folder. Also added folder expansion with the Spacebar key.

   

6. Improved Capabilities to Establish a System-Wide Publishing Delay within the Admin Panel – Previously establishing a system-wide publishing delay required Professional Services to deploy an on-demand module. Now organizations can use self-service options within the Admin panel to establish a System-Wide Publishing Delay and Content Owners can override this with Publish Now and Skip Publish options.

   

7. Video Editor Timeline Now Shows Blur Regions and Image Insertion Visual Indicators – We improved the timeline to show visual indicators for elements added as video overlays.

   

8. Faster Analytics Visualization for Media Objects with 250,000+ Data Points – We completely re-tooled the visualization generation algorithm used within the Visual Analytics’ Contents tab to more quickly process the analytics visualizations. This will improve the overall speed and ensure that analytics load properly for heavily used media.
9. Blackboard Media Chooser Extension Now Compatible with Blackboard Build Contents section – The latest Media Chooser extension can be used to insert media into Blackboard’s Build Contents section. We encourage our Blackboard customers to request the newest Media Chooser for Blackboard from their Customer Success Manager.
10. New Blackboard Integration Supports Blackboard Web Link Module Including Ability to Add Homepage Web Link – To provide improved support to our Blackboard customers, we have released a new integration capability that allows organizations to add a My Media link directly onto non-course level pages via the Blackboard Web Link Module.

We also used this release to improve about 35+ other smaller items. In the next release, we are deepening our Device Auto-Scheduling capabilities around delegating schedule opt-out, support for audio-only editing capabilities, improved zoom-in and zoom-out within the video editor, video conferencing improvements, the ability to insert video quizzes using your respective LMS’s Media Chooser extension, and much more.

We have successfully pushed an updated YuJa Software Station for Apple to all physical zones residing in the United States. A corresponding release will take place in the Canadian Zone next week.

1. New Apple Capture Application with Full Media Recoverability
   We released a new version of the Apple Capture application that includes complete Media Recoverability. Like the PC Capture application’s capability, media recoverability enables abruptly or incorrectly terminated recordings to be uploaded and restored without manual intervention.

   Additionally, we moved the media recovery algorithms to the Cloud. By moving the recovery process to the Cloud, it enables us to continue to fine-tune and strengthen the recovery algorithms without necessitating end-users’ update their software capture applications. Software Capture on PC – which already has local media recoverability – will also benefit from this new architecture in a future release.

2. Apple Capture Now Offer Partial Screen Recording
   The newest Apple Capture version matches parity with the PC Capture’s partial screen recording. This includes the ability to dynamically select a region of the screen to record for ad-hoc and auto-scheduled scenarios.