• December 27, 2019

    Software Capture for Apple Version 3.12 Released to United States Zone

    Uncategorized

    We have released a new Software Capture for Apple version (3.12). The key new capability is an Express Installation capability. Similar to the recently released PC software, the latest Software Capture for Apple is accessible from the Create Recording dialog and can perform a one-click installation-to-launch process. Once the user has selected the installer to launch, it will quickly install, configure and launch the Software Capture in a ready-to-record state. In our focus groups, this experience greatly simplified the first-time user experience.

    Please note that this release has been pushed out to all instances within the United States zone.

  • December 25, 2019

    Software Capture for PC Version 10.3.0 Released to US Zone

    United States Zone

    We have released a new Software Capture for PC version (10.3.0) that introduces a one-click install-to-launch capability, internal audio recording and ability to record from IP-based wireless cameras.

    1. New Express Click-Install-Launch
      The latest Software Capture accessible from the Create Recording dialog can perform a one-click installation-to-launch process. Once the user has selected the installer to launch, it will quickly install, configure and launch the Software Capture in a ready-to-record state. In our focus groups, this experience greatly simplified the first-time user experience. We will be launching a similar experience for Apple users in early January.
    2. Integrated Capability to Record Internal Computer Audio via a Single Toggle
      Content Creators can now opt to record the internal system audio directly via the Software Capture’s main Confidence Monitor interface.
    3. Integrated Support for IP / Wireless Cameras
      Organizations deploying IP cameras with RTSP capabilities can now directly integrate these cameras with the Software Capture application.
    4. Automatic Firewall Rule Inclusion Where Applicable
      In instances where a firewall rule is required to enable audio and video preview, this is now automatically performed on the user’s behalf during the installation process.
    5. Performance Improvements When Recording a High-Resolution Video Source at High Framerates
      Originally intended to support higher-resolution Logitech cameras, this performance improvement is also applicable more broadly to all USB-based video sources.
    6. Improved the Fault Tolerance of the Photo ID Capture During Intermittent Bandwidth Scenarios
      The Photo ID capture process is now more resilient in situations of weak or intermittent Internet situations.
    7. Full Installers Available for Download within My Account
      To provide access to the regular (full) installer files, a new Downloads tab is available within the My Account section.
  • December 14, 2019

    Canadian and European Union Instances – Semi-Monthly RC20191206 Released

    Canada Zone European Union Zone

    We have successfully pushed an update to all instances residing in Canada and the European Union. For a summary of the release, please refer to the corresponding tag for United States zones.

  • December 13, 2019

    YuJa Mobile for Android 2.0.1 Published to Google Play Store

    Uncategorized

    We have successfully published a new version of the YuJa Mobile for Android application to the Google Play Store.

    1. Refreshed User Interface and Navigation Experience
      The application introduces a refreshed UI and menu navigation experience. This includes a new Navigation Bar that provides quick access buttons for Channels, Recording, Uploads, and Downloads.

    2. Ability for Users to Download Media for Offline Viewing
      Approved content can now be downloaded within the mobile application for offline viewing (without WiFi or network connectivity).

    3. Variable Speed Playback Capabilities
      New variable speed playback options are also available within the Media Player for both video and audio content.

    4. New Playback and Caption Bar Capabilities
      Added new playback options including auto-replay, play-in-background and full-screen playback. Also added capability to modify the caption style and size.

    5. New Mobile Capture Framerate and Resolution Settings
      Improved the user interface of the mobile capture workflow, as well as added the ability to record captures at different resolutions and framerates.

    6. Improved Media Playback Experience Across Devices
      Introduced a more modern mobile playback experience with improved stability across both older and newer devices.

    7. New Instrumentation to Receive Reports of Crashes and Abnormal Situations
      We now have integrated application instrumentation to receive crash reports and abnormal terminations. Along with this, an improved process to resolve issues more quickly by acting on the crash data has been defined.
  • December 6, 2019

    United States Zone – Semi-Monthly RC20191206 Released

    United States Zone

    We have successfully pushed an update to all instances 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 165+ new features and improvements.

    1. Easier-to-Use and More Robust Video Uploading Experience
      The Platform now integrates a new media uploading experience that’s easier-to-use, more fault-tolerant and faster. The new upload experience now includes:

      • Faster uploads with auto-queuing capabilities
      • Better adaptation to browser capabilities and constraints
      • Upload continuation even when navigating between Video Platform pages
      • Better user interface with “docking” window controls

    2. Video Editor Now Shows Captioning Confidence Scores
      Users can now highlight words within the captioning that was below a specific Confidence Score. The words that the captioning engine AI was not “sure of” are highlighted to enable a more streamlined editing experience. Users can also hover over any word to see the specific Confidence Score attained when transcribing the given word. Please note this capability is only available for newly auto-captioned content.

    3. Multi-Level Training Dictionary Available for Improved Caption Quality
      Both organizations and individuals have new tools to improve the captioning quality of the Platform’s integrated artificial intelligence-based captioning. Organizations can establish an instance-wide dictionary, and users submitting videos for auto-captioning can also include a video-specific custom dictionary.

    4. Create Multiple Media Player Branding “Skins”
      Organizations can now create multiple Media Player branding options (often called “skins”) that can be applied organization-wide or to specific videos. Customizations include primary and secondary button placements, colors, and menu option selections.

    5. Improved Media Player User Interface
      New iconography and menu style provides a more modern user experience for both instructional and marketing video use-cases alike. These improvements to the Media Player can be utilized in conjunction with the Multiple Player Branding capabilities also released in this update.

    6. Video Editor Supports Removal of Video Stream While Retaining the Embedded Audio Track
      Users who use the capture tools to record a multi-source recording, but then wish to subsequently remove the video source that contains the audio track, can now do so.
    7. New Video Conference Start Panel with Participant and Chat Pane
      A new “Start Screen” is now available within the Video Conference that provides the ability for participants to quickly access meeting bridge, participant list, and chat information.

    8. New Participant Panel with “Raise Hand” Capabilities
      Video Conference participants now have the ability to perform a virtual “Raise Hands” within a meeting. The meeting owners and presenters receive a notification of the hand-raise as both a notification message and indicator on the Participant Panel.

  • November 16, 2019

    Canadian and European Union Instances – Semi-Monthly RC20191108 Released

    Canada Zone European Union Zone

    We have successfully pushed an update to all instances residing in Canada and the European Union. For a summary of the release, please refer to the corresponding tag for United States zones.

  • November 8, 2019

    United States Zone – Semi-Monthly RC20191108 Released

    United States Zone

    We have successfully pushed an update to all instances 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 195+ new features and improvements.

    1. Users Can Now Resume Watching Where They Left Off
      Viewers watching content as an authenticated user can now resume watching a video from the place they previously left off. A user’s video resumption history is retained for all videos the user is authorized to view.
    2. Auto-Captioning Now Offers Advanced Punctuation Capabilities for both Captions and Transcripts
      Over the next two releases, we are rolling out some innovative updates to our auto-captioning capabilities. The first of these capabilities is that the captioning engine will now provide advanced punctuation when performing captioning and transcription.
    3. YouTube Media Ingestion to “Deep Import” Content
      User wishing to ingest a YouTube video can now specify a link and import the video content into their My Media account. This enables YouTube content to be ingested, auto-captioned and used in accordance with the TEACH ACT.
    4. New Dark Mode Branding Option for Top Navigation Bar
      The Platform offers a new Dark Mode branding option for the Top Navigation Bar that also includes color customization of the top-bar’s color.
    5. Roster View Displays the LMS and Single Sign Linkage Attribute Information
      The Roster tab within the Admin Panel now displays the dual integration parameters. This can be used by Administrators to ensure that the Linkage Attribute is being transferred correctly from the organization’s upstream enterprise systems.
    6. Support for Enabling End-User Downloading at the Media Channel Level
      Content Owners can now enable download privileges to an entire course-level Media Channel to viewers.
    7. Inline Action Menu Support within the List View of My Media
      Users managing their content within the List View now have the same inline Action Menu as they do with the Thumbnail View.
    8. On-Screen Message When an Ad Blocker Could Interfere with Platform Use
      With a plethora of browser-based plugins blocking webapp and website capabilities, in a situation where the Platform detects components were blocked, a clear message will be displayed informing the user of this situation.
    9. Added Support for the oEmbed Open Format
      To promote easier content exchange with third-party resources, as a content Provider, we have implemented the oEmbed protocol. This makes it easier to share content as embedding blog posts on websites and social platforms such as Twitter.
    10. Better On-Screen Guidance for Uploading Media for the First Time
      New users are now greeted with a “Happy Folder” icon that provides a succinct suggestion on how to add content to their My Media account.
    11. Added Native Integration Option for Microsoft Azure-based SAML
      Organizations integrating with Azure ADFS now have a dedicated integration tab rather than using the generic SAML integration tab.
    12. New Keyboard Shortcut to Toggle Between Primary and Secondary Streams
      The Media Player now supports faster toggling between sources using the lower-case v key.
    13. Media-Level Player Branding Option to Hide Video Chapters on a Per-Video Basis
      As part of a feature spanning multiple releases, we are adding media-level branding options for specific videos. The first of these capabilities is the ability to hide the left-side mini-bar of the Media Player.
    14. Native Support for VTT and XML Caption File Ingestion
      The Platform now supports the ability to ingest VTT and XML caption file formats and display them within the Media Player. All existing multi-language and caption capabilities are compatible with the new VTT and XML caption file formats.
    15. Video Conference Now Has Audit Log Capability
      To help troubleshoot Video Conferencing issues that arise, the Platform now integrates and audit log capability. Over the coming releases we will continue to add additional events and logs.
    16. Video Conference Has Server-Side Performance Improvements for Improved Scalability
      To support additional capacity and improve stability, additional server-side performance and stability improvements were deployed.
  • October 22, 2019

    Software Capture for PC Version 9.1.0 Released to US, Canada and European Union Zones

    Canada Zone European Union Zone United States Zone

    We have released a new Software Capture for PC version (9.1.0) that introduces the SmartUpload algorithm for recording uploads, improved error alerts for remotely scheduled captures and 15+ smaller improvements and fixes. Please note that this release has been pushed out to all instances within the United States, Canada and European Union zone.

    1. New Software Capture Confidence Monitor User Interface
      Matching the recently released user interface on Apple, the PC-based Capture application now has a similar look-and-feel with larger Action Buttons for key actions.
    2. SmartUpload Capability Introduced for PC
      Implemented SmartUpload algorithm that is able to perform better on low-bandwidth, rural and high-latency connections. This should reduce situations where weak or intermittent connections result in slow uploads due to frequent disconnections.
    3. Default Location for Recorded Media Changed to My Media Top-Level Folder
      Changed the default location where captures go to the top-level Media Collection rather than the Default Collection. This change was made so that novice users who record will see their recording available immediately after clicking on My Media, rather than having to go into the Default Collection sub-folder.
    4. Highlights of Smaller Fixes and Improvements
      In addition to the new features, this release also includes about a dozen smaller fixes and product improvements. Highlights include:
      • #164422008 – More consistent behavior between PC and Appl for reporting errors when attempting capture application is logged out
      • #167544937 – Resolved issue where the incorrect hover text was displayed for the New Shared Profile button.
      • #164422000 – Added ability to establish a default retention period for Raw video source recordings.
      • #155787342 – Updated the UI message shown after a recording is completed to clarify where to find the recording.
      • #167944814 – Transitioned some outdated references to YuJa Software Station to the revised product SKU of YuJa Software Capture
      • #168444677 – Resolved issue where two identical webcams of the same make and model could not always be simultaneously used for a recording.
      • #168906166 – Reduced the file size of the raw audit log information used for troubleshoot or debug purposes.
      • #154578548 – Resolved issue which could result in multiple YuJa taskbar icons showing up in the Windows Notification Tray.
  • October 19, 2019

    Canadian and European Union Instances – Semi-Monthly RC20191011 Released

    Canada Zone European Union Zone

    We have successfully pushed an update to all instances residing in Canada and the European Union. For a summary of the release, please refer to the corresponding tag for United States zones.

  • October 9, 2019

    United States Zone – Semi-Monthly RC20191011 Released

    United States Zone

    We have successfully pushed an update to all instances 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 175+ new features and improvements.

    1. IMS Caliper Analytics 1.1 Certification Achieved
      Our big data analytics achieved a major milestone by being awarded IMS Caliper Analytics 1.1 certification. Interested organizations can take advantage of this optional SKU that is available to all Enterprise Video Platform customers. A little more on IMS Caliper: “Caliper Analytics enables institutions to collect learning data from digital resources to better understand and visualize learning activity and product usage data, and present this information to students, instructors, and advisors in meaningful ways to help inform: student recruitment and retention plans, program, curriculum, and course design, student intervention measures”
    2. New Ad Astra Integration for Integration with Enterprise Scheduling Systems
      A new Ad Astra enterprise scheduling integration is now available to all organizations. Room calendars can by synch-ed and then mapped to specific Software Capture and Hardware Hub capture resources. This enables fully automated scheduling, recording, publishing and distribution.
    3. New Reflective Pause Question Type for Video Quizzes
      A new question type called Reflective Pause is now available within Video Quizzes. This question type is designed to re-focus the viewer on the video content through the use of a rhetorical and thought-provoking question. This tool is a new capability to ensure that all video content – including compliance training, security compliance, etc. – receives the focus and attention of the viewer.
    4. Improved Device Source Preview Window
      Improved the view of the Source Preview shown within the Devices tab of Admin Panel. Also, clarified case where there is no active signal to show a status of No Active Signal instead of an error state.
    5. Deprecated Video Classroom Name within Platform
      As we have transitioned fully to an HTML5-based Video Conferencing tool, the old tool’s name (Video Classrooms) has – for the most part – been transitioned-out from the Platform.
    6. New Overlay Style Captioning for Single Stream Videos
      A new overlay caption style, similar to Netflix and YouTube, provides viewers with the opportunity to use the full window for viewing the video instead of allocating a significant portion to a fixed caption bar. The same 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)-compliant user-selectable opacity, color and font settings are also available with this new capability.
    7. Improved Performance for Folders with Pictures
      The load-time performance for folders containing a large number of pictures is now considerably better (10x faster).
    8. Performance Improvements for Change Owner Capability
      Improved performance within the Change Owner dialog for institutions with over 25,000 user entries.
    9. Simplified Process to Request Data Backups
      Organizations wishing to request a copy of their organization’s Storage may initiate the request directly within the Admin Panel’s Storage Quota tab. Please note that Professional Services may apply to the fulfillments of these requests.
    10. Media Chooser LMS Extension Offers More Clear Action and UI
      The available actions within the LMS Media Chooser are now shown more clearly within the Top Bar. This is aimed at improving the user experience for novice users who may be using the video tools to embed their first video or create their first Video Assignment.
    11. Ability to Watch a Video in Chrome within an Inactive Tab
      Users watching video content within one Chrome tab, while actively navigating within another tab, can now continue to listen to the YuJa-hosted video. Previously, due to a recent Chrome update, the video would automatically pause when the Chrome tab became inactive.
    12. Improved Test Proctoring Workflow for Courses with Multiple Instructors
      Courses with multiple instructors co-teaching can now designate where proctored test recordings should go.