Panopto FAQs

Below are some introductory questions and answers about Panopto, the University's new lecture capture service. These will be updated regularly as the project progresses. 

QuestionAnswer
Across the various University of Liverpool teaching rooms there are a variety of different webcams, microphones and other peripherals used.  Will Panopto automatically select these or is there something we need to do during set-up to make life as easy as possible for teaching staff? Panopto automatically recognises any connected cameras/microphones and remembers professors’ recording settings to make setup simple. These can also be adjusted as required.  
Does Panopto allow us to continue using Poll Everywhere or Socrative. Can/how can these be used/integrated? You can add your desired Polls or Quizzes by adding the URL in the Editor to the exact location in the video you’d like to add a Poll or Quiz. Panopto has native quizzing already built in which integrates with the Canvas gradebook. However, any quiz or poll can be used within a video.
Does Panopto work on Macs as well as PCs?

The Panopto Desktop application has been added to the MWS software library. However, if you are using a stand-alone PC or Mac you can download the Panopto Desktop application directly from our Panopto site – instructions on how to do this can be found at:

PC installation

Mac installation

When visiting the University of Liverpool's Panopto site, please use the ADFS authentication option and complete your log in using your University credentials.  
Will Panopto allow us to live stream lectures? Yes, Panopto call this webcasting and details on how to set-up and webcast using Panopto can be found on the Panopto support site.
What about the content I currently have in stream.liv.ac.uk? Over the coming months we will be migrating all content currently in stream.liv.ac.uk or to Panopto. All stream.liv.ac.uk content will remain available and accessible during this migration to support revision and exams activity.
After the content has been migrated to Panopto will I need to re-edit my videos? No. The latest edited versions of your videos held in stream.liv.ac.uk will be the ones to be migrated.
How will I access my course recording following the migration? Each course on Canvas will have a corresponding Panopto folder linked to it. This Panopto folder can be accessed by the menu on the left of the course screen called Panopto videos. Once clicked, you will be able to access all of the videos for your course. Please note that the Videos functionality currently available in the Timetables mobile app will no longer be available and course videos will need to be accessed directly from Canvas.
What’s happening to stream.liv.ac.uk? In the first week of September 2023, Panopto will be launched and stream.liv.ac.uk capture will be disabled to allow us to migrate all recordings created over the summer months. At the end of October 2023 both the hardware and software on which stream.liv.ac.uk is hosted will be out of support and as such an IT security risk. To comply with University IT security regulations it will be turned off completely.

Do videos release to students automatically?

Yes, once recorded and processed by Panopto videos will be released and available for students to watch within the Panopto folder of their Canvas course. Once a video has been created there are also ways in which you can schedule the release of videos as needed. 

Can it use pdf rather than PowerPoint?

 

Yes, you can although this would require setting up differently. Firstly, the pdf would need to be captured via the main screen and then once recording had completed, the pdf file could be uploaded to the video as a additional source.

If it's still uploading the last lecture, is that going to affect the next lecturer?

No, unlike Stream, Panopto records an amount of the lecture to the PC’s hard drive (as a buffer) and then uploads this to Panopto whilst recording the next section to the PC. This process is repeated until the end of the recording. At the end of the recording there is only ever a small amount left to be uploaded. Once complete, processing takes place in the cloud. This does not therefore interfere with the next lecture recording. To allow this process to complete, please ensure that you log off and do not shut down the PC at the end of your lecture.

Can you put the videos in modules like Studio videos?

In a similar way to Stream, Panopto video can be embedded into Canvas courses.
How do you share the webcast link ahead of time?

Panopto offers many different ways to set-up and manage webinars. Panopto support offers additional guides e.g. Guide to setting up a webinar in advance and using waiting rooms.

Sometimes we deliver sessions which are not linked to a Canvas course or we may perhaps not have access to the Canvas course the session is linked to. Is it possible to just open the Panopto tool from the desktop of the room we are delivering in, record, and then send a link to the relevant staff/students?

Yes, you can record directly into the Panopto desktop recorder should you wish. If using this method, the default folder used will be your personal folder. Videos can be embedded into Canvas directly from personal folders. However, best practice would be to move the recording to the correct Canvas course folder to enable students to search for it.

Can you make publicly sharable videos?

Yes, Panopto has a variety of ways to share content. 

When you roll forward a course in Canvas, if the embed links go to an old Panopto recording (e.g. for previous year), are the permissions updated?

Yes, thanks to the integration between Canvas and Panopto links that are embedded into Canvas are created to ensure if a user has access to the link then that have permission to access the video.

 

Can we add captions automatically, as we can with Canvas Studio recordings?

Panopto automatically captions videos however these can be downloaded, edited and deleted as required. 

Can you download videos from Panopto that you have recorded previously?

Yes, all Stream content is being migrated to Panopto. Once there, it will either be in the course Panopto folder or your personal Panopto folder (as the creator). Once migration has completed, videos can be downloaded as required.

Will Canvas Studio still be available?

Yes, and we are working with Canvas and Panopto to understand if/how these two systems can work together in the future.

Will historical courses with embedded links in modules/pages continue to work? So next year, can a 4th year student still access 2021-22/2022-23 courses that had embedded links to Stream, or will all historical links need updating?

No, recordings associated with courses will be available to students to view from the Panopto recording button in the course menu. IT Services has devised a redirect application so that any Stream content that has been embedded into Canvas courses or webpages, will be directed when clicked by a user to the same content within our Panopto site. If embedded on an external website please ensure you check share permissions to ensure the video in Panopto is available to people outside of the University.

I believe embedded links in modules/pages of Canvas will not copy when a course is copied. So all links will have to be remade (a problem for reusable flipped material, less of an issue for live recordings if updated every year). Is this correct?

No, recordings associated with courses will be available to students to view from the Panopto recording button in the course menu. IT Services has devised a redirect application so that any Stream content that has been embedded into Canvas courses or webpages, will be directed when clicked by the user to the same content within our Panopto site. If embedded on an external website please ensure you check share permissions to ensure the video in Panopto is available to people outside of the University.