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kerrit4885885
kerrit4885885
Participant
December 29, 2016
Question

Captivate 9 Video Best Practices?

  • December 29, 2016
  • 2 replies
  • 2798 views

Hello

I currently use Captivate 9 and I am experience video playback problems when my courses are published to an LMS.    one video size (

What are the best practices to use when inserting video into captivate projects to optimize playback time?

What format, codec and resolution are best for playback?

My courses are video heavy and my preference is to have them included in the course, rather than streaming. Though i am open to arguments for streaming.

Advice is appreciated.

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

S
StevePixel
Inspiring
December 30, 2016

Hi Kerrit,

Paul has hit on on one major consideration when employing video with Captivate, or elearning in general but there are many more. (He may have covered them in his own videos, to be fair though,) For a short concise list here are some important considerations:

1. Size matters - both the size of your clips and how much it impacts your overall size in the project if you are embedding them. If they are long, its best to chunk them out, unless you have access to a streaming server like (vimeo, youtube) then size doesn't matter at all, as there is no load on your project. Bandwidth may be an issue though and you will have to update to the media servers if you change the video contents.  

2. Aspect ratio really impacts size, If it doesn't need to be fullscreen, then the smaller AR the faster it will load and play.

3, Without exception, you will want to use an MP4 format for Captivate.  Its a modern codec and does the best job of compression and it is universally playable in all browsers. 

Cheers

Steve    

    TLCMediaDesign
    TLCMediaDesign
    Inspiring
    December 30, 2016

    Technically the length of the video doesn't have any affect, it's the resolution and compression.

    We typically use 480 video and compress them to under 2Mbps. You also need to compress the audio and use mono, especially if a talking head.

      S
      StevePixel
      Inspiring
      December 30, 2016

      Hi TLC,

      You are correct compression and resolution are the key, that is why technically, length of your video is important. For example if you have a 3 minute safety video set at your current specs, it will produce a certain size, depending on what you are actually filming/compositing. If you double that length, to 6  minutes then you have effectively doubled the data size of the video. (for example 10mgs to 20 mgs)

      If you are streaming it into your project, no issues,  if you are embedding it into your project and using a progressive download,  that is where you can run into issues. It needs to buffer and load either the whole video or a portion of it prior to playing. That is why I advocate breaking up longer videos. It effectively halves the overall video data rate and enhances playback.

      Choosing compression models is really about choices. You need to strive for a balance of size vs quality vs playback performance. For example I create motion graphic videos for training and internal course marketing. My 90 second videos often come in at 30 mgs each, but my clients usually have their own internal media server and huge data pipes, so playback is not an issue, even at that size.

      Cheers

      Steve  

        Paul Wilson CTDP
        Community Expert
        Paul Wilson CTDPCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        December 29, 2016

        Video is great and I believe it's the future of learning. I actually believe that really great video content can be more important than knowledge checks and quiz questions.

         

        The problem with video is that quality is primarily a result of bitrate. There is no problem using a high bitrate file in Captivate but the bigger question is will it be delivered effectively across the network. For example, if you are designing eLearning for a company that works out of one office building and they have their own LMS located on the premises and have a really solid network with lots of bandwidth, you might be able to deliver lots of video without problems. If on the other hand, you are designing training that will be made available to people on their mobile devices in developing nations, the opposite could be true.

         

        For you own sake it's important to experiment with various settings, resolution sizes and formats, including bitrates to determine what the best quality for your situation is. There is no one single answer that will work for all situations.

         

        You should also consider streaming from Vimeo or YouTube. I've always had positive results using either service. If you are concerned about other people getting their hands on your content you can keep the video unlisted so it isn't searchable.

         

        Check out my YouTube playlist on video. I have a bunch of videos covering a variety of topics on video for Adobe Captivate:

        https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAz1fjXAzQ34GJcTZxq5DZVsFurk_D7Cw

        Paul Wilson, CTDP
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