Kaltura is a streaming service that provides an easy-to-use facility for storing and accessing video and audio material via LEO.

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Important notice: Kaltura service will be retired in 2021. We now recommend using Echo360 instead. For more information please see LEO Guides: Transitioning from Kaltura to Echo360.

Kaltura is a video streaming service that provides an easy to use facility for storing and accessing video and audio material via LEO (Learning Environment Online). Kaltura provides a better viewing and listening experience to engage your students compared to uploading directly into your unit or via YouTube.

Kaltura media allows video to stream in higher quality, but also automatically adapts to the user's internet connection speed and is viewable on most mobile devices.

In summary, Kaltura provides:

  • staff and student access to uploading video content related to their unit or for assessment
  • high-quality streaming videos
  • searchable storage of new and existing video libraries
  • robust media streaming on mobile devices
  • content creation and upload using the Kaltura Capture tool
  • Kaltura videos are private and cannot be viewed by the public.

LEO (Learning Environment Online) has a range of media options for creating and sharing media such as recording online lecturers (live classrooms); online participation (Adobe Connect); and creating, storing and sharing media in a safe environment (Kaltura media). These various media options can play a key role in enabling your students to access resources that support learning wherever they are without needing to attend a specific location at a defined time.

The use of video also makes it possible for lecturers to present knowledge in different ways and enable different forms of interaction with students.

Kaltura media can be used to:

  • show real life scenarios
  • explain concepts
  • details technical processes
  • act as triggers for discussion.

For Editing Lecturers, ACU's Kaltura Streaming Server, paired with Kaltura Capture, represents a simplified process for recording, editing and publishing videos in LEO units. It is easy to understand the benefits of using Kaltura when compared with alternative ways staff have recorded and published their videos in LEO in the past:

  • Sharing videos in LEO as File resources, and
  • Publishing videos in YouTube.
Kaltura and Capture Videos as LEO Files Videos in YouTube
Recording and editing

You can use Kaltura Capture to record your videos, and the Video Editor in My Media to edit them.

You can conveniently record at your office, your online lectures or presentations in any screen, webcam, and/or audio combination to suit your needs.

The Kaltura Capture recording tool

The File tool does not provide video recording and editing capability.

You will need to install additional software.

YouTube provides limited video recording and editing capability.

You will need to install additional software.
Uploading videos

Kaltura Capture allows you to easily upload your videos to your My Media gallery in LEO.

TIP: You can also publish or embed into any of your LEO units Kaltura videos in your My Media page.

The File tool uploads your video into ONLY one LEO unit.

To use your video in other LEO units, you need to upload it repeatedly in each [unit] as a File resource.

LEO (Moodle) is NOT a video repository or streaming service:

  • Compared to Kaltura, uploading videos to LEO will usually take longer (or sometimes fail if the video file size is large).
  • You cannot upload large videos - i.e., larger than 20 MB or 100 MB, depending on the file upload limit in your LEO unit's settings.

A few staff have noted that uploading to Kaltura appears to take longer, on some occasions. However, the uploading step itself is usually faster (compared to the File tool) but the whole process also includes the creation of different versions of each video - i.e., small (mobile phone sized), medium (tablets and small laptops), and high resolution (for desktops) - for adapting playback to different internet speeds.

The process of creating these versions is called transcoding. The larger the video you upload, the longer this transcoding stage of the whole upload process takes.

The File tool in LEO does not include a transcoding process so video playback experiences for Students is quite poor.

You can link to or embed YouTube videos in your unit with any LEO tool that uses the Text Editor.

It is important to note that, when uploading your videos to YouTube, you are placing your (and the University's) intellectual property outside ACU IT infrastructure.

ACU IT will not be able to protect, manage access to, and secure video assets you publish in YouTube and other media sharing web sites.
Downloads by Students

Students cannot download your Kaltura videos. Kaltura only provides them streaming playback on their computers and devices.

Kaltura videos are also watchable ONLY if they are embedded within LEO units or the ACU web site.

If you upload your video as a File resource in LEO, Students can download it into their computer or devices.

This means they can also modify your video and redistribute it on social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) and other web sites.

Social media icons on a mobile phone

Students can download videos that you upload to YouTube.

Like videos uploaded as File resources in LEO, these can also be modified by Students and re-shared through social media and other sites.
Video playback

Playback of Kaltura videos adapt to each student's internet speed.

This means the experience in viewing videos is similar to viewing YouTube videos.

Videos uploaded as File resources in LEO need to be downloaded completely before they can be viewed.

This is a big problem for large videos, especially when students are viewing them through slow internet connections.

Playback of YouTube videos adapt to each Student's internet speed.
Publishing to multiple units

You can embed your Kaltura videos into any and all of your LEO units.

shared media

If you upload your videos as File resources in LEO, you will need to duplicate this work across each of your units.

This becomes particularly frustrating if you need to update your videos across all of those LEO units.

Your YouTube videos may be linked or embedded in any and all of your LEO units.
Collaboration tools

You can add colleagues as collaborators (i.e., they can edit) to each of your Kaltura videos. You can also move Ownership of any of your Kaltura videos to a colleague.

These Kaltura Collaboration features are particularly useful if, for example, you need to go away on leave for an extended period of time - or if you are too busy and need help in managing or updating your videos in Kaltura.

You can assign these roles to any colleague in LEO, not just ACU staff who are enrolled within your LEO units.

Editing rights can only be shared with colleagues enrolled within the LEO unit you have uploaded the video to [as a File resource].

You cannot share video editing rights unless you share your YouTube username and password details with your ACU colleague/s.

give keys 

TIP: DO NOT share your YouTube username and password with anyone.

Streaming Kaltura media and using the tools available in My Media should work on all modern internet browsers, however for the best experience we recommend using Firefox or Chrome on your PC or Mac. One or both of these programs should already be installed on student lab computers. For home, laptop, phone or tablet use, you can download either of these programs and install on your device.

Microsoft Edge, the default browser in Windows 10, is also capable of streaming Kaltura media, as well as using the editing tools available in the My Media section of LEO. Older browsers, such as Internet Explorer, are not suitable when using Kaltura.

Safari browser on Mac and PC

If you are using the default browser Safari on Apple iOS devices, you may experience issues when attempting to stream Kaltura media or use the uploading and editing tools in My Media. This may be due to a combination of security settings in the latest versions of the software on desktop or mobile devices. If you experience issues, please follow the steps in these guides:

If it is being regularly accessed by you or your students, your Kaltura media will remain indefinitely in your My Media library and any units where it is linked to or embedded.

Media that remains unplayed by anyone for two (2) years will be automatically flagged for deletion by the Kaltura system. Please see the Kaltura Media Storage Agreement for more information.

When using Kaltura media for educational purposes it's important to be aware of the various copyright guidelines and requirements used by the university. These copyright guidelines provide general information about copyrights and responsibilities of staff to ensure compliance with the law. The copyright guidelines are especially important when using another person's video material in your teaching, or when creating your own video resource that features colleagues or students. For more information, see copyright for teachers.

Page last updated on 07/01/2021
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