Lecture Capture @ Nottingham
Where we started…
Where we are…
Where we are going…
January 2015
Ian Pearshouse
lecture-capture@nottingham.ac.uk

Where we started…
• Pilot started in 2008/9
– Capture hardware deployed into a small number of lecture
theatres
– Ad-hoc captures initiated from touch screen
– Opt-in service
• Users (academic) registered as required
• Courses/module created as required
– Moodle integration
• Captures
– 2008/9 – 107
– 2009/10 – 234

SFTP upload
R/W
DB queries
Capture Endpoints
Media Processing
Media Ingest
60Gb
Echo System Server/Web/Wowza
Management/web/delivery
ESS/SFTP
uilapech06
Database
MySQL DB
Echo360db.nottingham.ac.uk
End Users
Content Storage
(2Tb SAN)
R/W
Media Processing
uilapech10
R/W

Where we are…
• Opt-in service
– Also have services in Malaysia and China
• All staff registered by default
– ‘personal’ module created for each user
• All modules registered by default
• 300 lecture capture rooms
– 22 hardware - SCHD
– 278 software - Classroom Capture

SFTP upload
R/W
DB queries
Capture Endpoints
Media Processing
Media Processing
uilapech09
Each System: 4 x vCPU
12Gb RAM
60Gb HD plus 40Gb per
vCPU (320Gb)
Total 380Gb
Multi Gigabit NIC
Media Ingest
320Gb
R/W
Delivery
Web server
uilapech08
Wowza Streaming Server
uilapech07
4 x vCPU
8Gb RAM
100Gb HD
Multi Gigabit NIC
4 x vCPU
8Gb RAM
100Gb HD
Multi Gigabit NIC
Echo System Server
Management
ESS/SFTP
uilapech06
8 x vCPU
12Gb RAM
80Gb HD
Multi Gigabit NIC
Database
MySQL DB
Echo360db.nottingham.ac.uk
End Users
R only
R only
Content Storage
(8-10Tb SAN)
R/W
Media Processing
uilapech10
R/W

Where we are…
• All captures started from PC interface
• Approx 200 events being captured per week
• Peak views in one week – 12,632
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
107 234
597
1038
1305
2850 3000
Captures

Other developments
• Live stream
• Student feedback Video Diary Booth

Where we are going…
• Project to investigate a step change in scale
– ‘All’ lectures captured by default globally
• Still 300+ rooms (UK)
• Potentially 4000 events per week (UK)
• Peak capture rate 300Mbps
• Peak viewing 4.5Gbps
• 120Tb storage per active year
– 90Tb for each previous year retained

SFTP upload
R/W
DB queries
Capture Endpoints
Media Processing
Media
Processing
8 x vCPU
12Gb RAM
60Gb HD plus 40Gb
per vCPU (320Gb)
Total 380Gb
Multi Gigabit NIC
Media Ingest
1.3Tb R/W
Delivery
Web
Wowza
Streaming
4 x vCPU
8Gb RAM
100Gb HD
Multi Gigabit NIC
4 x vCPU
8Gb RAM
100Gb HD
Multi Gigabit NIC
Echo System Server
Management
ESS 8 x vCPU
12Gb RAM
80Gb HD
Multi Gigabit NIC
Database
MySQL DB
Echo360db.nottingham.ac.uk
End Users
R only
R only
Content Storage
(120Tb SAN)
SFTP
R/W
Vmware
FT
Media
Processing
Media
Processing
Media
Processing
Web
Wowza
Streaming
ESS

Why are we going there?

SU survey
• May 2014
• Figures are ‘rounded’…
– Any mistakes are purely down to me
• 1400 respondents
• 600 of which currently use lecture capture

SU Survey results
• 80% use as an aid to study
• 70% use as an aid to revision within 1 month
of recording
• 88% use as a revision aid at exam time
• 13% less likely to attend a lecture
• 70% hampered by lack of lecture captures
• 90% see lecture capture as a benefit

Opposing views
• Student responses
– This is critical for my education, I rely on the
recordings for revision / making notes /clarifying
material
• Language, speed of delivery
– Why should they be recorded, just because the
lazy #@#@ can’t be bothered to go to the lectures
in the first place

Opposing views – academic staff
• Capturing Content
– I don’t want any of my lectures captured…
– I’m happy for all of my lectures to be captured…
• Creating the capture
– I want to be able to start and stop the capture
when ‘I’ want
– I want it to just happen, I’ll look at it after and
decide if I release it or not

Opposing views…
• Data retention
– The content has to be available for the duration of
the program – 3,4,5 years…
– I want the content deleted after 12/18 months
• Video of lecturer (preferred by students)
– I’m happy to be captured on video, I think it adds
something to the presentation
– I see no value in capturing video of myself.

Future investigations
• Cloud based solution
• Automation
– Scheduled captures – requires good TT data
• Accessibility
– Sub-titling / closed-capture
– Camera angles – for lip-reading
– Audio-description of demos etc.
• Mirrored video storage/delivery

Comments and questions