Panopto has now been used at the University of Sussex for a few years and hopefully you’re familiar with the basic Panopto application which you download and run in order to record.
Panopto Capture (referred to as Capture from this point on) is a new web-based version of the Panopto application. This means you can easily record audio, video, and entire screens or application windows from within your browser, no downloading or running of applications required. Once a recording has been created using Capture it can be edited, modified and managed in the same way as a recording created using the Panopto application.
Differences
Capture has slightly reduced functionality compared to the Panopto application. One of the biggest differences is that on Capture you cannot directly load up Powerpoint slides to be captured as their own stream, rather you have to select the PowerPoint application screen or window to ensure they are recorded on Capture. You also cannot pause a recording using Capture, instead being limited to starting and stopping a recording (although you can edit out parts of a recording later using the Panopto edit functionality). For a full list and comparison of the features of Capture compared to the Panopto application please see Panopto Learn about Panopto Recorders
There are some requirements that you will need to meet in order to use Capture. It requires the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browsers on Windows 10, MacOS 10.15 or higher, or the latest ChromeOS. There is currently no support for the Safari Browser.
When should you use Panopto Capture?
There are a number of reasons why you may wish to consider using Capture over the standard Panopto application. One reason is the ease of use, it takes far less clicks to get Capture running and recording and it has less features then the Panopto application to worry about, so if you just want to quickly record then it can be a faster and easier option. It may also be useful if you find yourself needing to record on a device on which you can’t install the full Panopto application, as Capture only runs within a browser window this makes it more accessible on a greater number of devices. You probably wouldn’t want to use Capture if you were recording a lecture with slides as it lacks the ability to create a separate stream for PowerPoint slides.
If you are asking your students to record using Panopto then the ease of use of Capture may mean it works better as a solution. It will likely take a shorter time to teach students how to record using Capture then it will using the full Panopto application and it means students do not need to download and install an application.
How do you use Panopto Capture?
To start up Capture you’ll want to go to a Panopto Folder within your Canvas site in the usual manner, then when you click the Create button to bring up the dropdown menu, rather then selecting Panopto for Windows/Mac select the Panopto Capture option to launch Panopto Capture within a new browser tab or window.
From there follow Panopto’s own guidance How to create a video using Panopto Capture.
Also please be aware there is currently an issue that can prevent Mac (Catalina) users from successfully capturing Powerpoint when using Panopto Capture, this can be fixed by following the instructions in Why isn’t my screen being recorded on Mac when using Capture?
Resources and further help
Here are some useful resources. For further help with Panopto Capture please contact TEL at TEL@sussex.ac.uk
