How Do I Create a VideoCast?

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Who do I contact to set up a VideoCast?

In order to set up your own VideoCast, you need to contact CIT for streaming services and ORS for camera work and room support.

CIT - Contact CIT Video Services (301-594-8433) for streaming and Podcast services. Please try to contact us at least two weeks in advance of the VideoCast.

ORS - Contact NIH Events Management (301-496-4700) for an estimate and work order number so they can provide room support and send CIT live video and captioning for the VideoCast.

What will CIT want me to tell them?

• Title
• Description (less than 4,000 characters) and a link to your web page
• Speaker's name, title, organization or sponsor
• Date(s), start time and end time
• Location
• World accessible, NIH-only or HHS-only
• Podcast?
• Live or archive only?
• Live Event Feedback Form?
• Additional servers needed for large-scale (more than 200 connections expected) webcast?

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) would like CIT to get better abstracts (descriptions) for the events that we VideoCast. NLM is collecting and cataloging most of the presentations distributed through the NIH VideoCasting site. A well-written abstract benefits researchers, as well as NLM acquisitions and cataloging staff, making your event easier to find on the CIT website and through the NLM library catalogs. Please help us by providing a short, descriptive, 2 to 3 sentence abstract of your program. The abstract can not be more than 4,000 text characters. For clarity, please use correct spelling and full forms of names and words rather than abbreviations. You should submit the abstract with your VideoCasting request.

Can I use CIT's Web Collaboration services for my event? Will that cost less than VideoCasting?

Sometimes it costs less to run a Connect session and record. Contact CIT's Web Collaboration Team for a demonstration and cost estimate.

Can I request a Podcast?

CIT can make your event available for download so viewers can access content whenever they want from portable media players. The service includes video and audio files, an RSS feed for programs such as iTunes, a Podcast web portal directly linked to the NIH VideoCast page and a link to USA.gov Podcasting.  CIT offers enhanced Podcasting. We can create video files with chapter markers and hyperlinks or video files with still images at a higher resolution in place of the video along with hyperlinks. Enhanced audio Podcasts have still images at a smaller resolution with hyperlinks.  For more information, go the Podcast FAQ. CIT's standard Podcast fee is $90 per hour.

Is there a fee to have my event VideoCast?

CIT's fee for live VideoCast encoding and archiving is $210 per hour. If you want to add video and audio Podcast files, the fee is $90 per hour. Please make your requests directly to CIT Video Services. Please provide an NIH CAN number for payment along with a title, description, link to your web page, speaker's name, title, organization, sponsor, date, start time, end time, location, live or archive-only, additional servers needed for large-scale webcast (more than 200 connections expected), NIH only, HHS only or world accessible so it can be added to the VideoCast upcoming events page.

There may be additional outside fees from NIH Events Management (service provided by ORS) The rate sheet for  multimedia services; such as camera work and captioning for Section 508 is at http://dems.ors.od.nih.gov. Please contact ORS at 301-496-4700 for an estimate and work order number so they can send CIT live video and captioning for the VideoCast.

Can CIT enhance my presentation with hyperlinks and caption correction under the video window?

CIT can customize your on-demand video with links to your web page and place caption text under the video window. Caption correction service allows you to edit the transcript text and CIT will correct any errors without having to replace the video file.

Sample Enhanced Video

Can viewers send comments during a live VideoCast?

CIT has developed a live event feedback form that can forward requests to a specified email address. Messages can be retrieved in real time at your event with your notebook or wireless handheld.

Sample Live Event Feedback Form

I'm using slides. Will they show up clearly on the VideoCast?

Slides can be very hard to read on a VideoCast screen. Some ways of alleviating the problem are to:

• Set your font as large as possible.
• Use 24pt type or larger for bulleted items and any additional text on the slide, with 30pt type or larger for headings.
• Have plenty of white space between groupings of text.
• Avoid more than three bulleted items on a single slide.
• Make graphics as large as possible, but try to keep your slides uncluttered.

For other ideas for making your slides more readable, contact CIT Video Services.

Can I VideoCast from my conference room or a hotel?

CIT can VideoCast your event from your conference room. You can connect your existing video conference equipment over ISDN or IP. Multiple far sites can join the VideoCast via the DHHS Video Bridge.

Video from a conference room

CIT can VideoCast your event from a hotel or off-site location with our mobile encoder.

Video from a hotel

Please contact CIT Video Services for more information.

Can I synchronize live video to PowerPoint web images?

CIT has a system that synchronizes live video or audio-only to PowerPoint web images and moves the captioning to a separate window.

Video with synchronized PowerPoint slides

Audio-only with synchronized PowerPoint slides

Can I have a tape or DVD added to the VideoCast archive?

Yes. Contact CIT Video Services to see about having your tape or DVD added to the archive.

I need to give a presentation. Are there self-help VideoCasts?

Yes - please review Help! I Have to Give a Presentation!! from the NIH Work Life Center and Creating a Memorable Speech (HHS Only) from the GMAC Subcommittee on Training.

Can CIT host Windows, QuickTime or Flash videos?

If you plan to have a live VideoCast, CIT's current streaming architecture uses RealNetworks technology. If you want CIT to convert your video to other formats or if you already have streaming files you want hosted, contact CIT Video Services to discuss your needs.

Do I need captions?

VideoCasts require captions for Section 508 compliance. For more information, visit http://508.hhs.gov/508_policy.htm#1211SubpartBTechnicalStandards

§ 1194.24 Video and multimedia products.

All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless of format, that contain speech or other audio information necessary for the comprehension of the content, shall be open or closed captioned.

Can I get statistics for my VideoCast?

If you need to know how many connections your VideoCast had, please contact CIT Video Services. You can request standard or advanced statistics. Standard stats are numbers for live and archived video. Advanced stats include a RealServer log report in Adobe Acrobat format with time stamps, IP addresses, bytes sent, total for ISP, total for country, grand total bytes sent and total requests.

Can I put video links on my web page so each speaker has a link to the portion of the video that they appear in?

Web authors can add syntax to the video URL with start/stop times. A good example of this is at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/sars_meeting.htm. Each speaker has a link to the portion of the video that they appear in. The link is made to the .ram file, which is a small text file that sets the start and stop times for each presenter. "00:00:00:00" = "day:hour:minute:second"

rtsp://servername.nih.gov/filename.rm?start="00:00:00:00"&end="00:00:00:00"

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National Institutes of Health
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