Video Recording Options @ Purdue [ See also: Digitizing Analog Video ]

From time to time the EdIT team receives an inquiry about video recording services.  The Education IT team does not provide on-site video recording services to faculty and staff.  However, video recording services do exist @ Purdue and we’ll list some options below for general reference. If you need video recording services for a high profile College of Education event, please consult (in advance of the event) with Tonya Agnew, our director of communications. Tonya is the definitive source of information for the College of Education about communications resources @ Purdue.

ITaP Video & Multimedia Production Services - http://www.itap.purdue.edu/communications/video/

ITaP provides high quality video recording services called “Video & Multimedia Production Services”.  At minimal cost, they can provide a videographer to record a class or event and then they can help you place the video on an ITaP streaming video server (providing you with a “web link” where computers on the Internet can access the video).  Education IT recommends this service for recording most classroom and general events.  Please see this PDF document for pricing.  [Pricing in this PDF document is for general reference only and is subject to change, please contact ITaP directly for current pricing.]

How can I request a classroom or lecture to be recorded or videotaped by ITaP?

https://www.purdue.edu/goldanswers/app/portlets/results/viewsolution.jsp?solutionid=040967644925291

How do I set up a class/lecture to be video recorded and available for viewing on the internet?

https://www.purdue.edu/goldanswers/app/portlets/results/viewsolution.jsp?solutionid=040967644925480

ITaP Video Services Request Form (.DOC)

Instructional Development Center (IDC) - Multimedia Services for Purdue Instructors

The Instructional Development Center (IDC) provides consulting services to Purdue faculty for multimedia instructional technologies including video editing projects and technologies.  The IDC specializes in multi-media instructional technologies including video and they also oversee Blackboard training and can help you integrate video in your Blackboard course site.

The IDC web site can be found here:
http://www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/idc

IDC Consulting Services:

http://www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/idc/consulting.cfm

Digital Learning Collaboratory (DLC)

The Digital Learning Collaboratory works with instructors as well as students to help "enhance course curriculum" using digital media.  Instructors who need to create and/or deliver streaming video to students should check here for streaming media server resources.  If you've recorded video on a camcorder, the DLC can help you convert the video to streaming format and host it on one of their servers.

The Digital Learning Collaboratory web site can be found here:
http://www.dlc.purdue.edu

DLC Contact Info:

http://www.dlc.purdue.edu/contact.cfm

Hall of Music Video / Multimedia Production Services

The Hall of Music provides professional “Video / Multimedia Production Services”.  They work on a case by case basis and will initiate an estimate for services if you contact them.  The Hall of Music may be more expensive than ITaP video services.  To initiate Hall of Music services, contact: Bobby Chastain (fxbob@purdue.edu, 765-494-0431)

Self-Service Video Recording

Video recording equipment can be checked out of the TRC. This option is for those who wish to record an event themselves. An easy way to do this is to check out a digital flash memory camera from the TRC. These cameras record in a format that requires some post-processing to make the recording downloadable via the web. The quality of the video from a digital flash camcorder is "fair" but the sound is usually "good".   A "Flip" video camcorder (available in the TRC) can record about one hour of video/audio using one GB of disk space per hour.

Digital flash memory cameras are easy to use:

(1) Just press the record button to start/stop recording video.

(2) Once the video is recorded, it must be imported into a video editing program (such as Windows Movie Maker provided with Windows) and converted to a compressed streaming web format such as WMV format.  WMV stands for “Windows Media Video” and is a format that most computers can view, including both Mac and PC.

(3) Once converted to WMV or some other widely used format, the video file must be placed on a web server for download (or burned to CD or copied to a portable drive).  If the video contains sensitive or restricted content, it must be protected with access controls to prevent unauthorized access.

Here is more information about post-processing videos from our TaskStream FAQ site:

http://www.education.purdue.edu/edit/taskstream/#video

Here are Windows Movie Maker cookbook instructions:

http://www.education.purdue.edu/edit/taskstream/WindowsMM.htm

Self-service video recording is not a recommended option for those who need (a) high quality video/audio, (b) 3rd party assistance, or (c) for those who do not know how to use video editing software such as Windows Movie Maker, Vegas Video or iMovie. 

Some Additional Considerations

If you decide to record digital videos yourself, there are a couple of things to consider:

(1) Post-processing the videos

With almost all digital video, you'll need to use a video editing program to render videos into a streaming video format (such as .WMV files) for the web. A 60 minute RAW unprocessed video from a Flip camcorder will use about 1 gigabyte (1000 MB) of disk space. RAW unprocessed video is too large for the web, so post-processing will be needed to compress the video files for web upload/download.  This will involve some extra time and knowledge of video editing. Here is a web page that gives an overview of this process within Windows XP using Windows Movie Maker:

Windows Movie Maker cookbook instructions
http://www.education.purdue.edu/edit/taskstream/WindowsMM.htm

(2) Securing them on a web site

If video includes students or other protected subjects, the video will likely need to be secured so unauthorized users cannot gain access to the videos via the web. Each video file will need to have access controls so only specific people can access specific videos.

If you are an instructor and need help, consult with the Instructional Development Center (IDC) or the Digital Learning Collaboratory (DLC) for assistance:

Instructional Development Center (IDC)
http://www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/idc

Digital Learning Collaboratory (DLC):
http://www.dlc.purdue.edu

If self-service video recording does not meet your needs, the previous options are recommended.

--The Education Office of Information Technology, edit@purdue.edu

[ See also: Digitizing Analog Video ]