kollective webcaster 9.17 user guide - wordpress.com · 2018-07-23 · kollective webcaster 9.17...

Kollective Webcaster 9.17 User GuideLast published on:06/21/2018

1Copyright© 2018 Kollective Technology, Inc. All rights reserved

Table of Contents

• Getting Started• Requirements• Working with folders• Calendar• Viewer Help FAQs• Profile• Creating Live Events• Creating a new event• About the Live Event Editor• Information tab• Schedule tab• Assets tab• Polls• Questions• People and Access tab• Streams tab • Options tab• Encoder Configuration• Supported Encoders• Codecs• Bit Rate• Audio• Aspect ratio• Firewalls and network connectivity• Managing a Live Webcast• About the Live Event Manager (LEM)• Encoder endpoints • Authenticated encoding• Recording• Slides tab• Polls tab• Questions tab• Survey tab• Logs tab• Chat• Presenter• Watch Live Broadcast• Current Slide• Viewer Questions• Join with Video• Archiver• Adding slides• Setting start and end points with mark in/mark out• Previewing the archive• Publishing the archive to Kollective• Analytics

Getting StartedBefore you begin, you should already have a Kollective Webcaster account. Contact Kollective Support to obtain account credentials and your Webcaster URL.

Kollective Webcaster 9.17 User Guide


RequirementsOn all computers and devices, browser cookies must be enabled.

Kollective SD ECDN Agent Computers using the Kollective Agent must have agent version 9.3 or higher.Windows systems Windows 7, 8.1, 10.

Adobe Flash Player version 25 or higher

One of these browsers:

• Internet Explorer 11, 10, 9 (10 and 9 supported for event viewership only)• Microsoft Edge (latest version)• Google Chrome (latest version)• Mozilla Firefox (latest version)

MacOS X systems MacOS 10.12, 10.13.Adobe Flash Player version 25 or higher

One of these browsers:

• Google Chrome (latest version)• Mozilla Firefox (latest version)• Safari 10, 11.

iPhone, iPad and iPad Mini iOS 9, 10, 11.Current version of Safari

Video only; slides are not supported.

Android devices Google Pixel (Android 7 or higher) with current version of ChromeSamsung Galaxy S4 phone (Android 4.4 or higher) with current version of Chrome

Dell Windows Tablet (Windows 8.1) with Internet Explorer 11

Video only; slides are not supported.

Working with foldersBefore you start creating live webcasts, you must first create a folder. Folders are containers that help you organize live events. Folders can contain other folders, and you can have as many levels of folders as you want.

Folders appear on the Live Events page. This is the default page that appears when you log in to Webcaster. To get to the Live Events page from another page, click Live on the left corner of the bar across the top of the page.

Creating foldersWhen you first begin, you won't have any folders.

To create a new folder, click the New Folder button on the top left of the page.

Enter a name and click Create.

Once the folder has been created, you will see a new root-level folder on the left titled "All Events." Expand this folder by clicking the arrow icon to the left of the All Events folder.

When you select a folder, a list of events within that folder appears on the right.

Renaming foldersTo rename a folder, right-click the folder and select Rename from the menu.

Deleting foldersTo delete a folder, first delete any events or sub-folders, then right-click the folder and select Delete from the menu.



Organizing foldersTo organize your folders, use drag-and-drop to reorder them or move one folder under another.

Working with the event listWhen you select a folder, the events it contains are listed on the right.

Display QuickView for an event

Click the box to the left of the event. QuickView displays on the right, showing useful items including buttons to edit and start the event, and event-related links.

To move an event to another folder

Drag its grip icon folder to the destination folder.

To clone an event Click the box to select it, then click Clone.

Cloning an event makes a copy of the event, including its metadata, selected assets, and selected options, so you can define a similar event. Questions submitted during the event are not copied to the clone. The cloned event is assigned to the same folder as the original event.

To delete an event Click the box to select one or more events, then click Delete.

CalendarThe Calendar provides links to all events in a calendar format. Each event appears on the day in which it is scheduled to occur.

To display the Calendar page, hover the cursor over bar across the top of the page then choose Calendar from the menu that appears. Click any event name to go to the Live Event Editor for that event.

Viewer Help FAQsTo display the Viewer Help FAQs page, hover the cursor over bar across the top of the page then choose Viewer Help FAQs from the menu that appears.

To add a new topic, click Create FAQ Topic. An editor appears where you can type contents of your topic. When finished editing the topic, click Create.

The topics you create become available for viewers of all your events; they are not specific to a single event.

Viewers of the event can consult your topics by clicking the Get Help link at the bottom of the viewer page.

To disable the FAQ function globally, contact Kollective Support.



Profile

To view or modify your personal profile information, click the profile icon on the top right corner of the page. Profile information includes your name, email address, title, and company.

Creating Live EventsThis chapter describes how to create and define Webcaster live event items using the Live Event Editor.

Creating a new eventTo create a new live event:

1. Select the folder that will contain the event.2. Click the New Event button.3. Enter basic information about the event. You can edit these values later if needed.4. Click one of these buttons:

• Create+Edit to create the event and go to the event editor to provide more details about the event.• Create+Go Live to create the event and go directly to the event manager. You may choose this if your encoder is already set up

and you want to test the stream.See Managing a Live Webcast to continue.

About the Live Event EditorThe Live Event Editor lets you configure all the details of your event. Click each of the tabs across the top of the page to specify the event details.

As you modify settings, click the Save Event button on the left side of the page to save your changes.

LinksThe left side of the page also provides links to other Webcaster modules for the current event. You can click the link to go to the module, or click the Copy button next to the link to copy the module’s URL to the clipboard for pasting.

Live Event Page The webcast interface for viewers. This is the URL to distribute to attendees prior to the event.Live Event Manager (LEM)

Producers and other team members manage the live event from the Live Event Manager. Distribute this URL to your team that will be managing the webcast with you.

See Managing a Live Webcast for details on the Live Event Manager.

Presenter Module This module allows presenters to see the slide that all participants are currently seeing in real time. It also allows presenters to see questions that are specifically assigned to them to answer.

Analytics Analyze the performance of your event. Get submitted questions, registrants, polls, and more.Archive Page After the event, the archive is available on this page. The link shows an "unavailable" page until the live webcast has completed and

you have set the Status (under the Schedule tab) to "Archived."Archiver After the event, use the Archiver to make final edits to the archive before releasing it.

Information tabThese settings are available on the Information tab of the Live Event Editor.

Event ID A unique identifier for the event.Title The title of the event. This identifies the event wherever it is listed.

Cloning an event Instead of creating a new event from scratch, you can copy an existing event and its settings to create a similar one. See “To clone an event” under Working with the event list for more information.



Subtitle Use this field to break up very long titles.

DescriptionA description of the event.Tags Tags provide a way to help categorize and locate events, especially when you have many events in the system. A tag may contain spaces but

no commas.To add a tag, begin typing in the Tags field. Press Enter, or type a comma, to complete the tag.

Location The location where the event will be held.

Schedule tabThe default Status of the event is set to Upcoming. The status is modified automatically but you can also change it manually. For example, when a live webcast finishes, the status changes to Ready to Publish. When you are ready to release your archive for on-demand access, complete it using the Archiver, then confirm that the status is set to Archived.

Live Status Upcoming Postponed

Proposed

Ready to Publish

Unavailable

Archived

Live

Event Date The date the event will begin. Set it to a future date.Start Time The time when the event will begin.End Time The time when the event is expected to end.Timezone The timezone where the event will take place. Set it here if the zone differs from your default time zone.

Assets tabThe Assets tab allows you to manage presentation slides and other files, and create polls, questions, and surveys. Any assets that you upload directly into the live event are also stored for future use and become available under the Assets tab for other events.

Presentation SlidesWebcaster supports PPT, PPTX, and PDF formats for presentations. If you are using Apple Keynote or online presentation tools such as Prezi, export your presentation to PDF format before uploading to Webcaster

To select a previously loaded file, click the Select from Assets link.

To upload a new presentation, click the Upload link in the Presentation Slides panel. In the Upload Presentation window:

• Click one of the radio buttons to select the aspect ratio. It must match the aspect ratio of the slides.• Click Select File(s) and select a file to upload.

When the file finishes uploading, the slides begin the conversion process in the background. You can perform other tasks while this is happening. When the conversion process is done, the presentation is listed in the panel.

To preview the slides, click the preview link. Once a file is uploaded, it becomes an asset that can be used in other events.

Asset file types Webcaster supports the following file types for upload as assets: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, jpg, jpeg, png, gif, wav, wma, mp3, m4a, aiff, wrf, arf, zip.

Aspect Ratio When uploading a presentation, you select the aspect ratio for the slides, and the presentation must match the aspect ratio you specify. If you have more than one set of slides, each can have a different aspect ratio (the viewer adjusts the display to accommodate the current slide’s dimensions) as long as it matches what you specified for that set of slides.



Downloadable FilesIf you are offering a presentation as a downloadable file, it is a good idea to convert it to a PDF. These files are also made available to participants prior to the event start, in the Event Details section of the event lobby.

Downloadable files follow the same process as presentation slides for selecting from assets or uploading.

ThumbnailThe thumbnail is a small image, most often a company's logo, that appears next to the event title. Thumbnails follow the same process as presentation slides for selecting from assets or uploading.

Video InsertsUsers who are producers can upload prerecorded video files and use them as sources to play during a live webcast. This is useful if you have short video clips that you want your audience to see, such as advertisements or marketing videos, as supplementary material for your live video feed.

Using video inserts is recommended only for events where all attendees are viewing remotely. For events with a live audience, it is recommended that switching to insert the video be done at the encoder level where the event is physically located.

To upload a new video click Upload in the Video Inserts panel, or click Select from Assets to pick a previously-uploaded video. During the event, producers can insert the video from the Live Event Manager’s Broadcast tab. See Selecting sources.

Encoding SpecificationsThe encoding specifications for the primary live source and any video inserts should match as much as possible. For instance, if your encoder is using stereo, a sample rate of 44100Hz, and a bit rate of 128kbps using AAC codec, all video inserts should also use these settings.

Some of the settings must match the primary source exactly while others can be similar without matching.

Video codec Must be H.264.Video frame rate Must match the primary source.Video bitrate Can differ slightly but should match the primary source as closely as possible. Bit rate differences may be handled by the player during

the event but can cause errors during transcoding of the recorded archive.Video dimensions

Can differ but the aspect ratio must match the primary source. For example, if your primary source has an aspect ratio of 16x9, your video may have dimensions of 480x270 or 640x360 which corresponds to 16x9.

Audio codec Must be AAC.Audio channel Must match the primary source (mono or stereo).Audio sample rate

Should match the primary source for best quality. A value of 44100Hz is recommended.

Audio bitrate Can differ slightly but should match the primary source as closely as possible. Like the video bit rate, audio bit rate differences may be handled by the player during the event but can cause errors during transcoding of the recorded archive.

PollsYou can create polls and stage questions before an event begins. You can also create these on the day of the event using the Live Event Manager.

To create a new poll, click the Create New link in the Polls panel of the Assets tab. Enter the following information for the poll:

Type You can pick from a variety of poll types including drop down boxes, checkboxes, and text areas. The most common and most measurable method is the Radio Button.

Prefix For radio buttons and check boxes, the prefix appears in front of each possible answer.Question

The question you want the viewers to answer.

Answers

For radio buttons, check boxes, and drop down boxes, list the possible answers. Click Add or Remove to add new answers or remove them.

No Video Inserts with ABR The Video Inserts option is not available for events where the Estimated Bit rate is configured for Adaptive (ABR).



When you are done, click the Create button. Your newly created poll appears in the Polls panel. To edit the poll, simply click the editlink.

To re-use an existing poll to receive new responses, click Use Existing Poll. The original poll question(s) are displayed in a pop-up window. Click on the question to select it. The pop-up window closes and the question is displayed under the Polls section. Click Clonenext to the question in the event editor to create a new poll from this question.

QuestionsTo enable questions before, during, or after the event, check the Before, During or After boxes in the Questions panel. Checking a box causes a question field to appear in the Waiting Room or Archive of the webcast.

Stage a QuestionYou can stage questions ahead of time to inspire answers and conversation during a webcast. Click the Stage a Question button in the Questions panel and enter your question. After you save, your new question appears in the Questions panel.

SurveyA survey is a collection of poll questions that you can reuse across multiple webcast events. Surveys provide a way to retrieve direct feedback from event viewers. Surveys are generally pushed to webcast viewers near the end of a webcast event. You can also link to external surveys that you have built using another tool.

Create a survey

To create a survey, click Create New in the Survey panel of the Assets tab.

Enter a title for your survey; your audience will not see this title.

Click Add Question to add your first survey question. Then follow the same process as Polls for adding questions and possible answers.

When you are done adding questions, click Create Survey to save and assign the survey to your event. This survey can be reused across other webcast events.

Link to external survey

You can incorporate a survey that you created using a third-party or external tool. To use an external survey, click Link to External Survey. Enter the URL of the survey and click Create.

Use existing survey

To reuse an existing survey, click Select a Survey and select it from the list.

Delete a survey

To delete a survey, click Select a Survey, then locate the survey in the list and click the X icon next to the survey title.

Broadcast MessagesTo create a new message, click Create New in the Broadcast Messages panel of the Assets tab. Enter your message, then click Create.

To reuse a message that was previously created, click Use Existing Message, then select one from the list that appears.

The messages appear in a panel on the Broadcast tab in the Live Event Manager where you can select and broadcast them to the participants.



People and Access tabThe People and Access tab lets you assign the team members who will manage the event, designate panelists, and configure the access control for event viewers.

Adding event managers (personnel)Personnel are your team members that will manage the live event. You can assign each member a unique role. A webcast can have multiple persons managing different aspects of the event within the Live Event Manager. For example, one person may be responsible solely for moderating questions, while another person pushes polls and poll results. Delegating and splitting out roles helps ensure webcast success, especially if the webcast is high profile, or has many audience members.

To add members:

1. Click the Add Personnel button on the People and Access tab. A list of available people appears.2. To search for individuals, start typing a name in the search box. Click on the person(s) that you want to add, then click the Add

People button. The selected people appear on the People and Access tab.3. Assign roles by selecting from the list below each person.

If you have a Producer account, you automatically have access to all of these roles by default. These role types get assigned to users who have Personnel accounts.

Poll Moderator Access only to the Polls tab in the Live Event Manager.Producer Assigned only to the Lead Producer of the event.

Question Moderator Access only to the Questions tab. Can display reply to questions, and categorize questions.Question Screener Access only to the Questions tab. Report Analyst Access only to the Analytics tab.

Technical Director Access to all areas of the Live Event Manager. This role is intended for a person who is responsible for all technical aspects of the event. This person may also be the Producer.

Technical Support Access only to the Questions tab. Can only see questions categorized as "Technical." Can reply directly to users who submit technical questions.

Assigning panelistsPanelists are the persons conducting the webcast event. Their information will be publicly visible as part of the webcast interface.

To begin, click the Add Panelists button. The Assign Panelists window appears. The window has two tabs: the Search tab lists persons already created as panelists; the Create tab lets you define a new panelist.

If you have not yet created any panelists, click the Create tab. Enter the panelist information, then click the Create button. This adds your new panelist into the Search tab. Click the persons you want to assign as panelists on the Search tab, then click Add People to assign them to the event.

Limiting access by Kontiki groupsIf your company's directory service is integrated with Kollective, your user groups become available in Webcaster. Your users can authenticate and obtain access to the webcast based on the groups to which they belong.

To limit access to your webcast by Kollective group, select the Private option next to Access. A list of available groups appears. Select the one(s) to be granted access.

When you assign groups, the Live and Archive interfaces redirect users to a login screen where they must successfully authenticate to gain access to the webcast.

If a user successfully logs in and is a member of one or more of the groups, the user is granted access to the event. Their first name, last name, and e-mail address are captured and used when asking questions, answering polls, and for viewership reporting.

If a user successfully logs in but is not a member of any of the groups that you assigned for the event, the user is redirected to an "Access Denied" page.



Enabling password protection for public eventsIf you select Public for Access, you can protect your event with a password by checking the next Password Protection box. A field appears where you can enter your own password, or have Webcaster generate one for you by clicking Generate. With password protection enabled, audience members are prompted to enter the password to gain access to the event.

Click the Save Event button to save your changes.

Enabling Presenter ViewThe Presenter module is a standalone web interface specifically designed for presenters and panelists of a webcast event. This interface shows the current slide in real-time with no delay so that presenters know exactly what their audience is seeing at any given moment.

Presenter displays all questions that have been categorized as "for presenters." This allows presenters to see only the questions that have been assigned to them by the Producer or Q&A Moderator.

To enable Presenter:

1. Check the Enable Presenter View box. You can enter your own password or have Webcaster generate one for you by clicking Generate.

2. Click the Save Event button to save your changes.3. Copy the URL of Presenter View to your clipboard for distribution by clicking the Copy link next to Live Presenter View in the list

of links on the left of the Live Event Editor.

For complete details on using the Presenter module, including joining an event with video and controlling slides, see Presenter.

Streams tab A stream destination is selected automatically when you create a new live event. Some encoders, such as Adobe Live Media Encoder and Telestream Wirecast, support authenticated streams. You can set up a secure stream destination on the Streams tab.

To send an authenticated live stream to the stream destination, you must enter a username and password. To enable authenticated streaming, select Kontiki Secure as the Stream Destination.

Stream DestinationYou select a destination to send the encoded stream by choosing from the Stream Destination list. After changing the setting, click the Assign Live Source button.

Here are some of the basic stream destinations. Others may also be defined for your company.

Kontiki This sends an unauthenticated RTMP stream to the standard Kontiki destination through port 1935.Kontiki Secure

This sends an authenticated stream that can be accessed using the credentials defined by Publish User and Publish Password.

NOTES:

• If you select this destination when creating an event using Adaptive Bit Rate, the stream does not appear in the Wowza Live Stream Record.

• Webcams and A/V sources cannot be added as a live source when using this stream destination.

Kontiki RTMPS

This sends an encrypted stream that can be accessed without providing a username/password. Ensure that your encoder supports RTMPS.

Estimated BitrateFor streams that are configured for just one bit rate, select Single. The bit rate is set to 800kbps by default. The bit rate specified in the encoder should not exceed this rate.

For streams that are configured for more than one bit rate, select Adaptive and enter each bit rate along with its display resolution. The display resolution (such as 640x360) must be the same for each stream.

With adaptive bit rate (ABR) streaming, you configure a live broadcast with multiple streams at different bit rates. Each agent initially receives the bit rate that is most appropriate for its currently available bandwidth. The agent constantly monitors the stream for any delays, such as higher than normal latency or packet loss. If a stream is delayed for too long, the agent switches to a lower bit rate if one



is available. If no delays occur for a while, the agent switches back to a higher bit rate if one is available. This enables optimal utilization of available bandwidth while ensuring the best viewing experience by the user.

Observe these guidelines when setting up a live broadcast for adaptive bit rate streaming:

• From the encoder, send only RTMP streams.• All streams must include video and meet the following criteria:

• Aligned key frames• Identical dimensions• Low key frame interval (~2 sec)• 200kbps difference between streams

• Switching between bit rates occurs at video key frames; having the video key frames at the same point allows for seamless switching.

• ABR events require viewers to have a Kollective agent installed. For viewers who do not have a Kollective agent installed, the lowest bit rate stream is used.

• ABR events are single source and do not allow presenters to join with video or to control slides.

Recording MethodSelect the stream to record during the event. If you select External Encoder, it will record your External Encoder only during the live event. Video Inserts and Webcam sources will not be included in the recording.

Recording OptionsCheck the box to Enable Recording on Secondary Stream Destination.

Options tabThe following items are available on the Options tab.

Total Attendance

The target number of attendees for this event.

Player Template

Select the template option that matches the position of the projector screen and speaker at the physical site of the event. The Immersion Right 16x9 template places the video on the right and the slides on the left. If the presenter is on the right and projector screen is on the left, choose this template.

Registration Required

Check this option to require participants to register to access the event. A registration form appears when participants launch the webcast for the first time. You can select the registration form you want to use.

You can also configure a callback script to run whenever a user submits a registration form. This is useful for integration with automated marketing systems like Eloqua and others. Specify a URL for the script and the name of the method to call.

Social Media Sharing

Check the boxes of the social media sites to enable for sharing. This allows participants to post the webcast URL to the site from within the Waiting Room and the webcast interface.

Custom Share URL

Specify a custom URL for social media sites. By default, the social media sharing feature uses the direct URL of the event. To unify your brand, you can choose to enter another URL that may point to your home page or a DNS that in turn points to this specific event.

Custom Logo You can specify a custom logo image for the event that will appear on the Waiting Room. You can upload an image from your local file system, download from a URL, or select a thumbnail image from a previously-uploaded Asset.

Custom Archive Code

You can specify some text to appear when a user accesses the archive page for the event before the archive is ready. You can include basic HTML formatting tags in the message.

Startup Mode When participants first launch the webcast, the interface begins in the startup mode you select.

Registration is intended only for public events. If you chose to make your event Private (see Limiting access by Kontiki groups), do not check the Registration Required option.

These options are disabled automatically if you choose to make your event Private.



Enable Captioning

Check to enable live captioning of the words spoken during the event. Users can view captions by clicking the button at the bottom of the viewer.

Select the radio button for Closed Captioning or Internet Captioning.

Closed Captioning makes use of embedded captioning using the CEA-608 and CEA-708 formats. Captioning devices that support these standards should be compatible, but Kollective has not tested any specific devices.

Internet Captioning is provided through integration with Caption Colorado. You need to schedule the captioning in advance through Caption Colorado’s web portal and obtain a nine-digit event ID from them. Before the event begins, check Internet Captioning on the event’s Options tab and enter the event ID.

Background Color

Specify the background color for the viewer window.

Hide Event Information

Hides the Event Info link at the bottom of the Viewer window. Clicking this link shows information about the panelists participating in the event.

Hide Menu Hides the entire menu bar at the bottom of the viewer window. This menu typically includes links for Event Info, Ask a Question, Get Help, and Display Options (for choosing between media, slides, or media+slides).

Hide Display Options

Hides the Display Options menu in the Live Event and Archiver pages.

Embed Code Generates the HTML code for embedding the live event viewer or the archive viewer within an iframe on another page. This provides an alternative to distributing the live event page or archive page URLs, by letting you integrate Webcaster viewers on pages that your users already access.

Encoder ConfigurationEncoders are software or hardware devices that take a connected video and audio signal, convert it to a digital signal, and send it to live streaming servers in real-time. You can run the encoders or have others run them remotely.

Supported EncodersWebcaster supports the following encoders.

Adobe Live Media EncoderUse version 3.2 or higher. Supports Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming.

Telestream WirecastVersion 4.1.2 or higher is required. To use Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming, version 5.0.3 or higher is required

Matrox Monarch HDSupports RTMPS stream destinations. Does not support Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming.

Teradek Cube 255Does not support Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming.

PexipThis Cloud Conferencing tool can be used as a direct RTMP encoder input. Does not support Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming.

Zoom

This Cloud Conferencing tool can be used as a direct RTMP encoder input. Does not support Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) streaming.

Connection Attempts

When a connection fails, Wirecast attempts to reconnect a certain number of times before giving up. Version 6 attempts to reconnect 3 times by default. If you experience connection issues, you may wish to increase the reconnection attempts setting.



CodecsYour encoders should be configured to encode using the following codecs:

• Video - H264• Audio - AAC

Adobe Live Media Encoder for Windows does natively support AAC but it is included in the MacOS version. MainConcept sells the AAC plug-in for Windows, available here:

http://www.mainconcept.com/aacencode4adobe

Bit RateWebcaster does not limit the bit rates you choose. The bit rate at which you encode a live stream can affect the viewing experience for the end user.In general, higher bit rates provide better quality, but they also result in larger stream sizes that require greater available bandwidth to deliver properly. If all viewers of your event will be accessing it from connections with similar bandwidths (such as a T1 connection at the office), you can encode the stream at one bit rate.However, if some of your viewers will be accessing the event from high bandwidth connections (such as T1) and others from lower speeds (such as DSL or dial-up), you should consider encoding the stream at more than one bit rate.For video, typical single bit rates can range anywhere between 300 and 800 kbps.

AudioFor "talking head" video streams where the content mostly involves one or a few people speaking at a podium or desk, setting your audio to mono is recommended. This will save on precious bandwidth. Here are audio configuration recommendations:

Content ChannelsBit Rate Sample Rate

Talking Head Mono 32 - 64 kbps 32000 - 44100

Sporting EventStereo 80 - 128 kbps32000 - 44100News Desk Mono 32 - 64 kbps 32000 - 44100

Aspect ratioWebcaster supports both 16x9 and 4x3 aspect ratios for video. Make sure that your encoder aspect ratio matches the aspect ratio of the webcast template you have chosen in the Live Event Editor. Here are typical height and width specifications for each aspect ratio.

Aspect Ratio Typical Heights x Widths16 x 9 480 x 270

640 x 360

854 x 480

960 x 540

4 x 4 320 x 240

480 x 360

512 x 384

640 x 480

If you do not use these codecs, the system will not properly record your streams on the server for archiving.



Firewalls and network connectivityYour encoders must have connectivity to the Stream Destination you chose when creating the live webcast event. If your encoders are behind a firewall, you must make sure that the proper ports and protocols are open and that the Stream Destination can be reached. Make sure that port 1935 and the RTMP protocol are open between your encoder and the Stream Destination. If your encoder cannot connect to the Stream Destination, change the RTMP protocol to RTMPT. This tunnels RTMP through port 80, which is more likely to be open on firewall configurations.

Managing a Live WebcastThis chapter describes how to manage a live webcast from the Live Event Manager.

About the Live Event Manager (LEM)On the day of the live webcast, use the Live Event Manager to push slides, manage polls, Q&A, and more. You can manage the event yourself or you can assign others to manage specific areas of the Live Event Manager.

Launch the Live Event Manager by clicking on the Live Event Manager link on the left side of the Live Event Editor.

When the Live Event Manager loads, it automatically attempts to connect to the stream destination that you selected in the Live Event Editor.

Previewing the Webcast interfaceBefore the event begins, you can launch the user interface to make sure all interactive functions are working such as slides, polls, Q&A, and the live stream.

You can also copy the Live Event Preview URL to distribute to others for testing. This is a "bypass" URL; only Producers should have access to this.

Starting the live webcastOnce you have verified that the stream is active, the connection to the stream destination is successful, and performed all other necessary tests, you can start the live webcast.

If your event is configured for single bit rate streaming (see Estimated Bitrate), you need to select the source to stream even if there is only one source available. The sources are listed on the left side.

Click Switch on to the source you want to select. See Selecting sources for details.

If your event is configured for adaptive bit rate streaming, the carousel is not displayed. The source is automatically validated.

When you’re ready to begin, click the Start Live Event button on the top right of the page.

When the live event starts, the viewer’s user interface automatically changes from the Waiting Room to the actual live webcast.

Supporting mobile audiencesAudience members who choose to participate on mobile devices are redirected to a stream-only experience.

The following mobile operating systems are supported: iOS and Android.

However, these devices must support H.264 and AAC codecs and support the encoding profile that you've chosen for your encoder.

IMPORTANT: The Live Event Manager must make a successful connection to the stream destination before performing any other task. Otherwise, slide changes, polls, and other essential functions will not work. Confirm success by examining the Logs tab. If the stream destination hosts are unreachable for any reason, an error message appears.



Support for these profiles varies across mobile devices. Be sure that your encoding settings match those of your expected mobile device audience.

Stopping the live webcastTo stop the live event, click the Stop Recording button on the left side above the carousel, stop all your encoders, and then click the Stop Live Event button.

There may be a delay on the user's interface of between 7 - 45 seconds. The user's interface automatically switches to the Exit Lobby. After stopping the event, you can choose to begin the archiving process (click Launch Archiver) or to rebroadcast the event (click Rebroadcast).

Broadcast tabThe Broadcast tab allows you to preview the live stream and the webcast user interface prior to going live. You can also access the primary and backup URLs for your encoders. You can also control server recording and the webcast interface for all participants.

In the Broadcast tab, the Primary Broadcast View and Backup Broadcast View are displayed in separate viewer windows, side by side.

Stream sourceProducers have the option to use an external encoder or a directly connected webcam as the live streaming source. By default, External Encoder is selected in the Broadcast tab.

The available broadcast sources are displayed in the carousel below. The sources are validated automatically, and the status of the Primary and Backup stream or device for that source is displayed above each in green (ready) or red (inactive).

Click the Add Source button on the right side of the carousel to load additional sources. Each source is automatically validated as it is added. See Selecting Sources for more information.

Encoder endpoints The encoder endpoints are what you will enter into your encoder to send the live stream to the streaming servers. These are listed on the right side of the Broadcast tab as the Primary Encoder URL, Backup Encoder URL and Stream Name.

Copy these into your external encoder stream configuration as follows.



In Adobe Live Media Encoder

In Telestream Wirecast

In Pexip1. Create an event in Webcaster and open the LEM. You'll need to copy the Main Encoder Primary Host URL and the stream name

for your event.2. Join the conference to be streamed.3. Once connected, click the three vertical lines menu option and select "Add a new participant".

4. Select RTMP as the prefix and enter the full path to the Webcaster Main Encoder Primary Host URL, including the stream name.Example: rtmp://lve4.qawc.kontiki.com:1935/phlive/zfm4gfvgst_a

5. The Output stream from the meeting is displayed as a participant.6. Switch back to the LEM. The meeting is displayed in the Main Encoder preview.

In Zoom1. In the Zoom Settings panel, click Enable Advanced Features and select Webinars.2. Create and Edit a webinar to be streamed. In the bottom control, click on the Live Streaming tab.



3. Enter the Webcaster information, as follows:• The Stream URL is the link provided in the Webcaster LEM for the Primary Host URL. • The Stream Key is the Stream Name.• The Live Streaming page URL is the event link used to view the webcast.

4. Start the webinar. Click the More button. Click Live on Custom Live Streaming Service.

Authenticated encodingIf you selected Kontiki Secure as the Stream Destination for your event, you are prompted to enter the username and password in order to proceed.

To configure your encoder with the recommended settings, see Encoder Configuration.

Streaming from a webcamAs an alternative to an external encoder, you can stream live from a built-in or connected webcam.

To begin, click Add Source on the right side of the Broadcast tab and choose My Webcam . You are prompted to activate your webcam; click Allow.

If you do not see your webcam video, make sure it is connected to your machine and that no other program is currently using it. Click Start Streaming to begin broadcasting your webcam. The stream is automatically validated, and the webcam is added to the list of sources.

Webcam settingsClick Webcam Settings below the player to select the quality (high, medium, low) of the webcam stream. Each quality level corresponds to preset values for several stream settings. Higher values for the settings generally yield higher quality but also require greater bandwidth to deliver.

Click Save and Apply Settings when finished.

Selecting sourcesYour media sources, and any Video Inserts you uploaded from the Live Event Editor, appear in the source list at the bottom of the Broadcast tab.

Before switching to a source, it must be active. If you are using an external encoder, you must send the live stream prior to activating the primary live stream from the playlist. If you are using a webcam source, you must enable your webcam and begin streaming before activating the primary live stream.



Source option DescriptionSwitch Selects the source to stream, which updates the source for the broadcast preview and the stream made visible to participants. It can

be the primary source or a presenter source.

Plays the video. Video inserts are set to loop from the beginning until you switch to another source.

Displays information about the stream source

Toggles the webcam stream on and off.

Displays source settings

Select a webcam or external encoder to add as a source. Available sources are:

• External Encoder• My Webcam • A/V Conference - This source supports third-party audio/video conferencing tools such as BlueJeans, Vidyo,

Zoom, Pexip, Cisco and Polycom. These sources support the use of DTMF tones via a dialpad after the call has been placed. Pexip and Zoom can also be used as direct encoder sources. See Encoder Endpoints for more details. NOTE: This source type requires the purchase of a Kollective Konnector license. Contact Kollective Support for more information.

Refreshes the list of sources. Click when presenters join or leave the event.

Alerts when the source settings are incompatible with archiving. Click the icon to view the alerts.

Working with multiple presentersWebcaster allows up to 10 remote presenters to join a webcast using the Presenter module and stream live to viewers using a webcam. The event’s lead producer controls which presenter is active by switching between sources from the Live Event Manager.

Producers... Presenters...Use the Live Event Manager (LEM).

Manage the primary live stream and all event assets (slides, polls, surveys, questions).

Can switch the live stream to a presenter’s webcam.

Can hand off control of slide switching to a presenter.

Use the Presenter module.

Need a working webcam.

Can switch slides when control is granted by a producer.

Can chat with producers and other presenters.

Can view the webcast in progress.

Cannot interact live over video with other presenters; only one presenter at a time is streamed.



RecordingWhen you start the live webcast, you are asked whether you want to begin recording. You can stop and start the recording manually by clicking the Stop Recording or Start Recording buttons. This is especially useful during a long webcast with an intermission. When re-starting recording, Webcaster appends to the existing recording for your event.

Interface controlYou can control the display that viewers of the webcast see by choosing from Video+Slides, Video only, or Slides only. This is especially useful when you decide to show a short video or want participants to focus solely on the slides.

Click Interface Control on the lower right side of the Broadcast tab, then select from the list and click the Change Display button.

If you select an interface that includes slides, you can choose to display the slides on the left or right of the video, then click Swap Position.

Broadcast MessagesIf you created broadcast messages for the event (see Broadcast Messages), click Broadcast Messages on the lower right side of the Broadcast tab to see them.

Click Broadcast next to a message to send it to all participants.

Click Unbroadcast to remove a previously-sent message.

Click Refresh to to view staged messages.

Slides tabThe slides tab lets you push and manage slides. The current slide that has been pushed to all participants appears on the right, and a preview of the next slide appears on the left.

At the bottom of the page, you can view the entire presentation by scrolling left and right through the slides. When you preview or push a slide, the list automatically scrolls and follows the progress of the event. The currently-pushed slide is marked by a yellow border. The slide that you are currently previewing is marked by a blue border.

Pushing SlidesTo push a slide, click the blue Push Slide button. This will send the slide in the preview window (on the left) to all participants. You can also push a slide by double-clicking on the desired slide in the list at the bottom.

Slide TransitionBy default, slide changes occur with a Fade transition. You can also choose from other transition types including: Puff, Scale, or None.

Select a transition from the Transition list at the bottom-right side of the page.

Polls tabThe Polls tab lets you create, push, and manage polls. Any polls you already created in the Live Event Editor are listed on the Polls tab. You can also create new polls here.

For best performance, keep file sizes for slides small. Slides with larger file sizes may take longer to push to viewers and can impede performance during transitions.



Create a new pollClick Create New Poll on the top right side of the Polls tab. See Polls for more details.

Previewing poll answer choicesYou can preview answer choices by clicking on the poll question text. The question choices appear below the poll question.

Starting and closing a pollTo push a poll to all participants, click the start poll link on the right of the poll listing.

After you start a poll, the real-time polling results appear at the bottom. You can only have one poll open at a time. It is a good idea to leave the poll open long enough to give participants time to answer. Once the polling period is over, close the poll by clicking the close poll link for the currently open poll.

Pushing poll resultsTo push poll results to all participants, first close the poll by clicking close poll for the active poll. Then click push poll results. You can choose to push a bar chart (actual numbers) or a pie chart (percentage).

Exporting poll resultsProducers can export polls to CSV format directly from the Live Event Manager. Click Export on the top right of the tab; a CSV file is automatically generated and you are prompted to open or download it.

Questions tabFrom the Questions tab you can moderate, filter, stage, and broadcast questions. The Live Event Manager searches for new questions every 15 seconds. You can manually refresh the questions list by clicking the Refresh button.

Staging questionsYou can stage questions ahead of time. This is particularly useful when there are only a few participant questions. It may also entice participants to begin asking questions.

To stage a question, click the Stage Question button and enter your question. When finished, the question appears in the questions list.

Categorizing questionsWhen new questions are submitted, they will appear in blue in the Live Event Manager. They are initially marked as Uncategorized. Categorizing questions simplifies the moderating process. It also acts as a role-based filtering system. For example, only users assigned to the Technical Support role can see questions marked as Technical. If you have given presenters the ability to see questions through the Presenter View interface, only questions marked as Presenter appear.

To categorize a question, select from the list on the right side of the question. Once you select a category, the color of the question changes to indicate that it is no longer uncategorized.

Filtering QuestionsYou can filter the questions displayed by category. Click the Filter Questions button and check the box(es) from the dropdown menu.



Responding to questionsTo respond to a question, click on the respond to user link in the question box. This allows you to respond directly to the questioner. Your response is seen on the participant's webcast interface. This is useful when technical or administrative questions are submitted.You can also click the ignore button below each question to dismiss it.

Displaying questionsYou can display one or more questions to all participants by clicking Display on each question, or by clicking the Display button in the upper-right corner to display all questions. All participants will see the question on their webcast interface.

Exporting questionsProducers can export questions to CSV format directly from the Live Event Manager. Click Export on the top right of the tab; a CSV file is automatically generated and you are prompted to open or download it.

Deleting questionsProducers can delete questions, individually and in bulk by clicking Delete. A question must be hidden prior to deletion. Click Hide on each question, or click the Hide button in the upper-right corner to hide all questions.

Survey tabIf you have assigned a survey to your event from the Live Event Editor, it appears on the Survey tab.

To push the survey, click the Push Survey button. The survey remains visible to all audience members until they close it, submit the survey, or you hide it by clicking the Hide Survey button.

External surveysIf you have selected an external survey, audience members will see the URL, which opens in a new window upon clicking.

Exporting surveys

Producers can export surveys to CSV format directly from the Live Event Manager. Click Export on the top right of the tab; a CSV file is automatically generated and you are prompted to open or download it.

Logs tabThe Logs have moved to a separate tab for ease of viewing. Click Save Logs to save the event logs to the system.

ChatFrom the Chat column on the right side, you can view and send chat messages. All producers and active presenters can send and view all chat messages. Click Hide Chat to close the Chat window.



PresenterPresenters participate in the event using the Presenter module. This module is available only when Enable Presenter Module is checked and a password is specified for the event in the Live Event Editor.

Producers obtain the URL for an event’s Presenter module from the list of links in the Live Event Editor. They can then distribute the URL along with the password to all presenters.

When a presenter accesses the Presenter module URL and enters a name and password, the module appears showing the current slide, if any.

Webcaster allows up to 10 remote presenters to join a webcast.

Watch Live BroadcastTo watch the live broadcast in progress, click the menu icon in the upper right corner then choose Watch Live Broadcast. The event is displayed in a small window in the upper left corner.

Webcam SettingsClick Webcam Settings to select the quality (high, medium, low) of the webcam stream. Each quality level corresponds to preset values for several stream settings. Higher values for the settings generally yield higher quality but also require greater bandwidth to deliver. Click Save and Apply Settings when finished.

Current SlideTo see the current slide, click the menu icon in the upper right corner then choose Current Slide. This is the default view.

Controlling SlidesPresenters can control a presentation’s slides only when a producer using the Live Event Manager hands off control to them. When this happens, a message appears informing the presenter that they have control, and a scrollbar showing the slides appears across the bottom of the page.

In the scrollbar the currently-pushed slide is marked by a yellow border. To switch to another slide simply click its image. This slide is automatically pushed to all viewers.

A presenter can continue switching slides until a producer using the Live Event Manager takes back control.

Viewer Questions

When a viewer asks a question that a producer has categorized as “For Presenters” a red circle indicator appears on the top status area next to the menu icon. The indicator shows the current number of viewer questions.

To see the viewer questions, click the menu icon in the upper right corner then choose Viewer Questions.



ChatClick Show Chat in the upper-right side of the window to display the chat interface. All producers and active presenters can send and view all chat messages.

Click Hide Chat to close the chat interface.

Join with VideoTo join the webcast as a presenter, click the menu icon in the upper right corner then choose Join with Video.

A dialog box appears asking you to allow webcam access.

Click Allow to enable the webcam, then click Broadcast to begin streaming.

ArchiverWhen your webcast has ended, you can use the Archiver to edit and publish an archive that can be launched on-demand by end users at any time. All synchronized assets, including slide pushes and polls, are stored as they occur during the live event and become editable within the Archiver.

You can launch the Archiver in these ways:

• From the Live Event Editor, click the Archiver tab at the top of the page, then select the event you want to archive.• From an event’s page in the Live Event Editor, click the Archiver link from the list of links on the left side of the page.

Adaptive Bit Rate Events using Adaptive Bit Rate streaming (configured on the Streams tab in the Live Event Editor) do not allow presenters to join with video and the menu item does not appear.



Importing timingsTo import the original synchronized assets, click the Import Timings button. When complete, markers appear in the timeline indicating when a synchronized event occurred during the live webcast.

Working with the timelineFrom the timeline you can:

Play the archive Click the Play button or press the space bar on your keyboard.View an item To see details about a particular slide, poll or other item, hover your mouse over its marker.Reposition an itemDrag the item’s marker left or right along the timeline.Replace a slide To edit an item, double-click its marker. A window is displayed where you can make changes.Zoom the timeline When markers occur too close together to properly view, click the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons to view the timeline with a finer-

grained control.

Adding slidesYou can add new slides that are unassigned or add them from the slide gallery.

Adding unassigned slidesTo add an unassigned slide, click on the timeline to choose the destination of the new slide, then click the Add Sync button and select Slide from the menu.

A marker appears on the timeline. Double-click the marker and select a slide from the slide selector window.

Adding slides from the slide galleryTo add specific slide from the slide gallery, click on the timeline at the position where you want to insert the slide then double-click a slide from the slide gallery.

A new marker appears at the position of the timeline cursor.

Saving your slide changesClick the Save Slides button to save your changes.

Adding chaptersChapters make it easy for your archive audience to jump to specific sections of the archive. Chapters are displayed in the archive webcast interface.

This feature is non-operational for viewers using a Kollective agent version older than 9.0.

Could not load the archive If the Archiver could not find the recorded media file on the server, you may see an error message. This can occur if:

• The recording request to the server never took place during the live webcast.• The file was moved or renamed from the streaming servers.• The event has not yet occurred.

Archives created prior to version 9.15 are not encrypted. If you are concerned about these archives being available to unauthorized users who have the archive URL, simply relaunch the Archiver for these events and an encryption key is generated automatically.



To add a chapter, click on the timeline where you want to add the chapter, then click the Add Sync button and select Chapter from the menu.

A new chapter marker appears on the timeline on the Chapters row. Double-click the marker to display the Chapter editor. Enter the chapter name and click Save.

When finished, click the Save Chapters button to save all chapters.

Adding pollsPolls that you previously added to the event appear on the timeline. You can also add new polls to gather data from viewers of the archive. During the archive playback, when the poll’s time is reached the video pauses and the viewer is prompted with the poll question.

To add a new poll, click on the timeline where you want to add the poll, then click the Add Sync button and select Poll from the menu.

A new poll marker appears on the timeline on the Polls row. Double-click the marker to display the Poll editor. Enter the following information for the poll.

Type You can pick from a variety of poll types including drop down boxes, checkboxes, and text areas. The most common and most measurable method is the Radio Button.

Prefix For radio buttons and check boxes, the prefix appears in front of each possible answer.Question The question you want the viewers to answer.Answers For radio buttons, check boxes, and drop down boxes, list the possible answers.

Click Add or Remove to add new answers or remove them.When you are done, click the Create button.

Saving your poll changes

When you are finished adding polls, click the Save Polls button to save your changes.

Adding actions

Actions allow specific user interface behaviors to occur at designated times. The view mode determines the view for the archive audience member. The options are Video Only, Slides Only, Video + Slides.

To add an action, click on the timeline where you want to add the action, then click the Add Sync button and select Action from the menu.

A new action marker appears on the timeline in the Actions row. Double-click the marker to display the Action editor. Select an action from the list and click Save.

Action Option NotesDisplay Options Video Only

Video + Slides

Slides Only

Sets the display for archive viewers.

Video Slide PositionVideo Left

Video Right

When showing Video+Slides, sets the side on which the video appears.

Content Panes Show Slide Index

Show Comments

Show Downloads

Show Chapters

Broadcast Message

Show Event Info

Show Help

Hide All Panes

Playback Pause

Play



When finished editing, click the Save Actions button above the timeline to save all actions.

Setting start and end points with mark in/mark outSome webcast recordings have an introduction at the beginning and a wrap-up at the end that you may want to exclude from the archive. Using Mark In and Mark Out you can designate exactly where in the recording you want the archive to begin and end.

This feature is non-operational for viewers using a Kollective agent version older than 9.0.

• To set the start position, click in the timeline where you want the archive to begin, then click Mark In.• To set the end position, click in the timeline where you want the archive to end, then click Mark Out.

If the archive has Mark In/Mark Out positions defined, the progress indicator (or scrub bar) in the player still represents the entire recording, but play begins at the Mark In position and ends at the Mark Out position. The player will prevent seeking and playback on positions outside of the Mark In/Mark Out range.

Previewing the archiveClick the Preview button to see a preview of how the archive will look to the viewer.

The preview link should not be distributed. It is only meant as a way to see the end result before making the archive available to viewers.

Publishing the archive to KollectiveWhen you are finished editing, you can publish the archive. This imports the archive media file for optimized delivery to users.

If your company uses MediaCenter, you can select a channel from the MediaCenter Channel list on the left side of the page. The published archive is automatically added to the selected channel.

Click the Publish button on the left side of the page to begin publishing.

The publishing process could take a few minutes depending on the size of your archive media file.

When complete, the status changes to PUBLISHED and the Publish button changes to Unpublish.

When you are ready to release the archive to your audience, go to the event's page in the Live Event Editor, select the Schedule tab, and change the status of the event to "Archived".

Click the Save Event button to save your changes.

You can now copy and distribute the Archive Webcast Page URL. This URL is listed under Links on the left side of the Live Event Editor.

AnalyticsWhen your live webcast event has concluded, you can use Analytics to view essential data about your event including registrants, poll answers, questions asked and more.

From an event's page in the Live Event Editor, click Analytics under Links on the left side of the page.

Interacting with the graphs

Pie charts Hover your mouse over a pie chart to gather more information about a given slice.Line graphs To zoom a specific portion of a line graph, click and drag your mouse to the left or right.

The selected area is magnified. To reset the graph, click Reset zoom.Exporting or printingClick the menu icon on the top right of the graph and choose an option from the menu.

You can choose from these formats: PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG.

LiveThese pages show data related to the live event.



AudienceClick Audience from the menu on the left. Shows the number of viewers who registered for the event each day. This data is most useful when registration is required for the event. You can set this by checking Registration Required on the Options tab in the Live Event Editor

This shows the event registrants, as well as the registrants who attended the event. You can also click the Export to CSV button export this list to a CSV file.

PollingClick Polling from the menu on the left. For each poll, a graph illustrates the responses to the poll question.

QuestionsClick Questions from the menu on the left. A table of all questions submitted appears below a set of graphs. A pie chart illustrates the breakdown by category; another chart maps questions submitted over time.

SurveyClick Survey from the menu on the left. A bar chart representation of each survey question and responses appears.

To change the graph, select the chart type from the drop down box at the top of the page. Pie charts illustrate the percentage of each response. Hover the cursor over a pie segment to see the response text.

ArchiveThese pages show data related to the archive of the event.

AudienceClick Audience from the menu on the left. This shows the event registrants, as well as the registrants who attended the event. You can also click the Export to CSV button export this list to a CSV file.

CommentsClick Comments from the menu on the left. This shows the comments entered by users at specific times while watching the archive of the event. Each comment indicates the time in the archive video when the comment was made so you can see what the user was commenting on.

FeedbackClick Feedback from the menu on the left. This shows comments entered by users after finished watching the archive of the event. Feedback applies to the entire event.

Need Assistance?

If you have questions related to this release, contact the Kollective support team at: [email protected].

kollective webcaster 9.17 user guide - wordpress.com · 2018-07-23 · kollective webcaster 9.17...

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