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The Video Content Management service (using Panopto) offers clients video capture and storage at the user or classroom level, with integration with the Canvas platform. The service also provides captioning via a third party integration (3PlayMedia). Below are answers to this service's frequently asked questions.
For more information, please contact help@isc.upenn.edu.
The University does not currently impose any storage restrictions. However, in the interest of keeping the most recent content easily accessible, Penn is implementing content retention rules. Beginning September 17, 2024, any video uploaded more than three years ago that has not been viewed in 13 months will be archived. Archived videos are still available but have been put into “deep storage.” They can be easily recalled from the archive but may take up to 48 hours to be viewable. For any issues finding, recalling, or viewing archived videos, contact your school or center’s IT support.
Beginning October 2025, videos that have been in archive for 13 months will be permanently deleted. If you have content that you want to keep longer, there are two options:
Note that by default, students cannot download videos, including TAs. Only video creators can download their own videos.
From the interactive player: In the upper right-hand corner, select the download icon, which looks like an underlined, downwards pointing arrow. The video will automatically begin downloading to your machine.
From the embedded player: In the lower right corner of the screen, select the download icon, which looks like an underlined, downward-pointing arrow. The video will automatically begin downloading to your machine.
To turn on the Panopto copyright notice for a folder, log in to upenn.hosted.panopto.com.
Note that this will need to be done for every folder, including any subfolders you’ve created.
All active University students, faculty, and staff are eligible for Panopto access. This includes postdocs, unpaid affiliates with active academic appointments, emeritus faculty, temporary and contingent workers, including student workers, and service providers. If in doubt, contact your local IT support provider for assistance.
To get access to Panopto:
Any video can be uploaded to Panopto, provided it is University related. This includes courses, meetings, webinars, guest speakers, and student videos.
Panopto provides a number of features specific to video playback and storage.
There are several choices for how to log in to Panopto.
After logging in, click Browse on the left. A frame will pop open that contains folders you are able to access. Clicking on a folder will display the videos contained within. Clicking Everything will show you a list of videos you are able to access regardless of folders. If you believe there are recordings you should have access to but do not, contact your Local IT support.
After logging in, click the blue Create button at the top. To create an entirely new folder, click New Folder. Give the folder a name, select a parent folder, then click Create Folder. To upload a video, click the same blue Create button. Select Upload media. In the pop up that opens, select a folder, then drag the video into the window, or browse to it on your computer.
Panopto videos can be edited inside Panopto’s web interface. Heads and tails can be trimmed, audio volume normalized, PowerPoint slides (or whole decks) replaced. For assistance with the Panopto video editor, contact your school or center’s IT support.
Panopto is funded by PTIC. There are no charges for university users.
LTI stands for Learning Technology Interoperability. It’s a standard that some educational software uses to communicate with each other and seamlessly provide services without jumping between applications. Different schools have different implementations for the LTI, but in the most complete scenario, Zoom meetings can be scheduled and started from within a Canvas course. The recordings of these meetings are automatically uploaded to Panopto under the course name, and available for viewing within Canvas. All of this is made possible by the LTI.
Our Penn instance of Panopto is not HIPAA compliant. Videos with PHI or other sensitive information should not be stored in Panopto.
Panopto may update this list without notice. The most recent list is located here, under 1. Cloud Support.
The following file formats are supported:
The following video and audio codecs are supported. Max bitrate is 2.5 Mbps, anything higher will be downscaled:
Video Codecs:
Audio Codecs:
3Play Media is a paid service providing transcription, closed captioning, live captioning, audio description, translation, and subtitling services for Penn videos.
Zoom, Panopto, and YouTube all provide automatic captioning. Aren’t those good enough? Sometimes, in a pinch. But for someone who can’t hear, “good enough” isn’t nearly good enough. Imagine trying to watch a lecture video with lots of technical terms, none of them correct in the captions. Without the ability to listen to it, you’d be lost. 3Play Media guarantees a 99% accuracy rate and allows for preloading of names and terms that might be difficult to understand.
Contact your school or center’s IT support for assistance setting up an account.
There are several ways to use 3Play Media. The simplest is by logging in to 3Playmedia.com, selecting the correct project, and uploading videos directly. ISC can also put integrations in place for Panopto, Zoom, and Canvas. Contact your school or center’s IT support to discuss your needs.
The standard turnaround time for files is 4 days. There are also service levels at 2 days, 1 day, 8 hours, and 2 hours. A longer, 10 day service level is available at a less expensive rate.
Pricing for the live video captioning offerings change over the course of the year, depending on the volume of use. See current 3Play Media pricing.
3Play Media adds on a difficult audio surcharge when the audio quality of a recording meets certain criteria, especially when combined:
To avoid the extra cost, try to use a high-quality microphone and eliminate as much background noise as possible. More details can be found here: What is a Difficulty Surcharge?
Contact help@isc.penn.edu and ask to create a 3Play Media project. You will need to supply a project name (the standard is “school-department”, for example “Wharton-Legal Studies” or “SAS-Percussion Ensemble”), any staff who should have access to the project including an admin, and the PO number for an open PO for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Send an email to help@isc.upenn.edu. We directly support integrations with Panopto, Canvas, and Zoom, but we may be able to assist with other integrations as well.Get in contact with questions.
Yes, but projects containing PHI must notify 3Play Media in advance of upload and incur an extra cost.
Caption Formats
Audio Description Formats