CHICAGO, Ill. Educause Booth #1231 — October 15, 2019 — Mediasite today announces powerful new features that give users better control over how students experience video lectures, ensuring the most impactful, data-rich and searchable study tools for all.
With faculty and students contributing to the more than 110 million views of the 2 million videos created with Mediasite annually, academic video has quickly become not only expected by today’s learners but a critical part of how they learn. Making all that content available and comprehendible to students of all abilities has never been more important, and Mediasite’s latest tools help educational institutions make that possible.
Improve transcript accuracy with updated caption editor
Mediasite has speech-to-text integration with IBM Watson and automated closed captioning capabilities to create full content search for everything said and shown in many languages, automatically indexing it and removing vocal pauses for cleaner transcripts. Audio quality is the most crucial factor in machine text technology, and Mediasite’s updated caption editor allows users to easily edit caption files for even cleaner transcripts. Users can not only edit the files for things like punctuation and spelling but also change the timing to, for example, keep captions on the screen longer. Plus, new keyboard shortcuts help speed up the editing process.
Gauge transcript accuracy with confidence scoring
A new confidence score feature ensures the speech-to-text in Mediasite is accurate before displaying it as captions on a video. The score within Mediasite determines what percentage of words IBM Watson determined to be accurate. A score of 90 percent, for example, means at least 90 percent of the words are accurate. The addition allows Mediasite administrators to understand transcript accuracy on quick glance.
Improve the viewing experience
Mediasite continually tests its color contrast using industry standard tools to comply with visibility guidelines. Its new darkened theme improves color contrast ratio and text size to meet or exceed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 AA level.
The Mediasite player and larger video libraries are also screen reader compatible. Viewers can use screen readers, such as Window-Eyes and JAWS, and Mediasite provides a text-centric screen reader layout for players that allows for easier keyboard navigation.
In addition, Mediasite allows for magnification within the player for the hearing and visually impaired. All controls are available using either mouse or keyboard shortcuts.
Stop audio issues in real-time
Audio quality is just as important as the video itself. Mediasite has intelligence to notify administrators of audio problems– a professor forgets to turn on a microphone, for example — in real-time.
In addition, enhancements to Mediasite Monitor, a Mediasite Recorder management tool, allow users to preview the output of up to 16 devices simultaneously without latency. Users can hear the audio preview and triage any potential audio issues, such as a bad microphone, and immediately resolve the issue.
“As a video provider, we know that audio quality and the accuracy of machine text technology are both technical and financial barriers for schools. We are committed to leading the way in video accessibility,” said Michael Norregaard, CEO, Sonic Foundry. “We are continually doing in-depth testing on how to improve transcript accuracy and are helping to guide our customers to make the most accessible videos as possible. With careful planning and the right tools, like Mediasite’s latest features, schools can create highly engaging videos that will translate into better information retention and student satisfaction and success.”
Trusted by more than 1,700 colleges and universities, the patented Mediasite webcasting and video content management system quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of live and on-demand videos for campus events, lecture capture and flipped learning.
About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.
Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Madison, Wis., Sonic Foundry (OTC: SOFO) is dedicated to transforming how the world works and learns through innovative and scalable technology solutions. Sonic Foundry’s brands include Vidable® and Global Learning Exchange® which help unlock a smarter, more connected world for learners, workers, and entrepreneurs everywhere. For more information visit www.sonicfoundry.com.
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