VIUTube, VIU’s streaming video platform for uploading and watching videos in a secure and private location is being upgraded (and moved to a new location).
VIU is now part of a centralized shared service for post-secondary institutions in BC for streaming video. By being part of this new service means we save on our annual user fees and get access to a more updated version of VIUTube (with additional features and functions) for all faculty and staff at VIU. We also put VIU at UBC where they have the server capability and infrastructure to look after video streaming all in one spot with the expertise and support we need. Currently five institutions (plus UBC) use this service with other universities, colleges and institutes joining soon.
For over a year, VIU has been working with BCcampus, BCNET, UBC Web Services and Kaltura to work out a plan to move almost 7200 video and audio files from VIU to UBC (to the shared service location). By end of Fall 2016 we had worked out pricing for our license, new contracts and sorted out costs for undertaking the move. By early January 2017 we were working on the steps to recreate our VIUTube at UBC and move our videos there. During February we conducted smoke tests (sending sample videos to UBC to see if all worked) and during March we nailed down dates and times for turning off access at VIU while updating links to existing videos. Starting in early April we began moving copies of video/audio files each night from VIU to UBC at the rate of approximately 500 an evening starting with the ‘oldest’ videos first.
Now we are in April and know that around April 21-24 we’ll be re-routing uploading of any new video/audio files to our new UBC location. We will share with students and faculty a new URL address around that time (when the site is all built and tested). We will have a message/link at the old URL/site to redirect users to the new site. At new location, users will upload video/audio as they normally have done and grab the link or embed code.
The new site is in development and it looks very similar to what VIUTube currently looks like with some new features such as:
- very cool desktop recorder (called CaptureSpace)
- interactive video quizzing
- add file attachments to media
- create chapters within a video for easier navigation
- get more detailed playback analytics on your videos!
- integrate into VIULearn
We are creating documentation and workshops for faculty – will share details by April 21-24 .
We will be leaving the VIU servers active until May 31 to ‘serve up’ all of video/audio files you have in your collection. It is important to note:
- All videos/audio files will WORK until end of May (those in VIULearn, websites etc) even though we are making a copy of them to put on UBC site
- Between April 24 ish and May 31 students and faculty members will have to update older videos/audio files with their new UBC address. We’ll be sharing a handout and a video on how to do this change.
- We need to turn off the VIU servers by May 31.
- It shouldn’t take but a minute or so per link/video to make the new UBC URL change.
We are confident you’ll really like the new features and functions of VIUTube when it is all set up at its new home.