Panopto: Potential vs Reality and Top Reasons for Concern
January 11, 2019
Panopto: Potential vs Reality and Top Reasons for Concern
Score 3 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Panopto
We use Panopto for developing content for predominately online courses in our MS and MBA programs. The most common use case is voice-over PPTs and screen captures thought the tool has other features such as podcasting and streaming live videos. We have also experimented with using it as a repository for our professional shot and edited video content though we have found that cumbersome due to the tools integration issues with our LMS (Blackboard).
- It captures multiple streams simultaneous (video, desktop, audio only etc) and is pretty smart when it comes to working with imported PowerPoint Decks.
- The end product can easily be shared in multiple formats and it has pretty rich content editing abilities for doing basic post-production clean up.
- They have recently introduced an in-line quizzing feature which can integrate with your LMS's Gradebook.
- The Analytics feature is very strong - we can get student level analytics when we integrate/embed the videos into our LMS.
- UI is really clunking for basic/novice computer users.
- The recorder software is pretty buggy and often differs greatly from PC to Mac.
- I don't like the pricing model (pay per video views).
- The 'provisioning' aspect is very cumbersome - it has to be done on the section level in the LMS every course, every semester, which is very time-consuming.
- The Quizzing feature, while making progress, is still very basic and there is a lack of UI customization.
- The rendering process is slower than other products we use.
- With some of our more tech-savvy faculty, it has freed up instructional design and multimedia staff as they are able to create a video on their own without a supervisor or tech support.
- The provisioning aspect of integrating each section in our LMS is very cumbersome and a labor drain.
- The mobile app has allowed end users to capture video at a time or place our normal film crews would not be able to get to.
- Kaltura and Zoom
Cost wise, unless you have a huge audience, Panopto is better.
Both Zoom Meeting and Kaltura and for more expensive and a smaller program/company may not have the demand to justify them.
Kaltura - is a far superior tool, the UI is much more modern and easier for a novice user to understand, and it makes sharing videos amongst faculty much easier. The LMS integration if far smoother and the recording is much easier and faster (from within the LMS). The analytics are also present in a much cleaner and digestible way. Lastly, the quizzing feature is far more robust.
Zoom - Smoother at streaming and live interactions. Stronger chat feature and supports larger audiences, it can handle over 100 HD webcams at once if needed. It does basic desktop capture and supporting audio-only formats that can easily be converted to Podcast or Soundcloud.
Google Loom - This one is not listed above as it's rather new but its a FREE tool for fast video/desktop/PPT recordings and it's extremely fast and easy to share. That said it's pretty basic as far as any additional features are concerned. Post-production editing is limited to basic timeline trimming.
Both Zoom Meeting and Kaltura and for more expensive and a smaller program/company may not have the demand to justify them.
Kaltura - is a far superior tool, the UI is much more modern and easier for a novice user to understand, and it makes sharing videos amongst faculty much easier. The LMS integration if far smoother and the recording is much easier and faster (from within the LMS). The analytics are also present in a much cleaner and digestible way. Lastly, the quizzing feature is far more robust.
Zoom - Smoother at streaming and live interactions. Stronger chat feature and supports larger audiences, it can handle over 100 HD webcams at once if needed. It does basic desktop capture and supporting audio-only formats that can easily be converted to Podcast or Soundcloud.
Google Loom - This one is not listed above as it's rather new but its a FREE tool for fast video/desktop/PPT recordings and it's extremely fast and easy to share. That said it's pretty basic as far as any additional features are concerned. Post-production editing is limited to basic timeline trimming.